Landscapes and Their Essential Timings

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A post shared by Claire Takacs (@clairetakacs) on Apr 9, 2020 at 3:51am PDT

Claire Takacs is thought of as one of the world's best garden photographers. I came to know of her work last summer as I had the opportunity to do a workshop with her at Chanticleer garden outside Philadelphia. If nothing else, she is prolific - especially of late, she shares her work daily on Instagram and you see the gardens she is always working in.

This morning I saw her post from Great Dixter. The tulip collection caught my eye and I looked down to read her inscription below; 'The Peacock Garden at Great Dixter this morning."

As I have watched her posts the past few days I have imagined she is isolated in her house sharing from her vast archives. But of course not.

Moments in the garden and landscape last minutes as the sun moves across the sky. A few cloudy days and the image's possibility and potential disappears forever. These Tulips, at their peak in the image, will be gone late next week, and the next window to photograph them gone for another year.

I point to this mainly to add to the conversation of valuing what is essential in garden and landscape care. Garden care makes its interventions at very specific points in a seasonal and biological cycle of plant and soil life. The windows are narrow. Important management and care windows, once they pass by are gone forever.