Still feeling a bit 'whacked' about the head from the extraordinarily beautiful Huntington Museum in San Marino, her host decided it was a day for an outside nature jaunt.
And off they went to the Arboreteum near to the San Gabriel Mission.
It was a glorious Californian Spring day, sky was blue, the sun was shining, polution low. Perfect for a walk in fresh air amongst growing things.
She loves plants, you cannot have read many posts on the Blog if you are unaware of this and walked about with her camera and a note pad taking down the names of things she wanted to know more about. This place is beautifully maintained, the labelling is brilliant as it is in English and Latin.
She may not speak it but yes, she mostly 'gardens' in Latin. For there can be no mistake if you use the Latin term for a plant even if you are talking to a gardener whose native tongue is Hindustani!
She came across a selection of Syringa Vulgaris (Lilacs), their perfume is delicious, she walked further into their section and came to a halt, for there was a variety she had never seen before.
The flowers are dark purple but every petal of each flower is edged in brilliant white! And the smell? Is a big, powerful, up-your-nose perfume!
And there, of course, was her name Syringa Vulgaris 'Sensation', "how very apt" she thought as she took several shots of the bush and the label.
When she got home that evening after dinner she did a search on this variety and discovered she is an American variety, she contacted the RHS and found that a nursery in Saffron Walden had two in stock.
Well, that could not be easier as, in those days circa 2005, she was in Saffron Walden once a week and knew exactly were the nursery was.
A quick call the next morning reserved the two plants, for she was hooked and could not wait to have them growing in her garden.
These two beautiful trees are slow growers, that concerns her not one jot, for they, each year, have and do produce these exquisite 'waterfalls' of perfection. She cuts some to bring home and makes sure to leave some there as bees and other flying insects adore these trees.
In the previous post I wrote that she had been to an extraordinary place the day before. It was The Athenaeum, a beautiful building used by members and employees of CalTech and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories).
She was invited to lunch here and ate in the vast dining room with her host and another friend, both of whom work for JPL, the place was extremely busy and people, who had obviously not booked, were looking for tables.
In the centre there was a large round table with only 3 people sitting at it, there were plenty of spare seats and so she asked why people did not sit at that table, her friend laughed and said "well, you can but you have to be in possession of a Nobel Prize in order to do so"!
What a glorious building, the outside courtyard was being used as the venue for a party that night and the crew were busy tenting it in a beautiful fabric and hanging an enormous chandelier!
And every Spring her Syringa Vulgaris 'Sensation' produce their glorious flowers with that exquisite perfume and with them, they bring memories of her happy stay in this most charming town.. Pasadena, California.
Happy days Char and Suz, happy days, thank you.
It is raining here, not bouncing off the pavements like yesterday but steady rain, she is pleased, we need it as our earth was dry, about six inches down it is ok but that is of no use to a tiny seedling who wants moisture and their 'human' is not there with a watering can!
Work to do tomorrow, then market, garden days are looking to be Wednesday, Friday and, whoops, we are at another week-end. How time flies!
It is bed time.. PipPip Dear Readers.. PipPip.
GeeGee Parrot.
April 21st, 2014.
Well, that could not be easier as, in those days circa 2005, she was in Saffron Walden once a week and knew exactly were the nursery was.
A quick call the next morning reserved the two plants, for she was hooked and could not wait to have them growing in her garden.
These two beautiful trees are slow growers, that concerns her not one jot, for they, each year, have and do produce these exquisite 'waterfalls' of perfection. She cuts some to bring home and makes sure to leave some there as bees and other flying insects adore these trees.
In the previous post I wrote that she had been to an extraordinary place the day before. It was The Athenaeum, a beautiful building used by members and employees of CalTech and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories).
She was invited to lunch here and ate in the vast dining room with her host and another friend, both of whom work for JPL, the place was extremely busy and people, who had obviously not booked, were looking for tables.
In the centre there was a large round table with only 3 people sitting at it, there were plenty of spare seats and so she asked why people did not sit at that table, her friend laughed and said "well, you can but you have to be in possession of a Nobel Prize in order to do so"!
What a glorious building, the outside courtyard was being used as the venue for a party that night and the crew were busy tenting it in a beautiful fabric and hanging an enormous chandelier!
And every Spring her Syringa Vulgaris 'Sensation' produce their glorious flowers with that exquisite perfume and with them, they bring memories of her happy stay in this most charming town.. Pasadena, California.
Happy days Char and Suz, happy days, thank you.
It is raining here, not bouncing off the pavements like yesterday but steady rain, she is pleased, we need it as our earth was dry, about six inches down it is ok but that is of no use to a tiny seedling who wants moisture and their 'human' is not there with a watering can!
Work to do tomorrow, then market, garden days are looking to be Wednesday, Friday and, whoops, we are at another week-end. How time flies!
It is bed time.. PipPip Dear Readers.. PipPip.
GeeGee Parrot.
April 21st, 2014.
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