For Want of a Nail

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

or in my case a double a battery. That sits in my freezer like it has for the past week. It isn't like my freezer is hard to get to. It is actually right next to the back door. Yet day after day I forget the one thing that would release the photo of the beautiful bird of paradise that is blooming in the butterfly house.

What an aggravation.

In the meantime, here is a photo from the cute little Jardin Botanico I like so much in Mexico City aka el DF. The greenhouse was great.

Quote

Hi everybody!

I'm still wrangling with technology on the Mexico pictures and I've been stuck behind my desk it seems like since last April. This makes it hard to take lovely pictures of our own gardens. That is why this quote really resonated with me when I came across it yesterday.

"When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

True, he opined this over a hundred years ago but I find it still holds true.

I'm really excited for what we have coming up this spring at the Gardens. If you have any interest at all in gardening I encourage you to contact the Gardens. We are in the planning stages and I'd like all our gardeners to be a part of that this year. So come on down! I'd love to see you.

I'm Back!

Did ya miss me? Huh, huh? Did ya? Well, I missed you. It has been a month of paperwork and snow. I did manage to escape to Mexico for a week's vacation. It was good to be in the warm weather and sun. I loved the botanical garden in Mexico City. It was very formal but had a nice selection of succulents. The greenhouse was also nice with stucco walls, stained glass and bunches and bunches of orchids. I'll post some photos as soon as I can.

I hope your holidays were happy. 2010 looks to be a really great year for the WCBG. I can hardly wait to see what the next few months will bring. Our staff is passionate and dedicated and board is the best it has ever been. Of course our volunteers have been taking it easy for the last month but we will be gearing up for spring soon enough.

It is good to be back! See you in the greenhouses!

Double Daggers of Death!

Coming to work is dangerous and exciting these days. Just look at that killer icicle!

The greenhouse and the butterfly house are THE places to be on these cold winter days. It is so wonderful walking into the butterfly house and smell the blooming ginger and see the flowers and butterflies. The bananas are way cool too. The orchids in the rainforest are so beautiful. They remind you there are more colors than white. I'm especially partial to the all the greenery we have. It is fantastic to see such lush life amidst the cold of winter.

Outside you take your life in your hands what with the double daggers of death and black ice and snow blindness and all but that is the thrill of winter. Right?

White Out!

This is what the Gardens looked like yesterday.

It is nice that the sun came out today. It is utterly amazing that we have so much snow on the ground. The plants are pretty happy with all the moisture. Me too.

Let It Snow!

I've been looking forward to today. It is the perfect day for making hot chocolate, baking cookies, snuggling up on your couch with a good gardening book and for enjoying the winter blooms. Winter blooms? That's right. You heard me, winter blooms. They are tiny and white and are on a plant called Erica or Heather. I'm not sure of the difference, just don't call it Carla. You can find it under the Turkish Cypress just east of the greenhouse entrance in the Color and Harmony Garden.

Look. Isn't it great? Well, if it were in focus it'd be great. These are teensy tinsy flowers we're trying to look at here. Yes. You are going to have to drink up the cocoa, get up off of the couch and mosey on down here to see for yourself. Some day I'm going to have a camera with a MACRO lense. The Erica/Heather but not Carla isn't the only thing looking good.

Check out the bamboo. That's right. I said bamboo.

Look at that red leaf. No wonder red and green are the official colors of Christmas.

Snap

Well, here we are in our first cold snap. I know the best thing to do when that happens. You guessed it. Visit the Gardens. The greenhouses are warm and tropical. The butterflies are flirty and friendly. And the bananas are banana-ing. See?

I see those teeth chattering. I see those blue lips. You really owe it to yourself to come on down. And as an added enticement as if butterflies, bananas and tropical temps were not enough, this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month and you know what that means. Admission is FREE!

See you at the Gardens.