Thoughts From The Belly

copyright March 2007

By: Dan Mays Ironbelly1@aol.com

This winter, I am in the process of doing the "P. Allen Smith thing". If you have ever watched his television show on PBS, you are no doubt familiar with his advice to "extend your home out into the garden and bring the garden into your home." Since it is a little too cold to begin garden work outside, I decided to focus on the interior portion of his admonishment.

My lovely wife, Cyndia, has been urging me for some time to create a little more inside interest on the walls. I always kind of balked at the idea because, as a landlord, I have a real thing about nails in the walls. All too often, I have seen tenant requests for "hanging a few pictures" translated into a wall that later resembled a porcupine made out of 16 penny nails. With help from my bride (if you know what I mean) I was finally able to set aside my fears and perform a self reality check. If I have neglected anything at our new home, it has been the interior decorating. I usually attack projects in the order which I prioritize them. So many other outdoor projects were simply allocated a higher priority. However, she has made it very clear that my "contractor-beige mentality" has persisted long enough.

I have to admit; I recently had great fun painting, papering and hanging borders in our main bath. After completing those decorating tasks, I stood in the bath pondering that ubiquitous conundrum  something is still missing. I mused about what to hang on the wall, always mindful of the advice to "bring the garden into your home". I wisely took my wifeÂs suggestion to go through all the photos on our computer, print some really good ones and hang them on the wall.

About that same time, I was driving past a local drug store and noticed they were advertising an Internet photo finishing service. I checked it out. All I had to do was upload any digital picture to their website and they would print a 4X6 photo for 19 cents. I was given the choice of having the prints mailed or I could pick them up, one hour later, at the store of my choice. I uploaded a couple of photos and was impressed with the results. I later uploaded and ordered additional prints online to fill up the open wall space. When I picked up the waiting prints at the nearest store location, I also selected some reasonably-priced oak frames to compliment the oak trim of the bath.

The impact is amazing. I concentrated on photos of native plants in bloom. Now, I donÂt claim to be a great photographer. However, if you take enough pictures, eventually you wind up with a few lucky shots  especially if you crop and resize the photos on your computer. The shots I selected complimented both the new wallpaper and border in the bath to great effect. Of course, an obligatory selection of native wildflowers in Iowa includes the wild rose, our state flower. I find myself still as smitten by this flower as our pioneering ancestors. The simple arrangement of a few pastel petals surrounding an abundance of contrasting stamens gathered in the center is a fetching combination.

However, I chose not to make the rose photo a centerpiece of the display. Instead, I gave prominence and a larger, more distinctive frame to a snapshot of Echinacea pallida, the Pale Purple Coneflower. For our state, this is more appropriately an example of an indigenous plant. The regular Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, is indigenous to the northeastern states, not here. For my money, the feminine elegance of the Pale Purple Coneflower is superior  although some would not agree. I love the understated grace of the petals streaming downward in narrow ribbons of soft pink. When one finds a stand of these growing in prairie remnant, the delicate nature of the blooms, seen against a background of typically coarser plants, creates an enticing vignette destined to remain in your memory.

Other photos included: Blue Flag Iris, Ohio Goldenrod & Rose Hip, Blue Woodland Phlox, New England Asters, Blue Vervain, Shooting Stars, Black-eyed Susans and some really cool-looking mushrooms.

Working inside with photos of native plants in oak frames is a bit different than gardening outside. However, I found it mentally stimulating. I realized that many of the same design principles that worked outside in the garden worked just as well inside. It was marvelous how working in this different media could also lead to good ideas for upcoming outdoor endeavors. I believe we succeeded in bringing a bit of the garden into our home. Mr. Smith would probably give the bathroom project two green thumbs up. Cyndia says there are other rooms in the house and I am not done yet.
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