No joke.
Imagine pulling all of those inside the garage on predicted frost days.
Behind his home sits his large greenhouse where his tireless propagation work is used to raise cuttings for fundraisers for the Botanic Woodland Garden sales.
Thank you!
And here is a pic of our hosts after they had some dinner!
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| Janet, our trip organizer, in between the two Bauereisens. |
Last week's FOTO FRIDAY was TEXAS FLORA
Who knew a BRIT could be part of our Texas garden trip?
Actually it wasn't a person from England but rather the BRIT-Botanic Research Institute of Texas which is open to the public by appointment only. BRIT is one of 10 largest Herberia in the U.S.
Have you ever heard the word 'herbarium' ?
It's a collection of categorized dried plants which are preserved, labeled with specimen's name. collection date, place of origin and categorization along with other pertinent info.
Samples of many of these plants may be obtained for specific scientific studies.
Private donations are conserved from all over the world with the earliest acquisition being from the late 1700's.
Entire collections arrive for a myriad of reasons.
4 major collections housed here include:
* 450,000 specimens and 45,000 books from SMU (1987)
* 380,000 herbarium specimens from Vanderbilt ( 1997)
* 78,000 specimens from Southeastern OSU ( 2000)
* 470,000 specimens from U of La (2017)
We heard about how this plant conservation occurs first by pressing specimens, using low heat to dry them, followed by freezing them to kill insects/ their eggs for 2-4 hours.
Volunteers help employees in attaching samples to archival paper and categorizing them by color regarding origin.
Scientists and individuals can study the samples sometimes dissecting parts for various projects.
Cubby lab space is available for individual investigation.
We also viewed the library with one of the world's finest collections of botanical books, a children's library spanning 3 centuries, a teachers resource center, and a botanical art collection in addition to a rare book collection starting from the mid 1500's.
Eventually digitization of the hiberium will make their entire collection accessible to all of us.
BRIT's tour was a wonderful hour of education of plant preservation and its implication into understanding our botanical world.
And our day wasn't over yet...
How lucky we were as Master Gardeners to be able to spend the 3rd day of our Texas visit with Bob Byers in Ft Worth!
If you've been lucky enough to visit Garvan Woodland Gardens, the 210 acre botanic gardens owned by the University of Arkansas in Hot Springs, Arkansas, its success can be attributed to Bob.
Then Bob was asked to become the director of the 109 acre Ft Worth Botanic Garden and BRIT Botanic Research Institute of Texas.
Lucky them.
Lucky us to be able to visit his influence and work of the past 7 years in what is now rated 4.7 out of 5 stars.
Elements of Mexican art would be present throughout the gardens...
2. the Children's Garden
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| Loofa plant |
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| Composting |
TBC...at BRIT tomorrow.
When I learned volunteers were needed to help repot 650 pansies, I was game.
You see I wasn't able to plant shop on the Texas trip since my own yard needs some amending before investing in plant material.
So, I joined 3 others to work on the pansy task.
It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and the two and a half hours passed so quickly. As soon as the new larger containers were filled with soil each pansy got a new home to give its roots more space.
We didn't quite finish but those pansies certainly were happier and so was I . Playing in the dirt definitely is therapeutic.
Remember Fall is a good time to plant not just bulbs but new shrubbery and trees too. Water them in and enjoy them next spring!
Have a great week!
Can you guess what it was?
If you responded 'a ROSE', you guessed it .
And what color do you think it was ?
Now remember where I was...
Yep, it was YELLOW.
Obviously the 'Yellow Rose of Texas.'
Actually, it was in the trial garden, a new variety called
Julia Child. Isn't she a beauty?
In case you missed last week's FOTO FRIDAY it was :
As if two gardens weren't enough we had a surprise stop in downtown Ft. Worth for a very unique type of garden. In fact , it is more distinct than any other urban oasis I have visited because it truly is an interactivity of one's senses.
As we crossed the empty downtown street we did not know what to expect. After ascending some stairs we heard the rush of water. We then saw from whence the sound of water emanated. Get ready.
There in front of us was Fort Worth Water Gardens built in 1974, an architectural and engineering masterpiece by Philip Johnson.
Whoa. Giant steps led downward with thousands of gallons of water becoming waterfalls down the stone platforms.
Janet, our fearless leader (below R) wasted no time descending the stairs...
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| The Mountain |
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| Aerated Pool |
One might wonder how did a world renowned artist who painted the Queen, a couple of U.S. Presidents, etc... end up in the South?
Well, Ina's mother took her to New York to introduce her to society at elaborate balls in order to meet a prospective husband. It was there Ina met Douglas Chandor who was then invited by Mrs. Kuteman to return with them to Weatherford to paint family portraits. And as they say, the rest is history.
The architect Joseph Pelich helped the newlyweds build their home with a ballroom size studio with good sunlight.
Chandor between commissions dedicated the next 2 decades working on the landscaping until his death. He always claimed his art skills were just a means for him to build this home garden. He designed it with English style gardens filled with boxwood rooms, water fountains, the Pixie Pond, bowling alley for bocce, statuary and of course, plant material.
Chandor also had an affinity for China and implemented Chinese symbols, statuary and oriental design.
He used the color 'red' as an accent as the Chinese traditional use of red is to symbolize 'good luck and joy.'
