Shadow Play

Time for another gallery of light and shadows, to celebrate shadow play on outside and inside surfaces. In Elements of the Chinese Garden, we learned that walls are an important element of Chinese gardens for capturing shadows and displaying poetry. In this collection, walls are not the only element for capturing shadows. Containers, garden hardscape, ground surfaces, brick walls, and broken terra cotta pots also serve the purpose. Enjoy this latest gallery of shadow play from everyday life.

Japanese maple leaves and shadows

Foliage shadows on white support beam

Light and shadow from woven wooden blinds

Japanese maple leaves detail

Light and shadow in the side yard

Cherry tomatoes and leaves shadow

Lacy leaves

Oak tree shadow on the patio

Dappled shadow on the concrete path

Light and shadow on brick and terra cotta

Shadow Play

Back with another gallery of shadow and light. I'm always on the lookout for interesting shadow play, whether on an outside garden wall, an inside wall with a garden projection, or an interesting architectural pattern almost anywhere. This taps into what we learned in Elements of the Chinese Garden, where walls are an important element of Chinese gardens for capturing shadows and displaying poetry. Enjoy this latest gallery of shadow play from everyday life.

Deck chair shadow

Wind chime shadow

Leaf and mini-blind shadow

Bouquet of shadow flowers

Light and shade with mini-blinds

Light and shade with sun shades

Holey hat shadow

Tunnel of light and shadows

Lacey leaf shadows

Mini-blind shrub shadows

Shadow Play

Back with another gallery of shadows (and sometimes golden light). I'm always on the lookout for interesting shadow play, whether on an outside garden wall, an inside wall with a garden projection, or an interesting architectural pattern almost anywhere. This taps into what we learned in Elements of the Chinese Garden that walls are an important element of Chinese gardens for capturing shadows and displaying poetry. Enjoy this latest gallery of shadow play from everyday life.

Leaves as shadow and leaves illuminated

Plants and mini blinds on the wall

Leaves captured on a kitchen cabinet

Plants brought inside in a pool of light

Creature of the night

Architectural patterns of light and dark

Tiny shaft of light

X-ray of ribs or plants and mini blinds?

Morning light cast through the mini blinds

Japanese maple projection

Shadow and light cast on an inside wall

Many of these photos show shadows from the garden that are cast inside the house and others capture or incorporate patterns from the mini blinds. For more shadow fun see Shadow Play from last year. Shadow as art form!

Shadow Play

In Elements of the Chinese Gardens we learned that walls are an important element of Chinese gardens for capturing shadows and displaying poetry. I'm always on the lookout for good shadow play, whether on an outside garden wall, an inside wall with a garden projection, or an interesting architectural pattern almost anywhere. Enjoy this gallery of shadow play from everyday life.

Blinds cast a shadow on a notebook

Blinds and plants blur together

The the old Chinese Elm casts a shadow

An outside garden scene projected into a dark stairwell

Architectural pattern in a parking garage

Blinds are fascinating

Architectural shadows from a large skylight

Another outside garden scene projected into the stairwell

Wooden art models at play

Shadows and vines in the fall

Shadow as art form!

Kaiser Pocket Garden in Oakland

Anything that is a distraction while visiting the doctor can be a good thing (don’t get me wrong – I have wonderful doctors)! This small pocket garden in the Oakland medical complex is a great example. It is really just an alleyway that cuts between several building between Howe Street and Piedmont Avenue.

Alleyway transformed into a pocket garden

This alley is different – boasting redwood trees, plants that do well in shade, and a small picnic area. The effect is a cool and calming walkway between two busy streets in a bustling medical center. This may not be the ideal environment for the redwoods, but they seemed to be thriving and growing well.

Clivia miniata (Natal lily, bush lily) - a shade loving native of damp woodlands in South Africa

 

I’ve reported on Kaiser landscaping projects before (see Kaiser Medical Center in Oakland, and Kaiser Meditation Garden in Pleasanton). I like their innovative approach to making something beautiful out of what would otherwise be utilitarian. Good inspiration for all of us.

Young redwoods growing between buildings

Clear Lake Wine Country

We visited several wineries in Clear Lake, and learned all about the wonderful soil, enriched with age-old volcanic ash, and the excellent climate and growing conditions. One especially interesting winery is Ceago Vinegarden Wineries, created by Jim Fetzer (formerly of Fetzer Vineyards), near Nice on the north end of Clear Lake.

Ceago Winery from the dock – lavender

Ceago is a certified Biodynamic winery that uses organic, sustainable, and earth-friendly practices, designed to produce a top grade product and rejuvenate the earth. Their practices include crop rotation; composting; use of, manures, green manures, and organic fertilizers; and avoiding genetically engineered organisms and chemical pesticides. Ceago specializes in both red and white wines, and also grows organic vegetables, and lavender for its essential oils.

Shady arbor

We had a great visit to Ceago. We arrived by boat, so approached the winery from Clear Lake. The lavender had recently been harvested, so the remaining plants were a dusty gray green and clipped into rounded shapes (it must be beautiful when the plants are in full bloom). The buildings and grounds are lovely and well kept, with restaurant, tasting room, and small store centrally located in the main building. The landscaping includes a central courtyard, a leafy arbor, and vegetable garden.

The dock

Shady Ideas

The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek implements an extensive arbor (or pergola) to incorporate shade into the garden design. Planted under the arbor is a succulent border, reminiscent of an English border garden, but with the water conserving plants of desert and Mediterranean climates. Besides providing shade for the plants, the structure seems to cool the air in close proximity, and capture any passing breeze.

The arbor provides shade for the succulant border.

The arbor is a simple wood frame, covered with shade cloth, which is available at garden supply and hardware stores, and on the web (for example, Coolaroo sells shade cloth by the yard: http://www.coolaroousa.com/).

The arbor is constructed of a wooden frame and shade cloth.

This is a wonderful, practical idea for gardens in hot, dry climates, and could easily be adapted on a smaller scale for the home garden. This is also a great example of adapting a garden style, in this case the English border garden, to the local climate or microclimate.

Patio Shades

Controlling light is an important aspect for making our patio inviting and practical as an outside room. At certain times of the year, sunlight comes slanting into the patio at a blinding angle. This is especially true from late summer to early spring here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

My husband researched solutions and came up with outdoor shades from coolaroo.com. The shade fabric is breathable, comes in several colors and levels of UV protection (50, 64, and 84), and is long-lasting. Shades come in the form of blinds, sails, gazebos, and umbrellas. We chose the rollup style, and purchased two six-foot shades and a twelve-foot shade for maximum control and adjustability. As the sun moves across the sky, we can raise and lower the right shade at the right time. Besides controlling light, the fabric lets a breeze through in hot weather, and blocks wind in cool weather.

Outside shades enable us to control light on the patio

His solution enables us to enjoy the patio throughout the year, whether escaping light and heat in summer, or wrapped in down blankets and layers of wool and fleece in winter!