Fairy Rings and Other Fabulous Fungi

While blooms begin to wind down as summer turns into fall, another sight becomes increasingly more common throughout our arboretum and less manicured areas - that would be the colorful and unusual fungi making themselves visible throughout our park. Along with this photo essay of Sonnenberg fungi, we will give some interesting and usual facts about fungi. Enjoy!

Click any of the images to see a larger view.

1. The largest organism on Earth is a fungus. There is a fungus in eastern Oregon that would fill 4 square miles! Read more...

 While not as large as the monster fungus in Oregon, giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea) are a common fall Sonnenberg sight.

 

2. Fairy rings are naturally occurring rings or arcs of mushrooms. There is a great wealth of folklore from the globe about fairy rings. Some say they are places where fairies danced. Others say they are dangerous places that are best avoided else dire consequences may befall any human unlucky enough to enter one. Read more...

Here is a picture of  a fairy ring at in the Pinetum at Sonnenberg. Even though I do not think that a wild fairy mob would whisk me away to the Land of Fairy should I foolishly cross the circle, I respectfully walked around it.

 

3. There are 10,000 species of fungi in North America. Read more...

While we certainly do not have 10,000 different species of fungi at Sonnenberg, fungi can be spotted amongst the green and wooded areas throughout the year. They vary in shape, size, and color from tiny toadstools to huge puffballs.

4. While it is hard to believe, the part of mushrooms that we see is but a small part of the fungus organism. The mushroom is only the fruiting body of the fungus - somewhat like an apple is to an apple tree. The main and growing part of the fungus - which is hidden in the ground or rotting log, is called the mycelium. Read more...

5. While they may grow somewhat plant-like, fungi are not plants. Nor are they animals. They are in their own grouping or Kingdom which includes a large number of diverse and often unusual species. Read more...

Wooden Sashinko, Japanese Embroidery Patterns in the Tea House

One of the great treasures of Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park is the Japanese Teahouse in its Japanese Garden. Mary Clark Thompson, one of the original owners of Sonnenberg, hired Kikujiro Wadamori in 1906 to build her Japanese Garden. Wadamori, originally from Izumo in southern Japan but now living and working in the United States, and a crew of seven men built the garden and teahouse. The garden was designed to be a miniature landscape reminiscent of the topography of Japan complete with mountains and valleys. It should be noted that this garden is one of the earliest privately owned Japanese gardens in the United States and the teahouse is one of the few in America that is in a publically accessible location.

The craftsmanship of the workmen that created the teahouse is on display both the inside and outside of this 100+ year old structure. Here are pictures of how the outside of the teahouse looks today:


The Japanese Teahouse seen from outside

Farther view of the Japanese Teahouse
 

The interior, while seldom viewed by visitors, is equally beautiful albeit in a quiet simplicity of form and style. One of the details to catch the eye while inside the teahouse are carved wooden panels/screens used in the wall and sliding panels separating the two halves of the teahouse. These can be seen in the picture below. There are two sets of panels, each featuring a different geometric pattern.

Interior view of the Japanese Teahouse - wooden
screen panels are visible

Practitioners of the traditional Japanese craft of sashiko will surely recognize the patterns in the wooden screens. Sashiko is a Japanese embroidery style that was used to repair and reinforce as well as beautify clothing. It became a rural domestic craft during the Edo Era (1615 - 1868) and has continued on to present day. The stitching often features repeating geometric designs and its most recognizable form consists of white embroidery on an indigo fabric. A picture of a modern sashiko stich sampler can be seen below.

A modern sashiko stitch sampler
(click on this image or any in the article for a larger view)

 Asanoha (Hemp Leaf)

The pattern in the panel above the doorway is known as the asanoha or hemp leaf. A detail from this panel can be seen below:



Japanese Teahouse - interior panel detail



The asanoha is a star-like pattern that is undoubtedly the most famous of sashiko patterns. This pattern's origins lay in China where the pattern was associated with Buddhism and represented radiating light or the inner light of the soul. This pattern has often been used on children's clothes and bedding in hopes they would grow up strong like the hemp plant - hemp was used by many common people for fabric prior to the widespread availability of cotton in Japan. The pattern has also symbolized a wish for good health.


Shippō tsunagi (Linked Seven Treasures)

The wooden screens running through the middle of the sliding panels feature a variation on the Shippō tsunagi or Linked Seven Treasures pattern. A detail of that panel can be seen below.



Japanese Teahouse - interior panel detail



This pattern is also called shippō or Seven Treasures and it was in use in the Heian era 1,000 years before it appeared in sashiko designs. This design also references Buddhism for the seven treasures appear in Buddhist sutras. Those seven treasures are: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, agate, pearl, coral, and crystal.

 Like to learn more about sashiko? One of the best references commonly available outside of Japan is The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook by Susan Briscoe. It contains history, patterns, and directions on how to begin doing this craft.

Victorian Holiday Crafts: Winter Sachet

While sachets have an ancient history, they are one of those things I that I connect with Victorian traditions. I suppose it is because the Victorians were quite the devotees of scent and our modern perfumery really lies with them. They loved many floral and herbal scents and I think they would like this one.

Here is a recipe for a spicy "winter sachet" that you can make up from commonly available herbs and spices. Sew small drawstring cloth bags or pillow-like sachets and fill with the mixture to complete and give as holiday gifts.

Winter Sachet

• 1/2 lb. dried rosemary
• 1/2 lb. dried mint leaves
• 4 oz. dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons ground cloves.

Mix well. Allow some time for the mixture to age and the scents to blend for best results.

This mixture is reputed to deter moths and while I cannot comment on its effectiveness, it is without a doubt a much more enjoyable scent than mothballs!  

Photo "140310 spices especias" by Luisfi - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Mary Clark Thompson's Garden Travels

After Frederick Thompson’s death, Mary Clark Thompson spent several years traveling throughout Europe with friends and family. On her travels she saw many beautiful estates which would influence her plans for Sonnenberg. In September of 1899, Mary and her sister Zilpha visited the Duke of Sutherland’s gardens at Trentham, in England. Zilpha wrote to their niece, Mamie, that the grounds were ideal of what a country place should be.

Unfortunately, in the years following their visit, Trentham became increasingly polluted by nearby pottery factories, and the estate was abandoned. In recent years, many of the gardens have now been restored to their original appearance.

Similarities in the two estates can be seen in the formal garden layouts, architectural elements, and statuary, particularly in Sonnenberg’s Italian Garden. Sculptures of children holding planters, low stone walls, columned structures, and graceful urns are generously used in both estates.  

Trentham estate, Staffordshire, England. © Stapleton Collection/Corbis.

Trentham estate, Staffordshire, England. © Stapleton Collection/Corbis.



Sonnenberg's Italian Garden, circa 1908.

                                     

Sonnenberg's Italian Garden, circa 2014.

The rest of Sonnenberg’s gardens would also be influenced by Mary Clark Thompson’s travels, as she incorporated ideas she encountered while touring gardens and botanical displays abroad. In 2016 we will be exploring public gardens, gardens that may have inspired Mrs. Thompson, and how Sonnenberg itself became a public garden.  

Guard Below!

Last week I made the mistake of parking under a black walnut (Juglans nigra) tree. It was a beautiful sunny morning and a "munch-munch-munch" greeted me when I got out of my car. I looked up into the green leafy branches and saw a fat squirrel munching away at a black walnut. I chuckled and went into the office.

If you are not familiar with black walnuts, this time of the year they still are on the trees and in astringent green husks - see picture to the right. Later in the season, if they have a chance, they drop and the green husks will turn a rich dark brown as they soften and rot off of the nut. The nut meats of black walnut have a strong, unique flavor that is prized by many -- including the squirrel kingdom at Sonnenberg. Even though the nuts are a wild delicacy, the shells are notoriously difficult to crack. This, however, means little to the strong-toothed squirrel.

Back to my car. When I went to leave later in the day, I saw the error of my ways. My car was littered with bits of the green walnut hulls and dried walnut hull juice with I suspect a copious amount of squirrel spit intermixed in. I immediately got this image of the squirrel sitting up in the tree in denim overalls like some backwoods cartoon character spitting his walnut "tobaccy" on my car. Yeah, I do have a vivid imagination and grew up on Looney Tunes. Lesson: squirrels and walnuts equal a mess so don't park there.

If you visit Sonnenberg this time of the year and stop for a moment to listen, you will without a doubt hear the unmistakable munch-munch-munch of some pudgy squirrel. They all have their winter feedbag on and are gorging themselves on acorns, walnuts, hickory nuts, butternuts, and more found throughout the estate. While out snapping some images yesterday for a different article for the blog, I spotted this squirrel enjoying the nuts from the black walnut's sister species, our eastern butternut (Juglans cinerea). The butternut is not as common of a sight as the black walnut but we have a number of these trees located in the Deer Park area of the park. This squirrel, clearly comfortable, in a nearby maple tree barely registered my presence. And so frequent were his obvious trips between the maple and the butternuts that a clear path in the grass between the two trees could be seen.

You know, I think that sassy squirrel even posed for me. What do you think?


Stretching out along the branch

He didn't stop munching once

Sonnenberg is on New York Heritage!

Sonnenberg has uploaded a collection of 44 rarely seen images of the historic grounds on the New York Heritage Digital Collection website! The photographs, which show views of the gardens, walkways, ponds, and architecture of the Sonnenberg estate as it looked in the early 20th century, are from Mary Clark Thompson's 1907 scrapbook.

 

New York Heritage is a valuable resource for students, educators, historians, genealogists, and anyone interested in learning about New York State history. The site provides free access to over 170 digital collections, and now researchers everywhere can access historic images of the Sonnenberg estate. Follow the link below to see our collection:

http://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16694coll21

Join us for Wine, Food, and Roses!

Join us for an evening of wine, food, and music in the historic mansion and gardens during the start of Sonnenberg's Rose Month. Rose Month, held every June, is a month long celebration of the peak bloom period of the Rose Garden's more than 2,500 roses.

Sample wines and sumptuous foods from dozens of the Finger Lakes region's wineries and restaurants while strolling through Sonnenberg's historic gardens and mansion. It is a unique experience and not to be missed! Come prepared to bid on unique gift items in the silent auction and to buy a rose for your sweetheart!

Event sponsored by Ryan's Wine & Spirits, Lyons National Bank, Canandaigua National Bank, and Wegmans.

Event will be held in the mansion in case of rain. Guests 21 & over only.

Roses & Rosés
June 8, 2015, 6 pm - 9 pm
$30/General; $25 Sonnenberg Members
Call 585-394-4922 to make your reservations

   

   

Victorians at Play

“Victorians at Play” will be presented by a panel of experts on the history of the Thompson family of
Sonnenberg during the late 1800s and early 1900s. For the past five years this panel, a group of historians and archivists, have studied and transcribed diaries, letters, ledgers, newspaper articles, and other relevant documents. This presentation will focus on popular recreational activities of Victorian times and how the Thompsons participated.  Known for their philanthropies, the Thompsons gifts to the community and beyond for recreation will be discussed. 

The panel thanks the Ontario County Historical Society and Sonnenberg Archives for access to their collections to unfold the Thompson story. 

The admission fee will help support the newly formed Education Committee of Sonnenberg which will provide for future programs.

Victorians at Play
May 30, 2015, 10 am - Noon
$10/general; $5/members
Call 585-394-4922 for reservations

2015 Philadelphia Flower Show

Joining Michael Warren Thomas on his 23rd annual tour to the Philadelphia Flower Show and Longwood Gardens on March 4-5, 2015? If you are, be sure to tell Michael you heard about it through Sonnenberg and he will donate $20 for each person who mentions Sonnenberg. Here are the details from Michael about the tour:

Philadelphia and Longwood Gardens Tour....

Did You Know? -- Mary Clark Thompson Medal

Did you Mary Clark Thompson, Sonnenberg's original owner, is the same Mary Clark Thompson for whom the National Academy of Science named their award of the same name?

She donated the funds for the award in 1919 and a gold medal used to be awarded annually but is now presented every three years, along with a $15,000 prize (courtesy of Mary Clark Thompson's endowment) to honor important services to geology and paleontology. Here is a link to an American Association for the Advancement of Science publication from 1919, which briefly mentions the award.

Mrs. Thompson was a great philanthropist and gave to innumerable causes in Canandaigua and beyond, many of which were related to the fields of healthcare and science.


Submitted by Cindy Hunt, Curator

Powerful Plants Abound

One of the first things you learn as an herbalist is to respect the power plants have. Another herbalist and I have often joked that the poisonous plants were the first ones we learned. All joking aside, it is true. These plants can kill or injure the foolish and careless so it is more than right to learn caution and respect from the very start. But what you also realize in those first few lessons is that the green world around you, no matter where you are on the planet outside of perhaps Antarctica, is filled with many, many useful plants. So many needs - from healing to food to fibers to dyes and more - all answered by plants.

While the arboretum and gardens of Sonnenberg certainly focus on the ornamental aspects of the plant kingdom, the useful and hence the herbal nature of the place is no less present. An herb, as defined by the Herb Society of America, is a plant useful in so many ways and not just for seasoning meals in the kitchen. In my strolls through the gardens, greenhouses, and even the wild places of  Sonnenberg, I see many beautiful plants but I also see many that can be found in traditional pharmacopoeias or useful for the needs of everyday life.

During your next visit, you are sure to see many such herbs but here a few of the ones you might see:

Aboretum:  The linden tree (Tilia sp., pictured right) is in our arboretum. As with many trees, the wood from this tree is prized and has been used for carving, turning, and musical instruments. But the copious and fragrant flowers provide a wonderful pollen source for bees. As such, linden flower honey is very popular where these trees are grown.

The flowers also are used medicinally for a variety of different needs from lowering blood pressure to improving digestion. In Britain, the linden is call a "lime tree" even though it has no relation to the citrus of the same name. (This is a perfect reason why herbalists do prefer botanical names!) If you see "lime" included in an herbal tea blend, it may be linden flowers instead of the citrus bearing the same name.

Of note, our native Tilia tree, the American basswood (Tilia americana) was a fiber source for Native Americans. The inner bark or bast was used to make rope and mats - the tree's name derives from this usage.

Old Fashioned Garden: This garden, featuring flowering and blooming plants hosts a variety of beautiful herbs including: Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Bee Balm (Monarda sp.), Pleurisy Root (Asclepias tuberosa), Monkshood (Aconitum sp.), Peony (Paeonia spp.), Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), Rose (Rosa spp.) plus a number of others that are in Western, Asian, and even Native American material medica. The uses of such plants are as varied as the content of this garden itself!

Lawns & Wild Places: I must admit to a special love of herbs in these spaces - especially the lawn "weeds." Weeds they may be in the eyes of some, but desirable and beneficial to others. Walk through an untreated lawn at Sonnenberg or elsewhere and you may see Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Violets (Viola spp.), Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris, pictured right), Plantain (Plantago Major), and others. So useful were these plants that our European ancestors brought most of those I have just listed to the New World with them. Plantain, for example, was called "White Man's Foot" by Native peoples for it seemed to follow the "white man" westward across North America.

Historical Facts: Greenhouses

The Industrial Revolution brought about advances in glass, metal, and heating technologies that allowed for improved greenhouse construction. Following the Civil War, these glass houses became common additions to estates like Sonnenberg. Year-round, they provided the beautiful flowers, ferns, and exotic plants that were popular in the Victorian era.

By the late 19th century, the Lord & Burnham Company was one of the premier greenhouse manufacturers in the United States. Mary Clark Thompson commissioned the company to construct her new greenhouse complex in 1903.

Submitted by Cindy Hunt, Curator

Greenhouse Treasures: Agave

During your visit to Sonnenberg, have you ever wondered about what some of the plants in the greenhouses and gardens may have been used for? If you have visited the Cactus House, you have seen this large plant. It is an Agave americana or century plant and it has many uses, including its use as a fiber plant.

One of our staff with an interest in crafts, plants, and ethnobotany decided to use one of the trimmed leaves of this plant to make cords and rope that school kids on field trips can see. See the article she wrote about that process.

See the article here...