Studiology

Garden Seminar This Weekend

I will be offering a garden lecture titled "Garden Flow" on Saturday, the  2nd of March at Merrifield Gardens, the Gallows location. The address is:

8132 Lee Hwy.

Merrifield, Va 22116

(703) 560-6222

The lecture is free!

This topic is one I feel very strongly about, in a nut shell it's about the natural flow of nature.  I believe that our brain is hard wired to expect nature's flow, think grass growing, wood splitting, and water flowing. I have interpreted this so that you can better understand the elements involved and rework them to make your garden a place that begs entrance, where a visitor might want to wander further. 

New Orleans

After 9 days in New Orleans I feel richer in so many ways. Hard pressed to say what's best about this rich old city, our guide Katherine Engen  wasted no time in showing us (once again), the greatest places to eat, drink and see art. I arrived early for the workshop with Michael deMeng so I could settle in and tour at my own pace. The hotel was right on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter where the streets are packed, especially on weekend nights, with party people. Street signs advertise "Huge Ass Beers" , hand grenades, jello shots, etc.... It's the town of extreme indulgence. But oh, there's so much more!

Jackson Square is the historic park where the St. Louis Cathedral sits, surrounded by the oldest apartments in the country.

 Little shops surround the square where I fell in love with this mask, but alas it was $395. From France, the little gems are Swarovski, hence the price.

A few Mardi Gras decorations were still up, blending in with the incredible architecture and tropical plants. 

New Orleans is in zone 8b for gardening which means it may go as low as 15 degrees, which I find hard to believe since the gardens were filled with philodendrons, dracaenas and other tropicals.

Russelia equisetiformis or firecracker plant, one of my very favorite tender plants. 

Almost every morning I walked to Camellia Grill for breakfast. 

The entire staff puts on a show, you can't help but fall in love with Camellia Grill where you're entertained as you eat.

In the wee hours of the morning street cleaning machines wash and vacuum up the previous nights party debris. One particular morning it took awhile for Bourbon Street to be cleared. Some poor woman lost her shoe and I assume had to limp back. Yuk!

Signs in the bars ask patrons not to carry glass bottles out and leave plastic cups on the bar for those that want to leave with a drink. It's all very laid back. One year I was with this same group for a workshop and we asked a policeman what was the best way to get to the parade route for Krewe du vieux, he asked us if we were going to drink and then politely suggested that we put our name and address on a paper and keep it in a pocket. 

I will be posting about some of the great art galleries in town as well as the music and food. 

New Orleans Again

I arrived in New Orleans yesterday, here to attend another Michael DeMeng workshop. This is my third trip here, all for the same reason, assemblage art taught by the master. The third time around is much different than the first two. No real need to consume hurricanes, absinthe or "huge ass beers". Watching other people do so, now that's fun. 

Nikki Blackwood has been our tour guide, a local artist with a real passion for New Orleans and its history. And what a rich history this gorgeous city has. Here are just a few highlights from today.

A skeleton fortune telling machine.

The trumpet player that never moves in Jackson Square.

Beads everywhere.

A keyhole in one of the many cemeteries.

Breakfast at Camellias, in the French Quarter.

 A couple of Michael's pieces in the Nouvelle Lune Gallery.

And Nikki with her effervescent smile.

More to come folks!

Snowdrops

My exotic, rare snowdrops aren't blooming yet, but they will be soon. There is a new source for purchasing snowdrops in the United States and it's in Pennsylvania.  She even sells the rare yellow hybrid "Wendy's Gold' which normally sells for $100. a bulb, Carolyn had it for $75. , and trust me, it's been sold out! Galanthus don't always propagate readily, especially these lovely little freaks of nature, ahem... glorious hybrids. Here is a link to Carolyn's Shade Garden and her blog which offers a snowdrop catalog. You can email her to request specific species or hydrids, and the best part, there is a photo gallery on her site. Many are already sold out but you can bookmark the site for future purchases.  

I show a few of my favorites in this photograph, going from left to right:

 'Sharlockii', nivalis  flore pleno, viridapice, 'Elphin', 'Cordelia' and 'Blewbury Tart'

Primrose

I have had primrose on the mind. For days I have been thinking about these early spring bloomers, and I can't stop. So I decided to sit down and scan some old slides of primroses that I have known and loved but don't have anymore. Before I owned digital cameras,  I shot with slide film. I also had the nursery, which always had a healthy supply of primula, especially this time of year. They would be tucked in a cold frames or a cold greenhouse and would be plump with promise. One of my very favorites was the tiny Primula frondosa. So small that I used to joke that the entire plant, in full flower could fit in a match box. We did have an especially small species, it could easily have been planted in a sewing thimble, and it was a super grower. I never lost this primrose to summer heat, but, I did baby it. The foliage was covered in farina or white powder. When water droplets landed in the crown, they would be covered with small grains of powder. The flowers were a medium purple which was gorgeous against the whitish leaves.

Primula frondosa grows in Scandinavia and Bulgaria where it is found growing beside springs. I sure the water is very frigidly cold when they naturally bloom, which is late March and early April. The best place for them is in a trough or hyper tuffa container. Eventually they become a wonderful cluster of little white crowns that can easily be divided. You have to be careful what you plant with them, even snowdrops would be enormous in comparison.

I am sure that I grew mine from seed from The Primrose Society. Plant the tiny seed in potting soil with a collar of fine grit. They are easy from seed and some day I will order more and begin again. 

Another favorite primrose was given to me by a customer and it was a deliciously dainty primrose that I never had enough to split and share. It is Primula vulgaris, but not your regular Primula vulgaris. This one was a hose in hose which means it would have one flower inside another. The names comes from the way stockings (hose) were folded or stored, one inside another with the top one turned down. There are other primroses that have hose in hose type flowers, but none more lovely than this special little plant that was gifted to me. The flowers looked up at you, rather than hang down. Alas, it's long gone and finding another as special as this would be difficult. 

Primroses will be offered for sale soon, available everywhere, even the grocery store. Most of these are English primrose or Primula acaulis. Not as heat tolerant as Asian species or the two I have mentioned. Growers have gotten very good at growing them to perfection with enormous flowers in many colors. If you decide to try them, I will add that the yellows are the most fragrant. Plant them in the coldest part of your garden. Make note of the last place the snow melts to find the right spot. These English hybrids have none of the daintiness of the species and getting them to live through summer is a challenge.  If you really want to plant a primrose that can take the heat, look for species from Japan and China. Of these I have very good luck with Primula sieboldii and Primula kisoana, both of which I will highlight as they come into flower in the garden. In another month and a half, SO far away... drats! 

Art Shows this Weekend

There will be 2 receptions this weekend for shows that contain a lot of new art. The first will be in Leesburg at Art Square. 

I have 5 pieces in the show, 4 of which are plaster transfers.

The second big show will be at the Lorton Workhouse on Saturday night the 9th of February. It's not only the monthly artist's reception but also the Collector's Showcase which is upstairs in the Vulcan Gallery or W-16. So it will be a doubly big party with food in every building and lots of gorgeous art  to see. I have 4 hanging in W-16 and 1 in the Collector's Showcase show. This second Saturday event has become really big and I join friends as we go from building to building.  It all starts at 6, ends at 9. Come join us!

Baby it's Cold Outside

Well my snowdrops have dropped, down to the ground they go, face first. We are at 22  degrees on a cloudy, sunless day. The chickens hate it, all they ask is a little sun. The only one that seems happy about the whole thing is Duke the yellow labrador and he wants to go swimming. So off we go for our walk. The ground where there's moisture that heaves and percolates reveals great detail in foot prints from those that have passed. We see raccoon tracks, fox tracks and occasional cat prints. The trails are well traveled.

In the woods you often find mounds of freshly shuffled leaves. Without snow or prints in mud, you're not sure what animal was fluffing things up. I know deer will do that but most of the time I suspect it's the turkeys. Sure enough.

Some of the trails are just visually beautiful, especially on these deary days. This is my favorite winter trail and I can just see Robin Hood, astride his horse, galloping along. There's that creepy, woodsy atmosphere, you know, like Sherwood Forest. 

Water puddles turn into frozen masterpieces. 

We did find a small part of the pond that wasn't frozen. I just shiver as Duke goes in as deep as he can before hitting ice. Crazy dog! He smiles. Life is good.