A Mello Fellow's Garden in West Asheville

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Call it Shovelhenge ...




Or call it Dump Truck Park as the children in artist and gardener Christopher Mello's West Asheville community do ... the one thing you CAN'T call it is dull!  



This sign was all I needed to see to know that Christopher's was my kind of garden. 




He clearly shares my affinity for rusty stuff.   This waterfall was the coolest, most creative use of rusty metal that I've ever seen.  




He also shares my affinity for succulents ... combine succulents with rusty stuff, as he did in this planting, and it's enough to make me swoon.



The plantings in his garden, such as the classic cottage combination above, were a serene  counterpoint to the riotous garden art.



What really made Christopher's garden sing to me was the daring, the exuberance and the creativity displayed at every turn.  





I'm still thinking about it and pondering how I can bring more of that to my own gardens.  I did contribute something to his garden before I left, after seeing that a certain Tennessee gardener had left her mark! 

Comments

Rose said…
I could see you swooning the minute you saw all these rusty pieces, Cindy:) This garden was so much fun, but what I took away from it was the inspiration that a garden can be whatever you want it to be--forget what the books say; a garden should be a place that makes YOU happy. Funny that you and Frances left your marks here:)

So good to see you again!
May 29, 2012 at 7:17 AM
Mr. McGregor's Daughter said…
I loved all that rusty metal too. The waterfall was truly wonderful.
May 29, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Gail said…
Me, too, Cindy...I've wanted a water fall forever and after seeing his creative use of rusty metal to create one, I feel encouraged that a limestone bedrock won't stop me! gail
May 29, 2012 at 1:20 PM
Dee/reddirtramblings said…
I love the term Shovelhenge!~~Dee
May 29, 2012 at 3:21 PM
Lisa at Greenbow said…
Chris's garden was an inspiration to create in One's own way. I loved the magnetic board to create on.

Such fun to get to know you better too.
May 29, 2012 at 10:03 PM
Cindy, MCOK said…
Rose, both this garden and Walmboldtopia inspired me to be more creative and less conventional in my own garden. Great to see you again, too!

MMD & Gail, that waterfall was just amazing, wasn't it.

Dee, I wish I'd come up with that moniker for the Mello garden, not sure who did.

Lisa, I so enjoyed visiting with you on the bus. If I'm ever up your way, I want to go birding with you!
May 30, 2012 at 6:46 PM
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