A blank canvas: six months later

[hmbluck]

Back in February I posted a few photos of the 2,000l carnivorous plant bog that I had sunk in our garden.  What follows are a few photos of how it has grown over the past months.  It still needs a couple more growing seasons to fill-in but the plants have put on a good show for their first year.  Also completed, nine months after commissioning, is the pitcher plant sculpture that should help create year-round interest, even when the real plants are in their winter dormancy.  I have high hopes for next year!

[RobH]

Wow!!   Love the bog garden and especially that sculpture as a focal point in the garden. It really is the icing on the cake!

Did you create the sculpture or was it commissioned?  Be interested to know how it was constructed as I think it is brilliant!

Kind regards,  Rob

[hmbluck]

Hi Rob, 

If only I was that talented!

I commissioned a master blacksmith back in November to make the sculpture.  Although we had agreed the design in general terms, he was unable to start making the sculpture until Easter. This was in-part due to demand for his time and partly due to COVID making a repair to a piece of equipment take longer than he'd hoped.  He also wanted to see how the plants grow and their morphology, beyond what he could determine from books and photos: so we had to wait until an indoor plant was showing pitchers in all stages of development (about end-March here in Cambridgeshire)... 

Anyway, hopefully these photos taken by his wife will give you some idea of how  the piece was made and constructed.  It's galvanised steel so will weather over time and develop a patina that even up the tone... drainage holes at the base of each pitcher to prevent premature corrosion.  I just need to recess the plate into the sleepers for a more elegant finish: with work and home-schooling, I just haven't found the time!

Best regards, Howard

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by hmbluck

[Tropfrog]

I get so inspired by this! In 4 years I Will have more plants than can fit in my greenhouse. Really need to start planning. Thanks for the inspiration.  

[billynomates666]

That looks great, will fill out well and look a treat next year - Love the Smithy's work

Cheers

Steve

Edited August 21, 2020 by billynomates666
Smelling wristache

[RobH]

Thanks for the Smithy pics Howard.  That must have been a fascinating exercise to witness and watch.  Always so interesting to see a master craftsmen at work, especially creating something as different and unique as a Sarracenia sculpture. 

Thanks again,  Rob

[hmbluck]

Thanks for the compliments...

Rob: I had hoped to visit the workshop during the process and again on collection, but unfortunately that wasn't possible this year.  I had a suminigashi knife made by a cutler in Sheffield a few years ago and was able to watch that come to life.  Again, a real joy to see somebody at the top of their trade at work.

I'm now contemplating getting a garden gate made that will continue the carnivorous plant motif... we have a few rough designs that use Nepenthes vines climbing up the gate's rods, with the pitchers replacing the more traditional wrought iron baskets... very fluid, very natural-looking.  Unfortunately, the budget for a gate is currently being used on planting a dozen pleached trees to obscure the neighbouring property! 

If anybody is interested in the sculpture (who did it, how much etc) let me know and I''ll create a separate post.

H.  

[RobH]

Howard, that would be fascinating for a separate post on the sculpture itself and I am sure people would be interested.  I would be especially as my sister lives in Cambridge, not so far from that already somewhat infamous new "Dutch" roundabout  , so that cannot be a million miles away from you.  Unfortunately, visits to the UK from me at the moment are not practical with the Covid-19 situation.

Kind regards,  Rob