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The Divine Proportion
I have always been fascinated by numbers. The most interesting number of all is one I encountered many years ago in my Design 101 class at Auburn University. This number is identified in the mathematics community as the Greek letter phi, expressed numerically as simply 1.618. It sounds boring enough until you learn how often and where this number keeps turning up in our lives.
Phi was used by the ancient Greeks who employed it prominently in their art and architecture. It was re-introduced to the civilized world in the early 13th century, by the Italian mathematician, Fibonacci, who stumbled upon this series of numbers while conducting a study of the reproductive cycle of rabbits! Since then it has been known variously as The Golden Mean, The Divine Proportion, or the Fibonacci sequence. This mystical ratio is prevalent in all forms of life on this planet, from the microscopic structure of our DNA to the tiny spirals of a seashell to the mind boggling swirls of a galaxy. Could this be a colossal coincidence or have we literally uncovered the intrinsic building block of the universe?
The Fibonacci numbers may sound a bit intimidating, but are actually understandable on the level of basic eighth grade math. The sequence begins with one and is constructed by continually adding the previous number in the sequence to produce the next number, as follows: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, ad infinitum. Once you get to number 8, its ratio to the preceding number (5) is 1.625. With each succeeding number after that, this ratio of the last two numbers gets closer and closer to the mystical 1.618.It should also be noted that not only does phi appear repeatedly in nature, but the individual numbers in the Fibonacci sequence also make frequent appearances in interesting places like the petal count on violets or daisies or the florets in the swirls of a sunflower (counts of 55, 34, and 21); all just coincidentally specific numbers in the Fibonacci sequence!
When plotted geometrically, phi is found repeatedly in patterns and proportions in nature, the human body, art and architecture, even people's behavior. It has become so accepted now in the financial community, that many professional money managers and individual market traders use Fibonacci ratios on their charts to time when to enter or exit a trade and would not think of doing business without them.
Following are a few examples of The Divine Proportion.
Check out your own body. The distance from your belly button to your toes will be about 1.618 times as long as the distance from your belly button to the top of your head.
Check the ratio from the tip of your longest finger back to the first finger joint, from there to the second joint, then to the third joint, and from there back to your wrist joint. Each succeeding joint will be about 1.618 times greater than the one before. Then from your wrist back to your elbow will be about 1.618 times longer than the distance from your wrist to your fingertip, and from the elbow back to your shoulder will be 1.618 times longer than the distance from your elbow to your wrist. Phi is even found in our DNA spiral! That's about as fundamental as you can get.
So the next time you encounter a landscape design or an architectural structure that is not pleasing to the eye, you may find the source of the irritation may be the missing phi. And the next time your stock reaches a new high and "consolidates" for a while, you may now understand why it will then proceed to retrace (go down) back to the level of about 62% of its upward move (giving up approximately 38% of its gain, while you gnash your teeth) before it resumes its upward trend.
It never hurts to keep in touch with what Mother Nature has up her sleeve, or to be in harmony with our planet and our Creator.
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Nature By The Numbers
Check out these cool videos for more illustrations and explanations. There are lots more on this subject. Just google Fibonacci if you would like more info.
 | | Nature By The Numbers |
 | | Fibonacci - World's Most Mysterious Number |
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Thought For The Day
"If the Golden Ratio makes the front of a building look fantastic, imagine what it can do for the backside of a woman."
The Proportion of Blu
(Designer Jean Company, whose fit is based on the Golden Ratio). Vogue April '07
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Starter Plugs
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Helianthus xmultiflorus 'Sunshine Daydream' |
This robust native is a bold overachiever in the border, loaded with big double flowers of sunny yellow-gold on clean, dark green foliage from June through August.
Not for the faint of heart or tiny of garden, 'Sunshine Daydream' reaches 5 - 6' and looks wonderful with large grasses or with almost any purple- or red-flowering perennial.
It's hardy in Zones 4 - 8, plenty tough enough for most of North America. You want more? OK: Long flower stems make it a natural for the vase, too. And butterflies love it.
Quit daydreaming, Sunshine! Beam some aboard in 72s!
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Jan Kirsh
NEWS RELEASE
Landscape Designer and Sculptor Jan Kirsh Featured in Maryland Life Magazine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOZMAN, MD, February 13, 2012 - Eastern Shore Landscape Designer, Jan Kirsh, will be featured in the April issue of Maryland Life Magazine. The focus will be on a St. Michaels riverfront garden retreat - the result of a multi-year collaboration between Kirsh and the horticultural-savvy home owners.
Dan Patrell, co-publisher and editor of Maryland Life, has made uncovering the state's talent a regular theme of the widely distributed magazine. Readers will learn about the project's development and how Jan successfully reflects the pastoral beauty and casual Eastern Shore lifestyle in her design while paying close attention to the existing architectural style of her client's home.
Through her careful yet intentional selection of plantings, Kirsh has the ability to move the viewer's eye around the pool and through the multiple outdoor sitting and dining areas, bordering the riverfront lawn with low growing four season flowering plants. "It has been a delight designing this comfortable and stylish garden," Kirsh explains, "and I look forward to watching the plantings mature."
Aside from the St. Michaels project, writer Carol Sorgen and photographer Stephen Cherry discuss and photograph Jan's sophisticated yet whimsical fruit and vegetable sculpture. "Both of us relished the idea that Jan stretches her talent beyond garden design," says Sorgen. "We couldn't cover one without the other."
Kirsh has been designing gardens in Talbot County and beyond for nearly 30 years. She specializes in client-inclusive landscape projects on waterfront properties situated on the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.
# # #
For more information contact:
Jan Kirsh, Jan Kirsh Landscapes Ltd, Jan Kirsh Studio, 410.745.5252
www.jankirsh.com
www.marylandlife.com
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Michelle Avent
Our sympathies to Tony Avent, in the passing of his wife and business partner, Michelle. Anyone in the green community who has not been hiding under a rock for the past couple of decades has crossed paths with Tony Avent, much sought after plantsman, innovator, author, speaker, and ambassador for our industry. Following is Tony's announcement of Michelle's passing and tribute to her life, support, contributions, and influence.
It is with great sadness that I report my wife and Plant Delights Nursery co-owner, Michelle Avent, 55, passed away after a brave four year battle with a very aggressive form of metastatic breast cancer. Michelle was a Raleigh native who attended Needham Broughton High School, followed by a brief and chilly stint at Appalachian State University before enrolling in NC State University. Michelle and I attended junior high together, but only met and began dating in high school, marrying four years later on December 30, 1977...just in time to follow NCSU to the 1977 Peach Bowl in Atlanta for our honeymoon.
Michelle and I were fortunate to work together for eleven years at our part time job at the Mission Valley Cinema near NC State University. To support our family further, Michelle dropped out of NC State to work full time, first at the NCSU Genetics Lab, and later at the NCSU Student Supply Store. Her career next led her to the Instrument Society of America, where she remained until 1993, when she became the first full-time employee of our fledgling mail order nursery, Plant Delights.
Michelle continued her college work by taking evening classes, finally completing her Bachelors degree in communications from NCSU in 1996. The late Dr. J.C. Raulston was so inspired by Michelle's persistence that he joined her in her final college class, the Study of Film History, and subsequently presented her with a specially made original painting to celebrate her achievement...just prior to his untimely death only a few weeks later.
As newlyweds, we supplemented our regular jobs by cleaning out garages and attics and selling these wares at the local flea market, along with plants we raised in our small home greenhouse. Our venture evolved as we expanded our growing operation into a neighbor's small back lot and moved our plant sales to our home driveway. Michelle wasn't a plant person and was initially incredulous at the idea that people would buy plants through the mail. Despite her reservations, she charged ahead with setting up our business systems...between plant potting and watering. It was Michelle's knowledge of computers, office organizational system skills, and publishing that was responsible for Plant Delights Nursery getting off to such a great start.
Michelle's big smile and engaging personality led her to instantly become friends with most everyone she met, whether on our travels, supervising employees, or working the cashier desk at our nursery Open House.
As a wife, Michelle was my soulmate, my sounding board, my best friend, and the balance in a life where obsession could easily get out of hand. I and the Plant Delights staff will continue Michelle's dream, building on the great foundation she left for us. On Michelle's behalf, I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for your continued support of our venture and I hope those of you who knew Michelle will treasure her memory through conversations you've had with her as well as through the PDN plants in your garden.
Our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Mark Graham and the wonderful staff of Waverly Hematology/Oncology for their great work treating Michelle. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to The V-Foundation for Cancer Research, The Susan B. Komen Foundation, Hospice of Wake County or the JC Raulston Arboretum. I hope you will all join me in the effort to wipe out breast cancer in our lifetime. Later this year, we will announce a cancer shirt design to help fund the fight...more in a later newsletter.
Visitation with the family will be on Tuesday, February 14, from 6-8pm at Bryan Lee Funeral Home, 1200 Benson Road, Garner, NC 27529 (phone 919.772.8225). We hope you will post your comments and thoughts on our Facebook page.
-tony |
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Pup of the Week
Bianca is an adorable chihuahua puppy that very much is still a puppy, and she loves acting like one! She's at her best when she gets to play wrestle and cuddle with other dogs, especially her BFF Delilah, and she definitely needs to be in a home with another small, young dog. Bianca loves to be on your lap and share lots of love. She has not completely mastered her potty training yet, but she's working hard at it.
Bill Foundation is committed to placing Bianca in a home with an adopter that is settled in their career, financially stable and ready to make a lifetime commitment and able take the time and energy necessary to properly train a puppy.
INTERESTED IN ADOPTING?
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Yours Truly |  | |
For better or for worse, I am responsible for all content herein. I welcome your comments and constructive criticism.
Bo Tidwell |
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