When the lottery jackpot grows large we are entertained by stories of speculation as to how a lucky winner might spend the prize. Well, what would a gardener with a passion for beauty and nature do with unlimited funds? Robert Allerton, born in 1893, won the lottery in a sense as he was the only heir to a great fortune accumulated by his father Samuel. “Samuel Allerton amassed more than 80,000 acres of farmland across the Midwest. The elder Allerton was a founding principal of the First National Bank of Chicago, and held prominent leadership positions in five major stockyards, including the Union Stockyards of Chicago.” (Allerton Park website) Robert worked tirelessly to spend the vast fortune that he inherited. His constant effort produced two incredible gardens and major donations to both the Chicago Art Institute (6600 items) and the Honolulu Museum of Art.
Category: Pacific Region, US
Gazing Balls
Bright & Shiny
This time of year Christmas trees decorated with lights and ornaments are showing up all around the town. If you decorate a tree with traditional glass ornaments in red, gold, or silver you will see the beauty surrounding you reflected in their shiny surface. Stories of glass ball ornaments trace back to the 1800’s in Germany, though the origin of glass balls has been documented back to the 1300’s. Venetian glass blowers began creating colorful spheres as gazing balls to reflect the light and the view of gardens. The fragile and colorful balls were a sign of wealth and status used to accessorize the gardens of kings. King Ludwig II, King of Bavaria during the 1800’s, adorned his palace, Herrenchiemsee, his replica of Versailles, with these gazing balls. Could there be a connection?
Foster Botanical Garden, Oahu, HI
Exceptional, Exceptional trees. There are so many things to discover in Hawaii and this small garden is big in delight. There are 24 officially designated “Exceptional Trees” in this space. Large, unique, spectacular and astonishing trees are here. In the large category, there are Tamarind, Boabab and Quipo trees. The Quipo is sleek and tall growing like a silver streak train to the sky. The unique, includes the blue marble tree and the cannonball tree. A cannonball tree is truly loaded with heavy, round, brown balls that grow from beautiful orange flowers.
Limahuli Garden, Kauai
The tour guides try to convince you the only way to see the beauty of Kauai is by helicopter and the Napoli Coast cannot be enjoyed but by guided activity. Yet this garden will give you a glimpse of all of this in a most enjoyable stroll. You drive nearly to the end of the road of the northwest shore of Kauai. The 1000 acre valley garden rises up from the entrance gate. Lush and green surrounds you. Mountain peaks and unique plants are well labeled and described in the accompanying booklet provided with your admission. Plants in Hawaii arrived by wind, water and wing, the garden illustrates these contributions.
Chickens in Kauai
Chickens were a constant part of my childhood. My Grandmothers, my great aunties, and my Mom all raised chickens. Those chickens supplied our eggs, and our dinner.
Getty Villa, Pacific Palisades, CA
Too hot to garden?
Furnace Creek Inn, Death Valley, CA
As the summer heat wears on I wonder if I might feel cooler thinking of places that are hotter and drier than where I am. So Death Valley National Park and Furnace Creek CA spring to mind. Just the names sound hot and years of record high heat support its reputation of the hottest, driest, and lowest place in the U.S. Though Death Valley was set aside as a protected area in 1933, it didn’t become a National Park until 1994. Always curious about this fierce sounding place I was completely surprised by the flowers of the park and the oasis garden at the Furnace Creek Inn. Travel really does break apart our preconceived notions of a place.
Plant People
San Diego Botanic Garden
Just before the killer cold snap last January I had managed to prune my torch bougainvillea into a heart shape topiary. It made me smile and I eagerly looked forward to it as part of the landscape for a Valentine celebration in February. Then nature changed my plans and the shape was lost in the freeze damage. A topiary is a fanciful thing, it isn’t a garden style that appeals to everyone. It is a living work of art that requires a vision, patience and an artist using the medium of plants.
Los Gatos, CA, The blooming town square
A town square has long been a fixture in this country. A small open green space surrounded by the shops and offices needed for the community to function. Many have a band stand for what was a frequent summer tradition of concerts in the park. Nearly all of these town squares are surrounded by trees. Certainly the story behind the selection of the tree to plant would involve meetings, community leaders, horticultural experts (likely both certified and self-identified) and the decision would not likely have been quick or easy. What ever the process I think Los Gatos has one of the best trees.
Hakone Gardens, Saratoga, CA
We are all influenced by our life experiences. Some experiences change the direction of our lives. Such is the origin of this authentic Japanese garden built by Oliver and Isabel Stine. The 1915 Pan Pacific Exposition had such an impact on this San Francisco couple that Mrs. Stine spent most of 1916 visiting Japanese gardens in the Fuji-Hakone National Park region of Japan. Where many of us would be content to bring back souvenirs of such a trip Mrs. Stine brought back an architect and landscape architect to design the 18 acre estate and garden in complete authenticity.