Fifteen of Summer, 520 AV (Eventide)
Lhavit was more like this.
Robert stood on a small hill - or bump, really, being only a few yards above the rest of the Isuas grove, and gazed at his day's efforts with not a small amount of pleasure. The Isuas grove had been finally cleared of all the debris accumulated in the storm, with any stray vines replanted and the trellises either cut down or set up again. A cool breeze had begun to blow as Syna slowly sank below the horizon, and Robert luxuriated in the relief it had brought to a hot, humid afternoon.
A gentle clanking caught his attention, and he turned towards Tony's house patio, spotting a set of wind chimes that drifted with the wind.
Is that... bamboo? How curious. Being hollow must make it excellent material for wind chimes.
"Quite the sight, eh?" Tony had walked up beside him, face turned towards the grove that he'd sunk untold hours into.
"Aye, Tony. Reminds me of the wineyards I visited in Lhavit - all these rows of vines, but so very different."
The Head Gardener spoke again, after a moment of appreciating the colours of the appro ching twilight. "I see you like my chimes." He tilted his head, indicating the object of Robert's attention. "Made them myself, I did. Took the bamboo from a small grove some chimes away."
"Ah, Marino and I must have encountered that then. We were here the day after the storm broke, searching for totem pieces."
"Oh? Well, Marino's a hard worker. Good to see you making friends already. Come on," Tony strode down the mound, heading towards the clay basin he drew his water from for watering the vines, "May as well show you a curious little thing I made while you were back there weeding."
As they approached the basin, Robert saw that there was a modification to the bamboo pipes that brought water to and away from the clay basin. Two bamboo posts had been hammered into the ground, and cemented with soil and clay. In between, a segmented bamboo tube collected water from another pipe, its heavier end resting on on a rock that had been placed next to the basin, with a small tube that pierced through its centre, resting on the tops of the two posts.
Every now and then, as the tube filled up, it would fall to the other end, hitting the clay basin with a thump, breaking the background noise.
"Water's an important element in any garden - even a grove like this. I would love to have a small stream flowing through the grove, even though it might cause me more trouble to maintain. The drainage, the possibility of rotting roots from damp... even the increase in those damned mosquitos." He grimaced, remembering his first few weeks in a true tropical climate, where the mosquitos had swarmed the first Sykans, before continuing to expound on his experiences in garden design.
"You'll see water features in the best gardens - there's a lake in the Knirin Gardens in Riverfall, Semele Park. Even Lapis Park has ponds and a marsh. Flora might be the most important thing a garden needs, but a water feature always completes the picture. Well, that is, if you're not looking for another aesthetic." Robert looked towards the grove, seeing a stream weaving its way through the grove in his mind's eye.
"Wouldn't it be different if, say, you wanted rocks and moss to be the main feature?" Robert queried, being familiar with the forests just bordering Lhavit, where moss grew and flourished, even on the rocks that covered the ground, made walking unstable, and prevented any trees or grasses from growing.
"A moss garden?" Tony seemed to run through the thought, before replying. "Not quite - you're from Kalea, so you must have seen the streams and forests there. A stream adds colour to the sounds of a garden, and brings flowing life into any location. But at times a pond may be enough, though you would have to include some way of refreshing the water within. Think of it as a mirror, in which to look at and calm your thoughts. Though if it's just a rock garden... " The gardener stroked his chin, humming a tune as he contemplated the thought.
"I would say that water might disrupt the balance of a rock garden. Imagine, for example, a dry landscape. Not a desert, but an area covered with small gravel or sand, the monotony broken up by rocks and outcrops, maybe a small shrub or small vegetation growing on the boulders."
"Wouldn't it add to the picture too?" Robert asked, trying to imagine what Tony had described.
"It would add something, but there we hit the crux of the question; what is a garden for?" Tony swept a hand out, indicating the entirety of the grove.
"The Isuas Grove is meant for cultivating Isuas Vines. A medicinal garden has herbs and medicinal plants growing in it, for us to nurture and harvest. A moss garden provides calm and serenity to all who look on it; to sink into nature, to hear and contemplate the sounds of nature, and to see a scene that might only exist in the wild countless miles away. And a rock garden? Little to no life, just rocks and gravel, arranged in a way meant to inspire contemplation of oneself."
Tony tapped the bamboo pipes idly.
"There's a certain aesthetic one strives for when creating such a rock garden. Not to imitate nature; but to strip it down to its essence, and quieten the soul. A minimalist approach to a garden, but beautiful in its simplicity if well done."
Note :
Lhavit was more like this.
Robert stood on a small hill - or bump, really, being only a few yards above the rest of the Isuas grove, and gazed at his day's efforts with not a small amount of pleasure. The Isuas grove had been finally cleared of all the debris accumulated in the storm, with any stray vines replanted and the trellises either cut down or set up again. A cool breeze had begun to blow as Syna slowly sank below the horizon, and Robert luxuriated in the relief it had brought to a hot, humid afternoon.
A gentle clanking caught his attention, and he turned towards Tony's house patio, spotting a set of wind chimes that drifted with the wind.
Is that... bamboo? How curious. Being hollow must make it excellent material for wind chimes.
"Quite the sight, eh?" Tony had walked up beside him, face turned towards the grove that he'd sunk untold hours into.
"Aye, Tony. Reminds me of the wineyards I visited in Lhavit - all these rows of vines, but so very different."
The Head Gardener spoke again, after a moment of appreciating the colours of the appro ching twilight. "I see you like my chimes." He tilted his head, indicating the object of Robert's attention. "Made them myself, I did. Took the bamboo from a small grove some chimes away."
"Ah, Marino and I must have encountered that then. We were here the day after the storm broke, searching for totem pieces."
"Oh? Well, Marino's a hard worker. Good to see you making friends already. Come on," Tony strode down the mound, heading towards the clay basin he drew his water from for watering the vines, "May as well show you a curious little thing I made while you were back there weeding."
As they approached the basin, Robert saw that there was a modification to the bamboo pipes that brought water to and away from the clay basin. Two bamboo posts had been hammered into the ground, and cemented with soil and clay. In between, a segmented bamboo tube collected water from another pipe, its heavier end resting on on a rock that had been placed next to the basin, with a small tube that pierced through its centre, resting on the tops of the two posts.
Every now and then, as the tube filled up, it would fall to the other end, hitting the clay basin with a thump, breaking the background noise.
"Water's an important element in any garden - even a grove like this. I would love to have a small stream flowing through the grove, even though it might cause me more trouble to maintain. The drainage, the possibility of rotting roots from damp... even the increase in those damned mosquitos." He grimaced, remembering his first few weeks in a true tropical climate, where the mosquitos had swarmed the first Sykans, before continuing to expound on his experiences in garden design.
"You'll see water features in the best gardens - there's a lake in the Knirin Gardens in Riverfall, Semele Park. Even Lapis Park has ponds and a marsh. Flora might be the most important thing a garden needs, but a water feature always completes the picture. Well, that is, if you're not looking for another aesthetic." Robert looked towards the grove, seeing a stream weaving its way through the grove in his mind's eye.
"Wouldn't it be different if, say, you wanted rocks and moss to be the main feature?" Robert queried, being familiar with the forests just bordering Lhavit, where moss grew and flourished, even on the rocks that covered the ground, made walking unstable, and prevented any trees or grasses from growing.
"A moss garden?" Tony seemed to run through the thought, before replying. "Not quite - you're from Kalea, so you must have seen the streams and forests there. A stream adds colour to the sounds of a garden, and brings flowing life into any location. But at times a pond may be enough, though you would have to include some way of refreshing the water within. Think of it as a mirror, in which to look at and calm your thoughts. Though if it's just a rock garden... " The gardener stroked his chin, humming a tune as he contemplated the thought.
"I would say that water might disrupt the balance of a rock garden. Imagine, for example, a dry landscape. Not a desert, but an area covered with small gravel or sand, the monotony broken up by rocks and outcrops, maybe a small shrub or small vegetation growing on the boulders."
"Wouldn't it add to the picture too?" Robert asked, trying to imagine what Tony had described.
"It would add something, but there we hit the crux of the question; what is a garden for?" Tony swept a hand out, indicating the entirety of the grove.
"The Isuas Grove is meant for cultivating Isuas Vines. A medicinal garden has herbs and medicinal plants growing in it, for us to nurture and harvest. A moss garden provides calm and serenity to all who look on it; to sink into nature, to hear and contemplate the sounds of nature, and to see a scene that might only exist in the wild countless miles away. And a rock garden? Little to no life, just rocks and gravel, arranged in a way meant to inspire contemplation of oneself."
Tony tapped the bamboo pipes idly.
"There's a certain aesthetic one strives for when creating such a rock garden. Not to imitate nature; but to strip it down to its essence, and quieten the soul. A minimalist approach to a garden, but beautiful in its simplicity if well done."