Today I got an offer to do some actual landscape architecture work--autoCAD for a small firm in eastern Connecticut. Needless to say, I'm thrilled. It may not be very much at first but any design work at any level is a BIG step in the right direction. A great thing about this is that I will still be working at the garden center, so have the best of both worlds, working directly with plants and people (though the funny thing is the most heartfelt moments often come when I mention how much sculpture adds to the individual personality of a garden!) AND working with a professional with many years experience in landscape design.

Lucky me...

Between the heat and work I sort of lost track of the days, existing mostly just to exist, but today was a little better--we actually had a bit of rain--and someone came in and bought a bunch of stuff right before the end of the day, so that was nice. Anyway, the above shot is of one of our annual benches on a nice day. It is a fun place to work.

I liked the statue but figured it would be expensive but then it turned out the boss just wanted to get rid of it so someone got it for $39, which I would have gladly paid. Oh well, there're other deals hovering around--I just need to remember to ask. I do find that adding human elements--sculptures, benches, planters, etc. is a really strong way to personalize a garden. There are far more human concepts of garden statuary than there are types of shrubs! Also, human elements create a tie between the natural and the human--a visual bridge between house and not-house.