a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Plan a Garden, Then Make It ‘Maximalist'
When Teresa Woodard contacted the makers of the 20 gardens she hoped to include in the book she was conceiving, getting across what she had in mind took a little explaining. Just what was this maximalist gardening style she wanted to write about, they asked — and how exactly did they fit in?
'None of them defined themselves as maximalists,' Ms. Woodard recalled — well, maybe one did. The person behind a 700-square-foot brick patio in San Francisco that was home to 300 potted plants, the smallest garden of all, knew the label fit him.
But to her eye the other 19, too, whether suburban lots or grand, multiacre estates, were likewise established masters of maximalism. Borrowing from other design realms, she saw the genre as a 'crossover trend' in horticulture, she said.
'I noticed maximalism was making a comeback in fashion and interior design,' she added. 'That got me thinking, what would it look like to fully celebrate the lush, abundant, and wildly personal beauty of maximalism in the garden?'
And there was another hook, she said: Many gardeners are embracing abundance 'not just for beauty, but for a purpose — to attract birds, reduce their carbon footprint, and create habitats for endangered species. They prove more is truly more, especially when it comes to plants for our environment.'
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