Whimsical cube is a creative, watery garden folly

The practicality of folly

The design was a pleasing play on the classic circle and square. The water reflected the cube’s dazzling walls and the outdoor room appeared to float in the center. The whole thing became an oversized garden sculpture.

I could see it as the center focus of a sweeping lawn. Really, I wanted it on my lawn.

Beside the aesthetic appeal, the surrounding pool had a practical function – not typically a folly attribute. A pump brought water to the top of the walls, irrigating the panels, with the excess eventually dripping back to the pool below.

Of course, if the display were not on a show floor, you could make the pool deep enough for fish, thus adding a certain aquaculture aspect. The fish waste (which can create extra nitrogen in the water) could be used to sustain the plants on the walls.

I was inspired to think about different configurations:

Perhaps a single wall, planted on both sides could be a garden room divider, with half the circular pool in two separate spaces.

I envisioned opening the cube’s walls up at geometric angles, giving it a more sculptural, less room-enclosure feel. But always with that unusual interplay of living wall and water.

Sean agreed about the importance of the water. “Without a water element in the garden, it feels flat and lifeless,” he told me.

Nothing flat or lifeless about this floating cube. Thank you, SF Flower and Garden Show.

Mary-Kate Mackey is one of nine garden writers who blog regularly at Diggin' It. She is co-author of “Sunset’s Secret Gardens — 153 Design Tips from the Pros” and contributor to the “Sunset Western Garden Book,” writes a monthly column for the Hartley Greenhouse webpage and numerous articles for Fine Gardening, Sunset, and other magazines. She teaches at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism & Communication. She writes about water in the garden for Diggin’ It.

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