The ways in which bathtubs have been used for things other than bathing over the decades provide an interesting insight into the human mind.

They served as convenient and excellent containers for making bootleg gin during prohibition.

My wife’s family routinely used theirs to ice down a hog before their annual family pig roast. Perfect size and drainage, but a bit disconcerting if you had to make a visit to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

A friend’s family had the tradition of de-thawing the Thanksgiving turkey in their bathtub for several days before the big dinner – one those unforgettable childhood images from the holidays, as our job was to go in and poke it to see if the thawing was on schedule.

There is current debate about the use of a bathtub in a Henrico County back yard as a planter for seasonal flowers. It seems that this violates zoning regulations.

If you have ever lived where there are NO zoning regulations, you are probably – like me – grateful for them, for we humans do tend to a bit undisciplined. Zoning rules do serve a purpose, and their impact is probably among those invisible things we all take for granted, until they are violated on the property next to you.

But – a confession – we have a bathtub on display in the Botanical Garden this summer. We really did not want to set a bad example. We just thought it would be fun to create a water garden in one – of course, an old tub with feet on it.

Old bathtubs have become collectible objects – not quite Tiffany lamps, but the footed ones do bring memories back to those of us old enough to remember them (and those of us who actually bathed in them!).

Do they belong in a backyard garden? This is obviously more difficult to answer than we might have thought. There is a very prominent garden designer and author named Felder Rushing who encourages such things – and more (much, much more!) You can read about him at http://www.felderrushing.net. Felder calls this kind of creative design the “American Cottage Garden”, and thinks we should all free ourselves of the long-held expectations of rigid and predictable garden design we inherited centuries ago from the Italians, Dutch and British.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What if you behold something as objectionable? We pride ourselves in the U.S. as having freedom of expression – but every freedom has its limits. I don’t know if the limit is met when one puts a bathtub in the backyard. No doubt, one’s perception of the end result relates to one’s sensibilities, the beauty of the tub’s plantings and the perception of a bathtub as an antique “objet d’art” versus a discarded, obsolete household item.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is in a Conservation Zone in Henrico County, and we have not yet been able to answer the question whether our bathtub planter violates County code, which is different from Residential coding. Our bathtub is part of an 80-foot annual display of unusual planters with varied planting schemes, including window boxes, a chair, a wardrobe and traditional pots. The context, and limited visual impact on neighbors, probably makes our bathtub more acceptable from a pure aesthetic sense. We hoped it might inspire some smiles, and quietly encourage folks to think outside the box.

I once saw a children’s garden made entirely of planted shoes and boots. It was delightful – every shape, color and size planted with such a wide variety of plants. It was obvious that the children who created these shoe gardens did so with great enthusiasm and individuality. Shoe gardens are highly mobile, and just the right size for a little one to care for. I suppose a shoe garden would not violate zoning codes, but one never knows.

I have a neighbor who has the most fascinating garden. He wraps native Virginia Tulip Poplars with wire fencing, and grows Asian gourds and melons 10-15 feet up the trunks. I don’t know how his immediate neighbors feel about his garden, but I always encourage the dog to walk in that direction so I can check on the melons. I love this ingenuity, and enjoy watching the melons and gourds grow fat and round. But, then, I like plants, and I like the cultural diversity our neighbor expresses through his garden.

There has been a lot of commentary that Henrico County has more important issues to address than an old bathtub in a backyard garden. Of course they do, and of course they are. I have great respect for the leadership and effectiveness of Henrico County, and if the bathtub at the Botanical Garden is in violation of the zoning code, I will remove it, for these are laws we have all tacitly “agreed to” in our political participation, or lack thereof. And, we have more important work to attend to than taking a stand over a bathtub.

Henrico is changing. More and more folks are coming here who have lived in different places around the globe, and who originate from different cultures. At some point, there will need to be more discussion and perhaps more acceptance of differences – whether that is about bathtubs or melons in trees.

There are local ordinances against allowing yards to go un-mown – becoming urban/suburban meadows. These are founded in concerns about controlling vermin, like rats, and maintaining aesthetic standards. However, we are beginning to understand the costs to the environment (pollution) and basic resources (water) in keeping perfectly manicured lawns. Native plants are adapted to our climate, and provide important habitat and food to birds, pollinating insects and small mammals, which are part of the critical food chain.

Our laws usually lag behind changes in our reality and growing understanding of what is best for society and for the world which sustains us.

It is a good thing that events like the bathtub initiate new discussion. Otherwise, progress might never happen.

I hope the bathtub issue will force many people to take a deeper look into what we should be encouraging in our yards – from a design standpoint, an aesthetic standpoint, a cultural standpoint and an environment standpoint.

Our birds are disappearing. Our butterflies are becoming more and more scarce. There is a collapse of the honeybee population. Fertilizers and pesticides are poisoning our rivers and bays. Fossil fuels are becoming more expensive and pollute our air (e.g. gas lawnmowers, trimmers and blowers). Pets are developing cancers from the chemicals we spray on our lawns.

I do not advocate outlawing any of the above. The American landscape has constantly evolved over time, and there is an expectation and appearance that we can generally agree upon. I am not ready to give up all of my lawn, or my favorite rose. But, there are reasons for us to reconsider and rebalance. I water and fertilize my lawn less. I have left part of the natural flora along the perimeter of my yard. I can be intrigued by melons in trees. And, if planted well, a bathtub might be a novelty.

Some things are transient – like bathtub gin and frozen turkeys – but others have longer-term impact. There are things happening in our backyards that are worse and more dangerous than an antique bathtub – and that is where this conversation, at the personal level and the County level, needs to go next.

Frank Robinson is executive director at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

My “Victorian” Water Garden was pictured in one of Jim Wilson’s books many years ago and has gained positive responses from Master Gardeners and other avid gardeners as I have shown it in talks over the last 20 years. It is fun and easy to manage as well as a great example of re-purposing of a discarded item.

A bit more on the “tacky” side but well worth a laugh are the pictures of backyard “potty” gardens that I have collected from around the world, including New Zealand, Norway, and, of course, my garden.

Your bathtub display is darling.  I hope Henrico County updates their thinking.  I would love to have one in my yard - if I could find a reasonably priced one.  Keep up the good work in the Garden - it is such a lovely respite to visit.

I think Bathtub gardening is creative, kooky and one thing that separates the Northside from the West End.

We were very disappointed to hear of the ladies trouble with her bathtub project!
WE thought it was a great idea to have the bathtub recycled in this manner at Ginter and other places!!  Bottom line for us is the complaining person has way too much time on their hands and could use that time to help out at LGBG!!! This creates a very cheerful person!
Thanks for standing in the gap!!!
phoebe

Living in a cabin in the woods has its advantages. I can fly a flag at any spot I choose ; I can hang my clothes on a line to dry ; I can use any kind of container that appeals to me for planting ; I can have any kind of fence or shrub ; any kind of house number, etc., etc., etc.

The libertarian in me objects to having anyone tell me or others what we can do with our property.  Although they are fine and even desirable for some, I hope that I will never have to live in a neighborhood with covenant or zoning restrictions.

I would expect to see a bathtub with things growning in it out in the country along side an old pick-up truck up on block, and a tire swing on the other side, NOT in a beautiful botanical garden.  Tacky.

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