Studiology

A Saint, Some Race Cars, and a Wand.

With only one more day out in the field, finishing the gardens, I have spent time in the studio. A commission had me revisit the Saint of dentistry, which is now completed and will soon be delivered. She is headed for a dental museum.

The parts and process were nearly identical to the first one I built, but no two are exactly alike. A different set of pliers, a variation on the Saint, these all factored together to change the outcome a bit. Here is a link to the first build of Saint Apollonia.

Then I signed up for Michael DeMeng's Hot Wheels class. A small racetrack and some altered Hot Wheels will be in the gallery. Three completed so far and many more planned, it's been a bit of a challenge finding small enough parts to decorate a Hot Wheels car. I mean really, they are only two to three inches long.

Next come more wands and this one is the "Wand of Pegasus". If there is magic here, the symbolism of the winged horse is wisdom, fame , and an attraction to poetry. Once again I used a magnet to hold the wand in place.

November is about change, at least for me. This last freeze laid the gardens down and another year is behind me. There will be many hours working in the Christmas shop at Merrifield Gardens but also more hours for studio time, and I have some lovely things planned to occupy my time. Also a few things in the works that will be announced later. Life is good!

Happy Halloween

Four pumpkins carved. A lovely warm night. Best wishes to everyone for a Happy Halloween. 

And I would like to thank everyone that has bought art from me this year. Here is a photograph from the show with myself and Kathleen Kendall. The show closes today, but it was the best one ever!

October 27

Despite the deary day, I am excited. There are 2 new pieces of art to deliver and I have a fabulous costume. There will be photographs of the "Meet the Artists" reception, but maybe I will see some of you at Art A La Carte, before the day is done. The address is 310 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA (reception is from 2 to 5).

In the late hours of last night, I finished this fabulous piece. Her name is "Fearless Miss Emma', complete with daggers made from fork tines.

She is 24 x 17.5" large, and the wheel turns.  To say that this was a complicated piece of art to build is an understatement. Magnets hold her in the upright position. 

I also finished another wand, this one is the "Wand of Spirituality'. Created with a Hindu deity and rosary beads, as well as a glass eye, it's for spiritual health, prosperity, and balance. 

A magnet also hold the wand in place, she can be lifted off and replaced as needed.

These join the show for October, the "Admit One Show" which is circus themed. My dear friend Kathleen Kendall has also created circus art, which includes oil paintings and clay figures that have moving parts. Together we have put together a large body of art that we are truly proud of. No small task! We have already decided to move forward with another joint show for next year with a theme of sea or ocean. Title will be announced in time, it's only a year away.

Mild in the Middle

It's that time of year when the woolly caterpillars are traveling. I'm not sure if they do it for several months, or I just remember that they cross the highways in September. As a naturalist, or a lover of nature, I veer a bit as I drive, trying to avoid smashing them.

Woolly caterpillars don't seem to be going in any one direction. Yesterday I saw two pass each other, one traveling east, and the other west. Folklore will tell you that if their all headed south, winter will be cold. Folklore will also tell you that the bands of black and brown can predict when winter will be cold or mild. 

The common woolly caterpillar is the larvae of the tiger moth. In this case the term "common" is key, there are over 200 species of tiger moths. The scientific name for the one that so frequently crosses the road is Pyrrhactia isabella or the Isabella tiger moth. She, and I will always think of her as a she, was born from an egg in fall. 

These seemingly misdirected wanderers are looking for a place to spend the winter, a dark and sheltered spot. The bristles act like insulation, slowing down the effects of freezing temperatures. Internally the caterpillar won't freeze, a chemical protects them, in fact they can survive -90 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In their larval stage there are many food choices. Preferences are dandelions, sunflowers, nettles, and greens like cabbage, and spinach. The actual Isabella tiger moth will emerge from a cocoon in spring, living a few days and laying eggs for the generation before these October babies. 

There are 13 segments or little ridges on their body, we also have thirteen weeks of winter (December 21 - March 20), hence the belief that they can predict our winter weather. Typically you have black bands at each end and brown in the middle. Black means cold, brown means less cold, or milder. 

Some of the most profoundly intelligent gardeners will rely on the markings of the wooly caterpillar to predict winter. Of course there are other indicators; the thickness of an acorn shell and/or the height of a bees nest, which is best expressed with this old rhyme;  "See how high the hornets’ nest, twill tell how high the snow will rest". 

I decided a long time ago that I was a terrible predictor of winter. Those of us that have outdoor jobs are often relied upon for this kind of predictive power. Of course I observe the wooly caterpillars as they cross my path, and the bee's nests, and numerous other age old beliefs. But I don't count those wooly bands and mark my calendar, or crack open an acorn and measure its shell. 

Knowingly or unknowingly, the wooly caterpillar has been right for a couple of years, or at least pretty darn close. Last winter came in very cold and fast, February say a big thaw, and March was rudely cold. So cold was last March and the March before that I have come to expect it. 

Giving the weatherman some credit, the real prediction is for a milder winter with a weak El Nino. Today’s woolly caterpillar sported a thin black band for late December, a long brown band, and then a nasty looking black band to end it all. Seems pretty clear to me, but then I don't make these predictions.

A New Season

There will be a nip in the air before the week is done. That will begin the process of closing my garden, digging special plants and remembering a summer of rain. It appears to be somewhat of a mast year, with plenty of acorns, persimmons, and walnuts. Is it a cycle (as they say), or the lack of a summer drought? 

The garden will be missed, it was extra good this year. Well, my night garden was good, the vegetable garden was fair and my wildflower garden was bleh. In the night garden I saw three peaks, with the mid-summer one rivaling anything I have ever seen before. A peak night (which is usually two) means that all three brugmansias were blooming as well an numerous other things, like my night blooming cereus and moon vine. The third peak is just ending and it was lovely.

With fleeting night flowers, the wheelbarrow gets filled up as they fade. 

There were some different visitors to the garden, and all were welcome. Besides the countless monarchs (yay!!), there were white lined sphinx moths and many other butterflies. 

Monarchs built their chrysalises on the fence, under leaves, on my wheelbarrow handles, and under the garden benches.

As is the way, I try many tropical plants in my raised beds and another flower that performed well was the pea vine, which might as well be the pee vine. The proper name is Clitorea ternatea 'Alba', as you might imagine.

And with the onset of fall, I will share a few photographs from the workshop that was just held at Merrifield Garden Center. A wreath making workshop, taught by myself and Wilson, it was loads of fun and everyone's wreath came out beautiful! 

Wilson and I will be teaming up again to guide folks in the creation of a Thanksgiving centerpiece. The class is on Saturday, November 17th and you can sign up here. Timed so it's just a week before Thanksgiving, everything will be fresh and beautiful.

This weekend  (Saturday, the 13th of October) is the Fall Harvest Festival at the Gainesville location of Merrifield Garden Center, and it's free too! A great lineup of speakers with the famous Ruth Clausen, myself, and Kim Scott. I have rehearsed and rehearsed, it will be so good. Here is a link so take a gander.

October Art News

The Admit One Show opens today at Art A La Carte in Occoquan, Virginia. A reception will be held on Saturday, October 27th, from 2 t0 5 with wine tastings and treats.  There are 23 new pieces of art in this show, which includes a handful of altered Pez dispensers. 

The big pieces have become a body of work that I am really proud of, they include a palm reader, a trapeze artist and a juggler. I used so much red paint building this show that I actually ran out. 

So if your in the quaint little town of Occoquan, please stop by 310 Mill Street to check it out. The town holds a "Haunt the Town" on the same day as my reception, so there will adults and children in costume. 

And for a really big announcement, the Art A La Carte Gallery has a new website and you can buy my art directly from the website. I will ship anywhere! So here is that link: https://artalacarte.artstorefronts.com/karen-rexrode

New items will be placed on the website on a regular basis, in fact a few will up shortly. So visit again.

A Froggy Summer

When the rains arrived in spring, a bright yellow contractor’s wheelbarrow filled up and over flowed as it sat in the yard. Within two weeks there were tadpoles swimming around, enjoying the six cubic feet of water (44.883 gallons), and that ended the need to use the wheelbarrow. Summer arrived and still it rained. Not once have I needed to cap off the water in my frog pond on wheels. Eventually I gave them a water hyacinth (maturing baby frogs like to climb on something), and an emergency spill over bowl. Tadpoles will wriggle over the edge in heavy rains, which seems so counterintuitive. What they're eating is a mystery to me, maybe little bits of green slime on the edge of their yellow plastic house.

Another frog pond is a welcome sight; there are two others that have functioned as frog nurseries for years. On any pleasant day with elevated humidity they trill and twerp and I like to think it's all my doing. My house sits on a hill and the best way to describe the habitat is a dry upland. From a frog's point of view, it might be less than ideal; they prefer low, squishy places. Not only have I afforded them water bowls to live in but a reliable food source, namely the moths that are attracted to my night flowering plants. 

Next to the night garden is my studio, which is as delightful as my garden and causes lapses in focus when the fragrance rises to heady proportions. Inside of the studio there are very bright lights, which shine out the windows and door luring moths and beetles, which in turn bring hungry frogs. When the lights are turned off and the hour is late, walking in the dark is more like tiptoeing; all for fear that I might step on one. The occasional frog scream tells me I missed another one and they jump to safety. 

Using a flashlight would make sense and maybe I'll remember one before summer is over or before I accidentally step on a frog. Never before has this been such an issue and speaks to the rain we've received all summer. 

My tropical gardens have loved the rain, but some of my favorite perennials have not. A few asters developed black leaves and had to be cut to the ground before they even flowered. The peonies have a serious case of peony botrytis so it's imperative that you remove all of their leaves as you cleanup this fall. Any signs of black spot or leaf fungus will also entail the removal of leaves as they fall to the ground. The spores are alive and will reconstitute themselves with rains next spring. 

With each season there are pluses and minuses. Gardeners are appreciative of the rain, it's a plus. And if you had told me that I would have a frog pond in a wheelbarrow, well that's just nonsense!

Good Golly!

Today is my wedding anniversary, my 40th wedding anniversary! Our wedding was with the Justice of the Peace in Leesburg, Virginia. At the time we were living in a trailer, hoping to buy some land. I was working at Kenny Roberts Garden Center and he was working at Stone Truck Equipment in Fairfax. We shared a car and a tow truck, which I occasionally drove. My love of plants swallowed me. I had quit college, which were night classes in art, to dedicate my time to nursery work. 

On our honeymoon I carried along a night blooming cereus because it was going to flower that night. Funny huh?! 

Now, 40 years later, my love of plants has not diminished. Nor my love of night blooming plants. In that time we owned a nursery, but we had considered alternate ways to make a living. One was driving big rigs and another was owning a garage and doing special custom work. Like painting and hot rod stuff. 

At this time, the "Ruby Anniversary" all is well. We live on a big piece of land and I have an art studio and a life in horticulture. He makes compost commercially, and generally lives the country life. His hearing is not as good as it used to be, we both need reading glasses, and I'm kind of selfish about what I want. I've been told I'm hard headed, and that may be. 

A Celebration of Life

I'm leaving for a little trip, dubbed a celebration of life, my traveling companions are my sisters. The reasons are two; we are all healthy, and what better time to celebrate? Secondly, my parents estate is finalized and we made it through both parents passing and the settlement of a life estate without losing affection for each other. A tall order in anyone's book. 

The plans are to head to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and then North Carolina for a little rest and relaxation in the mountains. The usual hyperventilation is happening just before a trip away from home.

My garden is in hyperdrive and the monarch caterpillars are eating every little bit of the milkweed! They have even taken to eating my Tweedia caerulea, which is the blue flowering milkweed, a very rare occurrence. 

And the saying is definitely true, build it and they will come. The sphinx moths, butterflies, toads, and frogs are alive and well in the oasis I have built. Everyday I see at least two female monarchs laying eggs, so the feasting is not over. I'll be happy for a little "me" time, but will have the garden in mind, excited to come back and see what a week brings. If nothing else, there will be lots and lots of new chrysalises. 

 

Lectures, Events, and Workshops for Fall

I have some interesting events coming up this fall. Here is the roundup of dates and topics. Many are free, a few have a materials fee or a registration fee. Links are provided.

Saturday, September 29th at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, VA

I will be joining Kathy Jentz in a "Shade Garden Intensive" lecture, mine will be on plant combinations for the shade garden, Kathy will talk about plants for dry shade. There is a $39. registration fee, the program runs from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Kathy Jentz is the editor of the Washington Gardener magazine, so I think this will be a fun day! You can register here.

Monday, October 1st at Art A La Carte

The show opens! Two artists, one show, this year I am joined by Kathleen Kendall and we have worked together for the whole year on a circus themed art show. She is an oil painter and figurative ceramics artist, I will be displaying my assemblage art, which will include a lineup of circus themed Pez dispensers. If you follow me on Instagram, you can look up #admitoneshow and see photographs of the artwork and eventually the show.

  Sunday, October 7th at the Fair Oaks branch of Merrifield Garden Center.

This is a workshop, I will be working with Wilson Vertin, the floral arranger at the Fair Oaks store, to help participants create a fall wreath. There is a $40. materials fee and limited registration. Held from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, we will be working with a grape vine base and decorating it with artificial (yet organic style) items. You can register here.

Saturday, October 13th at the Gainesville branch of Merrifield Garden Center

This is Merrifield's Fall Harvest Festival. There will be food and wine tastings and a great lineup of speakers. The event is free, the time is 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM. My lecture is on "Pollinators", more specifically the ways that plants function to get what they want. Of course this can't go without talking about the players that make it happen. Other speakers include Ruth Clausen, a well known author and lecturer, Bonnie McDaniel, also an author, and Kim Scott who will speak on "Native Plants for Fall". Ruth Clausen will be speaking on "The Impact of Public Gardens", specifically the Delaware Botanic Gardens, which are all the buzz in the horticultural world but haven't even opened yet. This is a very exciting event, don't miss it! You can get more information here.

Saturday, October 27th at Art A La Carte Gallery

Meet the artists at the gallery, myself and Kathleen, as we talk about the techniques behind our art. The reception is from 2:00 PM to 5 PM with wine tastings and finger food. Come in costume, we will. The address is: 310 Mill Street, Occoquan, VA. #admitoneshow

 

Sunday, October 28th at the Fair Oaks branch of Merrifield Garden Center

I'm flying solo on this one, a lecture on "Perennial Companions". I will be talking about my favorite perennial combinations from spring to fall, plants that grow well together and look good while they do. The time is 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM and it's free with no registration required. You can read more about it here.

Saturday, November 17th at the Fair Oaks branch of Merrifield Garden Center

Working with Wilson Vertin, the floral designer at the Fair Oaks store, this will be a Thanksgiving Holiday table arrangement workshop. Everyone will be taking home their own creation, built after a demonstration and some hands on assistance. There is a $60. materials fee and registration is required because there is limited space. I have worked on two prior floral workshops with Wilson and they are really fun. Plus you get to take home your own creation, just in time for Thanksgiving. You can register here.