The Gartdener......

Cheers, toda oba, & dank u voor alles...

2009-12-10T00:53:00.013+02:00

England was the first leg of my journey, and I experienced so many great gardens, gardeners, and landscapes there.I learned so much from Great Dixter. The gardeners there have such a passion for what they do, and it shows. The plant combination's are the most colorful and vibrant I have seen , and the skills and techniques that I learned there have been used over and over again since my time there and has helped make me a more confident gardener. The relationship that exists between home and garden really made itself understood during my time there.
Thank you Christopher Lloyd, though I have never met you, for providing such an opportunity for students, and for cultivating such passionate teachers such as Fergus and everyone else that I met while there. Cheers.

Next leg of my journey was Israel, which was one of the most exhilarating travel experiences I have ever had. Thank you to the British Friends of the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, for making such an incredible scholarship available to students.
The lessons that I learned there are invaluable, not only to horticulture, but to life as well. I enjoyed the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, the Dead Sea, the culture and food of Israel, and most of all, it's flowers and the friends I made while living there. The Mediterranean flora has been a very exciting thing for me to discover and learn about. Toda oba!

And then there was the Netherlands, in which my experience couldn't have been cast in a better light....
The experience I had at De Wiersse was the perfect ending to my adventure. As a kitchen gardener, it is satisfying to witness people enjoying what you have grown and seeing the pleasure it brings them. Food will neve be looked at again the same way for me. Being at DeWiersse allowed me the time and space to reflect on the many things I had encountered during the past year, and also to ponder the future. And the people I have met there couldn't have had a more positive impact on how I see things in life. Dank u voor alles.

My time away has been an incredible experience, a period of my life that I will go back to many, many times in my mind. It is bittersweet that it has come to an end, but that doesn't mean the adventure ends now that I have returned home. Now that I must utilize all that learned knowledge and push myself with all that I had encountered that was inspiring, the adventure has just begun.
Thank you for joining me on this ride......
Live well.

The Days of De Wiersse.....

2009-11-15T03:37:00.061+02:00

At first arrival, I knew it would be different...

A garden where the beauty of the place is whispered and is still clearly heard,and you see it, reflected in all of it's details.

With its orchestra of bulbs,
it's emergence of lush green foliage,
or a field of yellow blooms, together they all helped herald the arrival of spring.
De Wiersse lead me down it's path,
shrouded my mornings with enchantment,
and bathed me in its warm light,
letting me end each day with a plethora of satisfaction.
I enjoyed the long path laden with Magnolia blooms,
or greeting it's geometric forms,
and hearing the buzzing of life in the meadow during summer.
Each moment carefully orchestrated and stored in my mind.

Boat rides in the outer moat , walks with Petal (yes, and you too Flopsy..),

and the nodding of the the Fritillaries in the wind, waiting for just the right moment to collect and distribute their seeds,

my mind and body floated languidly through each day,

lost in a haze

of fleeting moments.

Each day taking me further into my adventure.

To view the Rhododendrons from the boat seemed as if they floated above the water.

Each vista was special in its own way,

sometimes linking the interior of the garden with the surrounding landscape, never seeming forced.

The Wild Garden was a barrage of color with help from Foxgloves,

Azaleas and Bluebells, causing much excitement to my eyes.

And then there was the kitchen garden,

another slice of my paradise,

sometimes dream-like,

sometimes a flurry of organized chaos,it was a place to learn combinations,

to experiment,
and to watch life unfurl.
Oh, Sweet Williams,

heavy harvests,and the fruits of my labor,

time was lost in the richness of it all.

The kitchen garden enveloped me with its lessons,

and I was tangled in it's fine silky web

and thus, it brought me much, much happiness and delight.

Each day lined up new experiences,

new places to admire,

and secrets and surprises.

Two seasons have been found, and hopefully more will be unearthed,

and revealed in time.

The Sunken Garden, that lifts a smile to my face,
and provided many moments of solace
you made me giddy with delight.

It was a sight to watch your mood change,

from loud and vibrant,

to mysterious, I enjoyed it all the same,

never fully knowing where it would take me.

You shared your home with me,

and your food,

and your many, many flowers,

which inspired me tremendously,

over,

and over,

and over again.

It woke my spirits,

and pushed me further than I imagined it would.

My eyes, my enlightened heart,
charming flowers and smiles,I walk down my memory.
Thank you so much DeWiersse.xoxo

De Hoge Veluwe National Park

2009-10-07T16:28:00.011+02:00

De Hoge Veluwe National Park is one of the oldest and largest continuous nature reserves in all of the Netherlands. The park was founded in 1935, is about 13,590 acres in size, and consists of heathland, sand dunes, woodlands, and lakes.

The park is roughly 50% woodland and 50% open land. The landscape is very dramatic, even more so with the dramatic light that the Netherlands are known for. Many artists were quick to capture the beauty of this light and immortalize it in their paintings, and for good reason, it is incredible.

Being a huge fan of color myself, it was a real treat to see all of the different tones and even the textures that the park had to show me. Over the course of my time here, I have visited this landscape three times, and find inspiration in it each time.

The self-seeding Scots Pine, Pinus sylvestris, is apparent everywhere here. It was noted that the pines grow outwards, instead of upwards here, due to excessive exposure to the strong winds that occur here.

While whizzing through one area on my bike, which the park provides for free(!), I saw a blur of yellow right next to the path and stopped to check it out.

This was blooming in my visit in July and I cannot i.d. this . Tofieldia sp.?Once again, my bike pulled me back to my surroundings, as the sun was pulled behind some clouds. There is a certain feeling one gets when in large open spaces that I love. Finally, my friend and I came across the beginning of the sand dunes. It seemed like a dark landscape to us, but its beauty was breathtaking none the less.
In an effort to expand the moving sand dunes, it looked as if some large trees were felled in the adjacent grassland.

Scots pine growing in the sand dune area.

My most recent visit, middle of September, had the landscape seem more alive since the heathland had come into bloom. I was very eager to come back to see this since I missed the opportunity in England.

Though the color of it was more subtle than imagined, but it still made its presence known in the landscape. Calluna vulgaris, grew in huge drifts of plant communities.

The Heather was not alive everywhere though, with large patches of dead areas. Still, the richness of nature kept me happy with its colorful tapestry.

This area, near a peat bog, revealed some small jewels if you looked hard enough.Such as this insect eating Sundew, Drosera rotundifolia. A tightly growing wood of Scots Pine.
Small clumps of Festuca ovina and

the low growing Sheepsbit Scabious,

Jasione montana which grows on dry grassy places and heaths.

While looking for plants most of the time, it was a great surprise to look up and see a herd of red deer on the outskirts of some of the woodlands.

My friends and I would always laugh at these signs we sometimes see. Though no wild roosters were seen, this place has exceptional beauty that I haven't seen much of anywhere else in the Netherlands. I have been there three times already and would love to continue to go back and explore at other times of the year... Oh, and the sign translates to "cattle grid skidding" which helps protect the animals by keeping them in this Dutch national park. No wild roosters, sorry.....

Kasteel Weldam

2009-09-23T10:49:00.013+03:00

Walking down the shady country lane, one has no idea of the history and beauty that is about to reveal itself. Welcome to Kasteel Weldam.Kasteel Weldam is situated in the east of the Netherlands, and was built in 1645 and was then later expanded in 1897, though the property was first mentioned in the 12th Century. The castle itself is surrounded by a moat and is the heart of the estate, which all sits on 11 acres of grounds. The garden itself was designed by Edouard Andre (1840-1911), a French architect and a trained horticulturalist. Andre also worked on public parks throughout Europe, and in 1860, he helped Alphand and Haussmann re-design Paris with its famed boulevards and parks.

The garden is an Old-Dutch garden with a French character. While Andre designed the garden, he left the construction of it to his pupil Hugo Poortman.

Seen throughout the garden were box and yew, which were grown and clipped into hedges and forms. These were commonly used in gardens created during the 16th Century. Eventually plants that were in fashion during the 19th Century made there way into the garden, which would include rhododendrons, roses, shrubs and annuals.

These clipped forms took on a playful role as they seemed to waddle back and forth across the garden, though I am sure this was not intentional.

A fleeting moment quickly captured as Herons are always so fast to fly away.

One of the highlights of the garden is the hedge maze. Thuja was used to create this labyrinth that makes anyone feel like a child again. My friend Becky and I raced to the finish, which was a central watch tower that gave a beautiful view over the garden. This hedge maze was replanted in 1999, using the original design, due to people "cheating" by squeezing through the walls to get to the finish.

Here is Becky showing the scale of the hedge, which was around 7' high.

After the maze it was easy to lose track of time and marvel at how symmetrical the parterre hedges were laid out in the adjoining garden room. The maintenance of the box embroidery hedge is time consuming but immaculately executed. The real gem of Weldam was about to shine though... To the right of the garden was a tall hedge, that beckoned us into its dark clipped entryway,

only to reveal the most breathtaking beech tunnel I have ever seen. The

cathedral-like ceiling was only enhanced by its length of 475'! The Fagus sylvatica was trained over an iron frame that was originally built in 1887. This masterpiece created an atmosphere of hushed tones where you could not help but stare in awe and amazement. The tunnel was left with open gaps on purpose to have the play in light and dark, which emphasizes the incredible length of the tunnel. The octagonal tower was added on to the castle in 1888-1889.
Across the country lane that leads to the estate is the walled kitchen garden. It holds a number of small glasshouses, an orangery, and cold frames. The fruit and vegetables that are grown here are used by the family that live in the castle.

Orangeries made their debut at fashionable residences starting in the 17th Century. They were used in a similar way that greenhouses or conservatories are used today. Though the main purpose was to store citrus trees, and other exotic imports, they were primarily seen as a symbol of prestige and wealth on top of being an important architectural element.

A look inside one of the glasshouses revealed trained grapes growing inside to take advantage from the trapped heat of the sun. The view inside the orangery gave the romantic impression of the passage of memories and time ....

The Hague, Delft, and Utrecht

2009-08-28T21:23:00.009+03:00

Since arriving in the Netherlands, it seems as if I have visited alot of cities and towns here. Maybe it comes from living in the countryside at the moment and always craving the opposite? Here are just a few photos of a peek into some of these places that I have seen. With the amount of water I have seen in this country, it has really changed my view of ways that it could be integrated into the garden. Here is the home of the Dutch Parliament and government offices, which seems even more grand by its reflection that helps solidify its importance.

Or what about this bridge in Delft that plays with function and form at the same time? It could've been just a simple arc bridge, but would it still catch your eye?

Or these homes, right on the canal, that help make Delft feel like you are a character in a Richard Scarey storybook? I had read an interesting story about how exciting it is for a child to be raised in Amsterdam. It spoke about how as a child, you are constantly ridden around on bikes, always next to the canals and it's water, and how all of the houses look like they are out of a fairytale- short, narrow buildings with playful roof tops.

It's not just the details that always strike me, but the whole picture too, such as the view towards the Cathedral in Delft... There are only shapes I see when I look at this photo- triangles, rectangles and squares. When looking at images, or views, I am always wondering how I would start sketching what I see.

There is a bit of playfulness in this contrast between old and new in Utrecht. Again, two simple shapes, make this otherwise common scene, a bit more interesting.

It seems everywhere I go, there is always something that looks like it was set up to look a certain way, to attract attention. This is not always the case though, since this is just

how the Dutch live their lives.....

Piet Oudolf

2009-08-20T19:08:00.012+03:00

Closeby to De Wiersse is Kwekerij Piet Oudolf, the home, garden, and nursery of the well known Dutch garden designer, author and nurseryman. He has designed parks and gardens in the Netherlands, Sweden, Enlgand, Germany, and the United States and is part of the "New Perennial" movement.

In the United States, Piet Oudolf has put his mark on the Millennium Park in Chicago, Battery Park in New York, and most recently, the newly opened High Line in New York City. The High Line, with all sections complete, will be a mile and half long city park that is constructed on elevated train train tracks in Manhattan's West Side. I am excited to go see this when I get back home to NYC.

Piet's work is always a pleasure to look at and is a master at using texture and color. His gardens rely on mass plantings used in interesting combinations and the plants should have interest the whole season through, from foliage, to blooms, to deteriorating seedheads in the fall and winter. It is always wise to pay attention to the details of plants.....The nursery consisted of the selling area, a display garden, and there was access to the private garden too. Here is the display garden, with some of the very tall perennials that are used, such as Eupatoriums, grasses, Asters, Rudbeckias, and Helianthus.

All of the plants were labeled making it so easy to jot the name down, only to pick it up later and put it in your basket.

A display garden is the perfect way to sell plants, it is easy to get carried away and want it all...

A favorite of mine was Sanguisorba 'Busy Court'...

The lovely Echinacea purpurea 'Rubinglow'On to the private garden.. Neatly clipped Yew hedges mark the entrance to the private garden. Clipped hedges are very typical of the Dutch garden, and are noticeable almost everywhere you go.
More clipped but undulating hedges provided a backdrop for what seemed to be a chaotic symphony of blooms, seedheads and textures. The grass really seemed to emphasize the intense heat of the sun that day.

Another view of the magic.

The blooms of Echinops ritro 'Veitch's Blue' seem to be floating in a sea of Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau'.

Amidst the plantings, Yew columns would rise up, giving more solidity to the garden.

Showing a bit of humor are these perfectly placed stone sheep. Sheep are common everywhere in the Netherlands.

The way out of the garden was a Beech arbor of an interesting shape. On the way through , you were able to get one last glimpse of Piet's creativity through windows cut out in the arbor.

Paleis Het Loo- inside and out

2009-08-14T21:42:00.027+03:00

After walking down one of the long allees you finally come to the entrance of Paleis Het Loo, and enter its front courtyard. The large space feels immense, making the Paleis Het Loo that much grander. Paleis Het Loo means the 'Woods Palace' and is not actually a palace but it was used as a 'pleasure house'.

Paleis Het Loo is a Baroque building which was built between 1684 and 1686. It was the residence of the House of Orange-Nassau from the 17th Century until the death of Queen Wilhelmina in 1962, who ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years. In 1960 the Queen declared for the Paleis to be given to the State upon her death.

I had the pleasure of visiting this garden two times, the first as a visitor, and the second as a guest of the head gardener. It was interesting because even though I thought I took it all in while there the first time, you never really understand a place until you have an inside view.

Even before entering the gardens, you see the many Laurel trees and Orange trees in the wooden planters associated with Paleis Het Loo. It was customary to paint the square tubs white and the round tubs green, which are also throughout the gardens. These plants are put out in the warmer months and put back into the Orangery in the cooler months.

Wooden planters themselves didn't show up until the 1600s, so Paleis Het Loo was right on course with the times.

It is a different experience going to a historical garden. While you think you can understand what is going on, it is important to really scratch the surface and seek out the details that help define it.

The gardens are designed in the Dutch Baroque style. A Baroque garden is one that follows a formula that includes, perfect symmetry (which mirrors the house, thus bringing more attention to it), an axial layout with gravel paths and walks radiating outwards, and parterres that encompass fountains, basins and statues. These hedges can be with or without flowers planted amongst them.

There are a few areas to cover on the grounds. There is the King's Garden, the Lower Garden, the Queen's or Princesses Garden, and the Upper Garden. The King's garden has a bowling green which was used for various games and a parterre hedge of Boxwood. Here in the planting mix was a Geranium that had been staked so the plant grew up and displayed it's blooms on top, rather than it's typical habit of sprawling all over it's neighbors. This makes for a much more tidy effect. It is hard to see in the photo,

so I included a sketch from my garden journal to get an idea of how it was staked. Large gardens can seem so overwhelming sometimes to the eye and one way around this is through repetition. This can be done with shapes, colors, forms, plants and materials. Even the shadows play along with this theme using the embankment as their backdrop. Here the plants and pots are repeated and notice too that some of the plants used actually prefer the hot dry conditions that they are in. This means less maintenance on the pots and more time on other areas for the gardeners. The Lower Garden here, shows everything the Baroque garden represents, statues included. Formal gardens were a way to show status and also to show what could be done when nature and art were combined.It is exciting for me to look at the sculptures and ornamental vases in the garden too, since each has it's own story. Vases are used in the garden to accentuate changes in level and immediately brings the eye into perspectives. They help lead the eye up to take in the garden as a whole. This vase represents virtue, Virtus, with a woman holding a laurel wreath, above two cherubs and a globe. Another detail not lost were the cascading fountains flanking both sides of the descending stairs into the Lower Gardens. These fountains represent two rivers- the Rhine and the Ijssel, with the

Paleis Het Loo being built in the middle.

Here is another view of the Lower Gardens and it's plantings. Through the head gardener I was told that only plants pre-1700 are used in the planting scheme. History first is important with the bedding plants. Some plants, like Lobelia, just made it in though, coming in at 1699. phew..Here is a cascade with Arion, who is the god of quick decision making.

My favorite is the Narcissus cascade. The story of Narcissus goes as follows: He loved no one else until one day, while thirsty, he bent down to take a drink and caught sight of his own reflection in the water. He became fascinated and obsessed with his reflection, and while looking at himself he fell in and drowned, and was then turned into the flower of the same name. What is also interesting is that his mother was a nymph whose name was Liriope, which is the name of another plant. The south-west parterre holds the sun god Apollo,and the north-west parterre holds Pomona, the goddess of fruit, especially those grown on trees. The south-east side of the garden holds Flora, goddess of flowering or blossoming plants.

and to the north-east Bacchus, the god of wine.

If you think about the statues, it represents all that should be enjoyed in a garden- sun, fruit, flowers and wine...

On one side of the Paleis Het Loo, there is the Queen's or Princess's Garden. This was the private garden of Queen Mary, who lived in the apartments just above and therefore had a birds eye view of the parterre hedges. In this garden the plants used have flowers that have more of a feminine touch. Flowers associated with the Virgin Mary such as Aquilegias and Lilies are perennial plants used in these beds. These arbored pathways were incredible, not only for the skill it took to grow, train and shear them but with how they resembled the architecture around them, thus linking house and garden seamlessly. The Fountain of Venus serves as a central axis in the Lower garden,and a small fountain detail. There are tree lined canals which quietly usher you into another area of the garden. Originally Beech, Fagus sylvatica, were used but these were switched to Oaks during the restoration of the garden. This was so the branches of the full grown trees would be able to be pruned up the trunk so the view of the gardens beyond were not spoiled while looking from the Paleis.

The fountain acts as a focal point on the main axis while looking back to the Paleis.

Perspective is another trick that gardeners like to use, whether it is to create more space or some other trick to the eye. At Paleis Het Loo, once you reach the furthest end of the garden, you notice just the Paleis slightly rising from the hedges and the fountain as a focal point to emphasize how grand the gardens were.

There was a tour with the head gardener that took us to the boat house which had their Fucshia standards,a walk down a Medieval allee, and past a building called the elephant house where the exotic menagerie was kept. I was told that Napoleon tried to steal the elephants that were kept in this building from Paleis Het Loo, but they did not want to go to Paris. Eventually they were coaxed into going by feeding them biscuits soaked in gin.

It was a treat to get to see the cutting garden on the grounds. Paleis Het Loo is well known for its impressive floral arrangements that are displayed throughout the palace interior. Some of the cut flowers seen were Agapanthus, Tagetes, Crocosmia, Zinnia, Snapdragon, Amaranthus, Cornflowers, Nicotiana, Lathryus and many others. In some arrangements I had also seen Liriodendron tulipifera foliage mixed in for effect. For a cutting garden, this idea seemed to make perfect sense. A post was put into the ground, and around them sunflowers or dahlias would be planted. A string would then be tied around them to prevent them from flopping and falling over.

I leave you with one of the many beautiful arrangements seen inside...

The pleasures of being a kitchen gardener

2009-06-21T12:03:00.015+03:00

To be a kitchen gardener has been a whole new experience for me, one that I relish every second of. Upon arrival I walked out to the kitchen garden, where I was met with what seemed like an endless amount of empty beds. I wondered how many people would possibly be eating the fruit and vegetables. It was then that I found out there were annuals to be sown and many of the beds had dormant perennials in them. Foolish me. So I immediately got to sowing seeds in the greenhouse. From annuals such as Cosmo bipinnatus 'Picotee' ,to vegetables such as Artichoke F1 'Amethyst', to the enchanting perrenial Meconopsis betonicifolia. For awhile the cloches were my only friends out there, who waited for the rhubarb to push their tops off from underneath. Soon the perennials awoke from their beds to introduce themselves. The roller coaster ride of spring had started, and soon enough a barrage of blooms were flying past me. The first to introduce herself was Pyrus communis 'Comtesse de Paris', and it was then I started to feel at home.
With the arrival of spring came more sun, which helped the lettuce seedlings gather together in straight lines so they could each get a turn in the spotlight. And more soon followed. If only all plants were so obedient... some prefer just to run everywhere..Fennel took off, and Broad beans showed up every week with Dill , who worked together to fight off black fly. The potatoes are a shy bunch now, with each time being afraid of exposing too much, thus pulling up more of the soil around to protect themselves. What could they have to hide...

It seemed like overnight most of spring flew by and the vegetables just took off. Filling in nicely, and climbing appropriately up their designated pea sticks.

A colorful bunch they were. Then the perennials showed up, stealing some of the spotlight. And Petal, who always knows how to get attention.

Other cast members include, mustard greens meshing nicely with mangold.

Peas, who slowly work their way up the pea sticks.

Cos lettuce 'Marshall' coinciding with Lettuce 'Green Oakleaf'.

A lovely mix of greens and the shocking colors of the red currants, can't quite hold the attention when the perennial blooms have started to take over. The poppies and foxgloves harmonized well with the peonies. The constant hum of the bees helps me realize I am not the only one finding pleasure in the kitchen garden.

It's a pleasure to witness the whole cycle and details of a plants life.

Papaver sommniferum

Or how colors can harmonize or contrast with each other, or how the evening light changes the garden.

The kitchen garden is chaos held within the hedges of Fagus sylvatica.

Sweet William.... Papaver nudicaule, Papaver sommniferum and Papaver rhoeas. While it is always nice to stand back and admire, it is always enjoyable to harvest. A basket stocked full of greens, rhubarb, carrots, radishes, and peony and dianthus flowers to be taken to the house.

What is sweeter than a bowl of harvested red currants...

As a kitchen gardener, it is enjoyable to deal with plants on every level; sowing seeds, taking cuttings, collecting seed, vegetables, annuals, soft fruits, hard fruits, trees, annuals, and perennials. The wave of work that is done there puts a smile on my face each day, to ride the line between order and chaos is a welcome challenge.

Lost in the Meadow

2009-06-09T18:49:00.010+03:00

After a rainstorm early Sunday evening, the light changed, and showed the meadow in a whole new way. The wildflowers, though some might prefer to call them weeds, all weighed heavily with water, with each droplet catching the last rays of the sun. The birds were chirping, the light was incredible, and the soft colors of the meadow became more soothing. It was easy to be caught up in it just listening and observing, with admiration for how incredible meadows can be. After sitting there for what seemed like a long time, I realized it was about to get better. The fog began to approach in the distance, slowly rolling closer, until it began to first engulf and then surround me. The soft blue haze was calming. It was changing plants from living things to groves of foreign silhouettes,
and colors that are normally washed out by the sun, to soft pastel shades of grays, purples, greens and blues, only to be highlighted by the diamond flecks of water drops dripping from each weighed down seedhead.Like a child, I was lost in a world of fantasy.

It was quiet except for the occasional bird, and the shrieking noises of a horse a few fields away.

A line of Populus nigra took on the form of a tribe of tall quiet giants.

Even my friend Becky, seemed more like a creature than a fellow human being.
It kept getting thicker,

transporting me from Holland,

to what seemed like a peat bog in Scotland,
luring me into its mysteries.

Different plants created different feelings,

and old fences, and spider webs.

Each detail was savored.If you ever come across a meadow heavily weighed down by fog, let it lure you in....

The Magic of De Wiersse

2009-05-09T14:55:00.019+03:00

Upon your first step onto the drive, you know you are in for a treat. De Wiersse, is located in the eastern most part of Holland and is both a garden of 38 acres with a landscape park of 74 acres and has a moated manor house that lies at it's heart. One of the many viewpoints from the house, this one down the drive.There are many canals and a stream that run throughout the garden. The water has shown me a new way to incorporate itself into a garden, since reflections, be they showing forms or color, just add another layer to a garden than we come to expect. By reflecting the color of the emerging leaves of Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea', or the crutch holding up a branch of an old massive Quercus.Even the setting sun becomes more contemplative...The trees at De Wiersse have an important history here, especially having been managed since 1678, by the same family.There are many paths to take here, each with it's own view and feeling. Here, Magnolia soulangiana lights up, showing it's own, between dramatic clipped forms. Fritillaria meleagris and Fritillaria meleagris alba form a large patch next to the water, creating a lovely effect with the bridge and Magnolia soulangiana as the backdrop.

Back lit by the sun, both the house and blooms radiate, once again reminding how special the place is. One of my partners in crime, Petal, is always up for a stroll to see what new magic has unfolded.

Magnolia soulangiana
The view down to the Fountain Garden is sight to savor, especially in the evenings with the light of the setting sun reflecting off the trunks of Fagus sylvatica.

Narcissus triandrus albus, just one of the many jewels that get to call this place home.

Heading into the wild garden, one can, once again, appreciate the reflections that reveal themselves in the large lake.

The wild garden then opens up with Betula pendula, B. pendula 'Tristis', and Betula pubescens, with a carpet of Narcissus and Erythronium dens-canis 'Pagoda' lighting up the woodland floor.

To see a garden without walls is incredible, and witnessing the small details that this holds is a pleasure unto itself.

Fagus sylvatica, and all 95 meters of it's

serpentine tunnel. A smile is always necessary while walking through here, amazed at the incredible horticultural skills displayed, not only inviting you to look, but to engage in the marvel that it is. The sunk garden is a place to lose track of time, whether it is due to looking at the combinations of blooms displayed,the forms and structures of the garden, or the view , over one of the moats, towards the wild garden, and even the form of the clipped hedges. The beauty envelopes you, never giving you a chance to catch your breathe.
And in the rose garden, too, that is what we want from a garden, to be transported by it's history, it's skill, it's beauty, and the moods that it helps to cast over us. It is easy to be transported into a garden so rich in the feelings that we crave.

The beauty,

the mystery, and the feeling of being transported to a far away place. I am truly happy to be here, seeing and learning all that I am. To walk around each day, seeing the quick details that one would normally miss, is such a privilege. Each day, my first view is of the west lawn, looking through more clipped forms, over more water, into the fields beyond. It is always a different sight, ever changing,

with frost,
with the blooms of the cuckoo flower, Cardamine pratensis,

morning fog, and even chickens,

I am learning a new way to see things, how the environment itself can add another ingredient to the garden. It has only been a month, but I have already realized the spirit of the place, and how important that can be....

Welcome to the beauty that is De Wiersse...

Happiness in Holland

2009-04-12T18:10:00.013+03:00

Yes, yes, Holland, I know, I have been greedy and didn't want to share you. It's springtime though and I have fallen in love with you.
Amsterdam is one of those cities where one can easily get lost, and walk aimlessly for hours just looking at how beautiful it is. The canals are everywhere and so are the wonderful bridges, all packed tightly together with tiny little buildings.With all of the quirky tiny details that seems to make each building unique.People even live on the canals in houseboats, with tiny little gardens too!It is obvious to see how much the people love their plants. These arrangements were found at one of the flower markets held alongside one of the canals.Here is an arrangement outside the front of a shop. And the streetart did not disappoint me either.

And then it was on to the countryside, with your picturesque allees of

Fagus sylvatica,

and more of the canals lined with carpets of emerald green moss.

I could just ride my bike forever through these country backroads.

One of the windmills is right in my local town Ruurlo, where I am living...
And speaking of living, I could be happy here in this tiny and simple 3 colored house, which I also saw in town,

or this cottage with its dream-like surroundings.

The countryside is full of treasures and sights, like mature trees, firewood, and saplings- thats 3 generations of trees.

Spring is now here in full force, and it is incredible. But I am going to be greedy a little bit longer and keep De Wiersse to myself, if just for a few more days........Happy Spring.

Barcelona days and night

2009-03-29T00:31:00.021+03:00

Oh Spain, it's so good to be back in your arms, lost in your city of Barcelona without a purpose, except to absorb all of your beauty and sophistication. Your city wraps itself around me and I get disoriented by your flair. This love affair needs to stop...... Your filled with your rich history

and welcomed me with brick rainbows with your mountains smiling from beneath...

I was lost at first, in memories of times past, and didn't know which way to go, until you pointed me in new directionsand serenaded me with your secrets of the night.From the secrets that you hold in your plazasto mysterious sights. You lit my smile up and in turn you showed me new ways to see things..Like balconies lit from belowor presented me with this treasure created by Gaudi.

And then you showed me your version of Mediterranean gardens, while sheltering me from your hot sun
I took in the details.....But these were only the appetizer to my meal.The Barcelona Botanic Garden was the main course and I was in awe..

Teaching me the bizarre beauty of Xanthorrhoea glauca

or this arrangement with the intense orange blooms of

Aloe ferox,

and the yellow pom poms of an Acacia.

The Ceanothus arborescens hugged the city
just as much as the sky.

I learned to appreciate all of the different Mediterranean climates of the world, such as Australia, South Africa, Chile, California, North Africa and the Canary Islands.

But time doesn't stand still and my days are limited, so the city called me back.

The buildings are incredible

and you don't skimp on the intricate details or colors.

Leave it to you to make geraniums look so good.

You helped create and inspire good artists like Miro

Whose colors reflect your vibrancy.... And don't forget those street artists, who make me smile... My thoughts get fragmented and I don't know what to focus on when I am with you.
But Gaudi once again sets me straight

and shows me over and over

why he is amazing.

There is color and life everywhere, even if it is in the form of a statue

in the young

and the old, your people are like no other. Living life the way it should be lived.

And eating food the way it should be eaten, like your calcots, with which you have festivals to celebrate this delicacy.
The markets tease and tantalize my senses, my nose, my mouth,

and my eyes. You trip me out.and the inspiration and love for life pulses through my body,

and heart..

but sorry Barcelona, you shared this wonderful combination with me, but sad to say you have nothing on the tulip displays I am sure Holland is going to share with me...... Maybe it's time we took a break........ Until next time Spain......... xoxoxo

Oh England, you steal my heart each time.

2009-03-17T15:49:00.013+02:00

well, i am no longer in Israel but in England, and how I love this place.

Went to visit Great Dixter and all my garden friends there, woke up to misty mornings with the English birds serenading me, or at least that is what I like to think. Little living orchestras..

the glorious long border with it's winter skeletons,

and springs new children,

and as always the punches of color like exclamation points in the garden.

each morning was quiet

and each evening too, especially with Vira.(Thanks Tom!)

And London, with all your chaos and inspiration, puddle jumping my way around.

Color combinations are everywhere if one takes notice, and subtle textures too.

Some more texture and friends..

The streets are punctuated with flowers for sale, like these jolly primrose.

and the windows at The Lodge, always makes me smile, as much as it's inhabitants.(Thanks Stephen and Greg!)

Some sleepy mornings and

and jet lagged afternoons....

Which leads to silliness with friends, while donning a new cap.

The book stalls near the Thames

and more street art on the walls, i love it all.

Still jetlagged but woken up by bursting yellow Narcissis in St. James Park.

The light here on the architecture makes me smile

or reflections in the lake, which give me ideas for pushing the idea of water features and what we have come to expect of them. Do they really need to spout water?

Whether it's blocks of Crocus color or

blocks of primary colors, it feeds me all the same way.

It lifts my spirits

makes me feel wise

and helps me to get creative,

So I can break the surface and push the boundaries.

My sketchbook is increasing and filling up, though I don't always get to finish, such as this alley in Jerusalem on Zion Square.

But my mind is going in new directions

and trying new things.

I am off to Spain now to experience a city I love so much, and look forward to it's gardens, Gaudi, Picasso, and all other random bits that make me smile.....

Israel, toda and shalom

2009-02-25T17:36:00.011+02:00

Oh Israel, you have not been easy but I have come to respect and adore you. You didn't expose yourself immediatedly but waited to show me your treasures such as your wild tulips.

Tulipa agenensisI was always in awe of your wonderful landscapes and with how breathtaking and different they were, the coast, the desert, the mountains and the Dead Sea. How incredible they all are.

The tiny Adonis aestivalis, holding its own in the wild. Your plants are strong, just like your people. I made some amazing friends there and appreciate and adore the bond we have created.

Here is a native cactus in the Asclepidaceae family growing next to some rocks. I have had a hard time identifying you but you still try to keep your secrets.

I adored these treasures that you keep hiding, like your little wild areas showing your white colored cliffs of limestone.

The desert landscape is something I have never encountered and am still in shock by how immense and incredible it can be.

And how you bathe yourself in sunlight, changing colors with each passing moment.

The Dead Sea areas were fascinating and how plants have adaped to living in your wadis, with the view they constantly have of the Jordan mountains. I am so jealous.
The botanical name is Anastatica hierochuntica. Rose of Jericho. This plant goes dormant for years if need be and once the rains come, it comes alive, slowly opening up all the way with hopes of blooming to set seed and continue on.
Here you have an established plant community of them which was in decline for awhile but are starting to return.

I was able to see your desert broomrape in the desert come alive with it's yellow blooms.

Cistanche tubulosa, even though you are a parasite, your still wonderful to see.

The light shows you the subtle colors and tones of your plants, all surviving in such harsh conditions. They make me feel so humble.

I won't forget how tiny and humbled I was by your desert.
I'll miss your olive trees and your stunning natural landscapes with Chrysanthemum coronarium.

Alkanna tinctoria, with your beautiful blue hues, waking up the countryside with your color.

Iris atropurpurea clump growing in the wild. Never did I think I would have this opportunity to see such amazing plants growing in their natural habitat. Iris atropurpurea, dark and lovely.

Or to get the chance to see wild garlic, such as Allium tel-avivense.

I was fortunate to see your spring wildflowers such as this field full of Chrysanthemum coronarium.

Thank you, Israel, for an amazing 6 months here, it wouldn't have been possible without the British Friends Scholarship at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. I am very fortunate and happy to have received the scholarship. It is sad to leave you but life and new experiences beckon me. I leave you know to spend a week in England, a week in Spain, and then on to Holland. I'll miss you and the wonderful friends I have made there, but I promise you, I will be back......Now, I will be studying on a private estate in Holland for the next few months...... I'll keep you posted....

Mt. Carmel, all the sweetness without the cavities.

2009-02-24T07:12:00.037+02:00

With my time coming quickly to an end here in Israel, I realized the north was an area that I had not had the chance to explore yet. Two other students and I decided to do a 2 day hike over Mt. Carmel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Carmel ) while following the Israel trail. This is a trail that can take you from the north all the way down to the south, or vice versa. We took a bus that dropped us off in Yagur, where we planned to hike through Mt. Carmel, where some of the wildflowers were to be in full effect, all the way to the Mediterranean sea to Atalit.

Upon stepping onto the trail, we were greeted immediately by what we had come to see, Israel's wild flowers.
Like children in a candy store we became giggly and excited when we saw what treasures laid before our eyes.
Here is the protected wild flower Anemone coronaria.This was the view of our decent onto Mt. Carmel.

Gagea commutata, a bulbous perennial plant of the lily family.
Here is a Trifolium species that we saw often and had some wonderful markings. The markings reminded me of a cross between butterfly wings and a leopard frog.

Caves dotted the mountainside that looked to be both exciting and scary at the same time.

Arisarum vulgare, a rhizomatus perennial plant of the arum family. It is found in wet and shaded places in both central and northern Israel.

We chanced upon some large euphorbia shrubs, Euphorbia hierosolymitana. They were cascading down the mountain and they were about 6' high. From looking at the shrub up close, we imagined them to be about
12-15 years old.
It's blooms up close.

Here they were with wild tulips(!) growing underneath them,
and next to a patch of Allium orientale.
And how exciting it is to come across a wild tulip, when all I have ever seen in my life are the cultivated ones we are all used to seeing. Here, with it's delicate bloom not yet opened is Tulipa agenensis, also known as the Mountain tulip.Here was an opened bloom. It is a perennial bulbous plant found in the mountains in the Mediterranean region of Israel.

A lovely little beetle feeding is an interesting sight in nature, but never a welcome sight in the garden.

The lovely peach colored bloom of Lathyrus blepharicarpos, or Ciliate Vetchling. This is an annual and is found in Mediterranean woodlands and shrub lands.

During some parts of the hike we entered some dense woodland. In these areas we would always see the beautifully smooth bark of Arbutus andrachne, or the Eastern Strawberry tree.

Here was another surprise.....

Orchis papilionacea, also known as the Butterfly orchid. It is a perennial bulbous plant that is found in forests and fallow land in the Mediterranean region. Terrestrial orchids are quickly becoming a new plant obsession of mine.oh Mother nature, always a show off. Syrian speedwell, Veronica syriaca is an annual plant that grows in fields and fallow land in central and northern Israel. The main feature of this flower is its division into blue and white petals.

Anemone coronaria stealing the show from Cyclamen persicum.Contemplating staying in that spot for the rest of my life....More splendour in the grass, with a purple Anemone coronaria. You can almost hear this one singing it's praises to the sun...
After camping out the night before, where there were howling jackals coming up to our campsite, it was a nice way to wake up to a foggy view of the the valley below.

The tips of some mountains were peaking through the foggy morning.

I couldn't believe how dotted the countryside was with the red blooms of the Anemones.

We stumbled into this valley where we were surrounded by open fields full of red Anemones, a few cows wandering about, no one else but us and complete silence.

Then there was a noise on the mountainside while in this peaceful little slice of heaven. In the distance I could make out a herd of goats being prodded along by their herder. The sound was a mix of bleating, goat bells and arabic giving them direction.

Coming around the bend of the previous meadow, the magic of the Anemones only became more intense. The fields before us opened up revealing the lay of the land and the flora it had to offer. It's moments like these that I realize how wonderful the world is, with nature taking top stage over everything else. This is my memory of what Israel represents.

I just couldn't get enough, and wanted to stay here forever

and ever.

I made sure I only stepped on stones to get this shot, no wild flowers were harmed for this photo.And as if by magic, the goat herd I had listened to and seen in the distance crossed right through our path. Some were the size of small ponies and were incredibly beautiful with their long coat and large horns with there bells clanging with each hurried step. And then it all went silent again as we descended up into the hills again.

Where we chanced upon more Tulipa agenensis, and it's colorful inner markings.

A Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise was crossing the path we were hiking on. It was nice to have a better image of Israeli wildlife, besides the bloodthirsty howling image of jackals that I had in my mind from the previous nights encounter at our camp.. This tortoise is more my speed.

Each Anemone coronaria seemed to have a different personality from the next one. Couldn't you imagine this one as a friendly clown handing you a balloon at the circus?

We were lucky to see this flower Gladiolus italicus, Field sword-lily, because it was the only one in bloom and no others were seen in the area. It is a cormous perennial plant of the lily family and it grows in fields and fallow land. I read that they suffer from modern deep ploughing, which I would imagine would just shred up the corm to bits. A happy encouter none the less.

Once the woods started to open up we could see the Mediterranean on the horizon. The almond trees, Amygdalis communis, in Israel are in bloom now.

The hike was just unrelentless in presenting some of the amazing wild flowers Israel has to offer. A clump of Gynandiris sisyrinchium was found near the almond tree. The common name is Afternoon iris because every flower lives only for a few hours, from noon until evening.

The lovely colorings of the bloom.

Another cave on the mountainside, seen above a field ablaze with Chrysanthemum coronarium.

Chrysanthemum coronarium

And here is Echium judaeum, Judean Viper's-bugloss. How could a plant that looks like a "party", a street festival in the countryside, have such an evil sounding common name. Viper's-bugloss...... hiss..... ooh watch out. Pennisetum orientale has naturalized itself into a wild flower meadow of Chrysanthemum coronarium. A wild bit to take inspiration from.

More Pennisetum orientale backlit by the warm February sun. One can't be too greedy, but I would've loved to have seen this globe thistle, Echinops adenocaulus in bloom. It has blue florets which start blooming in May in northern Israel.
One can never tire of seeing palm silhouettes.

It was a fantastic 2 days, hiking and seeing all that I did.Orchids, Aroids, Anemones, Gladiolus, Gynandiris, Pennisetum, Euphorbias, Tulips, and many others that I didn't expect to see. Here you can see Haifa in the top left of the photo, which is Israel's third largest city. I couldn't think of a better way to end the weekend than to take a well needed dip into the cold Mediterranean sea...

Navigating the Negev

2009-02-09T19:49:00.024+02:00

Went on a hike in the Negev desert which is in the Southern end of Israel. The Negev desert covers more than half of Israel, about 55% of the country's land area and is around 4,700 square miles in area. Negev comes from the Hebrew word which means dry.It's a rocky desert and has interesting geological features such as 3 large craters. The Negev mountains are interrupted by dry river beds, called wadis.

These wadis bloom briefly after the rains, which is only about 12 inches annually.

Pancratium sickenbergeri spilling it's black seeds.

It's curly foliage.

A lone Acacia tree.

Silene colorata, Cloven-Petalled Campion

Calendula arvensis, Field Marigold

Salvia lanigera, Wooly Sage

Rumex cyprinus, Pink sorrel, with petals the color of lungs.

Asphodelus tenuifolius, Narrow-leaved Asphodel Bugloss

Thorny shrub and it's yellow blooms.

Anagallis arvensis, Scarlet pimpernel

I am not sure what this plant is and found it to be really strange. It has these spiny seedpods(?).
This area of the Negev was a sight to see, with all of the grasses swaying in the wind, all forming a community that wasn't found anywhere else.
Stipagrostis raddiana, Triple-awned grass

Stipagrostis raddiana, Triple-awned grass, is an important fodder for goats and herbivorous animals.

The dry river bed, or wadi, we hiked into. Mark and Dieter, two other scholarship students at the Jerusalem Botanical garden.A natural pool of water in the river bed.Stone bridges, andarches.Ahh, Papaver. Papaver humile Gazelles in the desert.
Another wadi we walked to.

Interesting geological formations.

Plates of rock.

Cistanche tubulosa, Desert broomrape emerging through the crusty top layer of sand in the dry river bed.
This is a parasitic plant that feeds off of desert trees and shrubs.
They bloom in yellow.

Bizarre but fascinating to see. Here is a blue blooming one, I think Mutel's broomrape, Orobanche mutelii.

Like a strange diorama the Negev revealed the many layers it is comprised of.

a theater stage set for stories.
Pennisetum orientale growing in little drifts.

It is dangerous to be in these riverbeds if a storm is coming because with the ground being so dry, the water can't penetrate quickly enough and creates rivers that flood quickly downstream.Persistence .An Ibek,

coming around the bend.

Beating the winter blues

2009-01-31T15:34:00.014+02:00

The seedlings are still going strong in the nursery, though this one seems to be struggling to break free. The rains came, briefly, and was enough to help green the garden up with grasses and some wildflowers. It is quite a difference from arriving at the end of summer when alot of the undergrowth was dormant. It is said that this has been one of the driest winters in a long time. But where there is no rain, there is irrigation, and the annuals are enjoying the warm sun with the cooler temperatures. One morning I was greeted by Papaver nudicaule, Iceland Poppy, that had their blooms so open and wide facing the bright sun.Finally, the wild lupines, Lupinus pilosus, have started to bloom, as it is here amongst Calendula officinalis.I saw this wonderful combination while pruning all of the roses back in the garden. Sometimes the best angles are found from inside the planting bed, which is a shame, but those of us who work in gardens get to enjoy all the benefits... It is Lupinus pilosus, Rosemary, Calendula officinalis, Aloe vera, and Cynarea carbunculosis.The short bit of rain has helped some of the bulbs to awaken from dormancy. In some rock crevices in the garden there was Cyclamen persicum and Muscari sp.I never thought there would be a moment where Hedera helix would stop me in my tracks, but on a shortcut from work to home it did. But then again, I have always been a sucker for a good blue.

Or this blue fence with the yellow blooms. It's always fun to be a peeping tom, within reason of course, and see what other people are doing, especially in their gardens. Here is a nice garden with a nice range of cacti and succulents. Here is the side view,

and the front.

At the market in the German Colony, I saw this arrangement of plants on the wall. The contrast of the wall is what caught me eye.

And Hardenbergia spp.

trailing

down.

Happy Spring....... well, at least here in Jerusalem.

And we're off.....

2009-01-20T17:22:00.010+02:00

So, a New Year and new beginnings have already started, everywhere you look, in the garden and in politics, in all places of the world. But let's stick with the plants. Now that the rains have come, and gone, and come again, the garden is secretly waking up, in it''s wondrous ways. The tiny Lupinus pilosus, one of Israel's native splendors, it pushing it's sleepy way up through some fallen Oak foliage. You can almost hear it stretching upon awakening from a long nap. The winter garden seems to have alot more life here now than it does at home during this time of year. The days have fluctuated from around 50degrees to 65degrees, not bad for a January day, especially with all of the snow everyone else has been getting..

And on the Fourth Day, Forsythia was created...

A quiet morning around the lake, made mystical by the fluffy seedheads of Arundo donax.The gardens are a stopover to many birds, but sometimes they enjoy so much they stay awhile.This is the resident Cormorant, which is a sea bird that dives under the water to catch fish. It will dive under in one spot and come up a good distance away, gulping the fish down upon surfacing. This bird then stands on a rock with wings outstretched, slowly flapping them back and forth, to let the warmth of the sun dry him off.

The paths of the garden are most visible in their crossing pattern.In the South African section you have the Aloe species all starting to bloom and erupt with organge spikes.

The red hued Sedum x rubrotinctum, due to the winter temperature, against the silver Gazania nivea, and the purple gray Plectranthus sp.

Another wonderful native plant is the Crown anemone, Anemone coronaria, which is protected and is not allowed to picked in the wild. Here in all her glory, a brilliant red screaming out to any passerby to be looked at.

And here are the cultivated flowers for sale on the streets here, in a handmade vase from a Jerusalem potter.

Even though it has been warm in Jerusalem, I still need the hustle and bustle of Tel Aviv once in a while, and the warmer weather here is an added bonus. While walking through the neighborhoods, I came across this Poinsettia tree/shrub. So large, it had to be admired.

Bauhaus architecture and ornamental trunks.

Work has been so hard, a little relaxing time on the beach was needed. Ok, relaxing on the beach is always needed, one can't help it.

I hope that this year is as sunny and beautiful is it has been for me so far........

the happenings at the JBG and holidays in Jerusalem

2008-12-29T18:28:00.009+02:00

Alot of things have been going on in the gardens as of late, especially alot of planting now that Smita had ended a few months ago. In the greenhouse\nursery, where I work three days a week, alot of seed sowing has been taking place. Alot of seeds have been put into cold stratification and trays of seed sowing have been taking place every day. Though we always associate beauty with the flowers when we think of plants, seeds are not really looked at in this way. When looking at so many seeds all the time, it is easy to become amazed with the range of differences they have, some exquisite, some non-descript but each unique.

Here is the mottled seedcoat of Sapium japonicum, which is a shrub\small tree from Japan. I'll never tire of seeing seeds opening up to push out through the soil to display the strength of its first growth, the cotyledons and first true set of leaves. They will always stop me in my tracks. This is Lupinus pilosus, a native plant to Israel with the most intense blue blooms that we are growing to add to the display section of the garden. Look at how cute and furry that foliage is, if it was a chld you would just want to pinch their cheeks... Here is Narcissus tazetta, in bloom at the gardens. This is what we were on the search for in the wild a few weeks earlier, but did not find due to the lack of rains. The only reason it is in bloom here is due to irrigation systems that are spread throughout the garden.
A display area in full bloom, providing nice color during a time of year I would normally associate with dormancy. It is a mix of Viola spp. and Mathiola incana.

This was a project that I first worked on upon arriving in the gardens, a retaining wall built into a dedicated area. It hasn't been open to the public for a few months so the concrete could set, and then so the turf would have time to fill out dense enought to withstand the traffic.

Agave parryi sending up some bloom spikes...
Which just make me hungry every time I go past them because they aways remind me of really large pieces of asparagus.

So spending the holidays here has been an exciting and eventful experience. On Christmas Day, I went to the post offiice where I received a package from my sister full of gifts and home made goodies from my family. Such a great way to start the day, a full fudge breakfast never hurt anyone once in a while right? Then I went to spend some time with another scholarship student in Bethlehem. It is in occupied territory so we had to go through checkpoints to get there even though it is only about 1\2 and hour away. This is the Church of the Nativity, which is where Jesus was born.

It was awe-inspiring inside, especially since there were parts that dated back to the Byzantine era.

There were alot of people there, and there was incense burning, candles lit, and a very exciting\emotional experience, especially to be able to do this on Christmas day.

This is the view of Bethlehm from the top of the hill that the Church of the Nativity was on. A magical moment, especially with the rainbow that arched it's way over the city.

This is Christmas in the Old City in Jerusalem.

And some hot spiced wine in the evening at the American Colony hotel. Christmas trees and Palm trees.....
One of my favorite memories of Jerusalem at this time of year was walking around in the evenings and seeing the beautiful menorahs all lit up and on display outside of every ones homes.

I wish everyone all the best, especially in the New Year, for peace and health , and may it be filled with friends and family in 2009....

Hunting for Narcissus in the Jerusalem Mountains

2008-12-13T11:50:00.016+02:00

There are trips that are arranged at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens to go and look at wildflowers in their natural habitat and the purpose of this trip was to go and find Narcisssus up in the Jerusalem Mountains. So we hiked about a mile down the side of the mountain next to the old agricultural village of Matta. We did come across some Narcissus tazetta but they had already finished blooming. This is because it has been dry for a long time even though this is supposed to be the rainy season. If the rain had been here, the blooms would have lasted alot longer.

I was also told that you could always tell from a far enough distance where there is an old village (without being able to see the homes from afar......). It is because most of the trees of the Jerusalem Mountains are evergreen but the villages mostly planted deciduous trees around them for the shade that they provide in the hotter months. Here is the lovely tiny white Crocus hyemalis, the most common crocus in Israel, pushing it's way out of the forest floor. It is usually found growing in Mediterranean woodlands and shrub lands and is found in bloom anywhere from November to February.

The bloom itself is honey-scented and is insect pollinated.

Another bulb, or shall i say corm, that is out in full force is Cyclamen persicum.It is seen growing in so many different areas and happily reseeds itself in the smallest of places. Here it is growing in the crack of a rock.
Here at the bottom of the valley, a farmer has taken advantage of more farmable land. There was a 2 year old olive orchard that he was tending to.
While looking at the view, I was told to turn around and look at what was growing on a rocky outcrop. I was surprised to find a solitary bloom of an Iris. No other irises were found in the surrounding area.

Here is the lovely soft yellow bloom up close of Iris palaestina.

There was also Bellis sylvestris, called the Southern Daisy here, in bloom on the hillside. It is also commonly found in Mediterranean woodlands and shrub lands.
Though the blooms on most of the Bellis sylvestris were white there was a single bloom tinged with pink.

Just a little bit of the trees and shrubs of the mountainside.

Here is the large leafed Arum palaestinum, which has deep dark purple blooms in March and April.

Once we reached the bottom of the mountain we found a natural spring, which then made this area an obvious choice for the farmer to plant crops on.Though these palms aren't native, we came across a whole grove of them growing in straight lines. It turned out that there was a nursery that was run here on this land a long time ago and for some reason these were left behind.
Right next to the palm grove was this inconspicuous shrub that was about 4-5' high. I couldn't figure out the name because in Israel you have the latin name (which nobody knew), the common name (which changes depending on where you live) and the hebrew name (which everyone knew).I liked it's greenish yellow banana shaped flowers and

it's deep purple seeds.

In another area we came across the transparent seedpod of a Ricotia lunaria.

Here is the acorn of the Palestine Oak, Quercus callaprinos, which is one of the top 3 Oaks that grow in Israel. The other two Oaks are Quercus infectoria and Quercus ithaburensis. There is a mouse that eats some of this seed which helps the Oak to germinate faster. The mouse knows that the cap on the right end is the easiest way to get inside, by pulling it off and once the cap is off, the mouse has it's reward, but not the whole reward. Inside, the right half of the seed, closest to the cap, is sweet and then halfway through, the side on the left, the seed becomes bitter. The mouse eats the sweet part, and stops at the bitter end which contains the seed embryo, this then allows the remaining seed to be free to germinate.

Seed Collecting Trip

2008-12-06T12:19:00.011+02:00

A few of the scholarship recipients got the chance to go on a seed collecting trip with the head scientist of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden. We drove about 25 minutes east out of Jerusalem to the edge of the desert to collect seed of native plants. Something that amazes me every time, is how the depth and perception of the desert just throws off your sense of scale. Below, look on the left side of the photo, and about halfway up you'll see the the light gray hill sloping down to the right. See the line of black dots on the hill? That was a herd of goats, who are commonly brought out into the desert to graze. If you notice the other two hills to the right of the one that they are on, you can tell that the goats graze there too because there isn't as much vegetation as the surrounding hills. These goats are herded by the Bedwins, which is a nomadic Arabic population. What throws me off though is that i could hear, very clearly, the goats bleating and hear the bells they wear jingling, and thought they weren't too far away. When i looked up all i could see was what looked like little black ants inching their way across the desert, they were much further than anticipated. This is the area where we started, in total we went to 2 places to collect. We were looking for colchicum seeds that would've been blooming on the hillside, especially looking next to rocks. Unfortunately we did not come across any colchicums but found seed from other plants to collect. We collected from Oreganum syriacum, which is a common spice plant that is used throughout Israel called Za'tar. It is used in hummus, on pita bread, and has many other uses.

The sun light plays beautifully off the hills at times. When seed is collected, 2x the amount needed is collected and this is for germinating plants for the botanical garden itself and the rest is for seed trading with other botanical gardens worldwide.

Ori, the head scientist, explained to us that the desert soil is very salty due to the salts in the rain that collect in the topsoil. Some shrubs that grow here too increase the salinity underneath the soil to prevent competition from other plants. pretty sneaky.. Though most of the vegetation in the desert looks bleak, look on the bottom left of the photo and you'll see a lush green strip. This is where there is a higher concentration of water due to it being at the bottom of deep valley.

There are tiny settlements, or towns, like on the top left, that are dotted throughout these areas.
On the way towards the Dead Sea, where some plants we wanted seed from were growing, we passed these farms with all these palms planted in rows. These are date palms, Phoenix dactylifera, and it is a highly productive crop that is exported out of Israel.
So this was our next location, a crossroads right next to the Dead Sea where an area where native plants have been planted.
Though this plant isn't native, we collected from it anyway. It is called Calotropis procera, and is actually native to India. It is extremely poisonous and is used to make candle wicks. Here is it's flower which is small in terms to the full size of the shrub.

The fluffy seeds emerge to be carried away by the wind.

Future generations on the go..

This is what the seeds look like when they are still packed inside the seedpod, not yet ready to go out, all organized and awaiting their release.

It also gets attacked by aphids really bad.And here was Abutilon hirtum which was about 7' tall.

Sometimes your lucky and get to see the many different stages of life on a plant.Here is the flower bud,which opens to a yellow bloom,

then has a seed pod that is flat and ridged,
to eventually opening to a ray like seed pod.

Our last stop was purely for taking in the view, which made us feel very small.

Can you see what's here? This is the wild Ibek, which is a mountain goat that lives in the desert. They were walking in front of the car, and I have been looking forward to seeing them since i got here. There are about 7 in the photo above.

There were adult and young Ibek.

Seeing them was a treat, and since it was mating season, well....... you get it. They got busy, and we took that as our cue to head off...

Mt. Scopus Botanical Gardens

2008-11-29T15:45:00.003+02:00

Mount Scopus Botanical garden is situated in east Jerusalem and was established in 1920. It is attached to the Hebrew University and sits atop the high vantage point of Mt. Scopus. From the this vantage point your able to look back at the Old City of Jerusalem in the distance with the beautiful golden architecture of the Dome of the Rock, looking exquisite with the fall color of the moment. Mount Scopus is important georgraphically when it comes to rainfall. This is because when it does rain, with the rainy season starting in November, it is the divider between where it flows to. The rain that falls on the west side of Mt. Scopus flows towards the Mediterranean Sea, which would be the photo above. If the rain falls on the east side, it flows through the Judean desert, as seen above, towards the Dead Sea. Since the ground is so dry most of the time, it is actually dangerous when rainstorms happen due to the ground not being able to absorb the water quickly enough and thereby creating flash floods, especially closer to the Dead Sea. In the photo you are able to see part of the Israeli West Bank Border, which is the line which runs through the shaded out part of the mountains above.

In the actual gardens, it is set up to display the different native plant communities that exist within Israel. It is amazing though, at how well plants can adapt to their surrounding environment. Let me explain. Though you have the same 4 seasons here, the plants are on a different schedule. With the summers being so hot here, most plants go dormant and disappear to escape the blazing sun, with most of the bulbs that will and annuals only beginning to germinate when the rains come, which is now, during the fall season. So while the deciduous trees and shrubs are now dropping their foliage, the bulbs and annuals are waking up, such as the wild Lupines. So most plants bloom starting now and will come to a stop once the summer comes round again. This is also when we plant out the ornamental annuals- due to the winters still being somewhat considerably warmer.
Here is the discreet bloom of Cyclamen persica which is out now. This plant has so much genetic diversity, which is obvious in all of its intricately patterned foliage which differs from one plant to the next. . It is discreet in the sense that it is so close to the ground that it is very easily overlooked. The corms that the blooms and foliage come from can reach the size of a softball, and this plant happily seeds itself everywhere.

As you can see here in the nook of a rock, this cyclamen has happily decided to grow, and is extremely self sufficient.
Here is Pancratium sickenbergeri which is now in seed which grows on the coastal dunes of the Mediterranean. It's seeds, which are inside this black casing, are devised to float due to a spongy layer that is between the outer black part and the actual seed. This helps to ensure future generations settling onto different parts of the Mediterranean coast by floating to new destinations.These is a demonstration area to show how people used to have their allotment gardens. The beds were laid out in a very simple fashion and these gardens integrated vegetables, fruit, and small orchards. What I found interesting was this small stone building which was common when these allotment gardens existed. These were used as a means of shelter to help watch over your crops when they were close to harvest time. What people would do was stay in the bottom part of it in the cooler months to protect yourself from the cold weather and in the warmer months they would stay in the top part, which was covered with material to protect oneself from the harsh sun. This was done so you could be there to make sure no one stole or looted the fruits of your labor, which happened quite often. We were able to see where they store and clean seeds that have been collected.
Sometimes plant names make me laugh, like Aparagus horridus. Bad!Bad asparagus! It just gives a funny visual to me of the one that we love to eat. The Hebrew University was right next door to the gardens and the campus grounds were very lush and inviting. Ficus pumila scrambles up the sides of some of the buildings.

There were sculptures by different artists that were situated troughout the campus too.

A mix of opuntia and geraniums.

Ahh, fall color.

Swimming in Chicken Soup?

2008-11-19T16:18:00.014+02:00

Drove to the Dead Sea with some friends and was amazed at the beautiful landscapes we saw along the way. On the west side of the Dead Sea is Israel, while on the eastern side you are able to see the mountains of Jordan.

That is my foot but that is not sand on the bottom of the Dead Sea, that's salt. You can literally scoop it up by the handfuls.
As you can see there are chunks of salt that crystallize at the edges of the sea.
I didn't know what to expect upon entering the Dead Sea, people tell you so many different things. Someone told me before going that it felt like being in a pot of warm chicken soup. What do you think after hearing that?! The first thing you notice is that the water feels a little thicker than normal, almost oily, which would explain the soup reference. Then you walk out until you reach mid-chest and that's when it happens, you shoot straight up and start bobbing. Try as you like in deep water but your never able to touch the bottom. You just float, but not like normal water, due to the high salinity of the water(9 times as salty as the ocean!). You

can sit up and float, lay down and float. I was floating and taking pictures, in deep water. You feel completely weightless and I could only imagine that this is what it must be like to be on the moon... The water in the picture above, must have been about 10-15 feet deep, the water is clear so you can see the bottom. Normally, i don't like being in deep water, especially by myself, but nothing can survive in it except for a few bacteria, and you don't sink. I floated as far out as i could, alone, and just enjoyed the mountains of Jordan. A liberating experience and a highlight of my whole trip so far. Due to large scale projects though, the depth of the sea has been dropping rapidly over the past 50 years. If you ever have the opportunity to go, please do.

The desert landscape.

We then went to the Ein Gedi Botanical Gardens, which is the only botanical garden in the world that is incorporated into a private living community.

The gardens are built on a kibbutz that is fed by underground springs. So while driving, this was the only green area in the desert that you could see.

Here is a large Opuntia tree.

Some of the cactus collection, lit up by the desert sun.

They have over 800 species of trees, shrubs and plants.

Architectural palm?f Ficus, which was a very nice retreat from the sun.

How these plants grow in size is nothing short of amazing. The branches which grow up and out, push out from their underside 'feeler' roots. These are visible in the middle of the picture, once these 'feelers' grow enough and hit the ground, they take root. Once these have a hold in the ground, they will swell in size and thickness. This part of the branch eventually turns into its own trunk, which eventually spreads the growth of the whole tree, creating a mini forest of Ficus that is all really just one connected tree.

Tel Aviv

2008-11-11T15:38:00.010+02:00

Welcome to the city of Tel Aviv, which is only an hours ride away. Tel Aviv is home to alot of buildings that were built in the BauHaus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus) style, which is represented by the absence of ornamentation and by the harmony between the function of an object or a building and it's design. Bauhaus influenced art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, and typography. Some artists to have been influenced were Josef Albers, Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian. But I didn't come here to just see architecture, I came to see plants. Being as Tel Aviv is on the coast, the temperature is considerably higher than that of Jerusalem, which means certain plants will be hardier here.Here on the streets, it wasn't uncommon to find Ficus trees growing large and luminous providing tons of shade for the mere mortals on the street. These definitely put the one you have in the corner of your office to shame....... Tsk. Tsk.

It is still fascinating to me that Palms are everywhere here, where as my only experience was at Joyce's Palm house at Longwood. There are Date farms here in Israel with these marvelous monocots planted in rows to harvest the fruits easily.

cheep cheep... There is a story here about the common sparrow, where the name that it is called is freedom. This is because while the birds in the world were all waiting to get their colors assigned to them, and with some giving very elaborate color schemes and details (we know who you are peacocks and toucans.....) , the sparrow was so impatient to get out of line that when it was their turn and they were asked what color they wanted, a quick reply of "Brown" was said so that they could take off flying again and get going on their business again.

It was a surprise to come across this tree on the street, Ceiba pentandra. Notice the large yellow flowers, which turn into this melon-like fruit once pollinated and then get dispersed my the fluffy cotton-like mass of seed? While it may be fun to look at how varied the flowers, fruit and seed can be from each other, once thing you would like to admire from a distance would be

it's non-inviting trunk. Could it be any more effective though if you don't want people hanging around outside your home?

There have been a few times now where sweet potatoes have been seen growing this way, with the tuber emerged in a glass of water and letting its delicate foliage clamber up some form of vertical support. Easy for the brown thumbed......ahem.

Here is the Schlomo Lahat Promenade on the Mediterranean Sea, which looks like the inspiration could have come from the Roberto Burle Marx designed Copacabana beach promenade in Brazil. Could it be?!

One can see the modern city rising up from the ancient port city of Jaffa, where I stayed.

Sometimes it's luck of the draw where you stay, either it's on your side or not. This hostel felt like being in an old movie with all it's intricate details and quirks.

A Joan Miro inspired lunch? No, I cannot get enough of hummus and vegetables.....

One hour and one GoldStar later......... into the book.
The decaying lock on the shutters to the balcony

The harbor in the morning, much quieter than the center of the city.....

The Jerusalem Botanical Garden

2008-11-04T13:32:00.012+02:00

After a month of being here in Israel, and working in the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, I am beginning to get into the routine of things in the gardens. Upon arriving the temperature was still very hot during the day but has since settled to the pleasant feeling of an Indian Summer.

One morning there was even a nice surprise to wake up and see all of the surrounding streets shrouded in a dense carpet of fog.

The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens are located in Western Jerusalem, which is a ten minute walk from the apartment where I am living. The garden itself is large, covering 45 acres and representing some 10,000 plant species. The garden is divided into six geographic sections consisting of Mediterranean, Asia, Europe, Australia, North America and South Africa. These areas are then sub-divided into subsections representing specific forms of vegetation, flora and climactic conditions. There is another 20 acres of the gardens that is not used which will be developed, once funding has been completed, into Sub-tropical South America and Eastern Temperate Asia (China and Japan).

This is the conservatory which houses many of the tropical plants in the gardens collection.

There are features of the garden that I would have never expected to encounter such as historic tombs from the 2nd Temple Period (over 2000 years old) , a Roman water cistern with an ancient dovecote in the conservatory , and a large amount of bird species that seem to pass through the garden. Israel is a major stopover point for many migrating birds and with all of the diverse plant species in the garden here they find plenty of food and shelter to take advantage of.

I am amazed too with the huge chameleons walking in the branches near my head, jackals quickly darting through the garden so as not to be seen, and the occasional sighting of scorpions.

I often find myself walking through the North American section to soak up whatever fall color I can.

Fall is one of the most romantic seasons of the year, as we too know that we are preparing for winter, getting ready to start nesting inside our warm homes.. Except, that is not happening this year for me, the cold at least.....

This is the first time I have worked in a Botanical Garden and am finding it to be very different from both Longwood and Great Dixter. The focus is on the collections themselves and the amount of plants they have can seem tremendously overwhelming. The gardens are also coming off of a 7 year practice called Shmitta in which every 7th year the soil is allowed to rest, so no planting or anything to do with disturbing the soil was allowed to take place in this past year (being the 7th year). There were a lot of empty spots in the garden beds due to this and to counteract not being able to plant, plastic sheets where laid over these areas for the whole year to suffocate any of the weeds and weed seedlings that were in the soil.

I spent the first few weeks helping to construct and build a large retaining wall and am now working on helping to get the nursery situated and sorted out. We are getting ready for a few large planting projects due to Shmitta being over now, which ended on the Jewish New Year Holiday of Rosh Hashanah.

The gardens coordinate a different trip once a month to see wildflowers and some of the many sights of Israel. Other planned trips include seeing the bulbs in their native habitat such asTulips, Narcissus and Anemones amongst many others. Bulbs are among some of my favorite plants and I am excited in seeing the desert come to life in this way which should start happening with the rains that come in November. See all the yellow blooms to the left of the tree?

These are the lovely yellow Sternbergia clusiana, which was collected in Jordan in an area called Little Petra.

Centranthes ruber and Callistemon

Here are some plantings seen around Jerusalem.... A large sweep of pink Gaura.

And here is a happy accident... A Cypress tree with both the blue Plumbago and a pink Bougainvillea growing up through it.......

hello

2008-10-22T07:57:00.003+02:00

I apologize but the computer at the apartment is a bit tempermental and is not working and deleted half my photos. I am waiting for it to be fixed at the moment........

Welcome to Jerusalem

2008-09-29T15:36:00.025+03:00

There couldn't be more of a contrast between being in England and coming to Israel. One is lush and green and the other is dry and many shades of brown and pink. Another contrast is going from living in a 15th Century house in the countryside to a 10 story building back in the city.

Right across from the apartment I now live in, yes that's the one under my finger, is a park called Valley of the Cross. This is where it is said that the wood was taken for building the cross of Christ.

The park has an old monastery in it, which you can see, and is filled with olive trees. The weather here is very hot and very dry, with tempatures dipping in the evening, but the plants are really tough here.

The plants are different from anything I have ever expected. There are Pomegranates everywhere too.

Here is an old olive tree in the park across the street from my apartment. The trunks are all twisted and have a sculptural quality to them, each being different from the next. Here is the olive itself, hanging all over the branches. This is the time of year that these are harvested to press them for olive oil.

Israel is full of many types of bulbs and right now the maritime squill, Urginea maritima, is in full bloom. There are native Cyclamen, narcissus, and tulips that I look forward to seeing in the next few months.

Here is a closeup of the maritime squill.
Even the street trees are different, with there being many palms and eucalyptus trees dotted throughout the city of Jerusalem. On the left is the date palm, the orange fruits you see on there are the dates, and the eucalyptus it at the top on the right. This is just one of the many types of Eucalyptus trees, with their ornamental bark. This is the Israeli version of the London plane tree. And Aurecarias of many shapes ,
and sizes.

The beautifully colored blue morning glory which is climbing a pine, seems to really enjoy the heat here.

The lovely Passionflower spills over the walls of houses here too.
Bougainvillea is a common sight here with a white flowered version and the pink version, with many other colors too.

Here is a combination of plants that never would have crossed my mind before. An olive tree, a Chameacyparis (I think), lavendar, Rosemary, and a huge sweep of Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'.As you can see each thrives really well here in the heat. This is how you do Echeveria....
This is Lantana, unlike the summer annual it is at home, where in Israel it grows to become a full size woody shrub. This is not your grandmothers Lantana.... Here are some terraces planted up. Everyone has a terrace, it is just considered another room here. And the hedge on the bottom of the picture is Plumbago. The window boxes literally spill over the sides of this terrace and rooftop here creating a vertical garden against the walls. Pelargoniums are the most noticeable with this.
A front yard garden with some interesting architecture.
A courtyard garden with gourds and peppers. The shutters on the windows are used to keep out the heat during the day.
In the parks, water features are used to help combat effects of the heat. The fountain in the middle is unlike any I have seen before, very ornate.
This subtle detail of the lions couldn't help but put a smile on my face.

This is the local market called the Shuk. You can find all types of breads, fruits, vegetables and anything else you could imagine. The smell here is amazing with everyone yelling trying to get you to buy whatever it is they are selling.

The Old City is like taking a step back in time. It is a walled area of Jerusalem and was the original city before it became too crowded and people were forced to move outside the walls.

You can find anything in here, with it's maze like streets and corriders.

This was a small breadmaker that produced pita bread.
Some of the side alleys,

and arches. The colors in the Old City and at the markets are exciting to my eye. From all of the quilts,

and textiles,

to seedpods falling off the trees,

to the food. Even the street art is different,
with its messages,

layering,and colors.
This is the view from the top of the Austrian hospice where Einav took Mark and I.I met Einav at school while at Longwood, she was in the international program. On the right is the Dome of the Rock which was built in 688-691. I'll repeat that, 688-691. That is Mount Olives on the left in the background. The rooftops in view in the Old City. Einav took us to a special view of the mountains towards Jordan. If you loook under the wire you can see the pink capped mountains. The light here is incredible as the sun is setting and there is so much to see and explore.

Meadows and memories of Dixter

2008-09-15T20:57:00.027+03:00

The first thing you see when entering Great Dixter is the Meadow, where constant change slows down a bit..... just a little bit. The past six months were spent watching what happened here.

This is the front meadow over the course of the 6 months of my time...

March First

Here are the candy colored hues of the crocuses and the narcissus blooms, only a taste of what was to come.

March Thirty First

Narcissus pseudonarcissus

April Seventh
Narcissus pseudonarcissus sleeps and Frittilaria meleagris weeps.

April Twenty First

The purple mottled foliage of Orchis mascula, or the Early-purple Orchid, a native plant to England.

May Sixth

Narcissus poeticus, one of the most beautiful of it's Genus.......

Don't you agree?!This is always the last Narcissus species to bloom.

Hoop petticoat, Narcissus bulbocodium, in a small clump near the walk.

May Twelfth

The meadows are awash in blue with all three Camassia species, C. quamash, C. cusickii, and C. leichtlinii, in bloom now competing mostly with the bright yellow flowers of Ranunculus auricomis.

An American native, Camassia quamash in the meadow.
May Twenty-first

The meadows are still predominately blue and yellow in color with touches of pink. This is due to the 3 Camassia species, Ranunculus auricomis and the lovely orchid, Orchis morio. The beautiful bloom of Orchis morio, the Green-winged orchid, one of the other native orchids of England.The arching head of dock, Rumex acetosa Cammassia quamash, Ranunculus auricomis and Red Clover, Trifolium pratense, make a colorful combination. The meadows are always teeming with insects and life.
June Third

This is the most diverse I have seen the meadow in colors and plants yet. There are yellows (Ranunculus auricomus & Rhinanthus minor 'Hay Strewing'), whites of the ox-eye daisies, , pink, and fuschia/magenta flowers of the orchids, and the tans, browns and oatmeal (is this a real color!?) colors of the grass seedheads, which sway with every passing breeze.

Ox-eye daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare, and Dactylorhiza fuschii, or the Common spotted-orchid in the background. Rhinanthus minor 'Hay Strewing' is my favorite plant in the whole meadow. This plant parasitizes the grasses in the meadow, slowing down their vigor so that other plants can establish themselves . Without this plant, the competition of the grasses might prove too much and choke out the other plants in the meadow. This native to England, has the common name Hay Rattle due to the noise it makes when the wind shakes the pods that hold the seed.
June Ninth

You can notice the meadow slightly starting to go over now.

June Sixteenth
The colors of the meadow seem to have softened a bit. There are the soft purple of the orchid blooms, enhanced by the white petals of the ox-eye daisy set off of just so by the small yellow blooms of Ranunculus auricomis, otherwise known as the meadow buttercup.
June Twenty-third
The dominant color of the meadow now happens to be browns, tans and the many shades between due to all of the grasses that hold their seedheads high.
The lovely disc-like seed pods of Rumex acetosa take on a colorful transparency.

July Seventh

The meadow is full of ripening seed by this point and takes on subtle tones and hues. The purple gray haze is the bloom of Agrostis tenuis, which gives the meadow a soft peaceful feel, against the bright green of the yew hedges.
July Thirty-first
As the meadow continues to go dormant, it displays the many brown and tan shades of another season that will soon come to an end........

August Eleventh

The meadow has started to get cut here. The cuttings then go to other gardens that would like to create a meadow where it is laid on the appropriate area, in hopes of the seed falling into the ground to establish themselves. And here it is freshly cut.

August Nineteenth

Within a few days, the plants were already recovering from being mowed.
September First
The meadow is fully green again and is waiting for the fall crocus to emerge. It was fascinating to see how quickly the meadow changed over the course of time and helped give me a better understanding of how plant communities can work together.

So while watching the meadows at Dixter, I felt it gave me more of an intimate connection with a part of the garden, having noticed all of the subtle details and changes that could've gone unnoticed while on the way down the path towards the house. So to see these lively areas change, in color and texture and grow in height, there was a touch of sadness to see them get cut because I knew my time at Dixter had almost come full circle.
I'll never forget the beautiful house that anchors the whole place, and the changing colors of it's orange tiled roof in the everchanging English light.. Or the many combinations of colors be it as simple as the piercing orange Kniphofia blooms against the soothing blue sky......
or the stock beds with its ever changing symphony and cast of characters...
whether they were more subtle
or dramatic
they kept me watching and involved.

or to be in the exotic garden and feel like a child lost in the jungle while drooling over the many jeweled toned treasures we call flowers......

I won't ever forget..

But time doesn't stay still and the seasons march on, being reminded by the gourds on the compost pile
or the apples ripening on trees

my memories of Great Dixter will be everlasting and to my friends there, it doesn't matter if I met you once, worked with you everyday, bothered you at your computer, or lived across the hall from you...... you all made it that much more amazing and unlike anywhere else i have ever been. Thanks for adopting me into your world of garden eccentrics....... you made my 6 months there worth every second.. thank you so much!

London Parks

2008-09-13T18:10:00.009+03:00

My time in England is running low and I was happy when a friend took me around to see a few public parks in London. Seeing parks and public spaces is another high point of interest for me since, having grown up in NYC, I can understand how important a green space can be in a sea of concrete. Some public parks can feel sterile and when they do, they are usually empty.
So it was refreshing to see some spaces that have the feel of a park but with a modern twist to them. We all need to adapt to the times and these are interpretations of how the city park has stepped into the 21st century.

This is the Thames Barrier Park, which is about 22 acres, and is set right on the river. The park consists of open public areas and also areas for contemplation. One could ponder many questions while walking along this shrub and herbaceous garden. I would imagine the hedges to be just like the water of the river when it ripples, creating a sense of calm. I could be completely wrong though, and should just enjoy it for what it is. The plantings are simple too so there wouldn't be the need for a lot of fussy maintanence. So you could expect to see plants that can handle the different seasons.
Once you are in the garden "valley" your walking pace turns into an enjoyable stroll. Even without looking directly at the plants, you are aware of the textures as you walk by them.

Simple bands of color and texture. There was an abstract quality to the garden, and while I don't think it works all the time, it worked here.

It was a surprise to see meadows throughout the park. Natural plantings inviting biodiversity into an urban environment. Paths were mown through the meadow so people wouldn't just trample through the high grass and plants. Something I have noticed is that if you want to do a meadow and think it looks messy, simply mow one width of the mower around it and you have a nice contrast as you see above. People were using all areas of the park, playing and relaxing. There were lots of young families too, which made me think of the way the children would grow up with memories of playing in the park, which would then seem so dated once they had there own children.There was something about the cafe and how the large windows still let you feel as if you were outside. What was even better is that if you look at the writing on the windows of the cafe, you'll see the latin names of all of the plants in the park, acting as a form of ornamentation. Nice touch indeed. The next park was created over a large tube station. The inside was so shiny and modern and then you were transported by escalator to a lush green oasis. This is Canary Wharf which was created by Wirtz. You are then surrounded by tall office buildings but see Taxodium distichum towering over you too.

Stone pools are in raised beds so the water and reflections are closer to eye level.
Water has often been used to drown out background noise, perfect for a city. Burms help keep the turf areas interesting, with walls slightly curved inwards. This is to surpport the back of the many people who come to seek some quiet time while passing through, while still acting as a planting bed. This wall acts as two functions, but discreetly. Sometimes whats intended is not obvouis and these details are fun to find.

One thing I didn't notice was what the park arborists do with dying trees. Instead of cutting it directly down they cut off all of the branches and notch the ends up with a chainsaw. This is so the rest of tree can act as a wildlife habitat, helping insects and animals. If you look closely too you'll also see the bat box that was carved out by them too..

Stourhead & sketches

2008-09-13T14:49:00.015+03:00

On the way back from France, we made a stop to Stourhead, it has been a must since I got to England. This garden is considered a living work of art and is the best example of what a landscape garden is. It was designed by Henry Hoare the Second. What is interesting is that this garden was inspired by the paintings of Poussin. What is exciting is that Poussin has been a favorite painter of mine for a long time, simply because whenever I look at his work, I want to be there. Now was my chance.

This is the famous view of the Palladian Bridge with the Pantheon in the background. Note the people in the background for scale.

The garden is laid out around lake that sets up many views and vistas to stop and take in. There are many shrubs and trees but not so much to see regarding herbaceous material. Some of the tree specimens are just incredible.

Here is the Pantheon up close which is a temple dedicated to statues of classical deities. This building used to be used for picnics and dinner parties by Henry Hoare the Second.

Another view of the lake with some of the statuesque trees on the banks.
Here is something impressive, the large trunks of Taxus baccata. I am sure if more people could see this they wouldn't be considered so common.
There was a grotto here which is probably the best I have ever seen. Grottoes first started in Italian Renaissance gardens which were used as a place to get out of the intense summer heat so you could cool off. The view is of the Temple of Apollo which was built in 1765.
This is the sleeping nymph, with which a 15th-century poem is carved:

Nymph of the Grot, these sacred springs I keep

And to the Murmur of these Waters sleep;

Ah! Spare my slumbers, gently tread the cave

And drink in silence or in silence lave [wash].

There is something amazing about being in a garden that was created in the 1740's and is still standing today, and still creating so much excitement.

After being inspired in France and then by Poussins influence at Stourhead, I got even more involved in my sketchbook.
This was a quick sketch of a young apple tree at Dixter, though I am not sure what cultivar. Seeing apples growing on trees always gets me a bit nostalgic for autumn in New York, specifically the Hudson Valley. My sister and I always go apple and pumpkin picking in New Paltz, at the height of fall color.

This is Rye,which used to be on the coast but is no longer, which has a famous street called Mermaid Street, which this is looking towards. This street got its name from a sailor who said he saw and heard a mermaid calling him up there. Those are old fishing huts on the left, where the sailors would hang their nets and supplies.
Something I have noticed about old sketchbooks from my past is that there is always a drawing of the room that I am then living in. So Dixter would be no different.

More apples, they are always easy to find and can be drawn anywhere.

A street corner in Ireland.

Airports, and trains, are always a great place for me to get some quick sketches of people. This was a favorite of mine to do when I lived in Brooklyn and would ride the subway. These took place at the Dublin Airport.

I see London, I'm in France

2008-09-09T23:45:00.027+03:00

A trip was organized by Great Dixter (Thank you!!!) for Mark and myself to visit a garden called Kerdalo, in the Brittany region in France. We caught a ferry from England which took us on a 5 hour trip across the Channel to Roscoff. Roscoff was a small port town that had such charm with lots of stone architecture and small cobbled streets.While maneuvering through the small villages and towns to reach Kerdalo, I saw these boats planted up in one of the rivers. I thought that it was a really nice touch, very unexpected.There are crop fields that seem to be everywhere you look. Artichokes were the most exciting with there globular heads swaying back and forth in strong winds.Once they start to bloom, worry not, they are then sold as cut flowers like I had seen in Roscoff. Finally, after a few wrong turns and many misunderstood traffic signs later we pulled onto some back roads that led us to Kerdalo. Kerdalo has a rich history having been started in 1965 by the gardener and painter Peter Wolkonsky. The house was built in a valley that encompasses 45 acres of land. Kerdalo is centered around the manor house, which used to be an old farmhouse, which is all situated in a valley.

The gardens are composed of terraces, fully visible from inside the house at the back, a formal garden around the house and in front, natural springs which feed a series of lakes, ponds, and pools. There are meadows, an Auaucaria araucana meadow(!!), streams filled with ferns and Gunneras, and architectural gems hidden throughout. These little buildings were all created and built by Peter Wonkonsky.

The garden is laid out wonderfully and is run now by his daughter Isabelle Vaughan and her husband Timothy.

A view of the historic dovecote. This is a view, from above, of the Jardin des Quatre Carres, or Garden of the Four Squares. Something that I really enjoyed was the fact that no visitors are allowed to walk in this area, which forces you to really take it all in and appreciate it rather than people walking through it and spoiling the view. It created a feeling of desire....

This part of the garden is composed of squares of planting beds surrounded by turf and squares set with stones in geometric patterns. This whole area is enclosed in a stone wall which lets the visitors eye extend to the gardens beyond, which are planted in a more naturalistic style, bringing your eyes to rest at the lake at the bottom.

The formal garden beds designed to be at their best in summer.The plantings are made up of strokes of whites, blues, yellows, and purples.These are primarily from Romneya coulteri, Geranium 'Roxanne', Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam', Allium sphaerocephalum, Melianthus major, Hakonechloa macra 'Aurea',Festuca glauca, Phlox paniculata, and Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'. The Boxwood also acts as structure within the garden beds. Here you have the stone buildings which were erected by Peter, where he designed and created the ornamentation inside.
Inside there are intricate murals made of shells and stone of all shapes and sizes.
Wonderfully executed.
The intricate detail of the animals inside such as this bird,
monkey, and
goat. Each piece was unique and demanded its own time for attention.

Here you have the full view of the house, with its amazing stonework, with the steps leading into the garden of the four squares. This is a pencil sketch of the back of the manor house, where the terraces are planted with lots of exotic and rare plants. There was a Shefflera impressa, Acacia pravissima and Puya alpestris. I was really excited while doing this sketch and bird crap happened to land on it, hence the brown smudges. Is it a sign?!This is one shot from inside the house of the stairs, which transported me to another place. I felt as if I was in a Giorgio d Chirico painting, a place of dreams, soft light, and perspective. A sketch for the thank you to Isabelle, the owner.

There is an area called the Golden Heath at Kerdalo, that just seems to light up once the setting sun hits it.

At the lake you are mesmerized by the large foliage of Gunnera manicata and the intense jewel tones of the blooms of the Hydrangea. The reflection in the water held my eyes for a long time. The blooms are so small and intricate changing in color from pinks to purples to the most vivid blues, all while the gentle giant Gunnera foliage extend outward to greet you. And from inside the Gunnera you have an even more intense blue piercing through the woodlands on the other side. I will always fall for a beautiful blue anywhere.
There were so many beautiful areas in the garden that it was impossible to share them all, hopefully a link to all other photos will be in place......
Once you come to the bottom of the valley that Kerdalo sits in you are treated to a view of the town Tredarzec from across the river Jaudy. This is the view up the river towards the bridge. I found a piece of charcoal on the ground and just got inspired, or was it the wine.............
After Kerdalo we went towards the coast to where we were staying, which was right on the coast(o.k. it was really just a 2 minute walk), and it is probably the craggiest coast I have ever seen. All you hear are the waves crashing into the rocks...
This is a house that is right on the coast , could you imagine living here?

Now I take you to Crech ar Pape, Isabelle's other garden. To be here in this garden was a complete delight and shock to all of my senses. It was like a cubist dream, a garden of shapes and textures with the ingredients of control and chaos fighting it out. I am still in awe of it. This is the view of the entry into the garden from the guest cottage. The garden was designed around the base of a Celt design. You would never know that in the French countryside, right on the coast, there is a garden that exists like this. The whole garden is made up of a series of rooms, with the walls being Laurelis nobilensis, or Bay Laurel. There are alot of clipped shrubs such as Boxwood, Osmanthus heterophyllus 'Variegata', Hebe parviflora 'Angustifolia' which relinquishes control to the herbaceous perennials to Hakenechloa macra and H. macra 'Aurea', Anemone x hybrida, Agapanthus and lots of self sowers such as Verbena bonariensis and Erigeron karvinskianus.

The garden gave so many views from so many different angles I didn't know where to stop to take it all in. The plants seemed to walk and tuck themselves into tight little spaces between shrubs. This photo is only about 5 feet away from where the one above it was taken and look at the difference. The roof of the guest cottage is so sharp in comparison to all of the soft circular forms that fall below it. This is a detail of the stone pavers, which came from the streets in France when they started to pave the roads. I am sure this detail is very useful in getting the wheelbarrow to the other parts of the garden. See all the Erigeron karvinskianus nestled in between the pavers. This takes us into the next part of the garden which is a large circular room, again a case study in shape and form with color to pull it all together. You can see the urn in the back which acted as the center, or focal point, of the first garden room which is rectangular. Notice the pavers and the subtle tones of blue and green. I would be very excited to see this garden in the winter with a light dusting of snow. Isabelle was saying that there used to be alot more plants in here but as Peter gets older, he has been simplifying the planting by removing some and leaving the grasses and shrubs. A garden is never done...

Here is a boxwood hedge, just walking itself up, or is it down, the steps. Where would you see such a thing?!

This was another discovered area for me which was right off the main house, which that is the library straight ahead. It is such a contradiction, which I find fascinating, that it blurs between chaos and order. Notice how well the Agapanthus and Crocosmia form a burst of color in small pockets.

What you thought was a pool of water from afar actually turned out to be a sunken seating pit occupied by communities of self sowers and creepers.

The vines on the walls were clipped into the shape of two elephants joined together by holding their trunks.

I have nothing to say, just look at that.......
Needless to say, I have truly been inspired to do more.
This is the view from the guest cottage with Cotinus coggygria in the background. Never really thought about this shrub much but I think my mind has been changed...

France was truly an experience, both in plants and in art. It has really inspired me in many ways. I leave you with a tired Agapanthus gently leaning against the front door at Kerdalo........

Forest Gardening in Totnes

2008-09-06T13:58:00.009+03:00

There was a course ( http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/courses.html#fg) that was offered at the Agroforestry Research Trust Center in Devon, England that I had been interested in for a long time and recently went to. It was geared towards teaching you what a forest garden is, and how to design, put together and maintain one. Martin Crawford was the teacher and has been following the ways of permaculture for a long time.

Martins definition of a forest garden is: a garden modelled on natural woodland, the climax vegetation of temperate climate regions, utilising plants of direct and indirect benefit to people- often edible plants. Forest gardens are long-term biologically sustainable systems for growing food and other products for a household or commercially.

These types of gardens have been around a long time, specifically being practiced in India, Africa and China. I learned that you can put together a garden with the same principles of a wild woodland, through several layers of vegetation, such as canopy trees, small trees, large and small shrubs, herbaceous perennials, climbers and vines, and ground covers and creepers. These are put together in the way that in a natural woodland can create mini-ecosystems which can take care of itself.

This was the entrance to the 2 acre forest garden, which was on site of the course, and is a 13 year old established garden. The idea is to have it be where you get the maximum output for minimum input by creating these ecosystems.

There are many types of things to harvest from a forest garden, such as the obvious-

fruit, nuts, seeds, vegetables, herbs, spices, honey

to the not so obvious- mushrooms, fuelwood, poles/canes, things to use for binding and tying, dying materials, basketry materials, and medicinal plants.

While taking the course, I realized that a good majority of the plants that were being discussed wouldn't be able to grow back home. So I took notes on all that could be used and picked up some interesting tidbits along the way.

What do you do when your bamboo starts to flower? We know that when they flower, that's it, they will shortly die soon after.... Well, the seeds are edible and are good in salads, and a bamboo cane is best cut after it has had the chance to mature for 3 years because then it will be completely lignified and ready for use elsewhere in the garden. But if you cannot wait, when a bamboo shoot is just starting to push itself out of the ground, they are very tender and are edible and good in salads or stir fries at this stage.

Here is the bamboo seed up close.

Then there is the soapberry plant, Shepherdia canadensis, which you can use to make candles from. Below is what it looks like.

Phormiums get huge here, unlike at home, and are a great textile plant. The fibers in the leaves are very strong and can be used to tie things together or stake some plants.
Just cut the leaf at the base and tear the leaf length wise and it is surprisingly sturdy and strong.

Another idea, which was a theory that i had been wondering myself after studying the meadows at Great Dixter, was that nitrogen fixing trees were planted throughout the forest garden. Alders, which are fast growing, are nitrogen fixers and help get other plants established and growing better. I first noticed this in the meadows at Dixter where a legume was growing in the meadow, another nitrogen fixer, and it seemed the other plants growing right next to it were taller and blooming a bit longer than the others of it's kind. I am eager to try this when planting up a garden in the future. This type of planting could benefit plants that could always use that extra boost......

One idea we have all heard of is that planting things on a south facing wall can be very beneficial for some plants, due to the radiant heat it absorbs during the day and then releases at night. A theory one step further, in a way, is that Martin has planted an apple tree which is being espaliered, which you can see attached to the wires. The theory here is that the hedge behind acts as a South facing wall and gives off heat that it has absorbed during the day benefiting the apple at night. Obviously not as good as a south facing wall but better than nothing right?
Here is an apple tree that has about 7 different cultivars of apple grafted onto one rootstock. This idea excited me because this is a great solution for a small urban garden, where space is usually an issue. The thing that I wonder is you have to be careful with the different types of apples you choose because of early types, late types and the fruit size as well. Would all of these grafts eventually exhaust the rootstock too?
While I really enjoyed the course and found the information useful, I would definitely change it a bit to suit my taste and uses. I do look forward to trying an area in whatever garden I have in the future....

Zu's Allotment

2008-09-01T21:23:00.013+03:00

Gardener to Gardener

I met Zu when Great Dixter was helping the local school put together a garden area of raised beds to grow vegetables and flowers with their students. Zu had mentioned that she had an allotment garden and said it would be great to come by and check it out. Since there are allotment gardens everywhere in England I figured it would be the perfect chance to check them out up close.

Name Zuleikha Harrison

How did you get into gardening? Married a man who owned a house with a neglected garden!

What is the size of your allotment garden plot and how long have you had it? Approximately 15 ft x 50 ft.

How does one go about getting an allotment garden plot? Contact your local allotment society or parish council

Why did you decide to pursue having the allotment garden? I have a very small shaded, slug ridden garden at home, where I had difficulty growing any edible crops.

What crops do you typically grow? Have permanent beds for asparagus, artichokes, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrant and blueberries. This year I am growing onions, garlic, potatoes, broad beans, peas, sugar snaps, runner beans, 3 types of French bean, fennel, carrots, beetroot, cabbage, purple sprouting broccoli, spinach, turnips, leeks, squashes, cucumber, tomatoes, chilli peppers, sweet corn, lots of salad crops and herbs and some flowers for cutting.

Have you had an allotment garden elsewhere you have lived? No

What are some of the pests and diseases you have had to deal with growing your own fruit and vegetables? Moles, slugs/snails, badgers who eat sweet corn, asparagus beetle and blackfly

What crop do you generally find the easiest to grow? Beetroot

What is your favourite crop to grow, and your largest yield of a crop? Favourite crop: peas. Largest yield: French beans

Do you have a favourite recipe that look forward to using with your harvests?
Not really, but my favourite day of the year is when I can eat broad beans , peas, asparagus and strawberries all picked ½ hour before dinner.

What are the benefits of having an allotment garden?
Really fresh food, Exercise, Clean air

What worries you about having an allotment? (You had mentioned the credit crunch going on here in England and concerns with people climbing the fence to take vegetables, can you elaborate on this?)
A lot of media speculation that allotments would be targeted by thieves this year, but no real sign of it so far. My main worry about having the allotment is the time commitment. I find it difficult to get away during the growing season

What is it like having a plot amongst so many other gardeners? What are the pros and cons about this?
I like the social aspect of it and the friendships. I have learnt a huge amount from the other gardeners on the allotments. I don’t like weeds and diseases spreading from poorly maintained plots.

What sustainable practices do you use in your allotment?
Compost heaps. All structures and beds are made from recycled wood etc.

Can you leave us with a horticultural tip of the day?
Don’t grow more than you can eat or store in a week. Vegetables are best eaten fresh so only sow a few feet of each crop every three weeks.

Thanks Zu for this and those delicious strawberries!!!