Outdoor Gallery of flowers at the Curve Garden
If youâve visited the Garden recently or even just passed by on Dalston Lane, you will have spotted our new âoutdoor galleryâ mounted on the wall just outside our entrance, opposite Hackney Peace Carnival Mural.
We are delighted to have been awarded a grant from the âHackney High Streets Fundâ which means that this year, through our âHigh Street Gardenâ project, we will be able to share a little glimpse of the Garden, through a changing display of images. One of the aims of the project is to introduce passersby, who may not have previously visited the Garden, to the plants and community life that lie beyond our fence and to spread the word about supporting biodiversity.Â
The first of our seasonal galleries puts the focus on âFlowers from Dalston Curve Gardenâ. Over many years we have been blessed to have a number of brilliant photographers recording the plants here and we now have an amazing photographic archive. One of these photographers, Erola Arcalis describes what recording the plants here means to her:
âI first photographed the Curve Garden nine years ago. The Garden has taught me how to look at plants and which ones to look out for each season. Even though the planting has changed and the trees have grown over time, I know the Garden's colours and textures almost by heart. The red spires of the Pineapple Sage and the delicate blue petals of the Crocus in winter; the tiny white Snowdrops announcing the beginning of Spring together with  Lilacs and Alliums; the lively coloured Hollyhocks in Summer; and the ocre leaves of the Silver Birches during the pumpkin seasonâ.
It was such a challenge for us to make a selection of just 12 pictures from our archive, but hereâs what we finally chose for display.
Tulip âAngeliqueâ Photographer:Alex Bogdan
Narcissus âBaby Moonâ Photographer: Sandra Keating
Tulip âBallerinaâ Photographer: Sandra Keating
Tulip clusiana âCynthiaâ and Muscari latifolium Photographer: Sandra Keating
Tulip âMentonâ Photographer: Sandra Keating
Erythronium âPagodaâ and Muscari latifolium Photographer: Erola Arcalis
Tulip âAbu Hassanâ Photographer: Sandra Keating
Leucojum aestivum âGravetye Giantâ Photographer: Alex Bogdan
Crocus tomasanianus âRuby Giantâ Tulip âAmazing Parrotâ Â Photographer: Alex Bogdan
Tulip bakerii âLilac Beautyâ Photographer: Alex Bogdan
Allium âPurple Sensationâ Photographer: Sandra Keating Â
Photographer Alex Bogdan says:
âEvery one of the flowers in these photographs has been planted and cared for by dedicated volunteers. I feel very privileged to be able to capture the beauty that they've created through so much hard work.
When you walk into the Curve Garden you're met with an explosion of colour from thousands of flowers. But when you get closer, you see that every flower has its unique personality and beauty. Tulip âAngeliqueâ have a sort of very delicate but distant elegance, like they belong in an old Dutch masters painting and âAmazing Parrotâ, with their feathery petals remind me of flamenco dresses. They're some of the most showy tulips, the star of the show. The little Tulip bakerii âLilac Beautyâ are some of the friendliest, genuinely happy to be where they are. For me they're some of the more difficult to photograph in a way that truly captures their joyfulness.
Leucojum âGravetye Giantâ (Snowflakes) are some of my favourites. They flower for the longest time. It can be easy to overlook them as they seem to be always there, carrying the Garden through the cold days of early Spring until April when other spring bulbs are ready to burst into colour. But their flowers have the most intricate and delicate design. They're beautiful!â
And the final word goes to photographer Sandra Keating:
âThis is more than just an exhibition of beautiful flowers on a busy street in Dalston. Itâs the people and the place behind these flowers that make it such a special exhibition to be part of. Iâve been incredibly lucky to work as an âin-house" garden photographer for so many years. Photographing plants in this vital green space along with other amazing photographers has quite literally been a dream come true.â
Thanks to Erola, Alex and Sandra for their beautiful botanical record, to our team of staff and volunteers for helping install the âOutdoor Galleryâ, to www.coloursonic.co.uk for their beautiful prints and to www.futurehackney.com for advising us on printing for outdoor display.Â
You can read more here about the other âHackney High Street funded projectsâ.Â