Already, there’s been a flurry of activity about all things New Perennialistic for 2015. From my vantage point in subzero Toronto, I can spy everything from a local lecture series to greater stories being released in the form of magazines, books, and a film (more on that later).
It’s safe to say that the zeitgeist of this design movement continues to spread its frost-tipped wings.
I’m delighted to break something of a silence.
Strange wondrous things have been in the works over the past few month. After much commotion, I’m elated to announce a quantum shift not just in my gardening life – but in my naked earthbound reality.
And it means moving up in the world. Particularly in terms of altitude.
After two years of searching for a place of our own here in Ontario, my partner Troy and I found a spectacular piece of land with an old cabin set high atop a ridge in the rolling glacial wilderness of Mono.
Yes, they did it again. In early July, under the blinding stadium lights in Rio, Germany conquered Argentina with a soaring pass and mid-air kick to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The German team was so strong, the win seemed almost inevitable.
On a whirlwind visit to Germany last summer, I discovered they also make seriously innovative public gardens – and much like football, their greatness is no accident.
Each is the result of a highly diligent work ethic, meticulous research and planning, creativity, and a genius for practical innovation. One garden unites all these elements together into one exquisitely satisfying whole, while the other radically deconstructs them into something perhaps more strange than merely beautiful.
Ah. Welcome to the New Perennialist Theatre. Your seat is waiting. We have three remarkable art films ready for viewing – two short and the third is feature length.
Admission is free. Popcorn is strictly optional. Leave your secateurs at the door.
No matter how much we think we know about plants, their actual behaviour is still in many ways an enigma wrapped in a mystery.
Take this recent study from the University of Missouri, which shows that plants can actually hear when insects are eating them and respond by defending themselves.
