Annie's Gardening Corner: botanical gardens

Showing posts with label botanical gardens. Show all posts

Monday, March 23, 2015

Weekend Tidbits

Do you know where this state park is in Massachusetts? Hint – it has an amazing showcase of Rhododendrons and Azaleas mid-spring.

What a first weekend of spring. What started with snowflakes, then a melt and warm-up, now back to the deep freeze - ugh! But hopefully you were able to get out in nature, do a bit of pruning or clean-up in the garden, or just enjoy the first awakenings of this season we love the most.

A few noteworthy tidbits or #DYK (Did you know) to prompt outdoor thinking:

Be on the lookout for White pine blister rust – there is a mutated fungus infecting white pine forests in parts of New Hampshire. Click here for the details. As always, if you love the outdoors, gardening and the environment, you should be tuned in not just to the beauty but what may be overshadowing it and what you can look for or do about it.
For those that love to explore – the Denver Botanic Gardens had more visitors last year than any public garden in North America. Read why there were more than1.4 million visitors. Time to put this and many others on your North American list of botanical gardens you might want to see next. Maybe it’s just a reminder to catch up with a garden close to where you live. Get inspired with a workshop or class.
If you love birds, the state of Massachusetts will be conducting their April 10^th spring nesting survey of the bald eagle, which has made a huge comeback in Central Massachusetts. Read about some of the places you might spot an eagle in flight or better yet, a new nesting area and you can put it on the map.

A quick post with a few #DYK tidbits to share on this chilly Monday morning. Get chatty and send your design and garden questions or just share your spring thoughts.

©Image by Ann Bilowz

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The Indoor Green Scene

Catch a bit of greenery indoors.

With so many botanical places to explore during the winter months, there are no excuses. Get your fill of green because it sure beats the ice and snow.

Ah, the beauty of January's ice and snow.

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, ‘The Green of Winter,’ joining a garden club, a society, a lecture – it all boosts your knowledge of what you love. Remember, the garden party starts now.

A bit of color mixed with the greenery.

Blossoms in the winter green spaces make it feel like summer in January.

And if you are desperate to find a shot of green in nature, spy all the evergreens – there’s green when you look around. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe pointed out, “Nature! We live in her midst and know her not.”

The garden party starts now!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Magical Moments & Places

If you are lucky enough to visit the +Atlanta Botanical Garden, you might recognize this magical work of art above. This particular figure, known as ‘Earth Goddess’ is part of the ‘Imaginary Worlds’ display. She is truly in a league of her own for being particularly inviting for all ages, young and old. Plus you don’t have to be an industry buff to appreciate its beauty. This display of art captures so much - movement, life, flowing and breathing that makes this Goddess truly feel alive.

Yes, today’s image kicks off day 5 of 26 Days of Kindness. On this Saturday, we honor Ana Marquez-Greene. She loved to sing, dance- especially to a fast beat and was going to start piano lessons. She also loved Disney, especially Princess Tiana from ‘The Princess and the Frog’. This image reminds me of just that - something very magical and fairytale-like. But there is always a caveat - what I love most about this particular piece of garden art is how alive it feels to the visitor. It is full of plants intertwined with many other design elements but its most moving feature is the water flowing from her hand. It reminds me of all the kindness and good deeds that are being done today in memory of Ana and all the acts of kindness performed earlier this week.

John O’ Donohue once said, “If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.”

Love isn’t a fairy tale if you give it away. Give your love and kindness to someone who might need a magical moment to lift them up in honor of Ana Marquez-Greene. Again, the event and FB page if you want to help heal the wounds of Newtown, CT.

© Image by Ann Bilowz (Earth Goddess at Atlanta Botanical Garden)
If you like this blog, hope you check in for your daily share's worth of inspiration, design, and garden tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at Annie You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too.