The Dirt: A Chanel-style garden reborn, a new carnivorous plant discovered

Illustrated scene of a person wearing a straw hat tending to a garden with a giant pumpkin, ferns, and carnivorous plants. Overlay text reads, "The Dirt: A Chanel-style garden reborn, a new carnivorous plant discovered, plus the easiest way to put in a backyard pond. ICYMI, we're sharing what's big on social media, the latest research results, and fun factoids about the natural world. By: Maria Ricapito."

The Dirt: A Chanel-style garden reborn, a new carnivorous plant discovered, plus the easiest way to put in a backyard pond

ICYMI, we’re sharing what’s big on social media, the latest research results, and fun factoids about the natural world 

By: Maria Ricapito

A couture garden to gasp over

If your summer was all about staycations and you’re craving a little armchair travel, take a seat and tour the ultimate example of chic garden design. Architect Peter Marino will guide you through his recently completed restoration of the grounds surrounding famed fashion designer Coco Chanel’s house in the South of France. Gracious courtyards, allées of trees, lavender fields, and olive groves stretching down to the sea…enjoy this last gasp of summer and garden inspo on your screen.

Colored illustration depicting a stylish crowd gathered along a stone path in a lush garden outside a rustic French house, watching a woman in a black skirt suit walk by. Above, the section header reads, "A couture garden to gasp over."

Darwin was right.

Let’s toggle from fashion icon to iconic naturalist. Back in 1875, Charles Darwin suspected that two European Saxifraga species, which are alpine flowering perennials, might be carnivorous (he observed their ​sticky hairs), although he never validated that belief. Now, the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Kunming Institute of Botany has conducted research that proves these plants could star in a remake of Little Shop of Horrors. While they don’t open and close like the famous Venus flytrap, they do feed on little insects that get glued to their leaves’ surfaces. Makes a person wonder what other mysteries of the plant world are waiting to be revealed…

Detailed green line illustration of alpine carnivorous plants (Saxifraga) with sticky hairs and small white flowers surrounding an insect. Above, the section header reads, "Darwin was right."

The easiest way to put in a pond

If you want to create a little naturalist’s paradise in your yard, look no further than a second-hand sink, says social media. With a thrift-store basin, you can create a mini pond water feature in your yard, beneficial to “good” insects, amphibians, and birds that munch on mosquitos and other pests. Layer in some pebbles, rocks, and driftwood to make it easy for critters to enter and exit and add a few water plants. One important tip: Be sure to plug up the drain first.

Colored line illustration of a repurposed white porcelain sink installed outdoors as a mini backyard pond, surrounded by rocks, driftwood, and green foliage. Above, the article section header reads, "The easiest way to put in a pond."

It’s not just a good pumpkin; it’s a great one.

Looking ahead, you may be dreaming of growing one of those monster mega-pumpkins that dominate the patch and make your neighbors gasp. Why not watch how it’s done in 90 seconds? You’ll see an orange orb fast-forward from a twinkle in the gardener’s eye to reaching its full glory at 1,594 lbs. Spoiler alert: IRL it actually takes a lot longer than that to produce such a ginormous gourd.

Colored illustration of a person tending to a giant orange pumpkin on a vine in a garden using pruning shears. Above, the article section header reads, "It's not just a good pumpkin; it's a great one."

When art imitates nature…

Another example of supersizing it: an amazing exhibit called Drift Meadow by studio DRIFT, an art collective based in the Netherlands. Currently installed at the Seattle Art Museum, it’s a suspended-from-the-ceiling meadow of enormous, delicate flowers that open and close as visitors, playing the role of the sun, pass through. It’s an immersive experience, reminding us of the cycles of nature all around us.

Colored illustration of people walking beneath an immersive ceiling installation of large suspended flower sculptures that open and close. Above, the article section header reads, "When art imitates nature..."

About the Writer

Maria Ricapito is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Elle Decor, and The New York Times. She lives in the Hudson Valley where she’s writing a thriller and happily tends to a veggie and herb container garden and a pollinator mini meadow in her backyard. 

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