Adopt a Tree

This post is a No Brainer for my fellow residents in the City of Minneapolis. Especially in this season of Spring planting. This would apply to those who fear gardening is too demanding and would rather watch from a slight distance. It is similar to adopting or fostering an animal on a much easier commitment level!

If you are a craft beer lover, it is going to be an even easier task. There is a program called Brewing a Better Forest. What it does is connect residents to a park or boulevard planted tree. Their Mission: Create a better urban forest by blending a passion for trees with a passion for excellent craft beer. Here is all you have to do. Simply go to their website and pull up an urban map that shows every single tree planted on public property by the Mpls Park Board. You can Zoom into your location and click on a tree up for adoption. You have to agree to water it weekly when we hit dry periods over the course of the season. There is no patrol or police. It is simply the honor system. Once you hit enter - you will be sent 2 vouchers for a free brew or beverage at random craft beer pubs around town. Easy Peasy!

Brewing a Better Forest

I stumbled onto it totally by accident. When my rotting Maple died out 4 years back, the city replaced it with a London Plane Tree that I absolutely love. But it is zoned for slightly warmer and needs a bit of TLC for its formative years. I was told about it by the handsome man with the Mpls Trees and Forestry Dept. So I checked it out and adopted the tree right in front of my home. I named it Basil after my grandfather since you are able to name your personal tree. It will have a number and it will note the variety. Why wouldn't you? I got my free drink at Sociable Cider and 612Brew. There are hundreds of green dots on the city map. Make one of them YOURS. No better time than today. 

Looks Too Good To Eat

Flower blooms are almost like snowflakes, in that each one is so unique there is almost no duplicating. They are creations of nature often imitated but never copied. My mom has constantly been a fan of silk flowers for decades as she creates wreaths and arrangements. They have certainly come closer, but most still retain that Dollar Store quality that can be spotted as a fake from feet away.

In a different genre, there are edible flowers used in fine dining and even home baking. Violas, Nasturtiums, Squash Blossoms and Roses are common ways to add splash to a plate. Last year I even tried a stab at Lilac donuts. They were a novelty and I'm not sure I would make them a regular fixture, but for once a year, they made for a conversation piece.

 Joey's Lilac Donuts

These creations literally take the cake. There are several local bakeries, even the grocery chains that do credible work at mirroring natures blooms. But pastry chef Atelier Soo defies expectations and makes you really wonder if.... To start with, she has more brush strokes with a frosting bag than Bob Ross could imagine. And the colors that she mixes are nothing out of a Watkin's food coloring dropper. These are master works of art. An abundance of them that is awesome. I cannot imagine biting into one of them. Yes, the sugar content, but it would also be like defacing a piece of fine art.

Take a look at her Instagram page to a catch of glimpse of her mastery. She apparently does teach classes. If you happen to be passing through Seoul, South Korea! As I said, Too Good To Eat!

Atelier Soo - cakes

 

 

 

Animals in their Natural Habitat

There are Spring stirrings all around with our practical heat wave here in Minnesota. I am sure it is short lived for now.  But the last week has been glorious with both sunshine and warm temps. It has been invigorating to get out and take it all in.

 

This is true for the animals in nature also. Some are coming out of hibernation. Some are spawning offspring, and the rest are just coming out to explore as we are.

 

This photo feature is from an artist from Finland, Ossi Saarinen. Like my dear friends in town, Regina Williams and Ann Michels, they use their fine skills with a lens and combine them with amazing patience to capture just the right moment. His images have not only detail, but character as well. They resemble cuddly pets rather than feral animals in the wild. I sometimes talk about my childhood and my two pet foxes. There did not seem to be a lot of distinction between a puppy and a pup red fox at that age for me. It is a wonder; that bond between all living things.  Keep your eyes open in stillness and see if you can share some of the living, breathing space with them for an instant in this change of seasons.

 Ossi Saarinen website

12 Best Plants for your House

Now is the time of year where your Spring anxiety is going to kick into overdrive. Some of you may be thinking about starting seeds in the basement and a few others will start flipping through the garden catalogues that will appear in your mailboxes. But despite a few warm days, we are still months off from that shift here in MN. Holidays are done, Valentine's flowers are fading and there are only a few tulips in the forecast for the coming Easter season.

But there is still great opportunity for enjoyment from house plants. With the strong winter sun bursting through your windowsills, a house plant is a perfect daily reminder of all things Green. There are the handful of "common" plants from ivy to succulents you can find at any grocery store checkout. Here are some insights for unusual substitutes. This is a list of 12 plants that will add green space as well as generating good oxygen levels for you while in quarantine. Courtesy of NASA. Here are some highlights:  

The Rubber Plant (ficus elastica) with its big paddles of waxy green can help eliminate bacteria & molds. What makes them even better is their resilience, so even the worst green thumb can manage them as they prefer under watering to moist and can also tolerate dim light. So maybe a great fit for your bathroom or bedroom. 

A Broad Lady Palm (rhapis excelsa) excels at reducing ammonia levels from cleaning products. They enjoy humidity and plenty of watering - so the bathroom or kitchen would work well for them. They are probably the most pricey item on the list, so take good care of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Snake Plant (sansevieria) is easy to grow and sends off shoots frequently. So start with a single clump and in time you will have a mound. They are sleek tall leaves and are noted for purifying air and nighttime oxygen production. Can you say next to the bed?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Areca Palm (dypsis lutescens) is majestic with its airy fronds originally from Madagascar. But did you know it is also great at eliminating toxins? Find a welcoming corner in a main room with some filtered light. Don't be alarmed as branches brown and fall off, it is simply growing, so trim and allow new growth. And allow for a big planter that allows room. 

 

 

 

 

Everyone should have an Aloe Vera plant on hand. In the summer, a limb of the plant is soothing on a sunburn. They are small, compact, and ask very little of you in terms of both care and space.  Buy an eclectic pot to give it some character.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are really craving some color and blooms, a simple Gerbera Daisy is also great for night oxygen production as well as filtering out chemicals. Plop it in a colorful pot, water and trim off dead blooms and it will grant you 2-3 months of reward.

These are about half of the NASA recommended list of worthy house plants. Check out there video link for the complete list along with scientific facts to support them. Be prepared to hit pause as they toss a lot of information at you in a very short time of 2 minutes. It so easy being Green!

NASA Air Purifying Plants video

Giving Someone Your Heart

There is truly a plant for everything. With Valentine's Day on the horizon, along with the rush of chocolates and massages, there is likely the inevitable bouquet of roses with baby's breath. But here is a low maintenance alternative. The Sweetheart Plant or hoya kerrii.

Succulents or Cacti have been one of the latest garden trends over the last 5 years. 

• They are the easy fix for those who want to garden without the burden of long term care. 
• They are the perfect way to bring some green and sunshine to a windowsill.
• They ask for very little. Even watering them is not usually an expectation.

So for something that is a bit special and not as a predictable, seek out one of these. They won't be in your typical box store (or maybe they would?), but any reputable garden center will have a rack of them if they are smart. They will start small as a single succulent paddle in the shape of a heart. Over time they will extend into a string of hearts, and if you are lucky a bizarre red/orange seed pod once every few seasons. Small and inexpensive, spruce it up by putting all the color and thought into a dandy pot to make it your personal gift. Thank you very much!

 

Crystal Gardens

Most of us gardeners hibernate during the winter months, just as our plants take the rest also. There is the occasional excitement of any Amaryllis bulb or the upcoming Paperwhites of winter. But it is hard to find something that feeds our creative soul in its bond with nature.

I take a bit of joy in my holiday lights, which is a way to embellish my yard with color in the bleakest of winter. But it is just smoke and mirrors and not really about nature at all. So here is a slight detour that uses the elements of the season to create spontaneous garden art. Many of you in town have likely heard of the inspirational Zug Zug Man frozen into a block of plexi-ice along the trails on Theodore Wirth Prkway. I did venture out and found him easily resting on a sheet of pure ice. But here is a glimpse to something that is pure artist - Andy Goldsworthy. I found him on a recent post, but am finding most of his work goes back 4 decades or so.

He is Scottish and sets out about the world to do onsite installations of winter art. Imagine ice, snow, leaves and branches as a pallet and then arranging them in provoking displays. His most notable piece was probably in 1989 when he made a trek to the North Pole and constructed 4 simultaneous rings of ice blocks in a circle - the concept; that each window faced South at the same time. But often he stays closer to home across the British countryside. His artworks are the fascinating alchemy of architecture and temperature - made only to last for a short interval, much like chalk art on a sidewalk. He talks about "taking art to the very edge of collapse." Because they last only a short while, there are not a wealth of images out there. But here are some to ponder.

It looks like there is also a documentary film called Rivers and Tides out there.  link to watch, which I surely will. Winter Wonders!

River and Tides trailer