Showing posts with label ferns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ferns. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Fairies Are Present–Krohn Conservatory


The winter here in SW Ohio seemed to be put on hold for a while last week.  So Saturday, we headed to the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The sun was shining and the main garden theme highlighted spring even though we are still in the midst of winter.  I cannot begin to express my delight at the color, and the aromas of the blooming plants. Let me show you a little of this delightful exhibit which runs through April 7 called An Enchanted Forest.
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The show’s designers are Josh Hill, horticulturist at the Krohn, John DeVore of DeVore’s Land and Water Gardens, and Lee Baker DeVore, a local artist who created the little houses. The rolling hills representing a spring woodland was remarkable.  And the little fairy houses were enchanting.  The hillside was made so real by the 22 tons of sandstone boulders the creators brought into the conservatory.
 
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As you can see, the tulips and hyacinths were showing there colors and drenching the room with luxurious aromas, and the tiny ferns, and ivy are tucked into the crevices of the logs and rocks.

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These Fairy cottages have a waterfront view.

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Fairies love tulips.  They use them as cradles for the ‘wee ones’ to sleep.


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Blue flowers in a fairy garden represent intrigue and fantasy, serenity, and secret intuition.
 
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The woodland garden is just beginning to come alive from the winter cold.
 
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Fairies have a peaceful setting along this babbling brook.

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The designers have made this woodland space authentic and so beautiful.

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Fairies use pansies in love potions.  And human should never pick a pansy if it has dew on it – dire consequences are to be expected!

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A lovely detail on this fairy house.  The lucky fairy, this one!

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From the tiny ferns, to the little ivy climbing over the rocks, this woodland garden is magical. And I might have seen a twinkle of fairy dust just out of the corner of my eye.  

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Building the Garden of your Dreams




The Dream Garden or A Nightmare Garden


The 2010 summer in my zone 6 garden has been challenging.  The extreme heat has many of the late summer perennials fading earlier than normal.  The coneflowers are brown and the daisys are just sticks.




The ferns hate the heat.  I'm hoping that  with the extra watering I've given them, they will emerge nicely in the spring.




Even the perennial sunflowers which are drought tolerant have given up the fight this year.



The lawn has not been a priority for me to keep green.  My water bill will be bad enough just concentrating on shrubs, and perennials.  (The rain barrel has been empty for weeks!)



We fertilized the gardens and turf Sunday with an organic fertilizer ( 4-3-5) and some left over corn gluten (9-0-0).We were anticipating some rain which lasted 10 minutes and cooler temperatures.  This is late September, after all!  Forecast for this next week is 12 - 15 degrees above normal - near 90 degrees. Good thing that organic fertilizers will not burn the turf as chemical fertilizers can.


On the positive side of gardening this season is the second blush of the lavender.  Since lavender thrive in heat and low moisture, I shouldn't have been surprised.



The pink fall anemones which bloomed a few weeks ago have finished their show, but the white anemones, which are over 5 feet tall, look great.




Sedum Autumn Joy is full and gorgeous. 




Several roses are reblooming, including this "Queen Elizabeth".



These 'FejetaBells' are in heaven.




This aster is one of five varieties we have in the garden.  I prefer the reliablity of asters for fall color over mums which do not over winter well for me.

So, building the garden of you dreams is not a science.  Nature has a way of interjecting her will on us.  We may research plants draw diagrams of flower beds, and arrange plant varieties so we can have color all season, BUT, (lesson learned)  brown is a color.  Oh well,  there is always next year. 

Relax and enjoy whatever happens.  Remember we are not the center or the source.  Just the caretakers.

How did your garden fair this year?  Let us know.  And thanks for stopping by.  Claudia