July 10, 2010

A Tree Museum in Switzerland

Filed under: Did your mother know? (news and opinion) — Dave @ 2:37 pm

This is quaint. While most regard justly the arboretum as a collection of trees, Swiss landscape architect Enzo Enea goes further and literally frames his trees. As was reported by the New York Times a few weeks ago: “The museum is a meticulously curated outdoor display set on two and a half acres, where visitors will be able to see 22 varieties of trees. Each one — like the Taxus baccata, or English yew (above center), and the Pinus sylvestris, or Scotch pine — will be framed by a 16-foot-high sandstone wall.”

Tree Museum by Elaine Louie

June 30, 2010

My national plant: the wild blueberry

Filed under: Just out: good reads & shocking snaps — Dave @ 1:11 pm

GnM

The Globe and Mail has initiated a most interesting, and most likely very revealing, Facebook-based survey called the Globe and Mail Canada Poll . It explains: “In the lead-up to Canada Day, we’re asking readers to vote on our national icons.” and asks, among other things, “What should be Canada’s national plant?”. My neighbor David Suzuki voted for wild blueberry stating that:

“The best thing about the wild blueberry is our relationship with it. Canadians from Newfoundland to the Yukon harvest the fruit of this ethnobotanical icon, in berry-picking parties in the bush, with parents, cousins, aunts and uncles – eating as they go. Turning those pails of fruit into jam, wine or pancakes is another opportunity to socialize and celebrate; it’s a ritual of late summer and early fall, when the berries are ripe and full of flavour.’

So what’s your pick? Trembling aspen or dandelion?

June 29, 2010

Shanghai’s New Botanical Garden – a video

As announced on here a few weeks ago, the Chenshan Botanical Garden, some 30km outside of Shanghai downtown, is now open. Here is a video from Deutsche Welle, found via a favorite blog, World Landscape Architect, featuring Christoph Valentien, the main landscape architect behind this massive undertaking.

video

June 27, 2010

Public Art in Vancouver – a Personal Top 5, part 1

Le Banc, by Marie Khouri (private installation)

A young and sparkling new city as this Vancouver of mine must obviously forge it own identity. Sitting on a tight canvas framed by snow-capped mountains and seas, populated by a variety of cultural groups, Vancouver offers end-less possibilities strangely paired to a frustrating lack of self-assurance. Hence projects abound but few deliver the constructive and lasting qualities that maturity could allow. There is nonetheless jewels hidden throughout and I here intend to reveal a few of my favorite pieces of outdoor public art. As an opening piece, here is Le Banc, a sculpture by Marie Khouri found at the Olympic Village Station of the newest SkyTrain line.

Le Banc, by MArie Khouri

As is explained via BC Transit, “Marie Khouri lived in Lebanon and Paris before recently settling in Vancouver.  Throughout her extensive travels she has absorbed the unique aspects of the various cultures of the Middle East, Europe and North America. Marie has been sculpting for many years but only started releasing her work commercially in 2002 after attending l’Ecole du Louvre and les Ateliers du louver in Paris.  Khouri sculpts primarily in clay and hand builds in lost wax, then casts the sculptures in bronze and concrete.”

As ornamental as it is utilitarian, this gigantic concrete bench has made the pleasure of people in transit as much as of the skateboarding community. Now unfortunately disfigured by black strikes and chipped edges, this bench might be the proof that this ‘no-fun’ city needs to address both its citizenry’s lack of civic respect for public installations and its need for more outdoor amusement spaces. In the meantime, I get to work with this dearest friend of mine, Marie, for private gardens of various nature and scope, some of which I shall present here later.

June 23, 2010

“Parsley around the roast” – Landscape Architecture vs Architecture

Filed under: Just out: good reads & shocking snaps — Dave @ 2:44 pm

Is Landscape Architecture just “Parsley around the roast” of Architecture? asks Charles A. Birnhaum, President of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, in a recent piece found in the Huffington Post. Interesting. So what is Horticulture to Landscape Architecture, then, let me wonder?

June 18, 2010

Conveniently located in the middle of nowhere – Short escapade to central Oregon

Triteleia, Central OR 2

It takes only 72 hours for a Vancouverite like me to travel millions of years through history and back, without a single client noticing the absence of their adventure-seeking gardener. I am writing these lines as I ride smoothly and oh! how so slowly the rails back from Portland, after a quick escapade to the wilds of central Oregon, a place conveniently located in the middle of nowhere…

Paeonia brownii, Ochaca Ntl Forest, Central OR

This last minute getaway, a very unlikely instance in my regimented life, revealed itself most fun. Indefatigable travelers Josh McCullough from PhytoPhoto and his sweetheart Lana, accompanied by restless Bella, were my companions in crime for this long weekend. A loosely organized ad lib road trip brought us to the east of the Cascades range, a somewhat new territory for my hosts and I. Escaping the incessant rains of the coast, this land of rolling hills and extravagant rock formations studded in fossils offered a drier and much less populated playground. In and around Ochoco National Forest we cruised narrow winding roads, encountering only the rarest traffic and breaking our neck road-side botanizing, then tearing khakis over barbwire fences and worrying over the potential presence of snakes (yes, one found me, a jolly one thank you). We camped in a wet mixed grove downstream from a few beefy clumps of what must be the World’s most unattractive peony, Paeonia brownii (seen above). We zipped through valleys lined with gravity-defying spires and imposing cliffs ‘pastiched’ in the fashion of a tri-colour layer cake.

Cleome, Central OR

At the most glamorous of the 3 units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Painted Hills, the sun’s shyness offered a perfect late afternoon photo shoot opportunity. In this desert setting, abnormally persistent rainfall had made life easier on the greenery. This unusual clemency wasn’t lost on Cleome lutea (or was it C. platycarpa?) (seen above), an odd native annual. In vast numbers, this cleome brightened in yellow the folds of the crimson and tan hillsides. Second to this cleome was a globe mallow, most probably Sphaerocephala aff. munroana (see below). Dotted in a sea of grasses heavy with stunning burgundy seed heads, this little mallow crafted a most electrifying floral show-down in the rarest shade of peachy orange. The whys and hows of this otherworldly landscape remain, to me, a bit of a mystery. Its cosmetic value though, an object of euphemism I shall cherish from now on.

Painted Hills Central OR

Sphaerocephala, Painted Hills Central OR 6

Among countless detours and quick looks around the corner, we were treated with a perfect display of Wyethia helianthoides (seen below), the so-called white mule’s ears. As a first real life encounter to the four of us, this most-charming daisy blotched in pure white the wet bottom of this grassy pasture.  Again, the sun collaborated: the bright but indirect light allowed us to better capture this beauty.

Whythea, Ochoca Ntl Forest, Central OR 9 copy

Suffice to mention the absence of any cell phone coverage and most basic shops (where are the Denny’s and Tim Horton’s when you actually need them?) to realize that, indeed, this place really is far removed from everything. On our last day, we ran and ducked into the one dinner we finally discovered to avoid a fantastic freak wind and rain storm. While we lunched on fried delicacies and flat pop, lights went off, half a poplar collapsed onto the road and the one Welcome to Spray sign was blown down. 20 minutes later, as we were heading back to the city, Josh slammed on the brakes one last time for a road-side patch of grasses and Triteleia (seen at the very top of post). Subtly back lit by a declining sun, these humble plants very momentarily shone to new heights. A proof that timing and serendipity are to last-minute plant-minded escapades, as to anything, key to success.

June 15, 2010

Calopsis meets the Chemical Brothers

restio

I again succumbed to a restio. One more. Squeezed between the passenger door and flats of annuals, the 3 arching, plumy canes of my new purchase shiver at the sound of a track from The Chemical Brothers. At each turn (that I take too fast) they bend over to swiftly tickle my right cheek, prompting me to dangerously steer away. Calopsis paniculata has some of the softest foliage of them all, at least to my knowledge, and we shall see how it’ll adapt to this new yard I have taken over, if at all.

restio 2

Finicky restios can be, dying overnight from root disturbance, accidental fertilizing or some extra-terrestrial mischief. To them, my mild Vancouver winters are still a frigid and wet nightmare. It is well-known that restios are phosphorous-sensitive but blasting sun (a luxury this year) and sharp drainage are mandatory too. Nonetheless I have witnessed, only little ways south of here, the happiest clumps of Chondropetalum tectorum and Rhodocoma capensis, Elegia capensis and Thamnochortus cinereus. There, they have kept to their evergreen foliage except in the wake of the coldest spell. I have germinated seeds received from Silverhill Seeds, a handful of species convinced into growth by my constant watch (on my windowsill, above my kitchen sink…) and, most probably, by the surprisingly fragrant Smoke Seed Primer. No casualties yet…

Restionaceae is one big family: 500 species unevenly shared into 55 genera, scattered throughout the southern hemisphere. Australia and South Africa boast generous numbers and it is while in the latter country that I fell for these weird grass impostors (or bamboo wannabes? too-fancy-to-be-a-rush lad?). Omnipresent and most diverse, restios were part of three months of my routine as a resident international intern at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Still, it is more than juvenile melancholy that drives my mad appreciation for them. I have just returned from a quick escape into horticultural paradise where, between waves of guests and sumptuous meals, I volunteered to clean a beefy clump of Elegia capensis. What a thrill. 3 plumes out and tossed onto the nearby lavender and snap! one new asparagus-like shoot broke. 5 more plumes out and, again, snap! I got better at this craft of tidying and bulky Elegia must have trimmed 10 pounds in less than 20 minutes! (before and after as per first 2 pictures above) It recovered a most architectural look, one hard to capture on film but arresting in reality.

As to what the magic ingredient to successfully grow my few restios is, I am far from certain. While some prescribe classical music to their house plants, let me try some electro beat on mine. And if it doesn’t prove positive, I’ll have at least seen them ’shake it a bit’ before their passing away.

June 5, 2010

Two of my favorite planters this year, so far

Filed under: Shopping and Sourcing — Dave @ 3:59 pm

It so happens that I always seem to find myself wondering what planters to use for this or that project. As a complement to much larger installations or as a feature by the entryway or on the roof deck, planters are a necessity. Nice planters that is, hopefully original and polished in their finishes, obligatorily (somewhat) winter-resistant and, one would wish, not so common as to be found on every second Starbucks patio. The latter point remains a difficulty for me, both because of the sheer number of Starbucks in Vancouver but, mostly, because of an overall limited availability of anything other than usual glazed clay gimmick and the variously called fiberglass-based paraphernalia. Hence I lust after a handful of pricey and exotic lines and models, of which two are presented here.

Atelier Vierkant UF

Atelier Vierkant UF 2

First is this clay planter from Atelier Vierkant, a Belgian pottery company whose work I have been contemplating since day 1. Simply called UF, this planter comes in various sizes, a couple of different colors, and, unfortunately, goes for a big, big chunk of change.  

Gandiablasco powder coated Sahara

Gandiablasco powder coated Sahara 2

Second is this sleek ‘plasticky’ planter just introduced by Spanish favorite Gandia Blasco. Part of the Sahara line, which offers multiple shapes and quite a few trendy if muted colors, this model stands out for its lacquered finish. I have been lusting after this one, incapable of drawing anything else than a parallel with dolphins (!). As a sure sign of this budding love affair between us, Gandia Blasco had the very first stand I walked through a couple of weeks ago at the New York International Contemporary Furniture Fair, with this planter featured prominently.

June 3, 2010

Mongolia’s Unforgiving Freeze

Filed under: Just out: good reads & shocking snaps — Dave @ 2:56 pm

While Vancouver is drenched in rain after a abnormally mild winter, and while the east is ‘enjoying’ (make that ’suffering’ if you will) such summery temperature, Mongolia is trying to cope with the aftermath of a terrible ‘zud’, a coldest and most damaging winter. As explained previously, Mongolia is special to me and I here allow myself this link to a compelling photo album from The New York Times. No, I am not about to complain anymore about wet feet and muddy tools…

NYTimes, Mongolia's winter

May 29, 2010

Save the Bloedel, one of Vancouver’s gem!

Filed under: Did your mother know? (news and opinion) — Dave @ 1:55 pm

The Bloedel Conservatory has been slated for closure and Vancouverites have reacted with an uproar of opposition. Located minutes from downtown, atop the many hectares of the Queen Elizabeth Park, the Bloedel Conservatory is a jewel of a building, unlike most of what is to be found in this sparkling city of glass. This announced closure is the sad outcome of a basic accounting equation: in the long-reaching shadow of costly Olympics and gruesome economic conditions, the city needs to find $2.8-million. And the Bloedel was indeed a money looser (so was the Stanley Park petting zoo, whose closure I find myself unable to mourn).

Shortly after the annoucement by the Vancouver Park Board to put the key in the door due to deficit, Friends of the Bloedel (FOB) was born and kicking. One of its director, Sheryl Hamilton, explains: “Construction of the Bloedel, completed December 6, 1969, was funded by a $1.25-million donation from Prentice Bloedel. Based on the philosophy of R. Buckminster Fuller, the triodetic dome structure of the conservatory was an ambitious project at the time, and it seems unlikely that such a project could be undertaken by the City of Vancouver now.” This conservatory is a Class A Heritage building, which means that for some, closing or simply repurpusing this jungley dome is downright against the law.

BloedelConservatory

FOB has managed to gain time: the city has agreed to consider what they call Expressions of Interest: what would you do with it, were it yours to manage? Deadline was April 31st, 2010. FOB is working on one such proposal and the drive to fundraise is on. Gossips has it that a kind of partnership with the folks at VanDusen Botanical Garden is at the core of this proposal, which would make total geographic  sense. You want your voice to be heard? Do so here

Most telling are these exerts from a letter from Tim Smith, founder of the Eden Project in the UK, sent to Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson:

“With (…) the dawning awareness globally that up to 25% of all CO2 emissions come from rainforest destruction it would be a massive irony that the Bloedel Conservatory, at the very moment that the world starts to appreciate the real importance of the conservation of the rainforests, should itself be under threat. (…) Yes, the Bloedel may have been built and designed at a time when the rainforest was seen as a place of exotica and entertainment and may not have been designed to tell the story of the majesty of it, (…) but its transformation into a hugely relevant modern institution that draws out the themes discussed above, is but a small move for the excellent horticulturists it has willing to support it. BC is the temperate rainforest capital of the world. The Bloedel provides a magnificent and symbolic counterpoint where the appreciation and education of both can be brought to a powerful head.”

The exotism of the Bloedel Conservatory hasn’t escape everyone’s mind: a good photographer friend of mine, Greg Swales from Greg Swales Photography, has recently used the premises for a a shoot that, I must confess,  makes conservation and botany as sexy as ever!

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