Daily Dose Blogger Bios

I'm Not Talking About Your Granny's Garden...

...Unless your Granny was whooping it up at CBGB's 'back in the day'. Modern gardening is all about a certain kind of spirit; a sense of adventure, a willingness to push the limits - like dying your hair blue or getting a mowhawk. This isn't to say that gardens have to be 'out there' or weird to be good, but I think they do have to be emphatic - tentative gestures just don't cut it. That's why I think making a garden is a very punk rock thing to do.

This goes double for people who decide to make a garden in their front yard, in the sacred space usually reserved for that green swath of American suburban conformity - the front lawn. In most neighborhoods one lawn flows into another, all the way down the block, every home standing in solidarity against the anarchic spirit of horticultural individualism until some young couple buys their first home, moves in, and rips up their piece of the emerald carpet so they can put in a garden. They usually don't realize they have made a full frontal assault on baseball, apple pie, and the Star Spangled Banner - they just wanted something different; maybe something less water-hogging, or more colorful ... whatever! Poor young couple, they never expected the disapproving stares, the questions ("So why did you ruin that beautiful front yard Eric worked so hard on?"), and they certainly never expected anyone to shoot the finger at them while they were amending their soil with compost.

Okay, - the young couple in question was my husband and I ... and the neighborhood attitude has changed since my front yard grew in pretty. Now people stroll by on their walks and make nicey- nice over the flowers and shrubs. But I won't forget. I saw the underbelly of my little corner of America, and I know how radical it is to exchange a front lawn for a garden. So even though my hair isn't purple, or liberty spiked, and I haven't been in a mosh pit since - well, ever - I am still as punk rock as they come.

Until next,

The Germinatrix

Pleased to Meet You, Don't Forget My Name!

Hi!

I am Ivette Soler, The Germinatrix - and I am mad about gardens. I am obssessed with plants. Landscape design is my passion.

Germination is what happens when a seed sprouts - it is that spark that makes things grow; it is a creative force, and my aim is to harness this power and use it to inspire people to make incredible gardens. My long range plan is world domination via garden design.

Think of me as your personal garden club - you can come here to get ideas for that corner of your yard that baffles you, or find out everything you always wanted to know about poppies, or learn the difference between a dowdy houseplant and a sexy one.

I believe gardening is ultimately about expression, and the best gardens have a strong point of view. I love seeing the personality of the owner reflected in the landscape. But, just like with people, some personalities just rub me the wrong way. Since we're just getting to know each other, I thought I'd put together a list of RANTS - things that make me want to scream with frustration, and RAVES - things that make me want to squeal with pleasure.

RANTS............................................ RAVES
Infinity pools ...................................Slip and slides
Huge clumps of one type of plant ......Colorful,mixed plantings
Trees cut to look like lollipops ...........Trees with climbable branches
Hail .................................................Drizzle
Copy-cats ........................................Inspiration
Rose gardens...................................Garden roses
Art in the garden ..............................Art IS the garden
Summer ..........................................Summer

Stay tuned for the next installment, where I will explain why gardening is really a very punk rock thing to do.

See Ya!