Florida Everglades

I was quite delighted last month when my friend took me to visit the Everglades during a short visit to Florida. It was a scorching hot day and we were ill-prepared for the intensity of the sun, but had a great time nonetheless. We took a 30-minute "air-boat" around the Everglades scouring the waters for alligators to no avail. Apparently they prefer to make appearances in the morning (especially on really hot days) and since we had arrived after 2pm we did not get to see any in their natural habitat. We did, however, manage to plenty of them at the nearby zoo and I even got to hold a baby alligator which was quite the experience! Definitely an attraction I would recommend if you ever find yourself in the area.

Read up on the area: Florida Everglades or book an air-boat tour: Sawgrass Recreation Park

The Last Dandelion

The picture below is just a random one found in cyberspace with what I thought to be a nice quote. The dandelion season is almost over and for many that is a good thing, I suppose, but I tend to lament their passing. Walt Whitman wrote a short poem about these ironic beauties called "The First Dandelion":

Simple and fresh and fair from winter's close emerging,

As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics, had ever been,

Forth from its sunny nook of shelter'd grass- innocent, golden, calm as the dawn,

The spring's first dandelion shows its trustful face.

Stabilized Plants?

This is something quite bizarre that I stumbled upon accidentally through my mother a few months ago. She had been given a "stabilized rose" in the Czech Republic that apparently lasts for over a year if kept in its original packaging. This seemed a little odd to me so I searched for some more information. The company responsible for this new fad is Smeraldino. According to their website the roses and other plants are imported from South America and Europe. Furthermore they are then dipped in a "unique liquid mixture" which is what keeps them looking fresh all year. What I find strange about all this is how long these plants last. Flowers are guaranteed for 2-5 years while trees, grasses, and leaves for 5-10 years! In addition these plants require absolutely no maintenance that in fact adding water would do more harm that good. I can't help but wonder if this is the future of flowers and if so it is quite frightening!

To read more on Smeraldino: Stabilized plants? or a similar company in Italy: Linfa Decor

Ottawa Tulip Festival

Although I had already been to this festival over a decade and a half ago, it was most likely against my will. This time around I made the trip one sunny afternoon and was quite pleased with all the tulips, food trucks, and overall entertainment provided by the city of Ottawa. The festival runs from May 3-20th and  although tulips can pretty much be found all over Ottawa and Gatineau at this time the main concentration can be found in front of City Hall on Laurier street. Other notable areas include Little Italy (by Preston Street), Elgin Street (by Somerset), and The Glebe (by Bank Street). Free concerts are happening every Thursday to Sunday at 7pm. Considering the beautiful weather anticipated for the entire week in the nation's capital, one really has no excuse not to check this out! Perfect for families, couples, and friends!

For everything else about the festival: Ottawa Tulips or another one in Europe: Holland Tulips

Water Gardens

Although most people associate gardens as being on land, some of the most beautiful gardens can in fact be found on, around, or in water. Water or aquatic gardens are generally man-made and don't require much maintenance. The roots of the plants usually connect with land in shallow waters but that isn't always the case. Below are three photographs taken from three different countries. The first is a of a giant water garden in South Korea. I stumbled upon it by accident but was mesmerized by its vastness and uniqueness. The second is from a town in the Czech Republic. I think it was meant to refer to some Greek God giving birth in the water, but you'd have to ask my mother about that one. The third is basically similar to the lilies in the first picture but enhanced by reflections from Regensburg, Germany. I'm not quite sure what my fascination is with water gardens, but considering my fondness of nature and swimming they were bound to collide. 

SOUTH KOREA:

CZECH REPUBLIC:

GERMANY:

Inspirational Mountain

"If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options.

You can climb it and cross to the other side.

You can go around it.

You can dig under it.

You can fly over it.

You can blow it up.

You can ignore it and pretend it's not there.

You can turn around and go back the way you came.

Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home."

-Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

Bonnet House

When I looked up things to do in Fort Lauderdale I hardly imagined I would be visiting historic gardens. Nonetheless that's exactly what happened when I visited an old friend in Florida last week. Bonnet House is now basically a museum and garden located at 900 North Birch road in downtown Fort Lauderdale just by the coastline. It was declared a historic landmark by the city in 2002 and hopefully will remain that way as per the wishes of Evelyn F. Bartlett. Definitely worth a visit if you are planning a visit to that part of Florida and interested in doing interesting activities beyond going to the pool and/or beach. 

From the Bonnet House: The Life & Gift

"The Bonnet House is the legacy of Frederic Clay Bartlett's vision and talent which translated his years of exposure to the arts and architecture of Europe into a native Floridian house. Built in 1920, Mr. Bartlett's personal interpretation of a plantation house was designed to promote a gracious indoor-outdoor lifestyle filtered by coastal breezes from the Atlantic Ocean and to express his sense of whimsy with decorative delight. The life and love shared at Bonnet House radiates from within the artistry of the home and tranquility of its thirty-five acre setting. Bonnet House, named after the yellow water lily that once grew in the property's marshland, exemplifies the lives of the families who owned the property for nearly a century."

For more fascinating background information: Bonnet House

Chinese Gardens

On the last stretch of my East Asian adventures in 2009 I stopped in Beijing for a few days. Like most people who travel alone to foreign destinations I stuck to the trusted tourist destinations. On the day I was visiting the Forbidden City I stumbled upon this lovely garden that I would like to think was also forbidden. There were hardly any people around and it was so peaceful despite being in Beijing. Here are some photos from that day and although they reveal more structures than plants that in no way reflects the garden beauty just my personal taste. 

  

Monsanto Protection Act

While North America has been busy worrying about gay marriage and gun control a new law quietly slipped into effect at the end of March. Bill HR 933, or the "Monsanto Protection Act" as it has become to be known since it pretty much gives immunity to Monsanto and other large corporations to continue genetically engineering crops regardless of certain risks to human health. Obama and Congress approved this "opaque" 78-page bill that was apparently drafted with the help of Monsanto and basically allows for farmers to continue growing GM foods even while an investigation into health hazards may be ongoing. If at the end of the (often lengthy) investigation the crop is proven to be harmful, production will be ceased. In the past as soon as an investigation began regarding the safety of a certain crop, farmers would either cease or temporarily halt production of whatever product was being engineered. This caused major financial losses for farmers and mainly large biotech corporations such as Monsanto in the 2000's. Now sales of such crops are immune from court intervention and can continue to grow and be sold regardless of risk. According to Monsanto this bill:

           "is a positive step to ensure US farmers and our food chain are shielded from supply disruptions caused by litigation over procedural issues unrelated to sound science or the safety of biotech crops. This legislative solution ensures that national agricultural policy is not being decided by the court system while providing a level of certainty that is critical to ensure that our agricultural producers continue to lead the world." 

So why would the government sign such a law into effect? [Money] The European Union strictly controls the use and labeling of GM foods so why can't North America? What are the long term effects of consuming GM foods? To learn more about this troubling law: HR 933 and other reactions: Tea Party

Man vs. Nature Conflict

Although the Botanic Diaries started off as a blog about my own garden, it quickly spread to include other national and international ones. From time to time I also like to explore issues related to health and the environment since they are technically an extension of our gardens. This post has absolutely nothing to do with any of those topics/issues. There are four different types of conflict in a narrative:

1. Man vs. Man
2. Man vs. Society
3. Man vs. Self
4. Man vs. Nature

For the purpose of this blog I will just briefly bring up the fourth conflict. A conflict with nature occurs when a character(s) must overcome some kind of natural obstacle or condition. Most assume that "man vs. nature" is about a character fighting the elements such as Lieutenant Dan in the 1994 movie "Forrest Gump" holding on to the mast of a ship in the middle of a torrential storm while cursing and laughing at mother nature. While storms, floods, tsunamis, insects, and animals would be accurate representations of conflicts between man and nature, there are others that generally get less attention. Lesser known examples include things like the plague or a famine. Most recently the trend of global warming could also be seen as an example of the man vs. nature conflict. In short, stories involving man against nature usually have the potential to be epic as long as we realize the entire scope of possibilities out there!!