Kinetic Plants
Though the kinetic aspect of plants is not often discussed when talking about gardens, it is always a pleasant surprise when present.
A refined garden design provides space for plants that move with the wind to create lively scenes.
In spring, giant alliums and tulips carry their round flowers on tall, pliable stems, presiding over the landscape gracefully, while the light astilbes create a continually moving backdrop near the rear of the border.
In summer, mass plantings of salvia change their colors in waves when the breeze reveals the underside of the leaves.
Fall brings a wealth of plumes and panaches, courtesy of the pampas grasses, ready to move in the lightest of breezes.
In winter, the dark seed heads of coneflowers sway against a snowy bacdrop, increasing the intensity of the barren and frozen scenery.
I left the trees until the end – the graceful willows, the weeping cherries, the cypresses, the palm trees – because they create powerful images in the landscape.
A large willow is always a mesmerizing sight. Who can look at anything else when its long weeping branches dance in the wind?
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