Journeys and Jonquils

Winter Travels - Part 5: Sidewalk Garden, Singapore

2012-02-12T09:54:00.000-05:00

I got to visit a number of interesting parks and gardens while in Singapore - more on those at a later date - but there was also the occasional planting by the wayside that caught my eye. There were lots of potted plants in many places but I my favorite collection by far was the down-to-earth arrangement below: Whoever assembled these plants and tends to them is definitely very good at

(Very) Tentative Signs of Spring

2012-02-11T11:59:00.000-05:00

Largely as a sort of experiment, I planted a few small spring-flowering bulbs - a mixture of Crocus species, glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa siehei), and Dutch iris (Iris sp.) - in the pots of the small collection of Sempervivum and Sedum cultivars I accumulated on my outside window sill during the late summer and fall. In recent days, the first sprouts have begun to emerge. The first sprouts of

Houseplant Update

2012-02-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

My houseplants here in my apartment have largely been humming along for the past two months without doing anything too exciting, not surprising perhaps considering the less-than-ideal conditions of low light and rather too high temperatures produced by an overly effective and impossible to regulate heating system. However, some of my coleus plants (Solenostemon scutellarioides) have grown

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T08:36:00.000-05:00

Underground Park?

2012-02-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

Here is a piece about a rather futuristic proposal for an underground park to be developed in an empty underground trolley terminal in New York City: An Underground Park in NY? Personally, I have a hard time imagining what this would - or will - look like, even with the computer-generated mock-ups. If it succeeds, however, it might be able to upstage even the phenomenal High Line.

Winter Travels - Part 4: Temple, Palace, and Museum Gardens, Bangkok, Thailand

2012-02-01T21:54:00.001-05:00

In addition to Malaysia, I also got to go to Thailand and Singapore for a few days. Both places offered much horticultural interest but while in Singapore this consisted mainly of a number of different parks and gardens, in Bangkok I was more taken with the details of intriguing details of garden design and use of ornamental plants that one can encounter throughout the grounds of many well-known

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T08:47:00.000-05:00

Plant Care Profile: Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

2012-01-29T00:46:00.001-05:00

I first encountered the butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) in a garden center in Germany when I was maybe eight or nine and I remember being very excited about it. The only Asclepias species I had hitherto encountered was the tropical Asclepias curassavica, which is commonly grown as a container plant in Germany. Enamored of exotic plants, little me was ecstatic to find another member of the

New USDA Hardiness Zone Map

2012-01-27T08:05:00.000-05:00

The United States Department of Agriculture unveiled a new hardiness zone map for the United States this week in which most zones have expanded northward to some degree and two new zones have been added at the warmer end of the spectrum. One can also pull maps by state and search by zip code. The map can be found at the USDA website here.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T18:15:00.000-05:00

Winter Travels - Part 3: Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2012-01-23T23:36:00.001-05:00

While the large, hilly tract of Kuala Lumpur parkland known as Lake Gardens or Taman Tasik Perdana encompasses an array of different attractions, such as the Kuala Lumpur Bird, the National Monument, and the Hibiscus Garden, it also includes a main park that constitutes the Lake Gardens proper. Situated in a small valley and with the lake that gave the place its name at the center, this park

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T00:17:00.000-05:00

Decorations welcoming the Year of the Dragon at Pavilion Mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T09:58:00.000-05:00

Winter Travels - Part 2: The Hibiscus Garden, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2012-01-17T09:39:00.001-05:00

Located right next to the Orchid Garden within Kuala Lumpur's Lake Gardens, the Hibiscus Garden or Taman Bunga Raya is dedicated to Malaysia's national flower Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known in Malay as Bunga Raya. There are many specimens representing different varieties of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis throughout the garden, as well as a rather odd fountain in the shape of giant red Hibiscus flowers.

Happy Pongal...

2012-01-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

... Makar Sankranti and Maghi! These and a slew of related holidays are celebrated this weekend in South Asia and by various South Asian diaspora communities elsewhere. South Indian-style Hindu temple in Singapore If you want to know a bit more, you can find last year's Pongal/Makar Sankranti post here.

German Article about the Jardin Majorelle

2012-01-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

Mainly because the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco, is one of the gardens I dream of visiting one day and because I like this particular online magazine, here is an article from the German internet publication Souk Magazine, which focuses on Middle Eastern arts, cultures, and current events: Paradies des Schöpfers If you want to know more about the Jardin Majorelle, you can visit its

Winter Travels - Part 1: The Orchid Garden, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2012-01-05T23:03:00.002-05:00

I hope the new year has been off to a good start for everyone! My winter break so far has been spend traveling - hence my failure to post anything for most of the last three weeks - as I am in Malaysia visiting my significant other who, after going to college in the US, has returned home to work here for a while. Needless to say I am enjoying luxuriant warmth and lush tropical vegetation and as

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T20:07:00.000-05:00

Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera truncata cv.)

Mystery Plant

2011-12-15T23:27:00.000-05:00

Here is another older picture I came across recently when going through my image files. If I remember correctly I took this one in a park in Delhi; the shrub was scruffy and leafless but its orange flowers are quite showy. I do not have the slightest idea as to the identity of this plant. Anyone care to enlighten me?

Garden on the Beach

2011-12-12T11:07:00.003-05:00

I was going through some older pictures looking for images to use in one of my final projects and I came across this picture I took of a little garden of palms and various succulents someone had laid out around the remnants of a wooden boat on a largely deserted stretch of beach in southern Portugal: I have no idea who created this little landscape in such a tough environment - sandy, hot, arid

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T08:47:00.000-05:00

Barbaratag!

2011-12-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

It just occurred to me that today is December 4, the feast day of Saint Barbara, and that I have almost let the day pass without writing a post about the flower-related traditions associated with this date. Following an old custom, many people in Germany cut branches of spring-flowering trees and shrubs - those of the sweet cherry (Prunus avium) are most commonly used where I grew up - and bring

Another Houseplant Update

2011-12-04T18:59:00.000-05:00

My collection of houseplants in my apartment at school has been slowly and steadily expanding. The relatively low light levels make it a bit of a challenge to find suitable plants but by and large things are doing well. One of my African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha), just beginning to flower for the second time Date palm seedlings (Phoenix dactylifera) just sprouting A white-flowered cultivar

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

Flowers and Foliage at the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory

2011-11-30T00:14:00.001-05:00

I have posted before about the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Detroit's Belle Isle and since I went there again this past weekend when I was home for Thanksgiving I have some new pictures I thought I would share: This appears to be something in the ginger family, though I have no idea what species. Does anybody know? Foliage plants in the central Palm House Strelitzia nicolai in bloom A

Some Reading

2011-11-27T21:05:00.001-05:00

I am extremely fond of gardening books. They fill my shelves, pile up on the coffee table and next to my bed, and are generally my favorite thing to find under the Christmas tree. I carry them with me as leisurely reading on plane rides and beach vacations and occasionally I write academic papers on topics that allow me to use them as sources. Whenever possible, I want to acquire more of them -

Happy First Advent Sunday!

2011-11-27T11:21:00.000-05:00

In Germany, it is customary to celebrate Advent, or the four weeks leading up to Christmas, with an Adventskranz or "Advent wreath" bearing four candles. On the Sunday four weeks before Christmas one candle is lit and one more is lit each successive Sunday, until by the time Christmas finally comes all four candles are burning. My mom designs her own Adventskranz every year and this year she went

Houseplants at Home

2011-11-25T18:22:00.002-05:00

Since yesterday was Thanksgiving I am at my parents' house in Michigan at the moment, enjoying the comforts of home and relaxing for a few days before heading back East for the last round of exams and final papers before Christmas. Of course, the first thing I did when we got home from the airport was to check on all my potted plants. My mom has been taking excellent care of them and many have

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T12:06:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T15:42:00.000-05:00

Garden Images in the Media - Part 2: Doctor Zhivago (1965)

2011-11-11T11:53:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I have never seen David Lean's 1965 adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago, first published in 1957, in its entirety. However, a reference to it that I encountered a few years back in a German article about the garden of Klaus Bender and Manfred Lucenz (their garden website can be found here) first drew my attention not only to the film but also to the potential

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-09T08:39:00.000-05:00

Eid Mubarak!

2011-11-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T14:40:00.000-04:00

Houseplant Update: Another Coleus

2011-10-28T15:49:00.000-04:00

Here is another coleus cutting (Solenostemon scutellarioides) that I recently potted up and which so far has been growing quite well: Interestingly enough, instead of opposing pairs of leaves, this variety has whirls of three leaves each, which gives it a fuller, sturdier overall appearance.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Deepavali!

2011-10-26T00:15:00.000-04:00

Article Worth a Look

2011-10-22T19:04:00.000-04:00

Here is a new article from The New York Times that I found interesting; it reports on efforts by New York City's Department of Parks and Recreation to use locally sourced seeds, especially of native plants, as well as seed collection and seed-related biodiversity preservation efforts more generally: Seeds for New York: The Lawn Guy I, for my part, find that there is something very satisfying

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T09:06:00.001-04:00

A Wonderful Surprise

2011-10-18T23:54:00.001-04:00

A few days ago I got an unexpected package in the mail which turned out to be a belated birthday present from our family friend Maggie. She had ordered me an assortment of six different Tillandsias or air plants from the California-based Tillandsia nursery Rainforest Flora, Inc.; according to the labels attached to each plantlet I am now the owner of the following species: Tillandsia aeranthos

Urban Wilderness - Part 3

2011-10-17T21:40:00.000-04:00

Here is another instance of visually pleasing wild growth from my daily route to campus, this one spotted in a parking lot at the side of the street. A climber, this delicate blue-flowered plant is weaving its way through the shrubs at the edge of the parking lot A close-up of the leaves and flowers Apparently this is bird vetch (Vicia cracca), a plant originally native to Europe and Asia. It

Cool Campus Landscaping

2011-10-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

Roughly a week ago when work crews began cutting down and ripping up the straggly hawthorns and yew hedges in front of one of the main science buildings on campus I was rather annoyed, assuming that they would be replaced with even more hardscaping or more drab, shoddily planted shrubbery. I was pleasantly surprised, then, when a truckload of large bamboo plants was delivered along with some

More Coleus

2011-10-13T19:55:00.000-04:00

In a post I wrote a few days ago about my new coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) I mentioned that a surviving specimen from my first sowing of coleus over two years ago still grows on a windowsill in my room back home in Michigan. My mom, being the awesome blog-reading and ever-supportive mother that she is, promptly emailed me a current picture of the plant in question: The little plant

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

Article on Refugee Farming

2011-10-10T09:46:00.000-04:00

Here is yet another interesting article from The New York Times, this one not about ornamental gardening but about the growth and positive impact of refugee farming and market gardening in various parts of the US: When the Uprooted Put Down Roots Here in this area there are a number of refugee farming programs, some of which even deliver their produce to a farmers' market held on campus on

Garden Images in the Media - Part 1: Mughal-e-Azam (1960)

2011-10-08T11:49:00.000-04:00

One of the things I have recently become quite fascinated with is the portrayal of gardens - and man-made landscapes more generally - in various forms of modern media. Many films, for instance, make conspicuous use of garden settings. Sometimes these are relevant to the film's plot or at least its overall mood, while at other times they seem more coincidental, a mere pretty backdrop that could be

Houseplant Developments

2011-10-07T22:36:00.001-04:00

I am growing increasingly fond of coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides), though so far more as a houseplant than for use in garden beds. Up until now I had twice grown batches of these plants from seed. One plant from the first sowing, now almost three years ago, is actually still alive and growing in the window of my room back in Michigan. About two weeks ago I started a new set from seed and

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T15:01:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T08:46:00.000-04:00

Urban Wilderness - Part 2

2011-09-27T22:10:00.001-04:00

For the second installment of this new series, here is a very pretty Aster from the edge of a parking lot on my daily walk to class: Does anyone happen to know which species this is? Update: According to the newest addition to my library, Peter Del Tredici's Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast, this is the white heath aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum).

New Plants

2011-09-25T11:37:00.000-04:00

I am slowly building up a collection of plants for my new apartment, which is an interesting challenge considering that I only have east-facing windows and my selection is largely limited to what is being sold at the garden centers and flower shops I can reach from here. Foliage plants will probably predominate in the long run but I have also got some nice flowers so far. Parlor palm (

Urban Wilderness - Part 1

2011-09-24T08:48:00.000-04:00

For most people, plants growing through cracks in the sidewalk or from niches in walls are probably signs of neglect or decay but living in a relatively urban environment with lots of brick and concrete and without a proper garden of my own I am finding increasing aesthetic appeal in such little bursts of vegetation. I will therefore try to start documenting some of the examples that catch my eye

Another Article...

2011-09-23T08:36:00.000-04:00

Here is yet another article from The New York Times' "In the Garden" Series, this one about Los Angeles-based landscape architect and garden historian Wade Graham: In the Garden: Wade Graham on Fashioning a California Eden I have not (yet) read his recent book American Eden: From Monticello to Central Park to Our Backyards: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are but the premise sounds very

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T08:37:00.000-04:00

Soiled and Seeded Magazine

2011-09-17T08:56:00.000-04:00

Last night I came across this young online garden magazine named Soiled & Seeded and I just love their concept! Do go and have a look if you are interested: Soiled and Seeded The articles in the four issues that have been put up so far cover a wonderful range of material touching on many of the cultural and social aspects of gardening that are rarely discussed in traditional gardening

Interesting Article on Waterlilies

2011-09-16T18:16:00.001-04:00

I know I have not posted much recently, mainly because I have been busy with the beginning of my new semester as a graduate student, leaving me with little time and material for the blog. In coming days I am going to try to get back to more regular and substantial posts again; in the meantime, here is an interesting article from The New York Times about Texas waterlily collector and hybridizer

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-14T22:59:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T08:36:00.000-04:00

Cool Clematis

2011-09-05T22:15:00.000-04:00

Walking down my street the other day, I noticed that the hitherto unassuming climber covering part of the neighboring house's porch had burst into glorious bloom: As far as I can tell it is a Clematis of some sort and I have also seen it in some other gardens around here. Would someone happen to know which species this is?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T18:22:00.000-04:00

Eid Mubarak!

2011-08-30T18:18:00.000-04:00

Today is Eid ul-Fitr or عيد الفطر, the holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan as well as of the dawn-to-dusk fasting usually maintained during that month. Stone screen in the complex of the Tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T18:38:00.000-04:00

Places to Visit: Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel, Germany

2011-08-15T19:18:00.001-04:00

The people of the German city of Kassel - my extended family included - are proud to inform anyone who will listen that their city has the largest Bergpark, or 'hill park', in Europe. To those of us who spend most of our lives in places without 'hill parks' of any sort, that distinction might not mean much. What, one might ask, is so special about a park that happens to be on hilly terrain? Well

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

Seedling Swamp Rose Mallow

2011-08-09T14:09:00.000-04:00

While I was not able to transplant the established swamp rose mallows (Hibiscus moscheutos) from my old garden to my family's new property when we moved two years ago, I did take along some seeds. I have planted a number of new, nursery-bought swamp rose mallows in the new garden since then (see this recent post) but I was still particularly delighted this morning when the first of the seedling

Nasturtiums

2011-08-08T16:07:00.000-04:00

I sowed some nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) for the first time in years this June. Up until now the little plants were not doing much but now they are starting to pick up, producing more flowers everyday. My favorite flower color so far is the one in the third picture, which also seems to photograph the best.

Crape Myrtle Season

2011-08-07T20:49:00.000-04:00

My crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) have begun blooming over the last couple of days and one of the newer dwarf ones which I planted the summer before last when my parents moved into this house had a little surprise for me last morning. Its regular flower color is a deep pink - and that was the color of most of the first couple of blossoms that had already opened - but one little branch near

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T09:29:00.000-04:00

Cool Whites

2011-08-02T17:02:00.000-04:00

Many of the flowers currently in bloom in our garden delight with bright, bold colors - shades of red, orange, purple, and deep pink that I absolutely love. However, there are also some cool white blooms that are just reaching their peak, and one section of the front border dominated by pale flowers and and foliage that is looking particularly good right now. The "white" end of the front

Happy Ramadan!

2011-08-01T16:01:00.000-04:00

Today marks the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which observant Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Corridor at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat, Oman To learn more about the special significance of Ramadan and the traditions associated with it, you can start at the Ramadan Wikipedia page here.

Another New Bed

2011-06-27T16:58:00.001-04:00

Last week I converted a section of the backyard that had previously been covered with decorative pebbles into another flower bed and connected it to the existing border running along the edge of the terrace, so that the latter is now completely surrounded by flower borders. The pebbles were nice in theory, but it was almost impossible to keep them clean. Apart from the many weeds that would

More Flowers Coming into Bloom

2011-06-25T21:38:00.000-04:00

Here are just a few more pictures of plants that have just begun flowering in the last day or two: A yellow selection of orange milkweed or butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa); the milkweeds are among my favorite native plants - they have gorgeous, exotic-looking flowers in a range of colors, come in different sizes, are all-around tough and vigorous, and serve as food for wildlife as glamorous

Article on Rooftop Gardens

2011-06-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

From The New York Times comes this downright touching article about the trials and tribulations of rooftop gardening in New York City: In the Garden: On City Rooftops, Scrappy Green Spaces in Bloom It kind of makes me wish more people were this appreciative of the opportunity to have a little patch of green...

The Cacti Are Blooming!

2011-06-24T10:09:00.000-04:00

Eastern prickly pear cacti (Opuntia humifusa) to be more specific. One of my favorite native plants, this little beauty is definitely one of the stars of the south-facing border in our front yard. See here for a Plant Care Profile I did for this species. Eastern prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa) Encouraged by the success I have been having with this plant, I recently added another species

Places to Visit: Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

2011-06-22T20:38:00.001-04:00

Cranbrook is a place I really should have blogged about a long time ago. One of a number of interesting historic estate gardens in the Metro Detroit Area, it is located a mere five minutes from my parents' home and they occasionally go there for walks. I, too, tour the grounds at least once almost every time I am home. Why, then, have I not posted about it before? I think it had to do a with a

Flower Update

2011-06-21T10:10:00.000-04:00

I am hoping to finish a larger post about a local estate garden later today but for now I wanted to share a few more pictures of some things that have come into bloom in the garden during the last couple of days: Blanket flower (Gaillardia aristata) Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam' Common mallow (Malva sylvestris) Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac) -

More Flowers from the Garden

2011-06-16T18:44:00.000-04:00

A few more flowers have come into their own since I last posted a batch of garden pictures a few days ago, so here are a few more photographs: A red pink (Dianthus sp.) that originally came in a mixed arrangement of perennials Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) Kamtschatka stonecrop (Sedum kamtschaticum) Musk mallow (Malva moschata) Hemerocallis 'Stella d'Oro' Asiatic lily (Lilium cv.) - this was

Plant Care Profile: Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)

2011-06-15T19:44:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while I pick up a plant on a whim because it seems interesting without expecting much from it and it ends up becoming a garden staple for me that I rely on to fill in bare spots, provide color when little else looks good, or some other such use. The pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa) is one such plant. I had never seen one flowering and new very little about the plant but

Some More Pictures from the Garden...

2011-06-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

Apart from planting a few new shrubs, including a small oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), I have not made much progress in the garden in the last couple of days. This is partially due to the fact that as of last Monday I resumed my usual summer job helping out in some large private gardens nearby. Lots of things are blooming, though, so here are a few pictures: A pink herbaceous peony

New Beds

2011-06-06T21:33:00.000-04:00

Over the course of the past week, I laid out two new flower beds in my family's Michigan garden. One is in the front yard along the left side of the walk up to the main entrance to the house. It connects to smaller beds that my mom had created in the last two years and planted predominantly with lavender and asters (Aster novae-angliae), two of her favorite plants. In keeping with these plants

Flowers in the Garden

2011-06-03T19:52:00.001-04:00

Since coming home to my parents' house in Michigan last weekend I have spent a lot of time in the garden, planting new things, trimming old ones, weeding, fertilizing, and just generally enjoying being outside and surrounded by flowers. So here is a selection of plants currently in bloom in my family's yard. I posted pictures of many of these last spring as well but I hope you will enjoy these

Gardens and Integration

2011-06-03T18:52:00.000-04:00

For those who read German, here is an interesting article from German newspaper Die Zeit about traditional German community gardens or "Schrebergärten," a system in which people join an association which administers a set of garden plots and then lease one of those plots for an extended period of time; the plots are usually fenced and often include a small garden house, and members plant not just

Places to Visit: Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio

2011-06-02T14:42:00.000-04:00

On the way back to Michigan my parents and I stopped in Akron, Ohio, and visited Stan Hywet Hall, the historic estate of F.A. Seiberling, the founder of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The property features elaborate landscaping by famous early 20th-century American landscape architects Warren Manning and Ellen Biddle Shipman, and I had wanted to see it for a number of years now. We

Orchids by the Highway Side

2011-05-30T19:03:00.000-04:00

I have been largely absent from the blogosphere for the last week or so because I was busy with graduation and moving out of my college dormitory. Having graduated from college I guess my blogger pseudonym is no longer entirely appropriate, but since I will return to the same university as a Ph.D. student in the fall I figure that I can get away with keeping the name. For now I am at my parents'

Interesting Garden-Related Exhibition

2011-05-23T09:56:00.001-04:00

I recently came across a review in The New York Times for a new exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden (not to be confused with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden which I wrote about here) which focuses on the Alhambra and its gardens and which might be fun for those who happen to be in the area sometime this summer, since it is supposed to run through August 21: Exhibition Review: Temptations

Spring in My Family's Garden

2011-05-21T16:13:00.000-04:00

Though I only graduate this coming week, I went home to Michigan on a short visit last weekend and got to spend some time working in the garden there. Since my parents moved into their current house only two years ago the garden is still more or less in its infancy but some parts are really beginning to come together. The front border on the south side of the house is the first area of the yard