return to KEW: FLOWER POWER - North of Finnis

sometimes wading through the excesses of magazines is daunting. 

I confess, I am just perusing some from March and April

To my delight, an unearthly fashion editorial in Departures magazine, styling by Amanda Ross and pictures by Sarah Maingot, reminded me of my trip to Kew Gardens in June of 2009. It was early days for little augury, so again, I confess, my obvious desire to go back. 

Here from 2009, FLOWER POWER, and the fine specimens painted by Marianne North.

 photograph by Sarah Maingot,

 an overwhelming over door North Style

In looking at Marianne North's beautiful works of art, true labors of love- I am overwhelmed by the volume of work and the love. Marianne North waited until she was 40 to start fulfilling the work of painting some 900 botanical specimens. North was independently wealthy- having been sole heir of her family's estate-something necessary for such an undertaking especially for a middle aged Victorian woman.

Her passion led her and her brushes to North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka. Armed with a few painting techniques, she traveled and painted: to record what she saw- not to paint beauty. The result of her travels- Both, an unprecedented record and beauty.
Her final journey led her to create a gallery with its interior modeled on a Greek temple for the nation of Britain at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (click to see the restoration)

one of the 900

Room with a View I

 

detailing Beauty
(photograph by Tobias Harvey)

NORTH-Signature Style

Marianne North

(all photographs from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew unless noted) See all the paintings at this link

why not your own North Gallery- Finnis Style?

Wall Flowers
the inspiration of horticulturist Valerie Finnis.

photograph by Jan Baldwin

A hall enlivened by horticultural photographs cut out of magazines in the Nottinghamshire home of the late Valerie Finnis. Pale Blue Muscari (grape hyacinth) and the silver-grey Artemisia bear her name. Valerie Finnis created gardens, specifically-after teaching at the Waterperry Horticultural School for Women for 30 years- Her own. Still- lifes by Finnis, more 55,000 transparencies survive, along with photographs of her gardener friends. To see Valerie Finnis' photographs (click)to read this wonderful post by Each Little World:Dressing for the Garden.

Room with a View II

photograph by Jan Baldwin

Valerie Finnis Pale Blue Muscari

Valerie Finnis Artemisia

Valerie Finnis amongst her work

photograph by Jan Baldwin

North and Finnis created their own worlds - abroad, at home: Both leaving their own lasting impressions on us. Think about a Finnis wall in your own world.



RESOURCES-  
 Departures magazine March/April issue

the Telegraph UK , Marianne North: The Flower Huntress by Kathryn Hughes
World of Interiors January 2008, Female of the Species, by Frances Spalding
www.kew.org, Restore a Painting, Save Our Heritage
World of Interiors, April 2009, Snug with a Pug and a Trug, by Amicia de Moubray

valerie finnis & gillian welch

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Muscari armeniacum muscari 'Valerie Finnis' 

The fairest bloom the mountain know
Is not an iris or a will rose
But the little flower of which I'll tell
Known as the brave Oconee bell

Just a simple flower so small and plain
With a pearly hue and a little known name
But the yellow birds sing when they see it bloom
For they know that spring is coming soon

Well it makes its home mid the rocks and the rills
Where the snow lies deep on the windy hills
And it tells the world "why should i wait
This ice and snow is gonna melt away"

And so i'll sing that yellow bird's song
For the troubled times will soon be gone

Gillian  Welch peforming  Oconee Bell

Shortia galacifolia  Oconee Bell the real bell

all photographs are my own except for the Oconee Bell flower

more about Valerie Finnis here

& here 

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in an English Garden: Duro Olowu

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 Duro Olowu

 an admitted admirer of fashion-past and present, I love to check out fashion this time of year. New York Fashion week just ended and London shows are getting in the swing. I must say, the London designers-in the great traditions of- Mary Quant, Ossie Clark, rioutouslyVivian Westwood and Alexander McQueen-always produceriotously creative collections.Theirs, as a nation of designers-collectively- is unique.
What's that all about?

fall 2010 Duro Olowu

All work of fashion designer DURO OLOWU is captivating, it is an artist inhabiting his craft at its highest. His new Fall 2010 Collection is inspired by the famous Arts and Crafts garden of HIDCOTE.

OLOWU says:
"I was walking around the gardens of Hidcote Manor, listening to dub on my iPod." Duro Olowu (here)

Baltimorean turned Brit- Lawrence Johnston, wealthy, artistic, garden lover, began developing HIDCOTE around 1905. The gardens are Inspiration for many- Now add Duro Olowu to the inspired.


The MIX-a colour palette in the British garden spirit-with a hot modern day presence of the Surrealist, and the eccentric style of the English gardener's wardrobe. Taking a look at the late Valerie Finnis (littleaugury post here)-it is easy to see joie de vivre style of her gardening wardrobe that must have inspired Duro Olowu's Hidcote-dub mix.

  Valerie Finnis in gardening mode
photograph by Jan Baldwin,World of Interiors

HIDCOTE

Duro Olowu 

 Parsley Muir photographed by Valerie Finnis

Duro Olowu

Lady Birley photographed by Valerie Finis

in the gardening way,photograph by Valerie Finis

HIDCOTE

more on Valerie Finnis here

more on Hidcote here
order the book Garden People by Valerie Finnis here
DURO OLOWU FALL COLLECTION 2010 here 

DURO OLOWU in VOGUE