It's all in the eye of the beholder

Discussion in 'The Village Square' started by Islandlife, Sep 15, 2016.

  1. Islandlife

    Islandlife Young Pine

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    Out for a stroll the other day in the next town south of me. Used to be a mill town but the mill closed about 20 yrs ago and only the die hards remained living there. As I strolled the streets I saw this which struck as very beautiful in a living/dying sort of way.

    DSC_0017.JPG

    Anybody else have any new/old or beautiful living junk examples? What do you see beauty in that could be regarded otherwise as junk?
     
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  3. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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  4. Raddang

    Raddang In Flower

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    I saw this broken roller in the corner of a local public garden and wondered how long before the nearby vegetation engulfs it.
    20080126 Broken Roller Greyfriars 3.JPG
     
  5. eileen

    eileen Resident Taxonomist Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    I love the way nature can take over discarded pieces like this. It transforms the not so beautiful into something really attractive.
     
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  6. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    I saw an old VW almost totally engulfed in clematis. Pretty cool looking. It was on Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts.
     
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  7. Raddang

    Raddang In Flower

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    This tree with its unusually large trunk is in a local public garden. Story has it that in early Victorian times, c mid 1800's, an iron bench was constructed closely fitting around the then much smaller trunk. The tree grew and the trunk gradually formed over the bench. True or not it is a great story to explain the size of the trunk. :) 20150428 Westgate Gardens-010.jpg
     
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  8. waretrop

    waretrop Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    It's a wonderful Baobab tree. I believe the bench has been covered by the tree growing outward.
     
  9. Raddang

    Raddang In Flower

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    @waretrop Thank you for identifying the tree Waretrop. It is a lovely specimen. As far as I know there is no ident plate at the tree.....perhaps the gardener doesn't even know what it is ;)
     
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  10. Islandlife

    Islandlife Young Pine

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    Definitely an interesting tree trunk and it, for sure, looks like it swallow something :) I quite like trees and plants with interesting twisting twining and shaped trunks and branches. About a month ago I planted a corkscrew willow (in a huge pot and am hoping for some interesting branches in time I can dry and put into a vase.
     
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  11. waretrop

    waretrop Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    Islandlife, I love contorted and twisted branched plants. I have many contorted hazelnut, contorted black locust, twisted white pine, and many more. They give your garden such character when it snows in the winter. And yes you get to use the twigs that you cut back in vases. Some easily root also.

    Raddang, I had a little one in my greenhouse for like about 20 years. I will have to go out when I get ready for winter and look for it. It probably passed after blending in and getting lost. It wasn't large.
     
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  12. Raddang

    Raddang In Flower

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    Waretrop, having now googled Baobab trees I feel a little more informed. As the trunk is such an important part of 'The Tree of Life' I am beginning to doubt the tale that my local tree contains an iron bench. Need someone with a very powerful metal detector I think. If the story was true I doubt if the trunk would have formed in such an accurate round shape. Interesting discussion though. :like:
     

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