I am planning a family trip to Italy later this fall.  Unfortunately, I think we will miss being able to see gardens and general greenery as it will be too late in the season.

This morning, my good friend emailed me about this tree cathedral that is being inaugurated tomorrow (September 4th 2010).  I think even without greenery — this may be end up being a stop on our tour.

image from wired.co.uk

The Tree Cathedral is located outside of Bergamo, Italy, on the slopes of the Arera mountain, and is the creation of famed Italian contemporary artist, Giuliano Mauri.

Giuliano Mauri, is a ‘natural architect’ who died in May 2009. The structure was his last work, to signify the International Year of Biodiversity. It stands 21 metres tall, with five aisles and 42 columns. It’s 28.5 metres long and 24 metres wide, and has been built from 1800 firs, 600 chestnut branches and 6000 metres of hazel branch that’s been weaved into the design. 42 beeches have been planted inside, which will grow over time to provide the roof to the structure, which remains open to the rain for the time being.   Here are some interesting images of the making of the cathedrale, but with all good gardens, I am excited to keep an eye on this one and see how it matures with time.

Oh No!  As I am sitting here prepping my August Blogs I like post, I clicked over to email to see that Loomis Creek is closing.  I have to admit to being quite sad.  While I have ever only visited the store once, it is one of those websites I peruse regularly.  In my same zone (5), Andrew and Bob cultivate a list of plant varieties that are quite different than those readily available at my more local suppliers.

I am forever trying to find the quirky and unusual often with some frustration.  Either I can’t find or I do and it doesn’t perform.   Thats usually when I check at Loomis Creek.  They have the plant — which feeds my determination to get the item because now I know if will work, — or they don’t, when I usually decide I should let that one go. They are like a quick online litmus test for my plant choices.

As they move to the pacific northwest, for new adventures, I and their neighbors in the Hudson valley will surely miss them.  For now though, I am scoping out my already full fall schedule to see when I can make the couple hour trek to Loomis Creek and pick up some final treasures before they are gone at the end of the season.

If you are in Boston over the next few weeks, you might want to check out an interesting public art/ landscape project.   The Big Hammock is sponsored by The Awesome Foundation for Arts and Sciences.  It is a giant hammock being woven and  constructed on-site on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston.  The community construction project just finished this week and it is  now open for napping and relaxing.  The Grand Opening Party is this weekend (aug. 20th) and the community will celebrate with tunes provided by Hunter Amabile Acoustic .   It is only up for aroudn 14 to 30 days (according to the website, they will see how it goes) so make sure if you want in, you better get there soon.

This urban garden created by Patrick Nadeau in Rennes, France reminds me of garden-like flower shops that I love to peruse in Paris.  It is however far more sophisticated with its sculptural but functional library inspired shelving.  The whole this is a hydroponic masterpiece.

Click through to see the even more images and the enchanting evening lit version.

Urban Garden

Patrick Nadeau/Atelier de l’Île Patrick Nadeau / Workshop Island
Place de la République, Rennes Republic Square, Rennes

Slooowww start this morning — I got stuck for over 4 hours (in the standby line) at the Point Orient (Long Island) ferry late yesterday…..Lesson learned — against my gypsy ways….next time I will make a reservation. hmph.

So, starting easy — I have been meaning to tell you about the Land8Lounge planting contest.   Land8Lounge is great place to network with other landscape design industry people around the world.  I would love to see a garden designer do well in this competition, and the prizes are pretty good.  (cash, a Monrovia gift certificate and a free version of Vectorworks!!).  So if you decide to post an entry let us know here in the comments so that the Studio ‘g’ tribe can go vote for you.

I gasped when I saw this. To be honest, I wasn’t sure it was real – perhaps only a trick of rendering software. But no, this is (was) a real life hotel located in Helsinki.

Too bad I am a day late and dollar short. The building was a temporary installation that was removed in September 2009 but thankfully, the images live on and we can all still be inspired by them.   Designer Pieta-Linda Auttila created this building in Helinki Finland for a design competition where only wood from Finland could be used in the construction.  The goal was to create an iconic structure that would draw designers and artists.  I think she succeeded.

What I am inspired by is the wavy wood and its use in the outdoor space as a trellis and an arbor.   It flows, and creates structure, but gives an element of enclosure.  It is such a different look for a trellis and arbor. It has me thinking about how you frame views and images in the garden through the use of structure.  Certainly this allows for gazing at the Helsinki Skyline but with horizontal lines running through. So different and interesting.

Here is a brief description from the WISA website:

“The first thing that catches the eye is the atrium courtyard in the centre. The long curved pine boards half-covering the patio form a trellis that titillates the imagination. The trellis protects against the wind and filters the long rays of the Nordic sun into the courtyard. The charming interplay of light and shade can be observed throughout the day, as the bright morning light gradually turns into the red glow of the Northern midnight sun.”

Pieta-Linda Auttila also hopes to spark interest in wood and highlight its role in building and design with this structure.  It certainly works for me….what about you?