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| From In the Garden |
Are you the type of gardener who values aesthetic or function more?
Aesthetics as defined by Dictionary.com is: "having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty". It stands to reason a gardener who loves beauty might consider only the whole picture in a garden and want to see only the pretty parts of a garden. Don't we all?
Function as defined by Merriam-Webster is "any of a group of related actions contributing to a larger action; especially : the normal and specific contribution of a bodily part to the economy of a living organism". It stands to reason then that a gardener who values function might consider the mundane and working parts of the garden more important than the overall view of the garden.
When taking these two definitions into account let us look at the first photo of the crocuses. The leaves function as a great mulch and ground cover but are not as aesthetically pleasing as some other mulches might be. I choose to garden functionally and use pretty much only natural materials that are readily available and I am okay with the looks. Some gardeners would rather black shredded hardwood mulch that has to be trucked in and spread. I'd love black hardwood mulch all over my gardens but the leaves function just as well and since they are free and readily available, I have chosen to forgo the aesthetics of black mulch (and the cost) and will instead focus on the function of the free leaves. Both types of mulches work just fine and one is no better than the others-looks and costs are the only variables. Let's look at some other ways to garden functionally versus aesthetically.
As evidenced by the above picture you can see that both my compost bin and my potting bench are well within sight of the house and sitting areas in the garden. I could place the compost bin way back behind the garage where it would be out of sight, but then it would also be out of reach of most of my garden debris and therefore not a functional compost bin. I am undoubtedly a functional type of gardener. I consider mundane things and am not willing to work harder or spend more monty to keep the garden in an aesthetic manner that is beautiful to all. But then again, I think compost bins are pretty special, maybe not beautiful but special nonetheless and I don't mind it in full view. I totally understand not all gardeners will feel this way and those gardeners will strive to camouflage their compost bins or place the bins in an out of sight area.
Let's look at another case of aesthetics versus function. Everyone knows most peonies need to be staked or somehow secured in order to keep their lovely heads out of the dirt when it rains. My functional procedure is to cage all of my peonies in my garden. When the peonies are up and growing you cannot see the cages. They look very beautiful and are aesthetically pleasing in the above picture.
However, when the peonies are asleep the cages are clearly visible and are not such an aesthetically pleasing bit of the garden. I could pick them up and store them but I'm a bit lazy so I've decided to leave them in place. They are not pretty but they are functional, even when the peonies are not growing these cages remind me of where they are located. For me it is all about the functionality of the garden and all the small parts need to work together in conjunction with me and my capabilities-read less work. Leaving the cages in place contribute to the overall garden by contributing to my overall health in that I have less work to do in the garden. My gardening methods are functional though not always aesthetically acceptable.I know the majority of gardeners would probably value aesthetics over functionality and that is understandable. Just watch HGTV on the weekends and listen to them talk about how ugly vegetable gardens are so they need to be placed in an out of way spot or camouflaged. How silly is that? As we get older it only makes sense to have gardens function in a manner that is easy to use.
Check out gardens on garden tours and you almost never see a compost bin or a pot or a tool or anything functional. All of these functions are usually hidden and out of sight so that the aesthetics are pleasing for the tour participants. I guess that is what gardens are all about but in my opinion, gardens need please only the gardener-me. I choose functionality over aesthetics any day of the year and that's okay because it is what works for me. Another gardener might think my garden could be improved a bit by placing those ugly old functional things in an out of the way spot but that is their opinion and we are all entitled to opinions. My garden works for me but it might not work for another gardener based on priorities and values: aesthetics or function.
Now that you know what type of gardener I am, what type of gardener are you? If it is hard to figure out (it should not be) just ask yourself this question, "Where is my compost bin....
in the garden.... ?"
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,
In the Garden
Great thought provoking post Tina!
ReplyDeleteI think I fall on the side of function (or possibly dysfunction ;) )
I guess aesthetics are a matter of perspective too - like your compost bin example. Someone might think it more aesthetically pleasing to spray all the little bugs in the garden, but to me creating a sanitised (and high maintenance!) garden is not half as aesthetically pleasing as seeing a ladybug go about her work :)
What a fantastic post! A great way to start the last week before spring.
ReplyDeleteLove your photos that are of function and aesthetics in your gardens.
FlowerLady
I am a functional gardener. I use the leaves that fall as you do. My new vegetable garden is located right outside of my sunroom (in clear view) near the water faucet for easy watering and harvesting. I guess when you do all of your own gardening it is easier to be functional. Carla
ReplyDeleteMy time is so limited that functionality must come before anything else. I only wish there was time in my day to tend to all (or even many of) the little details.
ReplyDeleteThen too, there is the idea of being a responsible gardener. I try not to buy things like mulch if I can recycle organic material like leaves and newspaper.
Marnie
Well, I do use the newspaper in the veggies and the landscape fabric (with mulch) for my roses, mulch cut from the local power company. I have to say though....my compost bin was a point of contention. Hubby wanted it just outside the fencing of the veggies, yuck! It ended up in a honeysuckle bush and the bin is soon to be painted green!
ReplyDeleteGippsland Gardener, Good point on the bugs. Sometimes we just have to have lower our threshold for what we'll tolerate in the garden and spraying is one of those things. I agree!
ReplyDeleteFlowerlady, Glad you like it. Function and aesthetics have been on my mind but really a garden has to please only the gardener. That's the best kind.
Carla, You are most smart! I didn't even consider the watering for function but it sure makes sense to put a veggie garden where water is accessible.
Marnie, Oh yes! Time sure plays into it as well as what energy we have left at the end of the day. Function rules!
Dawn, Those compost bins can be a big point of contention for sure. Just remember it need only please you but it's good to have it where you'll use it-green will make it blend.
ReplyDeleteInteresting question Tina. I garden in such a small space, I am probably more an aesthetics gardener, but function does play a part as well. I actually like to see the "things" that help a garden function...makes me feel good. But I will take blooming flowers over compost any day! lol!
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you at all Linda. Blooming flowers sure are better than blooming compost:)
ReplyDeleteI think a combination of both is perfect. Anything that can do double duty with function and aesthetics is welcome. I hope the greenhouse will be like that functional yet attractive although a lot of work still needs done for either to be present. Our compost bins aren't attractive but they are functional and the vegetable garden still isn't what I would like it to be. But I think function and aesthetics often can work together.
ReplyDeleteHi Tina, What a delightful posts!! So many good things to ponder. I am definitely an au naturel gardener. I prefer leaves, weeds coming out of cracks and a garden that looks used. After all isn't the difference between a house and a home, is the latter looks lived in? My garden won't be winning a beauty contest, (OMG I almost said compost...Freudian slip! LOL!) any time soon, but that's not what I'm in it for.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely thought provoking, Tina! My scale tilts toward the aesthetic side although I'm not far from function. I hide or disguise most function-only parts of my landscape. I hide with bushes, trellises, screens, paint...anything that will assist the aesthetics portion.
ReplyDeleteYou described beautifully the differences between me and my bff. She trucks in loads and loads of expensive soil conditioner after removing all the leaves...and I leave all the leaves in my garden. I have to admit, that I add soil conditioner or pinestraw over the leaves in the beds near the entrance to my house. Completely aesthetic! gail
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting post, I don't think I'd thought about it before. I'm a combination of the two. I leave things like stakes and peony cages is all year to remind me of where the plants are, but have the compost bin hidden in the side yard. But with kids it will never be completely for aesthetics when there are toys in the middle of beds or jump ropes tied to trees, etc :)
ReplyDeleteWell I think any garden is very aesthetic. Then there are gardens that also add the function part also. But then again, I love to see a beautiful veggie garden as much as a flower garden, maybe even more as I love putting a seed in the ground, watching it grow and picking the best veggies to eat!!!!!!!!! Does not get any better than that.
ReplyDeleteOh darn, I meant to tell you....Show Josh Friday's post at Dawn's blog. Then ask him who it is. You will love it. He loves to see himself in photos and he loves Madame but will call her HIS name for her.
ReplyDeleteAesthetics...I want the whole world to be beautiful. I'd plant flowers everywhere except that we need to eat!
ReplyDeleteMy garden is equal parts functional and aesthetic. I use leftover hay to mulch, will crunch up old stems and throw them back down in the bed so as to not take away structure and nutrients, in dry weather I even pull up weeds and toss them back to die on the ground and act as green compost... it's not always pretty but it gets the job done. If I tried to make everything look perfect all of the time I'd have to spend a lot more money and I'd go crazy into the bargain.
ReplyDeleteYes! Which is to say, I'm a bundle of opposites in personality, always have been. I'm both very practical and very fanciful at the same time. A garden is by its nature a thing of beauty, but I have so many plants that I have to be practical, too. Interesting thought on mulch--I actually find leaf mulch more attractive than wood mulch, but less practical as it decomposes quicker. I do both, top dressing in spring with hardwood mulch after the leaves have blown away or gotten mushy to keep in moisture and slow weeds. :) Eventually I hope everything is so full you can't even see (or need) mulch! :)
ReplyDeleteI am both gardeners! lol. I try to hide some things out of the way like the compost bin. But with so many limbs piling up, there is no way for me to hide them. They pretty much stick out and are ugly to me but I am thinking that people are looking at the pretty and not the ugly. After all, no matter how my little ugly spots may look, compared to my next door neighbors, my yard is beautiful. I know, that was bad...
ReplyDeleteWell let's see, containers all about the front porch, rakes and trowels in the garden path, a wheelbarrow on the side of the garden filled with compost a bucket and a pair of gloves just incase...and that garden hose that never gets rolled up...functional I'd say....I'll clean it up once the seeds have all been sown and the plants all planted...uh wait, that will never happen...
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post, Tina! I thought I was an aesthetic gardener, but now I'm not so sure. I plant things that please my eye, but I also have the garden hose out all the time and leave the dried coneflowers up for the birds, so maybe I'm a functional gardener after all. My compost pile is out of sight, however, because it is pretty messy:) Most of all, I think I'm a thrifty gardener:)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Tina! I am a mix bending more toward aesthetic. In composting, I am 50/50: my compost pile is hidden among bushes, but my black plastic composter is in a full view. Saying that, let's remember that everything is relative. Comparing with your garden, mine can be called aesthetic. BUT, I am probably among only 1% or 2% of people in our neighborhood who has both a real vegetable garden (not just a couple of pots with herbs) and a compost pile. So, on a local scale, my garden is functional, it feeds our family.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great post!
Well, my gardens are function for sure. I too leave the wire thingys in place all winter. Never could find my hosta in the winter so I started sticking little green bamboo sticks in the ground where they were. Now I don't dig them up by mistake. Really I use or do anything I can to help this fading memory.lol
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for dropping by and weighing in on the issue. It looks like we are mostly a bit of both functional and aesthetic type gardeners.
ReplyDeleteMom, They are coming over about 4 pm so we are getting excited! Cooking spagetti for them and looking forward to seeing them both!
Oops-forgot..
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, That's not bad, just honest and that is good.
Lola, Thriftiness is necessary for gardeners I think and a good thing for us all...
Interesting way to look at it. I would say mine is leaning more towards the functional...with a touch of whimsy. I use old tomato cages on my fence to let my vines climb on. I also use old cages for my peonies...why buy a peony cage when you can use a tomato cage whose legs are a bit short.
ReplyDeleteI will read some of your older posts that i missed. Hard to catch up on so many posts.
Well, can't we have it all? Function and stunning looks? In truth, though, looking around my garden, there are lots of spaces where functionality has taken over. And then there are others where it looks great, but the garden is totally unusable for anything than admiring from a distance. I guess I tend to organize the garden spaces into those that will get looked at, and others that have to house the garden shed or leftover lumber and lengths of unused conduit.
ReplyDeleteI've been wrestling with this a lot, Tina. In recent years I've been trying to grow edibles (function!) but still keep it pretty. Not always easy to combine, but I'm trying. There are lots of ornamental veggies when you seek them out...
ReplyDeleteJust liked your gardening photos very much.
ReplyDeletebpo projects