I have an absurd amount of photos and I simply am having trouble picking which ones to upload so there will be a lot. I have already lost the actual garden info so this is for your eyeball enjoyment only.
This garden was amazing.
Look at this gorgeous copper gutter. I want this.
I like how they carried this purple color throughout the garden
This is my first trip to DC. I know a lot of folks go to Washington in 8th grade. I’m not sure why I did not. My confession here is that I did not realize that “The Smithsonian” is, in fact, a bunch of museums and they are all free. damn! I need to bring my kid here soon.
I’m here for the APLD Conference. This is my first one and I do not know anyone here. I made my reservations with a little padding so that I can at least explore a little bit. There is so much to do and I am a tad overwhelmed and having to talk myself down from trying to do everything. I can not do ALL THE THINGS. I also do not want to discount the value of vaguely wandering. :D
My first foray from the hotel brings me to this sweet garden and bird habitat! Such luck! Lots of pictures here of plant combos and textures that caught my eye. Also, a mondo grass lawn!? It’s cute!
I went to the Natural History Museum after hanging out in this garden and then headed to the Space one. Along the way there were MORE PLANTS!
Then I went to Washington Station (I think) which is basically a mall because I wanted to go to the Moleskine store. I did buy a new notebook and a little sleeve thingy that goes over it and zips to hold a few pens.
Here I am driving along and I see this truck with a massive palm all over it! How cool to see how they are moving it. I wonder what very large crane (VLC) is waiting to put it in it’s final place!? Where is it going?
I joined APLD folks to talk to people about CA native plants at the California Academy of Sciences. I like to do this sort of thing.
Here are some of the characteristics of native plants that help them conserve water:
Slivery grey leaves with little hairs reflect light help keep a plants temperature down in hot dry climates.
Small leaves help plants conserve water because less surface area means that leaf will lose less water.
Waxy leaves serve as sort of a waterproofing that reduces transpiration.
Thick succulent leaves trap and conserve water.
Look at all those adorable signs MF made! So cute!
So plant ID classes can be very challenging. I’ve got some brain differences, including mild dyslexia, and memorizing a ton of plant names AND how to spell them is almost prohibitively impossible.
I’ve managed to soldier through life and all previous plant ID classes fairly well until taking Tree ID last semester. My LAST plant ID class required for me to graduate. I swear this one upset me so much because some large percentage of the grade was going to be on SPELLING. Spelling!!?
One of the grand things about life today is that there is the internet (a series of tubes) and spell check. Dyslexic people every where rejoice! Anyway. I have a Fine Art degree! Don’t ask me to spell!
For my final project for that class I had to get away from things I am bad at that make me feel terrible and like I am failing in 3rd grade again and get back to things I am good at, like illustration. I decided that illustrating a bunch of beautiful trees would sooth my fevered soul.
And, to make it more complicated (hello ADD), I thought it would be cool to turn those illustrations in to a book. Of course, I did not complete the project. I completed enough for the class but not quite enough to finish the actual book. I used Blurb to layout and print the book even though it wasn’t finished. I can finish it another time, right?!
Here are a few of the illustrations. I drew the whole tree and then a detail.
The Blurb software is called BookSmart and it’s … just okay. The final printed book is a little paperback and is so cute!
Here is the cover and some layouts
Possibly a foolish decision… we asked the contractors to leave us the nicest bricks from our old, crumbling, 1896 brick foundation. Now we have this large pile of bricks in our backyard ready to collect spiders and who knows what else.
I spent a lot of time in my backyard as a kid braiding and (attempting) to weave pine needles. Our big old American lawn had tons of clover that I would try to weave into a chain or a crown for my breye horses or for myself. I still have not successfully created a crown of flowers and at this point in my life I’m pretty sure I would just use florist wire.
This is a sweet little diagram of how to make a daisy crown. Erigeron karvinskianus would be a great plant to make one with!
I’m intrigued! The world’s most dangerous garden! The Alnwick Gardens in England.This is a garden pretty much created to be a tourist attraction. And the Poison Garden is modeled after the famous Medici poison garden. I can’t find a specific link to this.
The Duchess that owns this castle and garden sounds like a badass.
"I thought, 'This is a way to interest children,'" she says. "Children don’t care that aspirin comes from a bark of a tree. What’s really interesting is to know how a plant kills you, and how the patient dies, and what you feel like before you die."
Confession time: sometime in the early 90’s I started getting a half sleeve tattoo. It was MEANT to be poisonous things but ended up… not being that. why? Who knows. I was like 19 and quite idiotic. I feel no shame. We are all on a journey.
Anyway. I would love to visit this cool looking garden. It is in the north eastern part of England, so Google Maps tells me. They have a treehouse cafe?! And it looks like a crazy mini golf course. Sounds fun and It is on my list of things to do.
The fancy wrought iron gate alone makes it seem like a worth while visit.
LINKS
Little Free Libraries are small personally managed 'take a book or leave a book' libraries. They are usually adorable. You can look at their Flickr gallery to see some examples of the awesomeness that people create.If you want to have your library registered and affiliated with the site you need to pay a small fee. They send you an official plaque and list your library on their map so people can find you.I would like to make mine with a green roof! I am not a builder type though and have no tools. I have a couple of friends who are and I plan on commissioning them to make this for me.
Here is my final concept:
The Six Courtyard Houses were designed by Ibarra Rosano Design Architects in Arizona.This archdaily.com article has images and plan views. I'm not familiar with the climate in Arizona. I must say that I wouldn't want to live in the landscape pictured for these houses. It's a bit.. stark and exposed.What was the thought process for it? "I would like there to be a big central platform viewable from every window in the house. Plus, three plants." heeheee. I kid! Or do I?I'm more of a Secret Garden' kinda gal. But I want to learn more about this starker more modern/contemporary style. This Pintrest Board has tons of great examples.Various design concept sketches.I need to pick one to develop further. 1, 6 or 2?
Kids playing in the'Nature Zone' Playspace.The tree stump circle is either used for jumping
or for building on...These are rolly poly houses.
Final houses:
I'm close to being done with this dress. I have been prototyping the brooches. First in tissue paper and then with wool felt and embroidery.
