I have a few places I go to almost every day.  The “blogging phenomenon” has grabbed me  and led me to some thankfully truly exotic places.  I sometimes just look at some of the excellent bloggers out there in wonder.  There is simply so much writing and artistic talent blogging anymore, it’s as if there were some fascinating, multi-dimensional book at my fingertips, waiting for the next page to reveal itself in real time, effortlessly and smoothly opening to yet another totally compelling and educational item. I have therefore decided to spread the wealth now and then and feature blogs I really, really care for and tell why. Philip is up today.  I’ll get back to the pathway thing tomorrow or so.

Philip and I have a mutual appreciation thing going.  I sometimes think he likes the practical alternative this blog offers – you know, words and explanations from the designers and – perhaps even more importantly – the installer’s perspective. The truth is, I have not run across a lot of installer’s blogs yet.  I often suspect they are either too busy or too darn burned out to pay attention to a leisurely pursuit like blogging. So I guess my “niche hegemony” is somewhat intact, lol. Now, Jan, from Pond Lady, is one. But I don’t see a lot like me out there, outside of her. Indeed, if someone does know of an installer who is blogging, please hook me up! Hegemony is over rated!

Philip’s blog may be the most fascinating garden blog I have visited.  He has a great literary style, for one thing, which is fine.  But he also deals with the realities and complexities of the histories of things.  One also gets the impression – and rightfully, by the way – that many of the pictures he uses he took himself.  Pictures of ancient and semi-ancient Italian gardens, pictures of garden retreats culled from, say Virginia Wolff’s own garden and residence, pictures of other-worldly and just plain weird Hollywood and Los Angeles residences of the rich and near rich who had remarkable and bizarre senses of “naff”, or “Kitsch” – or just weirdness in general. He mines the exotic and he presents it boldly and in living color, with informed – and I do mean very informed – descriptive writing describing it all in minute detail.

I post this so that whoever reads this can mine some of these fascinating blogs themselves to get a feel of how inspiring I find them and in how enriching in general a garden blog can be.  Gardening is something more than harmless – it is a time-honored method of eye-soothing meditation and of admiring creative combinations and compositions.  It can be complex and fascinating or weird and riveting.  Philip sure delivers on all that and more. Take a visit.

Here is his site:  Philip’s Garden Blog