And now for something entirely different.

[Toole]

Took the opportunity to visit the 'stumpery' for the first time yesterday ,while visiting our local park ,(Queens Park).

At a distance the site looked like the after effects of a logging operation however as i got closer i started to appreciate the skilled sculptural work especially the use of the smaller stumps with roots for the crowning of numerous poles.
The first pic gives background information on the display.

Although the structures look flimsy they are well tied down ,drilled,bolted and secure.

Cheers Dave.
 

[McDonough]

Fascinating, amusing, unexpected! How inventive, it never ceases to amaze me regarding human creativity, thanks for bringing this upsidedown world of the "stumpery" to us.   

[Gene Mirro]

Speaking of stumps, here are a couple.

Exploring the forest service roads in the Cascades:


Redwood stump near Crescent City, CA:

[McDonough]

Wow, that's one helluva stump!

[Jandals]

Super cool Dave . I love arty stuff in the garden especially when they use unwanted leftovers . I will definitely be going to have a look next time I'm down .

Nice to see the tuatara(oops - other thread , never mind) . I reckon if you left the shutter open on the camera for a month or so the tuatara wouldn't have moved and the plants would be a blur in the background

Gene - When I was in the states 4 years ago I also ran across a few fallen trees and stumps but fortunately Avis thought of everything

[cohan]

Interesting! Dave- in your climate, will these woodworks become colonised by plants or mosses?
Funny that you mention this now, just the other day I had run across a mention of a new 'stumpery' at the following site, though there were no photos on the page I was looking at then, and didn't find them until I googled now:
http://www.hardyferns.org/events-in-the-garden.php
those views are all of construction, here is a page with some views of gardens which I guess are more traditional Victorian stumperies, or replicas thereof (also some great architectural elements, can't help it though, I want rock plants on those  ):
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/stumpery/interesting/

This is interesting to me- there is a lot of material in the woods on my acreage and the farm behind, both naturally fallen and leftovers from felled trees etc.. I've used pieces already in woodland beds, and had been thinking about using more- this sort of thing gives some new ideas, though I don't think I will be doing anything as structured as your local sculpture garden- that wood looks likely to last longer than much of my local stuff stuff will, so mine would likely be kept nearer the soil!
Still haven't quite seen a model for what I'd like to do, but food for thought for sure... and still looking..

[cohan]

A different sort of use:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:France_Loir-et-Cher_Festival_jardins_Chaumont-sur-Loire_2005_13_Stumpery_01.jpg

[Palustris]

There is a Stumpery at Biddulph Gardens in Staffordshire England.
Getting overgrown a bit now since they were renovated a few years back.

[Hoy]

Roots are nice! I have used some as decorative elements in my garden but they rot too soon. I have also used old pine roots as firewood. They ignite and burn like petrol!

Almost no roots to be seen here now though. Here is a picture from last weekend - after the snowstorm. It is taken not far from my place but of the other side of the fjord. Today we have mild weather and the snow is melting fast.



From thhis page: http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/rogaland/1.10843619

[cohan]

Biddulph is one of the gardens that comes up a lot in google searches for stumperies...

Trond- yikes! Although we've been in winter since Oct 20, and many many snowfalls, we still have some near/bare areas under conifers/next to buildings, and several inches to a foot or so of snow in other places... We never see anything like in your photo!

[Hoy]

Biddulph is one of the gardens that comes up a lot in google searches for stumperies...

Trond- yikes! Although we've been in winter since Oct 20, and many many snowfalls, we still have some near/bare areas under conifers/next to buildings, and several inches to a foot or so of snow in other places... We never see anything like in your photo!

All this did come in about one day too! This is from the worst place south of where I live. The mild weather the last days here have melted almost all the snow here (except in my garden which faces northwest. Tonight  the road to the city was dry!

Back to the roots. Here you can see the use of fresh oak roots used for the knees and ribs of the frame of a viking ship.



From this site: http://dno.vikingkings.com/PortalDefault.aspx?portalID=118&activeTabID=1057&parentActiveTabID=1002

Here's the actual building going on:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ3u0jjWCkc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ3u0jjWCkc</a>

[Tim Ingram]

Wow, what a brilliant video Trond! Tremendous craftsmanship and something to be very proud of making. Now I want to see the video of a hundred crew taking it out for its maiden voyage!

[Toole]

Gene - When I was in the states 4 years ago I also ran across a few fallen trees and stumps but fortunately Avis thought of everything

Mr Newall --best set of 'bull bars' i've seen in a long time .


[/quote]

Interesting! Dave- in your climate, will these woodworks become colonised by plants or mosses?

Cohan
There are a few grasses and ferns planted --i'd expect over time seedlings and others will appear elsewhere --in the meantime i hope the Parks and Reserves Dept don't ask me to quote to weed the damn thing   ....... --i'll be out to lunch ,(although now i come to think of it ,with modern technology you can just about be reached any where).

I'd expect the hardwood to last a very long time however the bog wood, being exposed to the elements, might be another matter.

Cheers Dave.

[McDonough]

Trond, I agree, a brilliant video!

[cohan]

Dave- a good reason to avoid some of those modern technologies I'm enjoying the only almost telephone free period in my adult life: after many years of self-employment requiring me to be more or less reachable by clients much of the time (I had limits), I now do not actually have a phone! I can use my mom's landline next door when I really need (eg :calling govt offices etc) and my house/driving mate has a cellphone so we always have one on the highway for emergencies, and at work I may answer the phone once or twice per day..

On the other hand, Trond, I bet those guys cutting those trees are glad to have modern tools- whatever the vikings used must have been much slower than a chainsaw! I can't watch the video (with my internet I can only afford a few videos per month and I'm at my limit..lol) but I have seen tv shows about such projects- fascinating what wood can be made to do!