Camellias: Beautiful blooms for fall and winter

Camellia covered path

While I was playing with my daughter in our backyard yesterday evening, I noticed something; a single bloom on my camellia.  It seems a bit early in the season, but it looks like the blooming has begun.

First bloom of the season

My camellias are very large and for all I know may have been planted when the house was built back in the 1950's.  Before we moved in they were the focal point of the backyard, but then my husband had to build a garage and that pretty much blocked the plants.   Growing up in Memphis you didn't see too many camellias as the climate is a bit too cool, so I am thrilled to have my own camellias, even if they are hidden behind the garage.

Bring inside and enjoy!

Camellias are an old-fashioned plant, but they are so beautiful and I wish they were used more.  Camellias bloom in white, pink and red and are often the only thing blooming in the winter.  How nice would it be to go out on a crisp morning, cut a few blooms and place them in a vase for your home or just float a few blooms in a shallow bowl.

Camellia espalier

For those interested in growing your own camellias there are two types of  camellias that are commonly used in the landscape: Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua.  Did you know that tea comes from a camellia?  It comes from the Camellia sinensis (which you don't want to grow).  Camellias can be used in various ways: as an accent shrub, in a mass planting, in a container, as a hedge or espaliered on a wall.  Camellias prefer light shade, but sasanquas can tolerate sun as well.  Camellias are evergreen and have beautiful, glossy leaves which are attractive even when it is not the blooming season.

If you are in the Orlando area you should visit Leu Gardens as they have one of the largest collections of camellias in the US on display with over 200 cultivars. Leu Gardens 

Singapore's Botanic Gardens; Worthy of a royal visit

This week the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge aka Will and Kate traveled to Singapore as part of their tour of Southeast Asia.  One stop on their trip was to the Singapore Botanic Gardens to view an orchid that was named for William's mother, Diana.  An orchid was also named for Will and Kate.

Three years ago I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work in Singapore and I too visited the botanic gardens.  Despite my profession, I have not been to very many botanic gardens, but I will say that it will be hard to top the gardens in Singapore.  With Singapore being so close to the equator the vegetation is lush and exotic. If I recall correctly entrance into the gardens is free, but you must pay a small fee to visit the National Orchid Garden. It is worth your five dollars (which is really more like $3.50 USD) to go see this outstanding exhibit.  

 The gardens were founded in 1859 as a place where the residents of Singapore could go to relax.  In the 1920's the director of the gardens started a program that bred and hybridized orchids.  This research, along with all of the new varieties of orchids produced, became the basis for the orchid industry we know today.  The botanic gardens have also led the way in the greening of Singapore by providing a variety of plant materials to be used in roadside plantings and in Singapore's parks.  In my personal opinion these efforts were successful as every road and Singapore is absolutely beautiful.  

To see more about Will and Kate's trip : William and Kate in Singapore  To read more about Singapore's Botanic Gardens: Singapore Botanic Gardens

In LA they'll trade you 400 trees for a space shuttle

Discovery-April 2010

If you never saw a space shuttle launch then you missed out on a truly unique experience.  The first time I saw the space shuttle hurling towards space was early morning the day after Easter 2010.  I was reluctant to wake up early to see Atlantis take off as I had a new baby and I really needed all the sleep I could get,  yet I mustered up the energy to walk out of my house before the dawn broke to see shuttle take off carrying astronauts into space.  

 

Sleeping through history 

Several months later we went to Cape Canaveral to watch another launch in person.  As the shuttle program was coming to a close, the atmosphere was both festive and a bit depressed.  I was happy that we were able to take our then three month old daughter with us to witness such an event even if she would never remember the experience (but that is why we take photos).  

Atlantis takes off

Today the space shuttle program has ended and the space shuttles have gone to find homes at museums all over the country.  Endeavour, will be going to the California Science Center in Los Angeles.  While I am sure the people of LA will be happy to have the Endeavor on exhibit, it comes with a price.  In order to get Endeavour to the museum, 400 trees along the route to the museum must be cut down so that this oversized load can pass.   You can read more about it here: Tree removal for space shuttle arrival tempers excitement.  

While I commend the city for their plans to replace the removed trees 2:1, the negative effects of removing these large trees will be felt for years, even decades to come as the newer, much smaller trees grow.  I have a feeling that the trees that must be removed provide some of the nicer scenery along the 12 miles of road where the space shuttle must pass.  These same trees shade homes and lower energy bills where money may be limited.  The space shuttle is certainly part of history, but so too are the trees.  As the article states "Taking the massive shuttle apart would have damaged the delicate tiles that acted as heat sensors".  That may be true, but seeing as the Endeavour is retired and will never fly again, I don't see why the integrity of the heat sensors is so important.  It appears to me that the removal of 400 trees that are still thriving and people who live and work along this route should have been given a higher priority.  

Mmmmm...Mojitos

Today is Tuesday, but thanks to Labor Day yesterday it feels a lot like Monday.  On the other hand I know it is Tuesday because it is taco day in my house.  We don't eat tacos every Tuesday, but for some reason we always make tacos on Tuesday.  Although I don't like to drink on a week night (this is mainly a calorie thing for me) I am making an exception today because I want a mojito with my tacos.

I love mojitos, but I often notice that they won't make them for you at bars because they never have any mint.  I have solved this little dilemma at home by growing my own.  As my last post illustrates I have not had the best luck with my kitchen garden, but when it come to herbs, I excel.  In the case of mint it is worth noting that it will spread like a weed (yeah, it's that easy to grow) so I have planted mine in a pot.  Not only does planting it in a pot keep my mint from taking over, but it also keeps my dogs from lifting a leg on it (as they do with the flowers that I would love to cut and bring in, but cannot due to their odor).  For those who have never enjoyed a mojito or have not attempted to make one at home, here is my basic recipe:

Mojito
1-2 springs of mint (by sprig I mean the stem and the leaves, about 3 inches long)
1/2 lime-cut into wedges
1-2oz of rum (light or dark)
2 teaspoons sugar
ice
club soda

In a tall glass place lime wedges, mint (I add the stems too, but you can just use the leaves), sugar and rum.  Muddle with a muddler or crush with a wooden spoon until the lime is juiced and the mint is well bruised.  Add ice to the top of the glass and then fill with club soda.  Stir.  Garnish with some mint (if you like being fancy) and enjoy!

Our Kitchen Gardens: Then and Now

Gardening: A family tradition. My Grandma Brook with her brother in 1940 

As a child I remember my father taking me to the farmer's market on Saturday mornings.  This was a true farmer's market and not the type of urban farmer's market we go to today.  There stood stall after stall of fruits and vegetables.  The backs of trucks were brimming with produce. These were real farmers who sat there chewing tobacco and speaking in thick country accents that I struggled to understand.  You didn't go to buy one or two tomatoes or a pint of blueberries; you purchased a bushel at a time. We would buy Ripley tomatoes or sweet corn in the summer, in the fall we'd go select pumpkins for Halloween.  While I never saw the farms themselves I knew where fruits and veggies came from and it wasn't a can or a jar.  

My dad watering the yard and my little brother c. 1993

At home my dad had a garden that he planted every year.  Every year we had tomatoes, Better Boys being his favorite to grow.  We also grew eggplant, squash, peppers or whatever else he thought might grow.  This was not an elegant garden.  He did eventually fence it off, but that was due to the fact that the dogs kept getting in and eating his tomatoes. Although I wasn't really into gardening at this time (after all I was probably eight years old) I did like to grow strawberries and dad made me my own little patch flanked by miniature rose bushes that I also selected.  I remember not understanding why my strawberries weren't as big as the strawberries we bought at the store and I also remember being so mad when slugs ate the strawberries that I was waiting on patiently to ripen.  

Trial and error:  Happy basil, but no tomatoes

We also grew peaches-that never turned out all that well and got attacked by worms, we had blackberry bushes that I'm pretty sure planted themselves and tore up my hands when I would go pick the fruit.  We had a big plum tree in the back yard that made more plums than anyone would ever want to eat and we experimented with raspberries and blueberries.  Most of the time these plants thrived and we got a decent amount of produce out our (OK, my dad's) efforts.  All of this was done without any irrigation, special planting beds or compost. On the other hand I don't think the garden was all that organic as I remember dad spraying the trees or plants while wearing a mask.  Regardless, the fruits and veggies grew and we ate them. 

It looks like the backyard/kitchen garden is really seeing a revival these days and it is being done with a lot more style than when I was growing up. We are now planting kitchen gardens because we want to grow food, not necessarily because we need to.  In the past people grew their own food or many reasons: the depression,  food shortages during WWII or just plain need.  Now we grow because we want eat organic (without paying Whole Foods prices) or we want a hobby that is rewarding. Many of the newer gardens have beautiful raised beds, rain barrels or a drip irrigation system to provide proper irrigation and a compost heap used to amend the soil.   I love that people want to grow some of their own food.  It will teach you patience and teach your children to appreciate the land and understand the origins of their food.  It can also be a bit show-offish which I suppose is OK, but come on we are talking about farming!  Growing your own food, even on a small scale, is hard and dirty work. I recently became acquainted with Williams-Somoma's Agarian line and it could inspire anyone to pick up trowel and get to planting.  Everything is so beautiful and inviting. It's even made me consider setting up a chicken coop, but I don't think the chickens and the dogs will get along.  If you haven't had a chance to see these products here is the link: williams-sonoma agrarian 

So I say, whatever your motivation, may it be healthier eating or showing off your green thumb I encourage everyone to try a few plants and enjoy the fruits (or veggies) of your labor.  

31st Street Harbor Chicago-Best Playground Ever!

The Roller Slide. Weeeeeee!

While on a recent trip to Chicago we had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport. Once upon a time, my husband and I would have just gone to a bar, but now we have a child. We had already been to two zoos during this trip, including the beautiful and free Lincoln Park Zoo,  in an effort to entertain both our child and ourselves and now we needed to find another family friendly activity that would wear out our highly active two year old.  Not really knowing what to do we decided to just start driving south along Lakeshore Drive as this was the general direction we needed to go to get to Midway Airport.  We saw a playground so we decided to stop.

How do you work this thing?

As soon as my daughter saw the playground she was off and running.  What immediately struck me was the quality of the playground, the unique play equipment and the beautiful setting right on Lake Michigan with views of the skyline.  We simply don't have it this good at home!  I know I should consider myself lucky that we have a large backyard where my child can play anytime, but Chicago has really done right by their residents by providing so many wonderful parks.  The 31st Street Harbor Marina and Park is no exception.  By far the most popular piece of equipment was a slide that instead of being your typical piece of molded plastic was instead a set of rollers.  My daughter loved hearing her voice vibrate as she slid down. What was also different is that the slide was wide enough to accommodate two kids at once.  Double the fun!  There were several other other unique slides as well.  One was your typical plastic slide, except it was very long and formed into a hill so you need not worry about your child falling over the side and cracking open their head.  The other slide was simply two rails in parallel.  Kids drape a leg over each rail and slide down.  This kind of equipment allows a child to experience things in a different way and makes them think about how it should be used as opposed to just going through the usual motions.  I'll be honest, had there not been a ton of kids and adults there I would have been trying out all of this equipment myself.  In addition to the slides there were swings, a rock climbing wall, an area of stacked rocks for climbing (that looked a bit dangerous, but I appreciate this kind of design), and lots of equipment to climb on. Plenty to do for kids of all ages and abilities.  

Can anyone spot the trees that don't quite fit?

While I have only good things to say about the playground itself there was one thing that struck me as odd.  The brightly painted trees.  I know that some designer thought this was a great idea, something different, perhaps a landmark of sorts, but I found that they added little to the area other than making you wonder why they are there. The other thing I really liked about this park is that it is part of a trail system along Lake Michigan. For those of us who like to walk or run it is always nice to have a place to stop or something new to look at as you jog. Apparently, when Chicago failed in their bid for the summer 2016 Olympics they still decided to build this park which would have been where the sailing events would have been held.  The marina contains 1,000 boat slips which I'm sure were needed and provided a significant economic reason for going ahead with the construction of this $130M marina and park.  

Falling asleep in the swing=time to go

After about an hour we decided it was time to leave and of course our child was in tears as she still had more to explore. I agree, there is so much more to explore and I hope to be able to return to Chicago to revisit not only the 31st Street Harbor Park, but perhaps check out some of the Chicago's other parks.  I have yet to be disappointed   

Take that Mosquitoes!

I am popular.  Very popular.  With mosquitoes.  It has been this way since I was a little girl and to this day if you don't want to get bitten then just stand next to me and you will be fine.  When I came across this article on the Garden Design website I thought I needed to share it with all the other popular people out there.  Here's the link:  Mosquito Repellent Plants

Most of these plants are easy to find and easy to grow.  I currently have rosemary and basil growing in my garden.  I planted these mostly for their culinary uses, but if they could possibly repel mosquitoes that is even better!  I will also say, that even though I do have some of these plants in my yard I also still have an overabundance of mosquitoes.  Perhaps I need to conduct a little experiment where I stand next to the rosemary and see if I can walk away ten minutes later without a bite.