Our club president recently had the chance to see the Butchart Gardens and loved it. British Columbia may be a very different climate to San Diego but seeing a garden vision come to life is motivating for all gardeners.
Set on and in 55 acres of an abandoned quarry it is restorative living art.
The Butchart Gardens – Over 100 Years in Bloom – Victoria, Canada
This fine specimen (Platycerium sp.) belonging to a club member began as single frond in a small hanging basket. It has never been transplanted and thirty years later has a leaf span over 6 feet and a rhizome over 3 feet in diameter. The small basket is still in there – somewhere.
This painting hangs in the Getty Museum, Los Angeles. The colors, vibrancy and lushness are striking. Apparently, he could take months and even years to finish works like this because he always had the actual plant in the studio when he painted. Since the still life comprised flowers, fruits and leaves from different seasons it was a patient task to paint them all in.
This is a Flowerpot Parasol mushroom, a member of Leucocoprinus genus. It appeared 2 days after the rare summer rain we got from tropical storm Hilary.