But tho' an old man, I am but a young gardener

It tells you that our third United States President understood well what it was to be a gardener and a lover of plants. It means that you will spend your life in the joy of learning new things.

Photography in the Gardens

With our hands-on photography workshop coming up in 2 weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the photos I've snapped here - and it is many. I take hundreds of photos each year of Sonnenberg alone. Last summer I decided to have fun taking photos in the Japanese Garden with an origami crane I folded up for the occasion - and it was a lot of fun!

Simple props like a pebble, leaf, flower, or pine cone can also make for very simple and beautiful images. Try it - I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

I should say one of the things I am very passionate about with photographs is the post picture taking process. While I will crop and occasionally make minor adjustments to exposure or levels to better match the image to what I saw, I believe the best photographs are what you saw and the camera captured. I feel that when the images are heavily modified via Photoshop and other digital tools, they become digital art and are no longer in the realm of photography. I'm not saying that is bad, just a different art. 

The National Geographic, always known for the stunning photos, has this to say about digital darkroom techniques for one of their activities. Some great advice for you to try out.

Origami Crane in the Japanese Garden

Neptune Gets a Facelift

Due to a conservation grant award from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, last year we were able to do some work on the Neptune fountain in our Italian Garden. If you are unfamiliar with the fountain, it is the focal point for the our iconic Italian Garden. The sculpture is of Neptune with a sea creature and it is centrally placed on the edge of a large water feature. Neptune is holding a creature between his legs and left hand while his right hand is raised, clutching a club-like object with which he appears to be thrashing the creature between his legs. Seasonally, water spurts from the mouth of the creature into a basin below Neptune’s feet. Historically the basin was surrounded by three carved, oversized sea-shells on the water side but these shells have been removed from the fountain at some time in the past.

The conservation work mostly consisted of removing mineral and biological deposits that had built up on the statue - see the images below for the before and after shots.

A huge thanks goes out to the Greater Hudson Heritage Network for allowing us to help preserve the most prominent and probably recognizable of our statuary collection!

Historic View of the Fountain/Statue:

 Before Treatment:

After Treatment:  

The Natural Connection

An early visit to Sonnenberg Gardens

In this world of ever-increasing technological dependence and proliferation, a necessary element and natural connection has vanished from too many of our young people's lives -- that is the contact and experience with Nature itself.

Numerous studies show that there are benefits to overall physical health as well as mental health and cognitive abilities in spending time in our natural, outdoor settings. No place is this more true than with our children. But sadly fewer and fewer children today are experiencing the joy and benefits of outdoor time. It is not, however, a difficult or impossible problem to solve.

My own children had outdoor experiences even before they could walk. They cooed and laughed at trees like they were telling the best joke in the world (true story) from strollers, arms, or blankets. When more mobile, they visited public gardens, playgrounds, and hiking trails on their own two legs. Over the years, they have helped in my vegetable gardens and they have played on swings. They raced along paths. They learned much botany and other natural sciences from me that has fanned the flame of their life-long love affair with science. They picked up colorful fall leaves and have built snowmen. They have hiked and fished. They have smelled the flowers. They have dug up fossils and skipped stones. They have learned to love and respect the natural world - which is so key to becoming good stewards of our planet.

A much later visit to Sonnenberg

My boys visited Sonnenberg Gardens initially from strollers. They quickly got mobile and absolutely loved the kid's adventure maps and scavenger hunts. They would race ahead looking for the next item to find. We brought picnic lunches and enjoyed them under shady boughs, even though we only lived a few minutes away. It was a great adventure. We enjoyed every minute of the time and made memories that are priceless.

Take your children outdoors. Share with them what you love about it. You don't have to go far as public parks and gardens are just around the corner.

Share the joy of being outdoors and make memories that will last a lifetime.

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