Quirkiness Supreme at Floramagoria
Floramagoria is a remarkable private garden we got to see during the Garden Bloggers Fling in Portland back in July. The garden was striking for its design and combination of beautifully grown plants. But it also contains a highly concentrated and entertaining dose of whimsy.
There is so much in this garden that I’m doing not one, but two posts on it, the first of which will concentrate on the quirky elements.
For starters, a duck’s posterior, bottoms up. Presumably the rest of the duck is looking for something to eat under those succulents. I wonder if this would work as a duck decoy.
I think this must be Sparky the mechanical dog.
This could be another duck, perched on top of a ceramic bulb. Although it’s a duck with arms and hands instead of wings.
For gardeners with an interest in paleontology, Floramagoria features miniature of pterodactyls.
And speaking of prehistory, here is proof that humans did share the earth with dinosaurs. I hope that guy in the pink shirt can fend off T rex with a pistol.
There are also more peaceful critters, like this turtle.
And this dragonfly.
And this mechanical snail.
And I can’t forget the dancing cat.
There were several babies, all of whom seemed to be either sad or annoyed.
I’m guessing the guy who made this did so on a day when he had a terrible hangover.
Finally, here’s a mannequin displaying a typical gardener’s physique. You can tell he’s a dedicated gardener because he’s got a watering can even though it was raining off and on that day.
Believe me when I tell you that Floramagoria is a beautifully designed and maintained garden. It’s clear, though, that the owners aren’t afraid to have fun.
Next up: Floramagoria Part 2 – a seriously gorgeous garden.
gardeninacity 
What a fun & creative garden! Can’t wait to see Part 2!
Hope to post it tonight.
Those babies….hmmm…..
I remember seeing pictures of this garden on Prairie Roses’s blog and it looked outstanding!
The babies are a little creepy.
What a fantastic place!
I laughed at some of the little statues…and that mannequin??? there are no words!!!
🙂 🙂
I wouldn’t put an almost naked mannequin in my own garden, but it was pretty hard to ignore in this one.
This is one of those gardens so stuffed with beauty and quirkiness that one can never take it all in. Thanks for showing me some of the puns I missed.
As you say, it’s a garden with so much going on you can’t see everything, even in the hour and a half that we spent there.
This was the garden that I most regret missing by not going to the Fling this year! I’ve very much enjoyed seeing everyone’s take on it. I think the artist who made the hangover head is actually a woman — Carol Dean — a local ceramic artist who exhibits every year at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show.
Thanks for identifying the artist!
I love the mixture of plants and non plants. That mannequin cracks me up! I wonder if they move it around and change his clothes? (or put clothes on for that matter)
That would have been a good question to ask the owners, wish I had thought of it.
Smiled at them all, but I absolutely love the duck’s posterior, bottoms up. That is a hoot. 🙂
Definitely. I wonder if there could be a whole series of animals with their rumps in the air.
Every post you show about Portland is more interesting. This place would have been a hoot to see. I love whimsy and need to add more to my garden. Thanks for the inspiration!
I seem to be a bit short on the whimsy front myself.
You know you are a real environmentalist if even your underwear is green. Loved the mannequin …
He was quite a popular fellow. I found him a bit too quiet, though.
This garden is wonderful and I’m so glad we got the chance to experience it. You’ll find that most babies left outside in all kinds of weather are upset and annoyed; these were surprisingly quiet though. What a relief to finally have conclusive proof that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. On the other hand, is that a pistol or a ray gun? This may be evidence of ancient aliens having roamed the planet. See, they came to kill all of the dinosaurs, build Stonehenge (the dinos would have surly knocked that over) Atlantis, and the pyramids. Then they took off, laughing to themselves about how we’d be speculating for generations about how this stuff happened. Aliens with a sense of humor…
Or what if the dinosaurs were the aliens? They weren’t killed by meteors, but went home on their spaceships. After building the pyramids, of course.
I see some quirky plants too. Dancing cat is awfully cute.
You’re right, there are some quirky plants, but I was going to talk about that in the next post. Don’t give away the ending!
Thanks for sharing ! I love a bit of fun in the garden !
There certainly was plenty of fun at this garden.
Love the duck. Not so sure about the mannequin though! Nice to see gardens that don’t take themselves too seriously.
it looks like there was something to see in every corner and that’s the way it should be, I think. It’s usually done with plants instead of mannequins though, but I always told the people I gardened for that they were the ones who had to live with it, so it should be exactly as they wanted it.
Which is to say you should always grow a garden in the way that makes yourself happy, and not worry about anyone else.
Great fun. I wonder where one finds a duck posterior?
… but the babies creep me out a bit.
I agree about the babies, actually.
Fascinating. Great reporting. Thanks. It really is fun to have a few fun things in the garden.
Exactly, who wants a gloomy garden?
What an interesting and quirky garden . You don’ t often find gardens like this here. Perhaps as gardeners we take ourselves too seriously here. I quite like seeing it in other gardens but wouldn’ t dream of doing it myself. These painted babies give me the creeps but I rather like the dancing cat with the allium sparkler.
This garden is pretty unique on this side of the Atlantic as well. I agree with you about the babies and the cats.
I agree with Chloris, I think we are a bit snooty over here when it comes to wacky Garden art. Maybe we should take ourselves less seriously, but I can’t imagine Ducks Bottoms taking off!
Not unless the ducks learn to fly backwards.
What a marvelous post….I really enjoyed the range of oddments, I wouldn’t hesitate to add Sparky, the turtle. dragonfly, snail and cat to my garden, in fact I’d pay a small fortune for Sparky!
Gosh….the sad/annoyed babies are something else! Good on them, it’s certainly interesting. Looking forward to part 2.xxx
I could go for the turtle, cat and dragonfly. The others I can appreciate but wouldn’t want in my own garden.
What fantastic art in this garden! The whimsy has gotten me excited to see what the beds look like and what plants they use in their space! They definitely know how to have fun!!! Great post Jason! Stay warm…sure is cold here today! Nicole
Yes, you would definitely get a huge kick out of the garden art that they have there.
Great captures! I didn’t even see some of those things! Of course, the garden boy was hard to miss but the battle between man and the T-rex? 🙂
That may have been my favorite.
What a hoot and I love the pitcher plants with the dinosaur and hunter….