Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Dec. 9

Greetings on a cold, foggy December day (at least here)! Anything going on in your garden, yard or neighborhood? Doing any decorations? Going on a family adventure to a holiday display? The one above started the weekend before Thanksgiving and ends on New Years Eve.

USA Today has published their list of the 10 best botanical gardens to visit for their holiday displays. Many of them are in the Southeast. The one with the froggie is number 7.

Throughout the holiday season, spectacular light shows brighten up botanical gardens across the country. Instead of spring flowers, visitors find twinkling holiday lights, often accompanied by a range of other festivities.

To find the best places to visit this holiday season, we asked a panel of experts to nominate their favorite light displays at botanical gardens throughout the U.S., then readers voted for their top picks. Here are the 10 best botanical gardens for holiday lights this year.

Hanukkah began at sundown on Thursday, December 7, and continues through Friday, December 15 this year.

Happy Hanukkah!

Number 1 in the USA ratings this year is in Richmond, VA. There are special performances on some days, in addition to the lights.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Courtesy Misanthopic Humanitarian

But seriously, if you want to grow kale, try the Russian and Siberian subspecies like Red Russian. They wilt too fast to be sold in stores, but are much more tender than the kale that you can typically buy.

I like the flower buds and even flower clusters, raw, too:

What Is 'Red Russian' Kale?

This particular cultivar of Brassica oleracea var. viridis is also known as ragged jack and sweet red. Flatter than other cultivars and with jagged edges, its leaves are also the most tender and mild of all varieties.

Russian and Siberian species and cultivars are sometime left to grow for a second season and their flower buds are harvested and are known as kale rabe or napini.

Sometimes eaten as baby kale. Looks kind of attractive:

Butterflies

Butterfly Art

Hi, KT ... This image was taken in 2013, but it's still an interesting one. The text was added because it just seemed to fit with it. True, it's only a butterfly and some flowers, but things can sometimes represent a concept that goes beyond just their surface representation. That's the way I interpreted the 'gestalt' of this image and its component pieces. Is there anything that better represents 'change' or 'transformation' better than the butterfly? Probably not - or, if there is, I haven't found it yet. Simple and direct beats complex and roundabout any day. If you can use this, feel free to deploy as needed for effect. Enjoy ...

Dr_No.

Nice. Thanks. Here's an enlargement of the philosophy represented in the art, because we do have space limitations here. Metamorphosis!

Butterfly Plant

Luscious Royale Cosmo Lantana

I'll be a NEW COLOR for your PALETTE.

Puffs of small magenta flowers packed into clusters adorn the dark foliage of this plant. The extreme heat tolerance make it a winner in any warm summer climate.

Award Winner
Continuous Bloom or Rebloomer
Long Blooming
Heat Tolerant
Deadheading Not Necessary
Drought Tolerant

Attracts:
Birds
Butterflies
Hummingbirds

Use as an annual where not hardy.

Bringing Nature Indoors

A challenge for gardeners:

How to get your snake plant to bloom

This succulent plant looks simply breathtaking when it produces flowers; as an added bonus, these flowers emit a strong fragrance.

If everything goes right, you can expect to see these blossoms in spring and they may last for a couple of weeks. At the end of their cycle, the flowers will form berries.

Luckily, the mother-in-law's tongue plant won't die after flowering; if you get it to bloom, it will continue generating flowers every year.

Sometimes, blossoms won't occur even if you ensure the best possible conditions. No one can actually explain this odd feature so follow the guidelines below and hope for the best.

In 1960, David Latimer planted a spiderwort sprout inside of a large glass jar, added a quarter pint of water, and then sealed it shut.

He opened the bottle for the first time only 12 years later, in 1972, to add some water and then sealed it for good.

The self-contained… pic.twitter.com/Oy2jusB1wD

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 5, 2023

Gardens of The Horde

A little late. lol

Sharon (willow's apprentice)

A lovely Thanksgiving cactus

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, the address is:

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Dec. 2

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

posted by K.T. at 01:22 PM

| Access Comments