Gardens of Delight

Strange fungus

2008-10-17T21:10:00.003+02:00

The delights of Autumn

2008-10-17T20:47:00.003+02:00

Come in the form of light that is the same colour as the leaves still on trees. Golden!

2008-10-16T15:52:00.004+02:00

Euonymus europaeus (the Common Spindle) is in full glory. The buds look like a cardinal's cap, which is what they are called in Dutch, are just bursting open and showing the berries. And to match the display the leaveas have turned a beautiful bright red. Autumn truly is a magnificent season!

Beauty behind bars

2008-10-16T15:44:00.004+02:00

Hypnotic Helianthus

2008-08-20T23:34:00.001+02:00

Sunflowers

2008-08-20T23:19:00.002+02:00

Cycling along the Rhine in Oosterbeek, a town adjacent to Arnhem I came across a field of glory. Last year that same field was full of wildflowers and butterflies, this year they'd planted sunflowers. Instant sunshine which made me smile. Well done Oosterbeek!

Something erotic

2008-08-20T22:40:00.003+02:00

All plants are about sex in some manner or other, however some plants ooze a sexyness by their very shape, form or colour or a combination of these. To me this plant is a real sex-pot, Impatiens glandulifera. Reuzenbalsemien is what it's called in Dutch (Giant balsam) belongs to the same family as the Busy Lizzy. Introduced in the Netherlands in 1915 from Tibet and the Himalayas it has gone wild. Bees certainly love the flowers that are different shades of pink. I love how the flowers resemble an insect, a bit like a bee in fact with that big bum and stinger at the back and the winglike petals. Once ripe the seed pods erupt when touched and spray their seeds meters away. Sexy!

On closer inspection...

2008-08-19T18:26:00.001+02:00

...these roses are spectacular

Everything's coming up roses...

2008-08-19T18:15:00.002+02:00

Dilemma

2008-08-16T00:29:00.008+02:00

I enjoy having a garden even if that sometimes means I have to go to work to take care of it. It pleases me to see the plants I have growing there, the many flowers and how plants and flowers develop during their sometimes all too brief season.
I enjoy having a garden where lots of different bees and (hover)flies come to pollinate the flowers. Big bees, bumble bees, furry, striped, buzzing, hanging upside down to get at the sweet nectar.
I enjoy having a garden even if that means some plants get the occasional nibble by snails and slugs. I don't mind squishing them between my fingers or crushing them under my shoes.

I first noticed this fellow when I was watering the plants

However I do have a problem with the horde of caterpillars that has made it's home in my Heuchera. If they'd stick to just one plant I'd be a lot happier but of course they don't. It's not like I mind losing a plant. I can easily take cuttings and propegate them and I did so with this Purple Palace variety earlier this year. The plant is sturdy and I know it will survive the assault and grow new leaves again soon.

But caterpillars being what they are tend to find other plants to feed on and now they are on the move. They've started on the Rudbackia's in the large post next to the Heuchera and luckily there the damage is minor (they find the flowers to be more to their liking).

eggs and the pupae of the female moth

The Oakleaf-Hydrangea's next to the Rudbeckias are fine and so are the Skimmia but next to the pots of Hydrangeas is more Heuchera. Heuchera 'Caramel' which has as the name suggests is that lovely creamy, burnt sugar colour. A colour that goes so well with the dead grass look of the Carex buchannii.

So why don't I kill them? Or get rid of them in another way? Well, and this is the bit where I grow a bit soft centered. Caterpillars will become butterflies and I want more butterflies in the garden, even if the are actually a type of day-moth. Ultimately these wonderfully exotic looking destructors will turn into Orgyia antiqua (Witvlakvlinders in Dutch).

This plant has been stripped bare

The Rusty Tussock Moth or Orgyia antiqua only live to flutter about for a short period before mating and producing the next brood. Strangely enough the female of the species is home bound that has no wings and cannot fly at all. After hatching from the cocoon she stays where she is emitting her feromones to attract the male who has these wonderful antlers that help him find his mate.

It's my own fault in a way I guess. A while back one of them flew into the office and just before I went home I chased him outside. As he flew into the plants I actually told him to 'go forth and multiply' not even stopping to think what the consequences would be. Do I regret it? In all honesty not really. I'll let the caterpillars pupate and check the leaves after the metamorphosis and their breeding to check for eggs. When I find them I'll try to find another garden for them to call home. Hopefully that home won't be my garden. After all it is a nice neighbourhood.

Snakes in Paradise?

2008-08-15T22:30:00.003+02:00

Well, technically this is not a snake but a slow-worm which was lying on the road. At first I thought it was a metal lock or hinge as I cycled past it but on closer inspection I found out it was this really beautiful lizard (one of the 4 types of lizards to be found in the Netherlands).

They look like small snakes as they have no legs and they glide and undulate like a snake across the ground. It must have been run over by one of the cars leaving Terlet as it's tail looked mangled and was broken in several places. Luckily lizards can survive without a tail and are known to leave them behind when picked up.

I really hope this hazelworm survived as well. It's such a beautiful creature.

Gardens

2008-08-10T17:32:00.008+02:00

Technically I suppose a garden is a space someone has planted with great care and love, or in some cases not so lovingly, or where plants once established are allowed to grow and multiply. So on days I go out cycling I find myself stopping off to admire a different kind of garden: Mother Nature's Garden and the weeds most of us try to tame or get rid of when it invades our personal garden spaces.

Someone once said "A weed is just a plant that's not growing in the right place". In the setting of the formal kind of garden I tend to agree when it comes to some plants and yet I love it when something I planted self-seeds itself in a different part of the garden or when I see a familiar looking seedling growing in a spot I didn't plant it in, in the courtyard at work. Anyway here's some pics of Nature's finest which I took on a bike trip to Terlet.

Grasklokje/Hairbell/la Campanule à feuilles rondes/Companula rotundiflia
Don't ever pick these, they're a protected species in the Netherlands.

Hemelsleutel/Livelong/l'Orpin Reprise/Sedum telephium
Which is not unlike the sedums I have in the garden as well

This looks like a species of Euphorbia to me
However I do confess I don't know for sure, the flowers are similar to the types I grow myself

Wilgenroosje/Fireweed or Rosebay Willowherb/L’Épilobe en épi/Chamerion angustifolium
The leaves cab be used in salads and soups or dried to make tea.
It's the official plant of the Yukon Territory in Canada.

Sint-Janskruid/St. John's wort/Millepertuis perforé/Hypericum perforatum
Has been in use in witchcraft and as a medicinal plant for millennia.
In Ireland Leprechauns bury their pots of gold underneath this plant

Slangekruid/Viper's bugloss/Vipérine commune/Echium vulgare
The first time I saw this plant was in the dunes at Scheveningen.

Lavender

2008-07-30T21:35:00.009+02:00

This is something I have never done before but yesterday I was called to work unexpectedly and while I was there sorting a few things out I decided to try my hand at trimming the lavender. A first for me and the reason I did it was the hope, that once trimmed it might flower for a second time this year.
I love these lavenders. They were part of the established garden when we moved into this building. Sturdy plants with great scent, masses of dark purple flowers and they flower for a long period. They are one of the first plants to flower after Spring and attract masses of bees into the garden. And this year it seemed like there were more bees than usual.

this is the result after using my pruning shears,leaving as much of the new growth on as possible

Part of the joy in gardening is not only the flowers that grow but the winged wildlife they attract, which I love taking pics of. Now that the lavender has finished the bees still find their way into the garden. From the lavender they’ve moved on to the alliums and now that the last of the alliums have finished it’s the Echinacea and Rudbeckias that have drawn their attention.

The result after trimming
As it’s the first time I have done any trimming or pruning on this kind of scale I’ve kept myself in check and reduced my efforts to one plant. (Okay I might as well admit it, I was kind of scared I’d do more damage than good and I want to find out if it does produce a second flush of flowers before I tackle the other lavenders). They have already been pruned earlier this year by the gardeners who visit every two months and been clipped back to a nice compact shape at the end of the winter. However I have no faith in my skills as a plant barber so I decided to stay cautious and just cut back the flower stalks that have finished.

Already you can see there is new growth that has started to shoot flower buds so I left those on as well as the stalks that still have flowers on them. It might make the plant look a little unkempt but they still attract bees. I know the plant will survive, if anything the resilience plants have never ceases to amaze me.

My Garden on Saturday

2008-07-28T17:53:00.004+02:00

After weeks of teasing the Rudbeckia's are now a mass of flowers. The Echinaccea (coneflowers) and Liatris are looking spectacular. And now the alliums have finished flowering the bees have moved on to them.

Winter magic creeps in

2007-12-23T01:08:00.000+01:00

Seasonal delights

2007-10-16T01:32:00.001+02:00

Or should I say seasonal madness? A day at the gardens of Appeltern where the abundance of the autumn season was on display in more ways than one. It reminded me somewhat of the Italian Mannerist or High Renaissance painter Guiseppe Arcimbaldo and his strange fruit and vegetable portraits. Cute and delightful for kids of all ages!

On the wall

2007-10-16T01:26:00.000+02:00

Grass on grass

2007-10-14T01:42:00.000+02:00

See if you can spot the difference.

Green

2007-10-08T23:34:00.001+02:00

My mom's garden

2007-09-24T15:38:00.000+02:00

I love my mom's garden. And her love of plants. Something we both agree she has passed on to me, albeit rather late in life, but that is another story. We share a passion for the same plants. Many of the plants in her garden are plants I have as well at work, different varieties but the same genus. I love how the light of the sun sets her garden ablaze with bright, bold, vivid colours. Her garden sings in a clear, strong voice. In time I hope mine will do the same.

Hanging on the walls

2007-09-23T20:15:00.000+02:00

I have been livening up the office at work with a selection of photo's I have taken of flowers. My colleague has pink on her side, I chose purple. It was his favourite colour. It is like he's looking over my shoulder.

Mobile garden

2007-09-23T16:58:00.000+02:00

I'd love to have a mobile garden, something I could take with me everywhere I go. At times my bicycle looks just like that, a mobile garden, when I bring the plants I bought at the garden centre of flower market back home with me and to work to put them in the earth. Eventually all these plants made their way into the garden but for a brief period I enjoyed the idea of carrying my own piece of heaven with me and loved seeing the looks on peoples faces when they saw me behind the handlebars on my bike.

A small corner of the world

2007-09-14T00:36:00.000+02:00

At home I have no garden to paint in colourful displays of flowers. So at work I created a small garden in a space of 1,25 x 1,25 metres after the tree I ordered was finally planted. Slowly I have been filling it with plants I've had growing in large pots and filling it with new colour. About 3 weeks ago it was finished when I found the plants I wanted for the gap of half a metre I still had to fill.
Since then it has been a joy to see it take root and grow.

Butterflies

2007-09-09T00:18:00.000+02:00

Butterflies make me smile on the inside. I know I am loved whenever I see one.

Bee in my bonnet

2007-07-07T14:18:00.000+02:00

Strange how the internet works. Somehow small random coincidences are connected to information and the feelings these evoke. Out there and in here.

Ah! woe is me, woe, woe is me!
Alack and well-a-day!
For pity, sir, find out that bee
Which bore my love away.

I'll seek him in your bonnet brave,
I'll seek him in your eyes;
Nay, now I think they've made his grave
I' th' bed of strawberries.

I was looking at these photos I took two weeks ago and the expression "bee in my bonnet" sprang to mind. Google my ever ready tool of gathering information lead me to the following: Thought to have come from Robert Herrick's poem Mad Maid's Song, 1648.

Meaning: Preoccupied or obsessed with an idea.

I have to admit that is how I have been feeling recently. Not so much now as last week when I was overcome by the loss of my love Clément. In about two weeks time it would have been his birthday and the idea that this will be yet another year without him overwhelmeded me.
In a few months time it will be 2 years since he died.

He loved purple flowers. And while we never got round to discussing the delights of lavender I know he would enjoy their fragrence, colour and these photo's I took.

I feel blue.

The Miracle Flower

2007-06-25T00:20:00.000+02:00

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Another beauty growing in my mom's garden. Vibrant red and by the looks of it one of her favourites. I had a look in the garage and saw countless seedheads that were left there to dry. I know mom uses them in her floral displays and I suppose that's another reason they grow in such abundance in her garden. Her poppies were nearing the end of their flowering season so I'm counting myself lucky to have been able to catch them while there were still a few left in bloom.

Folklore has it poppies growed in places where someone was killed and that the plant drank the blood of the victims and stored it in it's petals. I suppose that's what inspired the poem by John McCRea after seeing poppies grow in the fields of carnage in Flanders. His poem inspired another by Moina Michael which ultimately led to people wearing poppies on days of Remembrance and Memorial.

We Shall Keep the Faith
by Moina Michael, November 1918

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields

Long time ago when I was in school we visited those fields where the Great War was fought. I don't think it meant much to me at the time seeing those fields where once man had fought a war. The sites were still very much intact only now they were green with grass. Not the red coloured fields of death. Underneath the verdant green grass you could still make out the shape of the mounds of earth where once bombs had created havoc. I felt so removed from it all at the time. I was about 13 or 14 years old then and that Great War, a war that was to be the end of all wars, didn't impress me much at the time. At least not until I entered the mausoleum and saw the bones, the rows of bones and skulls of thousands of unknown soldiers who fought to their death.

Hmmm, strange how the mind sometimes wanders, it wasn't my intention to talk about death, in fact I was hoping this would turn into a story on the beauty of the poppy. maybe it will, maybe it won't. It's just that now somehow I can see in my mind the rows upon rows of bones in all shapes and sizes stacked on top of another in that Mausoleum. I guess age adds an appreciation and understanding of history and greater empathy for the suffering of others even if it was oh so long ago. Somehow it is entwined with a greater understanding and empathy of and for the world we live in today.

I took the pic above at the War Cemetery in Oosterbeek last year where I spent some time one afternoon in the sun walking past the hundred or so graves of soldiers who fought in that other great war, World War II. It's not a large cemetery but I am ashamed to admit it was the first time I'd ever been there and ashamed to admit it was the first time I had taken some interest in the history of the city I live in; Arnhem, a city that played such an important role in the history of The Netherlands, WWII and Operation Market Garden. I spent some time in the shade contemplating how my visit to Oosterbeek, which is not far from Arnhem, only 20 minutes by bike, made me feel.

In a way that simple, frail, delicate red flower is as good a way as any I can find to sum it all up. The poppy is a symbol of what connects us all. It connects us to our history and the beliefs of our ancestors. To the history being made today and the beliefs we have now. And that is why it is the Miracle Flower.

More on the history of the poems and The Great War can be found here.

Pluto

2007-06-20T23:43:00.000+02:00

Another celestial connection but now of a different kind. One of Pluto's plants with a Saturnian ring, a close-up of Rudbeckia Occidentalis "Green Wizard" with a ladybug that has landed on it's sepals.

So just what are Pluto plants? Well, for a more detailed explanation of how plants are connected to the planets and other celestial bodies have a look here at Alchemy Works, I found it an interesting connection and one that I was only slightly aware of in that I knew sunflowers and Helenium species (Helenium, known in Dutch as Zonnekruid - zon = sun) have a connection to the sun, but I had never really realised that other celestial bodies have a connection to plants as well according to plant lore.

Pluto, the God of transformation, doorways, absence and of birth and rebirth, is linked to plants that have strong and hidden qualities, deep roots and bulbs, are connected in some way to poison and death, and have black flowers. As far as I'm aware Rudbeckia's are not poisenous but it's not something I'm willing to try out or would advise anyone to do. Its flower essence is used for reaching the hidden depths of the soul and helps with contacting one's shadow side. But to me they are another garden favourite and over the years I have learnt to appreciate their long period of flowering as well as the fact that they attract bees and butterflies and like in this pic other insects as well. I planted only one seed of the Green Wizard last year just to see what it would look like and am pleasantly surprised by the way it has turned out, I will definitely be sowing some more!

Some Pluto magic:
Changes in consciousness
Death and resurrection
Endings and beginnings
Achieving spiritual goals
Shedding of old personal aspects
Purging

Digging below the surface to reveal what is hidden: learning secrets, the unconscious, the inner journey.

Transformative sexual energy
Psychic energy used to manipulate or control
Can be used to work through self-destructive urges
An energy that builds slowly

Interesting thing about reading up on the Green Wizard is that the golden pollen that has formed is known as a Ring of Saturn, yet another celestial connection! And then there is the ladybug that has landed on it. This is just one coincidence after another. According to ladybug lore it is also known as the "Beetles of Our Lady", the red wings representing the Virgin's cloak and the black spots her sorrows and joys.

Celestial tears

2007-06-19T00:24:00.000+02:00

As the heart-piercing pupil of the eye,
So sensitive each tear-drop seems to be ;
Like the unwinking pupil of the eye,
Charming my soul, the bright drops look at me.
excerpt from The Virgin Tears, Leo Alishan

Growing in my mom's garden is a plant that I love, the Alchemilla Vulgaris. The fine hairs on the leaves hold on to water that was once used in alchemy and known as celestial water or celestial tears. Like most things that have a celestial connection the Alchemilla Vulgaris' scalloped leaves give the plant it's common name Lady's Mantle. In Medieval known as Our Lady's Mantle it is named for the Virgin Mary and is used in herbal remedies. While I was looking into the plant I came across Mary Gardens. While I am not religious in any way or form I found the idea of gardens dedicated to the Virgin Mary that have plants growing in them that have some connection to her quite moving.

Gardens Give Mary Glory

These are the loveliest of her litanies,
These are gardens where the glad abounding earth
Still gush the Holy Spirit's primal mirth
In endlessly renewed diversities.

These from the faithful and fecund soil
Are generations that have called her blest,
They magnify her always without rest
While man's sad cyclic ages still uncoil.

They beat the perfumed air with noiseless sound,
They ring out her renown, freshly repeat
Her names taught them by men whose pulses beat
With God's great rhythm of the Seasons' round.

Each garden gives her glory, chants her praise
Even in harsh and hostile places where
Men have forgotten gentleness and prayer,
And what still canticles waft through their days.

Who plants a garden builds a carillon
To peal her praises with the pulse of time,
And laud her with the earth's loveliest, lasting chime
In bright, unalterable antiphon.

- Liam Brophy