For the Commonplace Book: The Hidden Art of Homemaking
"On the route to Aigle from Ollon, where we live in Switzerland, one passes an orchard. Neatly planted rows of trees are beautifully pruned and trained to form straight aisles for fruit-picking, with a grassy carpet beneath. But the thing which causes most passersby to turn and look, and look again, slowing up the car if they are driving, is the touch of an artist indeed. Planted at the end of every row of trees is a lovely rose bush, and in midsummer these bushes are a riot of color in a variety of roses. There is just one rose bush at the end of each line, but this is enough to lift the entire work, which could be merely efficient fruit-farming, into a work of art, enjoyed by hundreds who pass each day—bringing influence into lives as well as being a subject of discussion, and bringing about, in other gardens, results of which the ‘artist’ may never know."
—The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
silvermine says:
Not to spoil the whimsy of it all, but I know that in vineyards, at least, rosebushes are planted at the end of each row because the two plants are very related and get similar diseases, so the rosebush at the end of each row can help you predict if and when your grapes are in danger of getting ill. (The roses are usually slightly less hearty and get ill first.)
But it is also pretty. 😉
On December 30, 2007 at 10:36 am