Ancient Trees – Portraits of Time

If you love trees and beautiful photography, Ancient Trees – Portraits of Time by Beth Moon is the book for you (Abbeville Press Publishers. New York and London, 2014). Moon spent 14 years photographing some of the oldest trees on the planet. The black and white photos are produced using platinum crystals embedded in Arches Platine 100% cotton paper made in France. A high-resolution negative is created using a contact printing process and digital scanning, and then output to transparency. When printed, the photos are luminous and rich with shades, and tones.

In the introduction, Moon describes the project, her first photographs of the Bowthorpe Oak while living in Britain, subsequent photographs of other ancient trees as she moved or traveled around the world, how she chose her trees (not necessarily the best botanical representatives, but the most interesting), and details about her photographic process. Todd Forest provides the forward “Adapted to Endure,” which describes the importance of ancient trees both aesthetically and for genetic resiliency. The photographs are presented by region – Great Britain, United States, Israel, Socotra, Southern Africa, and Cambodia. The captions are compiled in the back matter, and provide details about each of the photographs. Steven Brown provides a parting tribute to trees and the importance of conserving them.

Beth Moon’s photographs are stunning – the composition, the subject, the rich detail. The trees are massive and majestic. Many are centuries old, and have adapted in interesting ways to the conditions around them. I was glad to see some of my favorites included such as the Giant Sequoias, Bristlecone Pine, and Joshua Trees of California; the beautiful Oak, Beech, Yew, and Cedar of Great Britain; and the Bayon and Strangler Fig of Cambodia. I was also interested to see unfamiliar trees, such as the Dragon’s Blood, Desert Rose, and Frankincense from Yemen; the Baobab from Madagascar, Botswana, and South Africa; and the Quiver Trees from Namibia, Africa. These beautiful and ancient trees are now preserved in photographs, but I hope we can continue to preserve them as living entities.

Summer Movies 2016: Around the World in 80 Gardens – South Africa

For my final journey with Monty Don, we’re heading to South Africa to visit gardens, and see famous movie star plants in their native environment. In this episode, he admits to resisting the trip to South Africa because of the history of apartheid, but resolves to overcome it. While traveling he falls in love with the country and revels in its plants. Grab your sunglasses, and join us for our final summer destination!

South Africa (Season 1, Episode 8)

Monty Don first visits Cape Town at the base of Table Mountain, and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The garden was established in 1913, occupies 100 acres, and includes 7000 species, all of which are native to South Africa. The collection includes many species of Proteas (over 350 types), and ancient Cycads (dinosaur era). The garden merges with the Table Mountain National Park (our Linnaeus apostle, Carl Peter Thunberg, would have roamed the fynbos and veldt of this area in search of botanical specimens).

The Cape area has a Mediterranean climate, with dry seasons with no rain. Table Mountain (with its “table cloth of clouds”) provides springs year round, so was an ideal place for the Dutch East Indian Company to establish a base. They founded company gardens to grow food and plants to replenish their ships, which had rounded the treacherous cape after a six-month voyage. Some of the gardens later grew ornamental plants, and became pleasure gardens. Monty visits several colonial gardens in the area, including The Company Garden.

Monty then travels inland to the Drakensberg Mountains, and roams the hills and meadows, encountering many plant species that were introduced in Europe, and that he grows in his own garden, such as lobelia. He realizes that the plants grow in the high, cool altitudes of these mountains, making them easily grown in the higher latitudes of Northern Europe. He is struck with the natural beauty of the mountains, and the native plants growing in situ.

Later Monty heads for Johannesburg, and visits several interesting gardens. The Savannah Rock Garden was created by a sculptor married to an artist. The garden that started as a way to relax at the end of the day, became an obsession and a living sculpture of native rocks and plants. Another garden is the Thuthuka School Garden in Tembisa Township, which serves as an outdoors class room where children learn about the healing properties of plants, and how to tend and enjoy a garden. He also visits the private Brenthurst Gardens, which started as a tightly controlled Edwardian garden, and is now a naturalistic garden using native plants. Hope you enjoy the final leg of our summer tour: https://youtu.be/EJCjYithz28

Summer Movies 2016: Around the World in 80 Gardens – South America

My next journey with Monty Don is to South America to visit gardens, and meet movie star plants. South America has diverse climates (including a Mediterranean climate on the coast of Chile), and close to 50,000 plant species that are found only in South America. On this trip, Monty explores what defines a people’s concept of a garden, and what drives people to create gardens even when the surrounding landscape is already so beautiful. So grab your camera, and join us for more summer travelling!

Brazil, Argentina, and Chile (Season 1, Episode 4)

Monty Don first visits Rio De Janeiro to see the Copacabana Beach Promenade designed by Roberto (Burle) Marx in the 1970s, and then his home and test garden, Sitio Santo Antonio da Bica, now owned by the state. As told by Monty, Burle visited Europe when he was 19 and was surprised to find greenhouses devoted to Brazilian plants. This triggered an epiphany of sorts – why aren’t we using Brazilian plants for landscaping in Brazil? Upon his return to Brazil, Burle started collecting native Brazilian plants, and experimenting with them. He collected around 3,500 plants in his test gardens, and implemented them in the 2,000 public and private gardens he designed. This revolutionized landscaping in Brazil

Monty then heads north to Manaus, Brazil, to cruise the Amazon river, and see the rain forests of the great Amazon basin. On the river he witnesses floating houses and gardens, which grow fruit and nut trees, vegetables, and flowers. Even surrounded with the lush rainforest, people seem compelled to garden, whether for food or beauty.

The jungle soil is thin and poor. Many of the trees have shallow roots, and are supported by flaring buttresses. Any organic matter that falls to the jungle floor is broken down quickly by fungi, and immediately taken up by the shallow roots. Monty learns about places in the jungle with nutrient rich soil, called terra preta. Scientists have studied these patches of ancient soil that appear to have been enriched by humans using charcoal, pottery chards, and organic matter (recall we learned about terra preta in Soil Building in the Americas).

Next, Monty travels to Argentina to visit Buenos Aires, a city with a European feel. Its landscaping, with wide boulevards, parks, and trees is attributed to French botanist and landscape architect Charles Thays (1849 – 1934). Thays arrived in Argentina in 1889, and, over the course of his life, planted 1.2 million trees, most of which are native to Argentina, such as the rubber tree. From here, Monty visits Estancia Dos Talas, a ranch built in 1858 by Basque-French pioneer, Pedro Luro. He hired Charles Thays in 1928 to design the garden and surrounding park of 74 acres, which includes wide avenues of trees from Argentina and Europe.

Finally, Monty heads for Chile, the South American country that spans 217 miles at its widest, and is 2,670 miles long from north to south. It is bordered by desert, mountains, ice floes, and ocean, with a Mediterranean coastal climate, and supports a diverse plant population. Monty ends his tour in a private garden created by landscape architect, Juan Grimm. Bahia Azul Garden flows seamlessly from sea to coastal bluffs, and is planted all in native plants. The garden borrows views from the ocean and surrounding bluffs, and looks completely natural. Even in this setting of beauty, its owner is compelled to create a garden.

I loved seeing the lush gardens of South America, which feature its native plants. Burle Marx and other recognized the fantastic diversity of the continent’s plants and implemented them in their gardens. This inspires us today, as more and more gardeners embrace their local environment, and implement its native plants into the landscape. Thank you for joining us on this tour: 

https://youtu.be/uYG3TAw1hOY

Summer Movies 2016: Around the World in 80 Gardens – Australia and New Zealand

This summer I’m heading to the movies to enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful gardens. My travel partner and guide is Monty Don, and the movies are his horticultural travelogues from the BBC series "Around the World in 80 Gardens". I've picked three continents of special interests, all of which include Mediterranean climates. I'm hoping to have some fun, and learn more about the movie star plants and gardens from these regions. Grab your sun screen, and join us for some summer travelling!

Australia and New Zealand (Season 1, Episode 2)

Monty first visits the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia. The garden is beautifully situated, very near where Captain James Cook landed with his crew 200 years ago, and where botanist Jonathan Banks and his team collected many plant specimens on the shores of Stingray Bay (later renamed Botany Bay). Eighteen years later settlers began to arrive. They struggled to survive, learning how to obtain food and water  in the strange new land. Monty visits several other gardens near Sydney, and notes that early public and private gardens were made by homesick settlers who attempted to recreate the water-loving English country gardens of their homeland in a harsh, dry land.

Later Monty visits several gardens that celebrate native plants and environment. Landscape architect Vladimir Sitta’s personal garden uses red rock quarried from the interior of Australia, and drought resistant succulents. The Alice Springs Dessert Park in the interior is styled on the ecosystems in the outback, including a salt pan and streams that flow under the sand. Monty meets with Doug Taylor, a park ranger to learn about the park and how indigenous people lived in harmony with the environment, working with the land and using the native plants to survive.

On to Melbourne, Australia where Monty visits Cruden Farm and The Garden Vineyard, both of which are a hybrid of exotic and native plants, but with a strong sense of place and identity. He speculates whether this represents the evolution of gardening in Australia.

Monty ends his tour in New Zealand, visiting Ayrlies Garden in Auckland, and a private garden in New Plymouth. Both gardens fully embrace the plants and environment of New Zealand. At Te Kainga Marire (Maori for peaceful encampment) in New Plymouth, native plants and birds flourish. Owner and creator Valda Poletti observes that young people especially no longer see the garden as a flower garden, and instead embrace gardening with native flora and fauna.

I have watched several of the episodes of “Around the World in 80 Gardens”, and really appreciate Monty Don’s commentary. I like his quest for what really embodies the Australian and New Zealand garden, and his observations about the evolution of gardens for homesick settlers, to gardens that fully embrace the land and its amazing plants. Penelope Hobhouse is listed in the credits as a consultant, so the series is a collaboration of two of my favorite gardeners! Thank you for joining me on this tour: https://youtu.be/fyxgZT1j_6A

Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park is a great place to spend a few hours, and ponder the elements of the Japanese garden. Nearby is the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the Conservancy of Flowers, so those with enough stamina could spend the whole day in beautiful gardens! The “Japanese Village” was originally one acre and created for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. It was later developed into five acres by landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara. The Hagiwara family resided on the property and maintained the garden for many years, until they were interned in 1942 with many other Japanese Americans, and never allowed to return.

Teahouse and gift shop

The Japanese Teahouse and gift shop are near the entry (this clickable map of the grounds is useful). Tea is served along with light sandwiches, snacks, and sweets (reservations are recommended). I did not visit the teahouse, but hope to do so on another visit. I love this description of the Japanese tea ceremony in the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Japan (the ceremony is as much about slowing down and living in the moment, as it is about tea).

The Way of Tea. The tea ceremony is a well-orchestrated series of events. The ritual involves meeting your fellow guests, walking through the grounds of the teahouse, performing ablutions, entering a cell-like room, meeting your host, admiring the features of the room and tea utensils, watching the tea being prepared, bowing, and consuming the food and tea. Each part of the ritual is symbolic; ultimately it is your appreciation of the moment that counts (page 163).

Shady and meandering paths through the garden

Pagoda

Several paths twist and turn through the landscape, giving the garden a feeling of space, even on a busy day. I visited in summer, so missed the cherry blossoms, but the groves of trees in shades of green and reds were restful, and provided cool shade and relief from the hot afternoon sun. It is understandable that the Japanese Tea Garden was one of the sites used to film Memoirs of a Geisha.

Dry Zen garden in dappled shade

The garden includes many lovely features such as the sunken garden, the Zen garden, and the pagoda. The Zen garden was designed in 1953 by Japanese landscape architect Nagao Sukurai (who also designed the Japanese style gardens for the 1939-40 Golden Gate International Exposition). Dry landscapes (kare sansu in Japanese) originated in China, and gained popularity in Japan during the Muromachi period (1338-1573). The dry garden uses rocks and stone, and raked gravel to represent scenes from nature, and harmony between humankind and nature. (This is another alternative gardening style to consider for those of us in the dry Western United States).

The Drum Bridge is a popular photo opportunity

The garden also includes a series of ponds and bridges. The combination of water, plantings, and shade were welcome on the hot day I visited, and the koi, flowers, lanterns, and sculptures provide the characteristic elements of the Japanese garden. The Drum Bridge drew a large crowd, and was a popular photo op. I recommend the garden for anyone interested in Japanese gardens and hardscaping, or anyone with a few hours to spend in a setting of beauty, history, and human interest.

The main pond	Peaceful Koi
Iris planting	The sunken garden

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Learn More:

• DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: San Francisco & Northern California. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. (New York and London, 2002). Japanese Tea Garden, page 145.
• DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Japan. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. (London, 1995). The Tea Ceremony, page 163.
• Japan A Short History. Supervised by John Gillespie. ICG Muse, Inc. (New York and Tokyo, 2001).
• A Traveller’s History of Japan. Richard Tames, line drawings by Scott Hall. Interlink Books (New York, 2002).

Birds and Bees Seed Germination

A seed can lay dormant for months, years, or centuries (sometimes even longer), protected by its seed coat. It waits for the right environmental conditions needed to germinate. Germination refers to the beginning of growth, in this case from a seed. The ideal environmental conditions for germination include temperature, growing medium, and moisture.

Seed germination in monocots and dicots - © Merriam-Webster Inc. (2006)

Within the seed is the plant embryo—the immature plant. The embryo has all the characteristics of the plant it will become—root, stem, and leaves—in miniature. During germination the radicle, or root, emerges and pushes its way downward, using gravity, and grows and branches into the soil. The stem pushes upward, toward the light, and its cells grow and elongate. The germination process can be amazingly fast, taking place in a matter of hours, days, or weeks, depending on the seed type.

Dissecting a Joshua Tree seed (Yucca brevifolia)

Joshua Tree seed embryo (photos by Al Harris)

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The cotyledon, or seed leaves, emerge and provide nourishment for the seedling (the endosperm provides a food source in monocots). The seed leaves wither or drop off as the nourishment is consumed, until the first leaves emerge and begin photosynthesis. At that point the seedling is on its way to growing into a mature, self-sustaining plant.

Learn More:

• Botany for Gardeners, by Brian Capon (Timber Press 2005). See Part I Growth, Chapter 1, “Cells and Seeds: Basics and Beginnings”.
• Pollination and Fertilization, derived from Pollination and Fertilization, by Robert Bear and David Rintoul, for Open Stax, Rice University (Creative Commons).