10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Artist Frida Kahlo - Gardenista
Was Frida Kahlo the original modernist gardener? After nearly two decades of full on Fridamania during which traveling exhibits of her paintings attracted sell out crowds the US Postal Service put her face on a stamp and Selma... ...Hayek suffered a uni brow to play the lead role in a Hollywood biopic about her colorful life it turns out there s still a lot to learn from the artist Casa Azúl was Frida Kahlo’s childhood home as well as the home she shared with her husband, famed muralist Diego Riviera. Photograph by Aldar Adame via Flickr. Kahlo’s work space featured a collection of bold pigments: bright, saturated colors were a signature element of her painting style. 2. Let Art Influence Life Photograph by Jason Tester via Flickr. Kahlo painted her garden walls a vivid cobalt blue, a brilliant shade that is the perfect foil for cacti and other plants with sculptural shapes. Photograph by Mandy Goldberg via Flickr. If you’re not ready to commit to electric blue walls, try an accent–a painted planter full of bright summer flowers will brighten a balcony or patio. Looking for the right shade of cobalt blue paint? Photograph by Katie Newburn for Gardenista. Sunflowers are blooming at the NYBG exhibit, as well as dahlias, zinnias, and marigolds. The dahlia is the national flower of Mexico and the sunflower is thought to have been grown by indigenous people in Mexico long before the Spaniards arrived. Kahlo and Riviera delighted in bringing indigenous cacti into their courtyard. Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista. Photograph by Cezzie901 via Flickr. During the dry season in Mexico City (which runs from October to May), it must have been very pleasant for Kahlo and Riviera to enjoy the reflecting pool and the fountain in their garden. Kahlo was a pioneer in using plants native to Mexico. Other natives she cultivated in her garden include the colorful Slipper Plant (Euphorbia bracteata) and Old Man Cactus (Cephalocereus), named for its resemblance to a balding pate. Photograph by Jeanne Rostaing for Gardenista. One of Kahlo’s hair combs. For a respite from color, plant shrubs to create a protected nook and place a garden bench within. Photograph by Verino77 via Flickr. 8. Be Calm Amid the Storm Kahlo not only grew brilliantly colored dahlias, she also frequently used them as accessories, wearing them in her hair and making bouquets of them to grace the table at one of the many dinner parties she and Riviera hosted. Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer. At Inner Gardens in LA, owner Stephen Block put a a variegated Agave attenuata into a richly glazed Mexica terra cotta planter. Kahlo made liberal use of heavy terra cotta pots in her garden.