Behind our house and beyond the garden is a messy field that needs attention.
It’s about three-quarters of an acre that used to be in hay production until the farmer who tends the rest of our field decided that I should mow it instead of him farming it. (Thanks for that.)
My husband would love to see a huge swath of neatly mown green grass. I haven’t yet convinced him that traditional lawns should be a relic of the past. The chemicals that must be dumped on them to keep them as pristine as he likes are bad for the environment, as are the emissions of my riding lawn mower.
The other option is just to let is grow scraggly grass. As ugly as that is, it’s very good for the environment and as a habitat for the wildlife.
A more manicured idea is to make it a wildflower meadow. But those don’t just pop up from seed and look picturesque without some serious seeding and tilling.
If I’m going to go to all that trouble, why not make it my own field of dreams? A lavender field of dreams!
Have you ever been around lavender in bloom? The scent is intoxicating! Heavenly! I grew lavender for a couple of years as the border in my herb beds before I had to tear them out to install the raised beds. As the lavender bloomed, the bumblebees would be everywhere, working slowly and peacefully around the lavender blooms.
Before they faded altogether, I cut bunches of lavender to place around the house and lined my drawers with the blossoms. I even made a pound cake with lavender scented water and lined the baking pans with the lavender blooms.
Then, there’s lavender sugar, lavender lemonade, lavender ice cream…
Lavender farms seem to abound judging from a Google search. Most of the farms at the top of the Google listings seem to be small artisan enterprises that also produce their own products. Well, forget that. There’s no time.
I wonder if there’s a market for pick-your-own lavender farms? Nope. I don’t want all those people down here invading my privacy.
Let’s see…Maybe I can grow it for some large-scale producer? Probably not. They would want me to meet some quality control standards or obey other rules. I’m not good at rules.
Perhaps…nah. Not that either.
Maybe I’ll just make some lavender borders for now…And get a lavender colored chair so I can sit and watch the bumblebees at work. And those lavender fields will just have to remain my field of dreams. At least for now.
About those Survey Results…
Have you cast your vote for how you would spend the $10,000 Donald Trump is going to give you? It’s interesting that so many people are choosing hardscaping. And although I made my case for nice garden seating, as of this writing no one has chosen furniture!
Robin
Kris at Blithewold recently passed along the E is for Excellent award to Bumblebee…
She said that she particularly appreciated the discussions of public gardens and parks and the encouragement given to go, enjoy, learn.
Thanks, Kris, for the recognition! As you know, blogging is a labor of love, but it’s also sweet to get compliments–and comments from readers too.
Apparently I get to pass along the award now, so I want to recognize the quartet of writers at Gardening Gone Wild. Nan, Fran, Saxon and Steve have been doing an excellent job of writing substantive and thought-provoking posts. I particularly like their design series that encourages reader participation. It’s been some of the most interesting garden blog reading I’ve run across.
Thanks again, Kris. I hope to make it to Blithewold soon! So many gardens…so little time!
BTW, if I could figure out the HTML to get copy to wrap around an image, that big E wouldn’t be so darned big. All the HTML code I’ve tried doesn’t work. Grrrrr. I don’t win any awards on my clever use of HTML code.
Robin
Every place I visit seems to have its own unique “green” character.
In London, I was charmed by the profusion of creative window boxes around the town. In France, I was amazed at the enthusiasm of small towns to “green” their city streets compete for prizes. Here in the U.S., I adore walking around Charleston and glimpsing into tiny jewels of walled gardens. In Key West I was enchanted by the exotic, luscious, tropical plants growing with wild abandon in the yards of even the most humble cottages.
One of the most charming cities with a unique garden appeal I have visited is Amsterdam. The city of 12,000 bridges and 160 canals is also home to about 2,400 houseboats that line the canals and waterways around the Netherlands’s capital. Houseboat living became popular in the 1950s during a shortage of affordable housing. As boat owners upgraded their old and dated barges for larger and more modern vessels, ingenious and thrifty folks bought the barges and converted them into floating homes.
Despite the fact that they traded in earth for water, many of the houseboat dwellers still have gardens. Visitors to the city can tour the canals in well-narrated tours. But the narrative is just noise when you start snapping photos of all the picturesque waterways and the homes.
Not a few of the houseboat dwellers had converted portions of their decks into tiny but traditional gardens by carting in loads of dirt to create a replacement allotment. Most, however, were container gardens. Beautification of their aging vessels seemed to be important to many, as containers of geraniums, daisies and, of course, tulips were abundant.
Many of the houseboat dwellers had productive pots of tomatoes and herbs. Some of the canal dwellers just seemed to be giving their houseplants a good airing.
Amsterdam is a wonderful and inviting walking city. The streetscapes are safe, clean and lined with interesting plants. But the canals are what draw the eye and the imagination.
For me, it was a lesson in “make blooms where you are planted.” Regardless of how humble your abode or challenging your growing circumstances, create a bit of beauty to brighten your day and the day of those who see your home.
I certainly wish more of our American suburbs and small towns would take the lessons of our European cousins. A bit of greenery and flowers is not just beautifying. It sends the message that someone cares about the place where they go at night and raise their families.
Robin
So, naturally, I have been counting birds.
Okay, I stopped to take some photos too.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is a special four-day count over President’s Day weekend. Last year more than 81,000 checklists of birds were supplied by backyard bird watchers. The Project Feederwatch program gathers data that assists scientists understand bird populations and migration patterns.
Here at Bumblebee, we seem to have an abundance of American Goldfinches this weekend. At one time I counted more than 30 at the feeders. We also had a flock of redwinged blackbirds that I’ll get to report. I estimated their numbers at 170 using a grid count method. And the overall bird visitation has been so brisk that I’ll have to head to the Wild Bird Store yet again to pick up some of my pre-ordered food.
Of course, we have our usual visitors, including a particularly grouchy Carolina Chickadee. She was mighty upset when my cat, Miss P, and I wandered outside with the camera.
It was overall a good day to be outside. Tomorrow I’ll be making my own President’s Day celebration. Tune in sometime soon.
Robin
“Butterflies and Plants: Partners in Evolution,” the Smithsonian’s new long-term exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History…
…opened today in Washington, D.C. In the works for 18 months the new structure is the only year-round indoor butterfly pavilion in the D.C. area.
Aside from the oooh-aaaah factor of so many butterflies, the exhibition uses video and interactive displays to give visitors a look at how butterflies and plants have successfully evolved, adapted and diversified together.
MONARCH SIPS NECTAR FROM A ZINNIA
Inside, the pavilion is kept at a 80 degrees and 80 percent humidity. Tropical plants provide a lush environment for the guest insects. All the walls are curved in order to keep the butterflies from being trapped in corners. Dawn happens gradually for the butterflies in the morning and sunset gradually descends in the evening. All-in-all not a bad way for a butterfly to live.
More than 300 butterflies and moths of more than 30 species and from as far away as Africa, South and Central America and Malaysia will reside here at a time. They’re first put in an emergence chamber where you can actually see the final state of metamorphosis and watch the butterflies take their first flights.
OWL BUTTERFLY
Exhibit curators replenish the supply regularly from shipments of chrysalides from around the world because the butterflies and moths are not allowed to reproduce because of strict USDA regulations. Eggs that are deposited are removed and destroyed.
And now for the controversy…
Of course, nothing happens in Washington, D.C, without some controversy. It seems this butterfly exhibition has been the catalyst for a controversy on museum admission fees. For the first time in its history the Smithsonian is charging admission for a permanent exhibition—between $4.50 and $6.00. Museum officials say that this will help to cover the nearly $1 million it costs to keep maintain the exhibition.
But since the Smithsonian is largely funded by the federal government (about 70%), some people have their panties in a wad about having to pay anything at all to get in. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has even introduced a bill that would prohibit the institution from charging admission for any permanent exhibition. (I like Eleanor. But this isn’t one of her smartest moves.)
Since I worked in a major art museum for nearly five years, I can speak with some authority when I say that museums all over are struggling. Government support is down and private donations for the arts must compete with a proliferating number of humanitarian causes among donors. And running a museum is a very expensive proposition.
The Smithsonian has been in the news for several years now for the appalling state of some of its aging facilities. Artwork and historic objects don’t just take care of themselves. They must be maintained in climate controlled environments, cleaned and preserved. Security must be provided to keep the treasures and the huge numbers of people who visit them safe.
All that takes money. Sadly, it’s not realistic to think that taxpayers can pony up any more dollars to prop up this wonderful but aging national treasure. The money must come from somewhere. Selected admissions fees seem a sensible idea. It will allow the museums to maintain collections and continue their work to make the national treasures accessible.
The wealth of free attractions in the D.C. area is astounding. But just because something is free, doesn’t mean it doesn’t cost money to maintain.
Climbing down off the soap box now…
Anyway, I digress. If you’re interested in visiting the exhibition, you can learn more about it here. You can also see some of the butterflies from the exhibit in the photo section of this blog.
**Photos were supplied by the National Museum of Natural History
Robin
For me, there’s nothing like seeing the real thing to learn about plants.
That’s one of the reasons I make visiting botanical gardens, parks and flower shows a high priority when it comes to travel and my free time. Aside from the enjoyment of being outdoors or seeing all the wonderful new combinations, I can see the three-dimensional version of the plants in a natural setting. I can see their real size and color. I can smell, touch and feel the plant.
When I look at the flowers and plants in magazines and catalogs all seem to run together after a while. The photographers make them all just lovely. And how can you really judge color or size in print? Forget about smell.
When I’m visiting a park or garden I will sometimes photograph a particularly striking arrangement with the plan for making a similar arrangement at home or just to add to my photographic idea book.
Here’s an example. On the left is a container arrangement I saw at the Dixon House and Gardens in Memphis last May. I was particularly taken by the holly, primroses and parsley packed into the beautiful pot. The unusual shape of the holly made a dramatic statement in the container arrangement and added some vertical interest.
On the right is a version of the same arrangement I made at home with flowers I found at the local garden center, including a sky pencil holly and some miniature petunias. I didn’t have the fabulous container they had at the Dixon gardens, so a simple terra cotta container had to do.
Could I have gotten such an arrangement idea from a book? Sure. But by actually seeing and copying an existing arrangement, I had a much better idea of the outcome to expect.
I haven’t had nearly the same success with packages of plants sold to create specific effects. White Flower Farm has some spectacular arrangement collections and photographs that make me salivate. They are drop-dead gorgeous. Still, I’m not buying them anymore though because I can never recreate the same effect in my garden. It’s frustrating to spend a lot of money on plants and then be disappointed in the outcome. I’ll save my money for seeds, fabulous pots and plants I can be confident will do well here at Bumblebee.
Of course, not all of the arrangements here at Bumblebee are copies. But I think copycat gardening is a good strategy for learning about plants until you’re ready to fly solo.
Robin
I’m amused by the near breathless excitement some garden bloggers have when talking about their compost.
I expect poetry and songs next. Aw, shoot. Let me go first.
When I compare thee to a summer’s day
Your fragrance is of fields of hay
And in my fingers I feel your wealth
And to my flowers…
What rhymes with wealth? Oh yeah. Health.
And to my flowers you give health.
Okay, all kidding aside, I love compost too. That love doesn’t lean toward the romantic side so much as the greedy side. I want more, MORE, MORE!
So it was with some interest in reading Joe Lamp’l’s (not a typo – his name is Lamp’l) book The Green Gardener’s Guide that I have been tossing perfectly good compost materials in the trash.
Lamp’l says I can also compost vacuum cleaner bag dust and even the bag, paper towels and rolls, coffee grounds and filters, cotton and wool rags, dryer lint, hair and fur. Hah! Finally a use for all that loose dog hair! You can also compost newspapers, although it’s best to shred them.
I know that most newspapers are now printed with soy-based ink, so they are fairly safe composting material. What I’m a bit leery of is his assertion that you can compost clean office paper. Does that mean clean as in there are no jelly donut stains on them? Or clean as in not having been printed on?
I still have to print out reams and reams of statistical output to write reports. I always use both sides of the paper. But still, I have a good amount of paper waste as a result. Is it safe to shred and compost paper that has been printed with laser or inkjet toner? Given my desire for a healthy and mostly organic garden, is it safe to introduce these into the mix?
I have tried some searching and found an interesting, if not authoritative, exchange over at Gardenweb.
What do you think? To compost or not to compost? Any experts out there?
Robin
I truly hate crowds.
I finish my holiday gift shopping early not because I’m organized but because I can’t stand the stores when the masses arrive. You couldn’t tie me up and drag me to a parade. Go to a party? Is it a small one?
I make one truly significant exception to battling the throngs—flower shows! If you haven’t attended a flower show before, do yourself a favor and make plans. It’s a true visual feast where you can get ideas and learn quite a lot in a short amount of time.
I just booked my hotel arrangements for the upcoming Philadelphia Flower Show. If you haven’t already made arrangements to attend the show near you, you should do so now. Rooms are going fast in Philly. In fact, I found that I could only get the hotel I wanted by booking through the show’s website. All other sources showed the property was unavailable.
The Philadelphia show’s early morning two-hour tours are also filling up. You have to email your request to the show organizers for registration information. Groups are small—8 to 12 people—and are held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. before the show opens. The cost is $105 per person.
If you’re planning a flower show trip and haven’t been before, here are some quick tips on getting them most from your flower show experience.
- Wear comfortable shoes and a jacket. The showplaces are often cooled for the benefit of preserving the plants, which makes it a bit chilly for the rest of us. Layer for comfort.
- Carry a notebook and pen. You can make notes, job down flower and vendor names or even sketch a particularly striking flower layout.
- Leave the handbag at home. I use a very small shoulder bag with a long strap that I can wear bandolier style. It’s just large enough to hold cash, credit cards, keys, a phone, small notebook and pen. It doesn’t add uncomfortable weight on my shoulder and allows me to keep my hands free.
- Check out the show’s photography policy in advance. Most shows allow amateur photography without previous permission. All shows prohibit the use of tripods or other equipment that can get in the way of heavy foot traffic.
- Check show schedules in advance for special demonstration and lecture times. Many shows have a first-come-first-serve seating policy, so arrive early.
- Plan your meals in advance. Food at these shows is usually hard to find, bad for you and disgusting. Eat a hearty breakfast and carry a bag of nuts. Or make a small, healthy sandwich that you can eat in the snack area while the rest of the folks are eating hot dogs and chips.
- If you’re going with a friend, carry cell phones so you can find each other when you decide to go separate ways or accidentally lose site of each other.
Bring money and a big car, truck or van. Most shows have areas for shopping. Unless you’re particularly disciplined, you’ll go home with an armload.
Have fun and post pictures! I can’t go to all the shows. Someday my dream is to go to the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s on my bucket list!
Upcoming Flower Shows
March 2 – 8 – Philadelphia Flower Show. The lecture and demonstration schedule is here.
March 8 – 16 – New England Spring Flower Show, Boston
February 20 – 24 – Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Seattle
March 8 – 16 – Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show, Rosemont, IL
March 12 – 16 – San Francisco Flower & Garden Show
March 14 - 24 – Hong Kong Flower Show
May 20 – 24 – RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Robin
It’s curious how many private gardens I have visited that have lovely plants and beautiful flowers—but nowhere to sit.
It’s as if we’re so busy “doing” in the garden that we can’t enjoy “being” in the garden.
SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS
I caught myself in this very trap a couple of years ago. I would spend hours and hours on the weekend planting, weeding, digging and then head indoors to sit down. But the realization that I wasn’t enjoying the beauty that I created coupled with my growing need to pace myself and rest from time to time during my work, made me incorporate more seating areas into the garden.
GARDEN BENCH AT BUMBLEBEE
This year, I’m improving on the seating in the front of the house where we have a sweeping view of the hay field and will, I hope, be able to watch the aerial acrobatics of the purple martins. As I looked for ideas for the new seating area, I realized that I seem to have spent quite a lot of time taking pictures of garden seating in my travels. So I share them with you here along with ideas on some features of garden seating that I think make them successful.
Seating should be planned and incorporated into the garden. It’s just fine and dandy to drag out some lawn chairs when extra seating is needed. But if you need to do that whenever the mood strikes you to park your bottom and enjoy the view, it’s quite likely that you won’t sit down at all.
TEA GARDEN AT THE DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN, PHOENIX
Create places away from the house as well as close to the house. A carefully chosen seating location can provide a focal point that draws your eye and invites you to explore further.
SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS
Seating should be sturdy and not tippy. It’s no fun to have to perch yourself on a tiny stool or spindly chair. Providing a base of pavers under the legs of your seating will give needed stability and also protect wood from the moist ground.
PARK BENCH
Seating should be weather proofed and easily cleaned. Hard surfaces such as concrete or wood are easily hosed down or even power washed in the spring or when needed. I also like the new all-weather wicker made from plastic-wrapped wire that is available from Restoration Hardware. Hardly anyone knows it’s not traditional wooden wicker. The cushions are from the Sunbrella fabric, so if I forget to bring them in during a rainstorm, there’s no harm done.
COVERED BENCH
Whatever you choose should be appropriate to the garden setting. A Zen garden will call for a more streamlined design, while a rustic, bent wood bench would be more at home in a quirky garden or a more free-flowering English cottage garden.
ADIRONDACK CHAIRS AT BUMBLEBEE
Don’t feel like everything has to match. Different types of seating grouped together can be charming when chosen with a unity of theme in mind. We have different styles of Adirondack chairs grouped together. I have seen wonderfully charming groupings of antique wooden chairs with only the unifying theme of age to make the grouping successful.
FORMAL SEATING AT THE DIXON HOUSE AND GARDENS, MEMPHIS
Include little tables or other features to hold a drink or small plate of food. Chinese stools, cut wooden logs or other re-purposed or found objects will be appreciated when you’re nursing a cold glass of tea and trying to read a book at the same time.
COVERED WALK AT THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
So take a seat and make time to enjoy all the work you do.
Resources to Try
Arthur Lauer - Previously known as Wood Classics. Benches, chairs, dining tables and outdoor accessories. An extensive line of quality teak products.
Walpole Woodworkers - In addition to a wide variety of garden seating, Walpole Woodworkers sells all types of garden accessories and fences. This is where I bought my white picket garden fence.
Restoration Hardware - High quality outdoor seating, including all-weather wicker and iron. If you can wait until the end of summer, these products go on sale for about 20% off the listed price.
Country Casual - Another excellent resource for teak outdoor furniture.
Summer Classics - All-weather wicker, cast aluminum and wood furniture.
And closer to home, don’t forget to look here:
Amish builders - Often very basic designs, but made with quality materials. And there are no shipping charges!
Garden centers - You may find some bargains, although you’ll likely find what everyone else has.
Antiques stores and thrift stores - No telling what you’ll find. Often, you can re-purpose old wood or iron furniture, particularly if it’ll be in a covered location.
Robin
I recall a conversation from years ago with my dear old friend Claudia.
She has just moved into a charming little cottage in the old Ortega section of Jacksonville, Florida. The house was surrounded by old trees and magnificent, mature flowering shrubs. I was completely taken with the place.
I commented to Claudia that I would garden constantly if I lived there. Her response?
“Oh, I love the idea of gardening. But I just don’t want to be outside there all by myself. It would be so lonely!”
SUNFLOWERS AT THE CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
Although this conversation took place, oh, nearly 10 years ago, it has stuck with me, and occasionally crossed my mind, because the feeling that Claudia expressed is so foreign to my own needs and desires for being with nature.
See, while Claudia yearned for company to enjoy nature, I am more like the legendary Hollywood star.
“I want to be alone.”
When I am indoors, I continually bounce from one activity to the next, multi-tasking between home and office and getting distracted with one thing or another. My mind leaps from one idea to another…
“Need to clean the frig…haven’t heard from that client yet…what am I going to do about that programming issue…should I go to the spinning class tomorrow…oops, need to finish that project schedule…can I deliver that report early…”
The internal chatter is a lightening speed, incessant drone.
When I am working in the garden, that chatter gradually subsides. I become lost in the activity. Minutes at a time go by without my having a single thought other than about what I’m doing with my hands.
And although there is no shortage of work for which I could use an extra pair (or more) of hands, I don’t nag my husband or son to join me in the garden because I just want the company of the wind and the birds. (And little dogs, of course.) When they do join me, we usually work at a distance, all of us lost in our own internal worlds. Happily, they share my desire for quiet time.
So you see, perhaps, why I wasn’t entirely sad to be alone in my visits to some of the country’s most spectacular public gardens this past year—the Phoenix Botanical Garden, the Chicago Botanical Garden, the Denver Botanic Garden and the Dixon House and Gardens, among others. Although part of me would loved to share the experience with my husband or another friend, the selfish part of me was happy to have the gardens to myself.
As I wandered through, I could go at my very own pace, lingering over an unusual combination of primroses and cabbages, admiring the coy in the Japanese garden, sitting under the shade of a well-placed trellis.
I observed many groups of families dutifully trudging along after the more enthusiastic members of their parties. Not all the groups looked entirely happy, I must say. Most of the kids looked bored to tears. Not a few were arguing.
So I was glad not to feel I was holding someone back—or dragging them along on my personal nature adventure. There are certainly times when I enjoy the company. But those visits have a different purpose altogether, and it’s not mostly about nature.
And you? Is nature something you prefer to share?
Robin
