We bought them in the late autumn of 2007 in the bazaar of Tabriz, Western Iran. They had been made for an engagement present. The jewels come from the nomadic tribes around Mashad to the east. The carpet – which is in fact a camel bag opened – was woven by Bakhtiari nomads in the mountains above Isfahan to the south. I usually read by leaning against it in the evenings.
In the last week there were
elections in Iran. Many call in doubt the authenticity of the official results. There are manifestations all around the country. As I’m writing this, a crowd of several thousand people gathered in Tehran. According to recent news, the militiamen have been authorized to use live ammunition. Yesterday in Isfahan a young boy was already shot dead.
The inhabitants of Tehran for the last days have been praying by thousands “Allahu akbar” – “God is the greatest” – on the rooftops, just like they did during the revolution of 1979. We have also been intensively praying for them. We ask you to pray for Iran.
This is a part of the upper large perennial bed. Here, as in all the garden, I try to set up the gardens with harmonic compositions of plants with contrasting forms.
This is for example a smaller composition: Hosta undulata 'Mediovariegata' - Echinops ritro - Berberis 'Atropurpurea Nana' - Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' - Phlox paniculata 'Düsterlohe' - Lilium 'Latvia'.
One source of the contrast is the different form of the plant – some are uprising and some rather shrubby –, and the other is the soft or hard character of their leaves. Purple color is common in all, this is the basis of their harmony. And the different shades of purple add an exciting, playful element to the overall impression.
