Over the years gardening on 27th Street, our ideas about how to approach a garden have changed somewhat. It’s no longer just about a flower bed and some plants. What is the shape of the garden – and the shape of the space around it? How do you walk through it? Are there low plants that hug the soil and rocks? What about trees and vines and other plants that love to grow high? Each garden has its own character and that character changes over time.

In the past couple years I’ve considered architectural elements – garden sculpture, a gate, pillars, birdhouses, the book box and let’s not forget benches – places you can sit and enjoy the garden. Architectural elements are one way to achieve height in the garden and an unexpected focus.

Today I added a new garden sculpture to the goose garden out back. The raw materials for this project were simple – a pillar and a target-like industrial mold of some kind. After capping the pillar, I cut a couple pieces of re-bar and used them to attach the target to the pillar. With the help of some cement, I planted the completed unit in the garden. Later, we have the option of painting it or perhaps adding some mosaic.