Ilona's Garden Journal -Garden Blogging

Chihuly Reimagined at Franklin Park Conservatory

While not getting to all the events we wanted to this Holiday season, we did manage an after Christmas trip to the Franklin Park Conservatory. I have a number of picture posts to make, but the first thing I wanted to highlight was the medley of art glass and botanical beauty that is so well melded in the Chihuly exhibitions that Franklin Park Conservatory presents.

I think this is the perfect winter mix, and complements the fun Butterfly exhibit during the warmer months. These glass sculptures are like tropical flowers bursting forth from the foliage and lend excitement to already fascinating plantings throughout the Conservatory's Victorian Palm House, Orchid house, and global climate zone areas (although there are plenty of other sculptures tucked here and there and powerfully displayed in the main court).

There were poinsettias for added color, but they were not a strong presence compared with the glass art. In a basement exhibit are were Gingerbread houses of all sorts for a very Christmas-sy display. Pictures of that, later. For now, Chihuly collages and the poinsettias:

More about Franklin Park Conservatory at their website. The Chihuly exhibit continues through March 28, 2010.

Dear Readers

Since this is the beginning of a New Year (2010 woot,woot!), I was hoping for input from the readers and passers-by of this blog. What would give you more pleasure and value from coming to this journal? If you would please take time to comment and give whatever suggestion occur to you, I would love to take them into consideration as I plant the direction of the posts here.
Morguefile photo

Thanks for all the readership and support of this year. Comments, especially, make a blog worth reading and writing for me, so thanks so much for those who gave their most valuable resource -their time. Thank you for those who signed up as friends, and all the camaraderie of my fellow garden bloggers, too.

Thanks, as well, to Joanne for her touching and able writing, to John for his input, and many others, some who get mention here.... but all are appreciated:

...and all the rest of you that I might not have listed! May we have more link love in the coming year.
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The end of '09 saw an increase in spammers here- so in getting rid of some of them, I accidentally deleted a comment or two that wasn't supposed to go :(

I am so sorry for that, and will be more careful in the future- because as I said, comments from readers are one of the best things in the blog experience in my opinion.

Spammers are the bane of blogging.
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The Garden This Year

Now is my prime garden planning time. When I make my New Year's Resolutions (and I do, since I find them a very helpful way to mark progress), the garden finds its place on the priority list. In 2010, it is not just place, but the plan for the garden which changes. Food gardening will be rising a couple notches in the emphasis of efforts again this year.

I'm not sure how much of the energy/time pie gardening will get, but I am sure that I will spend much more of my efforts on food growing once again. Last year, there were more disappointments than I liked to see, but a new season means there are more opportunities, and hopes, for a successful crop. Here are a few things I want to work on in the garden this coming year.

Strawberries. I hope to plant a strawberry patch in the garden once again.
Tomatoes. Although I like heirlooms, this year I will not make the mistake of overlooking the reliability of 'Better Boys '.
Gourds. I want to have some for crafts. And maybe some Indian corn, too.
Swiss Chard. This is so easy and tasty that there is no reason for me to be without it this year. I was just lazy last year to have not planted it.
I want paths, and raised beds in my vegetable garden. I want something more permanent and good looking.
I saved some pruned tree branches... and want to actually make some tuteurs this year. Solid ones (although my flimsy looking one turned out to be quite sturdy- it is still standing ). I just have to handle a saw and hammer with confidence.
Three sisters. Going to try this traditional combination of companion planting: corn, beans, and squash.
I'm tired of life jerking me around- I plan to take more time in the garden this year. It rejuvenates me, and centers me....some of my best thinking and revelation comes when doing the mundane tasks of weeding, hoeing, and just tending the plantings of my beds and borders.

Enjoy the garden...enjoy life....
Those are some of my resolutions for the coming gardening year. I guess I shouldn't refer to obligations as "life jerking me around", since many of those obligations arise from things I chose to put into my life. It just seems as though those things grow all out of proportion to the space given them, and weigh me down and pull at me to the point where I have no time for the things I really enjoy.

I'm going to look at how to avoid that as much in this year... as I have far less years to work with than I might like....

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Winter Landscape

After Christmas day rains, we again had snowfall and the ground and trees were trimmed with a confectioners icing of powdered snow. It sifted down and clung to all the branches with little puffs in the crooks and crannies of the shrubs.

Since most of that took place in the night hours I took no new pictures of it. but thought I would post more of the early morning photos from the first lot.

From Ilona's Garden Journal

Christmas day

after a night of chill, 50 degree rain, today there is clear golden morning light.
when i got in firewood, it was almost pleasant outside, so i skipped my early
coffee/computer rituals and went for a walk with my horse. i have been trying
to comfort rosa with long grooming sessions. for years, i was a massage therapist
and touch is one of the most healing thing for fright and pain. horse-buddies often
groom each-other and she has settled down slowly, relaxing from the shock.
now, we must both come to terms with our loss and
be companions in each-other's healing.

we walked all over the fields and up the hill to the high spot, and the
persimmon grove.. it was their favorite spot for loafing in the shade
in summer, and gorging on sticky sweet wild fruit in early winter.
i had made a small grapevine wreath with bright trailing ribbons,
and i hung it on a high branch there. rosa is very gentle and she stood
right with me. from now on, our memorial to a wild free-spirited friend
will wave in the breeze.
rosa ambles alongside me like a dog; we came on back, and out into
my yard. she likes to walk around free, and pick at any tender green
grass she can find.

there was a whiff of 'tea-olive' [osmanthus sp.] in the air, the sweet scent from
such tiny flowers thoroughly permeates the moist cool atmosphere. i see a few
bright yellow flowers opening on the rock wall's hedge of 'chinese' or 'winter' jasmine.
before long, the pale waxy blooms will cover the giant 'winter honeysuckle' bush
[lonicera fragrantissima] - so fragrant, it's almost intoxicating!
this Christmas morning has been the most peaceful time i have felt,
after this long week, past.
it's the spell of mild winters and redbirds and wild holly berries.
in almost every season rural georgia smells like flowers...

and then it will be february.

vty, j-lea
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