an Imperfect Garden - An Artist’s Garden

Our garden is a private, domestic garden in Wiltshire, England. The wabi sabi principles of embracing the natural, the imperfect and the impermanent are important characteristics.

On a small—and to a large part beautifully secluded—plot it features several perennials borders, ornamental grasses, a stumpery, wildlife pond and folly, wildflower mounds, a circular grass meadow with spring bulbs, a vegetable garden and more.

We "owned" a garden long before I became a gardener. I have always believed that the garden does not belong to me but is borrowed from nature and the wildlife. My duty as a gardener and resident of this planet is to work with nature, not against it, to put nature before my own demands and to consider its requirements before making alterations.

This incarnation of the garden is a living and ever evolving project, which started only in 2017. From the beginning I knew that I wanted a garden that was beneficial for the wildlife, overflowing with plants and a joyful refuge for the human residents.

The garden taught me that I am not the great controller but the caretaker at best. Gardening is an act of creation only within the confines of what nature will allow us to do. The term natural is an indispensable part of wabi sabi theories. It means that we relinquish the notion of control in favour of welcoming guidance from the garden and nature herself. Only then can we hope to achieve something truly beautiful. The wabi sabi connection was not a part of the original idea but followed from these reflections.

The garden is the work of myself, Wolf, and Sue. Our garden is the exclusive location for my book An Imperfect Garden.

You can also connect with me on Mastodon, where I post mainly about the garden.

The garden and the artist

I am an internationally exhibited and published artist photographer. Central to my work is the perception of reality. My sole current ongoing project is about the garden. As an artist, I am interested in how relinquishing the notion of control can be at the centre of an artist's work. Our garden is the exclusive location for my current work on a project called An Imperfect Garden.
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