Blue bottles on blue trees

Blue chairs

Blue flying baby heads

Blue walls

Blue rocks

And ‘Blue Pearl’ poppies, the bluer ones in this group—a new cultivar selected by Christopher Mello, who welcomed nearly 90 garden bloggers into his eclectic, colorful, recycled-art garden on the first day of the Asheville Garden Bloggers Fling earlier this month.

Christopher also invites the public into his garden, particularly with enticing features like his shaggy, circular lawn…

…and corral of shovel heads on rebar stakes…

…which surrounds a gravel pit and a herd of Tonka trucks. What child—of any age—could resist?

There were plenty of pretty flowers and colorful foliage too, especially in shades of pink, purple, and red, like this campanula.

Dusky poppies

Pretty container plantings

And succulents in a recycled metal container

Christopher Mello has a remarkable ability to see possibilities in scrap metal, like this rustic, stylized stream and pond.

A tableau of tiny plants pops up through an old metal grate

Another skull? Oh yes, Asheville’s gardens are teeming with them. It’s a regular boneyard out there.

In Christopher’s no-holds-barred garden, even a dead tree can be the most colorful focal point in sight. He painted this one bright orange and festooned the ends with blue bottles—a twist on the old Southern tradition.

A dainty, chartreuse vine twines its way up, adding additional color.

A new American Gothic? Big thanks to Christopher for sharing his free-spirited garden with us.

For a look back at the Burton Street Community Peace Garden and the Sunny Point Cafe Garden, click here. Next up: A sampling from the Biltmore House gardens.

All material © 2006-2012 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Wallowing in poppy goodness, the bees and I enjoyed a visit to the Burton Street Community Peace Garden while in Asheville recently for the Garden Bloggers Fling. Look at this girl’s full pollen basket on her legs.

Like slipping into satin sheets

Dusted with pollen

Off to the next one

A bee’s work is never done.

There were also lilies…

…and interesting foliage.

Mostly though, the Burton Street Community Peace Garden is about, well, community, and providing a shared gathering space. Most of the garden is given over to constructions made of recycled junk, and quite a bit of it was created to make a statement about the wastefulness of our throwaway society, or so it seemed to me. Christopher, the chief planner of the Fling, has written a good post about the point of a largely non-plant, junk-art garden, if you’re interested to know why he put it on the itinerary.

Skulls seemed to be a theme in Asheville gardens, as we’d seen quite a few at Wamboldtopia too.

Later that day we were also treated to a visit to a food garden: the Sunny Point Cafe Garden. It’s quite large, and I wondered if they are really able to use all their produce in the restaurant or if they have a lot of surplus.

Sunny P. Bacon greets you at the entrance.

Rows of edibles

Asheville gardens always seem to include a place to gather with friends, and this one is no exception.

Pretty eryngium, or sea holly

In this small bed, even the silverware has sprouted.

Silverware flowers!

For a look back at the whimsical-Goth garden called Wamboldtopia, click here. Next up: The yard-art garden of Christopher Mello.

All material © 2006-2012 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Skulls, skeletons, gravestone fragments, gargoyles, and other eerie tokens are tucked into nooks and crannies…

…and dangle from the eaves throughout Wamboldtopia, an art-filled garden (or garden of art) and stonemason’s paradise located off Wamboldt Avenue in west Asheville.

The Goth accents…

…are countered by a slew of whimsical fairy houses…

…stone maidens and other garden guardians…

…and life-affirming messages.

Light and dark, life and death—

It’s all represented in this joint creation by artist Damaris Pierce…

…and dapper stonemason Ricki Pierce…

…aka the Rock Pirate.

Hood ornament on Ricki’s truck

Formerly a couple but still friendly collaborators, Damaris and Ricki jointly created the hillside garden that is their home (each has a house on-site), office, experimental play space, and art gallery.

Our first stop on last week’s Garden Bloggers Fling, Wamboldtopia was our introduction to Asheville gardens, where recycled and handmade art often stand on equal footing with the plants that mingle in a lush tangle and cascade down steep hillsides.

From the street, a stairway rises through a brick arch, leading up to the houses and into the garden. The arch spells out “Wamboldtopia.”

I’m sure the owners, who are gracious and welcoming, are often surprised to find unannounced visitors poking through the fantastical garden. What a nicely worded sign asking for a little advance notice.

Handmade sculpture adorns the garden at every turn. This one is reminiscent of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings, with a vaguely floral sexuality, don’t you think?

The stonework has a hobbity, fantasyland appeal.

This gravestone fragment is simultaneously Goth and life-affirming.

A jeweled scepter

Rock cairn

An old boot turned into a planter

OK, so I’m still on the entryway. I love this repurposed hoop installation along the stair rail, which seems to be bouncing down the stairs.

There’s Dee of Red Dirt Ramblings at the bottom of the stairs. The back of the arch spells out “You are loved.”

Drooling gargoyle? No, that’s a spiderweb catching the morning light.

As you reach the main level of the garden, the part that surrounds the two houses, you see this pretty fish pond at eye level as you ascend the stairs.

Rustic seating offers a place to sit and admire the view.

That’s what Buddha’s doing.

I love this groundcovering plant with big leaves with a red eye at the center and rosy undersides. Update: It’s Begonia grandis, or hardy begonia. Thanks to Jenn, Les, and Lisa for the ID.

A tiny circular patio, like a fairy ring

Another guardian face

The back of the garden is fenced with chain link. Damaris and Ricki have taken a creative approach to disguising it, by plastering a concrete-like mix onto a chicken-wire framework and making a fantasy-scape of belltowers…

…fairy houses and archways.

The marriage of recycled and handmade art…

…and a naturalistic hillside garden made for the perfect introduction to Asheville’s arty-hippie scene and great natural beauty.

For a look back at the Curve Studios garden, which blends lovely plant combos with recycled metal hardscaping, click here. Next up: A snapshot of the Burton Street Community Peace Garden and Sunny Point Cafe garden.

All material © 2006-2012 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.