My project “The
Planting Tree” is an amalgam of many artistic techniques as well as
a representation of my desire to contribute to a better Earth both
holistically and in a preservationist sense. The trunk of the tree is
made from fallen limbs I've picked up while hiking local trails.
Spending time alone in nature is important for me mentally and
spiritually. To be able to experience quiet and a sense of calm
without the affliction of other human noise or presence provides a
rejuvenation in mind, body, and spirit. The twine rope is from the
hay bales sourced locally and used to feed my family's horses.
Hundreds of these twines are accumulated each year and while they
will break down eventually if left exposed to the elements, giving
them a new purpose feels better. The cans were collected over many
weeks of feeding my cats and dogs, cleaned, painted, and drilled for
drainage. The wood used for the base was re-claimed wood intended
for disposal by a local pallet making company. Painting it to look
antiqued gave it a pop of color and playfulness, as does the
contrasting red of the cans. Organic soil was used to pot herblings
and seeds. As these plants grow, they will resemble the greenery on a
tree budding to life along its branches. Additionally, the layout and
design of the Planting Tree allows for sunlight to reach each
individual planter and many herbs to be grown along a vertical space
instead of a horizontal space, an important factor when lacking
acreage to create a traditional garden. This design could be used
indoors during cool months and outdoors during warm months and it's lightweight enough to be transported back and forth fairly easily. I
chose to use herbs because these are plants that not only provide an
attractive green assortment, but are edible and therefore helpful to
a human, more so than just something to look at. Additionally, herbs
do not require extensive root system or large growing containers.
Anyone copying the design or improvising it for their own use could
certainly plant whatever they wished that would best suit their own
aesthetics, and I'd love to see variations of my idea if anyone were
to design their own Planting Tree!
From Start to Finish:
Spray painting the aluminum cans in the dark on my porch!
The construction was a struggle at times, with tools breaking and malfunctioning, the glue not setting properly, weather conditions inhibiting the use and drying of paint, the physics of weighting the base sufficiently to compensate for the height and angle of the branches, etc. It's still not as sturdy as I'd like it to be and when it goes outside, I'll have to tie it down to the railings to ensure it doesn't get knocked over by a wind gust.
While the complete effect isn't achieved without the greenery in full growth, I'm pretty happy with how this venture turned out and I'm excited to see what happens with it over the next few months. I have some worries whether I should have drilled more drainage holes in the sides of the cans as well, as the soil seems to be retaining moisture overly well, and being in the bathroom doesn't help the humidity which sometimes contributes to rot, but I'm hoping it does ok until I can put it outside where it will have more air and sun.
At some point, I will build another one of these, and the learning curve will be less steep the second time around!
