Monday, August 29, 2011

Swaying with 'Irene'


                                                                                    filming and video work by Dan Ryan


"Sway me smooth, sway me now..."

One element that you simply must include in your gardens is movement! I'm not talking about anything as elaborate as installing a Calder mobile; all you need to do is plant some ornamental grasses or anything tall or billowy that will sway with a breeze. Our garden includes several repeating cultivars of grass—miscanthus sinensus (maiden grass), several kinds of Hakonechloa (Japanese forest grass), miscanthus giganteus (giant Japanese silver grass), variegated ribbon grass, and annual grasses such as purple fountain grass and a new pinkish fountain grass called Fireworks. Not only do the stalks of grass move easily,  but they all produce feathery plumes that move with just the slightest whisper of a breeze. As tropical storm Irene was waning she still had plenty of breeze in her, leaving our garden dancing merrily to Dean Martin's "Sway With Me." Click on the video to watch (sound on). For full effect click the full-screen icon; you'll see the little birds along for the ride on the privet branches near the end of the video.)

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