Schneider Garden Part III

As we continue around Paul and Dot's very large and beautifully maintained art and plant garden we come upon another sculpture using trees. It is quite an artful poise of the big pieces of a tree trunk don't you think?

Back behind the house there was a beautiful patio with a neat staircase surrounded by tons of touchable and architectural plants and sculptures. The above picture is of a spikey thing (Opuntia sp) and a soft thing ( the crytomeria and spruce?). The sunlight reflected off from the vignette nicely.

Paul is known for his collections. He has several collections but one that is extra special is those of his plants that need really good drainage. To ensure the good drainage Paul made several hypertufa pots. And wow on the pots! Some were really REALLY large. I can't even imagine the work it took to make all the pots, then to fill them with soil and plant. Ouch on planting cacti! I hope Paul wears gloves.

Here is that lovely staircase I was talking about. As you come around the left side of the home you encounter this easily traversed staircase up to a raised patio. I just loved the sculpture on the left. How clever is it? Just paint some pots, and stack them with some cement rounds and there you have it!

Stepping back from the patio and staircase we see a long view of the area. Again, this area is raised and was surrounded by many specimen plants.

Here is another scree garden (raised bed with good sharp draining soil or mixture of rocks) complete with a beautiful egg like sculpture. The colors are some of my favorite colors-RED/WHITE AND BLUE!

And here is Paul himself. Paul is a fun loving guy who is most passionate about gardening and loves to share it all with others. This trait is priceless for folks like me who like to learn from experts in their fields. There are many great gardeners out there who don't share a thing:( Paul is not one of them. The fun loving comes in with the beer in the hand. I took several pictures of Paul and when I told him the one I selected showed him with a beer in his hand, he said "Good!" If the truth were told though, I could not get a shot of him without a beer in his hand:)

Since Paul grows a lot of bamboo in his garden you can expect it to be the subject of some sculptures and garden art such as this fanciful arrangement in a barrel painted blue.

This sculpture is one of several metal sculptures and I think a departure from the majority of Paul's sculptures that I have shown in that does not contain a natural element from the garden, such as tree branches or stone. It is a very large sculpture and I loved it. It is hard to see it with the background but in person it is quite a presence....

in the garden....

There is one more post showcasing Paul and Dot's garden so come back Wednesday to be sure to check it out. I think I even have a picture of my 'driver' (the 'Mr. Tina' as some folks call him) in that post....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden