Searching for Simplicity
The simplicity of a single fern in a concrete container on a white porch creates a beautifully elegant image that both softens the scene and keeps it all so simple and dignified.
Finding peace in the garden
We all need a little simplicity in our lives.
Whether it’s a minimalistic choice we make in our lifestyle, in our home decor, or even in the garden, simplicity brings that sense of calm so many of us crave.
In a world where stress and constant change has become the norm, simplicity might just be the foundation we need to feel at peace.
So how do we find it, create it, live it?
It can begin in our garden.
By replacing the bold and colourful borders with plants that exhibit a soft, ethereal feel we can bring down the tension and chaotic feel that some gardens exhibit. Combine colours and textures that compliment one another rather than fight for attention.
Bee balm adds a hit of colour in an otherwise sea of shades of green.
Learn to appreciate textures and the glorious shades of green that make up the most sophisticated of garden designs. (For more on using foliage and textures in our gardens go here.)
Consider planting in drifts rather than individual specimens and take your lead from other gardeners or landscape designers.
Red has its place, but in small doses that does not overwhelm your senses. I find my bee balm and cardinal flowers can be outstanding additions to the garden but only in small doses.
A lovely pink hydrangea grows up and through a white picket fence adding a delicate softness to what could have been a stark white fence around a property.
Learning from the pros
One of my favourite summer pastimes is visiting neighbourhoods where landscaping and garden design is revered and one of the best areas is Niagara-On-The-Lake, located in Ontario just a few kilometres from the famous falls and the U.S. border.
I like to think of it as a tourist town with a whole lot of class. Full of quaint bed and breakfasts and lovely country inns, all with meticulously manicured landscapes and garden designs.
Japanese forest grass surrounds a beautiful blue hosta adding texture and subtle colour to the design.
It’s a town of white picket fences holding back beautifully designed gardens.
And, it’s here, where I go in search of exquisite examples of simplicity in garden design. Although I would not say the majority of gardens here are traditional woodland gardens, I would say that the majority of them incorporate many key features of woodland-style gardens with just a sprinkle of cottage gardening thrown in for effect. The abundant use of white picket fences is a dead giveaway here, but it adds a nostalgic charm that is simply irresistible.
Wherever you live, neighbourhoods like these probably exist nearby. Search them out. Study what makes them so charming and brings you back to them time and time again, and then take away ideas for your own garden.
I am a big believer in observing the natural world (see my series on A Walk In the Woods) and taking ideas from it to use in our gardens. So, learning from some of the best garden designers in your neck of the woods seems to be a logical step in your own garden design.
Below are a number of examples illustrating my search for simplicity in a single afternoon at Niagara On The Lake.
The images are not always perfect because, like a typical tourist, I was limited to the lighting available on a sunny blue-sky day.
In another garden design, Hydrangea Fire???? spills out from a white picket fence adding a little colour to the fence for passersby. I have this hydrangea in our garden and just love its soft colours in the landscape.
And, not unlike a typical tourist, I chose to use a traditional travel camera – the Fujifilm F660 EXR. It’s a ??-year-old point-and-shoot camera with zoom ratio of 24-138. More on the camera specs at the bottom of the post.
Delicate white flowers in a bold pot work perfectly in this simple garden scene.
By zooming in close and isolating the flower and pot on the white table, the scene is further simplified.
Using art as the focal point for these lovely hydrangeas can be effective in a garden big or small.
This exquisite garden design with its red door complemented by hits of red flowers offers many ideas to gardeners searching for simplicity.
Travel camera makes simplifying the scene simple
Capturing the above images in a couple hour stroll through the back streets of this tourist town was made simple through the use of what is commonly referred to as a “travel camera.”
Most of the major manufacturers either offer these convenient, do-it-all cameras, or have offered them in the past. They often offer the convenience of a super-zoom lens in a convenient, easily-pocketable point-and-shoot camera.
Although many of us now depend on the cameras connected to our smart phones for many of our travel and tourism images, trust me, there is no comparison to having the flexibility of a high-quality travel camera with you to document these special times in our lives.
The high-end Fujifilm f550 EXR is a highly capable travel camera sporting a 15 times, 24-360mm zoom lens and 16 Megapixel ½ inch CMOS.
Even documenting a day outing becomes so much more creative and allows you to capture superior images than what you are able to accomplish with a smart phone.
For this outing, I used the highly respected Fujifilm F660 EXR travel camera, released way back in January 2012, that sports a 16 megapixel sensor, a 24-360mm zoom lens and a host of both manual and scene mode controls that help ensure excellent results while providing full control of the image if necessary.
All of this wrapped up in a tiny package that easily fits into your pocket or purse.
The Fujifilm f660 EXR’s close-up capabilities are impressive as seen by this image of a spittle bug hiding in the Clematis.
An added bonus to the Fujifilm cameras are the film emulations that allow the photographer to create more film-like images based on Fuji’s former films such as Velvia, Provia, Astia and a black and white film stock.
Former film slide shooters will remember the special qualities of Velvia for nature and landscape images, and Astia for beautiful, soft portraits. Provia is excellent for general use and, of course, black and white for truly memorable vintage images.
“The Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR digital camera features a 16 megapixel EXR CMOS 1/2 inch sensor, a 15 times 24-360mm equivalent zoom lens, 1080p Full HD movies, 8fps continuous shooting and a 460,000-dot 3-inch LCD screen for viewing those images.
The F660EXR has full manual control for the more advanced user as well as a host of image modes to automatically handle more complex images. It includes an impressive close-up mode as well as a competent built-in flash.
Clematis up close in the garden with the Fujifilm f600 EXR.
Originally priced at around $250 U.S. dollars at its release in 2012, it was available in black, red, blue and a champagne gold.
It’s available today on on-line marketplaces for extremely good prices ranging from under $100 to about $170.00 but one in perfect condition in a box might set you back close to the original price of the camera when it was launched. Fujifilm cameras, especially the more professional cameras with the film emulations included, are highly sought after by camera enthusiasts these days.
If you are interested in exploring travel cameras, you may want to check out Amazon prices here, or Ebay prices here.
And don’t forget to check out large camera stores like Adorama cameras. They offer a complete line of cameras and accessories.
