Sidewalk Footprints

I love being barefoot, even in the summer. I walked around barefoot one day recently for National Barefoot Day, which helps raise awareness for children without shoes. Of course, it was warm and springy and lovely, but I will consider going barefoot in the city more often.

Investigating the Tulip Library

When I went to visit the cherry blossoms in DC a few weeks ago I stumbled on the Tulip Library, which is also near the Tidal Basin. I was excited by it, but there were no brochures or other information available. I only knew it was the Tulip Library because some excited kid came running up to his mother to report that he found the sign.

At home, I didn’t have much luck. Little research is on the web and the National Park Service write up mostly just mentions the history of tulips. The most helpful was this 2007 blog entry from Washington Gardener magazine. (Hmmmm…note to self…change blogger theme.) They have a link to a PDF of an old brochure, which was better than nothing. If Tulip Library had been here in Baltimore City I would have the good old Pratt library vertical file to play with. (Yes, I know that this garden is in another city. But I also like to write about places within easy driving distance of Baltimore because most gardeners love to visit other gardens.)

Well, with my arm still on the injured list and my ability to do a lot of typing and mousing curtailed, I pulled out the Tulip Library research and put up an article. It is not what I wanted, but if I don’t do this now the topic won’t be relevant again until next year. (Then, I can revisit it and do a slideshow or something.)

The photo at the top of this post was my first choice for the article, but it looked too similar to the photo on the National Park Service PDF and also to the one I selected for Sherwood Gardens. Tulip gardens are rather hard to photograph at times because of the way the flowers are spaced. If I don’t get a good angle and lots of flowers blooming at the same time I end up with a picture of little dots of color amidst the dirt.

Wordless Wednesday – National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

(Their web site.)

Rainy Day Dianthus

This morning on my walk I noticed these dianthus. They were so bright on this rainy morning that they almost won’t photograph well because the color is too intense. I’ve always liked dianthus. Then, a couple of days ago when I was shopping with a friend he said that they looked like “little stars”. Yes, I can see that, especially on a gray day like today.

By the way. I'm quite happy with my new Sherwood Gardens article, which includes a slide show. I've resolved to do more slide shows this year. It is a kind of visual reporting that I like because I carry my camera everywhere.

Elbows, Sherwood Gardens and Graveyard Lilies

Owww….after all of the “advice” I give people about garden safety I hurt myself while gardening yesterday. Actually, I had been feeling a twinge in my elbow all week but I thought it was gone by the time I went out in the yard last night. Instead, it was just lurking, ready to come back in force after I came inside for the night. Now it seems worse this morning. I’m actually thinking of making a sling from a scarf. I also might have to cancel my date with the Phantom tomorrow. I volunteer at the Hippodrome and hate to miss working a show of the “Phantom of the Opera”, especially since this is the supposed farewell tour.

Well, on with the writing news. This morning I posted on ways that gardeners could spread the word during National Gardening Month. Unlike the other articles I wrote this week, I kind of like this one. I used a photo of last year’s display at Sherwood Gardens, and the photo above is from the same flowerbed. I’ve been picnicking at Sherwood a lot over the last couple of weeks and I think last year’s display was defiantly better.

I also wrote a short piece on gravestone lilies for my Curious Urbanite blog. I’m not particularly obsessed with death at the moment, but when I visited Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond a couple of weeks ago I was intrigued by all of the graveyard symbols that involved nature. I would have liked more time there as the array of stone flowers, tree stumps and other garden related cemetery art was fascinating.

Graveyard Lilies

A few weeks ago I was in Richmond, Virginia and visited the Hollywood Cemetery. While Baltimore certainly has its share of unusual cemeteries, I found this one to be rather intriguing, particularly the different kind of symbolism on the graves. If you want to study Victorian gravestone art, Hollywood Cemetery is the place to go.

Gravestones, like the ones in Hollywood Cemetery, originated as a way to keep the dead from rising from the grave. They were slabs or boulders placed over the ground where the body was buried. Soon, markers included names. Early images on gravestones were less than peaceful, though. Drawings of skeletons or other images of death served to remind the living of where they could end up if they did not live virtuously.

It was during the 1800s that the tone of images on gravestones began to change. At this time “garden cemeteries” replaced overcrowded churchyards and mourning became a much more elaborate practice, from clothing to length of time to gravestones. As many families lost loved ones during the Civil War it seemed that no family was untouched by an untimely death. It is no secret that the Victorians were overtly interested in death and the elaborate graves of the time reflect that. Lilies, like those on the gravestone above, symbolize purity, chastity, and were usually used on the graves of young women or babies. It was also used more generally to symbolize innocence in the face of God.


Resources

The Mystery of Graveyard Art and Symbols by Troy Taylor
Gravestone Symbolism
Cemetery Iconography

Wordless Wednesday - April Flowers

Encountering the Old Blush rose at the Hollywood Cemetery

Last weekend I visited Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA. Even though the east coast had some warm weather recently, I was very surprised to find a rose blooming near James Monroe’s grave. Soon I realized that there were roses all over a moderately sized bush. A helpful marker identified the rose as “Old Blush, Class: China, Intro date: 1752”. I was charmed by these lightly scented blossoms appearing in the middle of the quiet cemetery, so when I got home I decided to look them up.

Old Blush is a rose with semi double pink flowers that appear darker or “blushing” in the sunlight. It is one of the oldest roses and the Chinese cultivated it for more than a thousand years. Old Blush and other China roses were brought to Europe by traders like the Dutch East India Company. These were later crossed with other varieties to make modern hybrids. Any rose varieties that existed before 1867 are labeled as “old” while those after it are “modern”. Older roses tend to be smaller flowered and more rambling. Old Blush can grow well in poor soil but can get out of control if left untrimmed.

Wordless Wednesday - Oz at the Spring Flower Show

(Spring flower show brightens the Druid Hill Conservatory)

Knitted and plastic pink flamingoes

A couple of weeks ago another bit of guerrilla knitting popped up near where I work. This is on Mount Royal Avenue, which is heavily traversed by MICA students. So, I suspect it was one of them who put this up. On one side it says “Hey Hon” and on another side is this artfully sculpted flamingo. I’m not sure whether the bird is knitted or crocheted, but it certainly makes the piece.

I am really not a big fan of pink flamingos. Yet, for some reason it is traditional to have them all over the place in Baltimore. I tried to research why they are so popular here, but to no avail. But, I did find that in 1957 Don Featherstone designed and marketed the first plastic lawn flamingo. Previously, the company he worked for, Union Products, made only flat lawn ornaments (including flamingos). This young sculptor first made a duck for the company, and then developed the plastic flamingo sculpture. As both lawns and bright colors were popular during the 1950s, these ornaments became very popular.

Plastic pink flamingos have gone in and out of fashion in many places but have become a city symbol here in Baltimore. Some first associate our city with them because of the John Waters film Pink Flamingos (Roger Ebert viewed it with distress). In recent years they have popped up in droves on Baltimore lawns and are often used to represent kitschy hospitality in the city. This winter, Ravens fans took the flamingo craze to a new level by adding flocks of purple and black flamingos to their lawns. As baseball season opens, many are replacing the purple flamingos with orange ones, to display the orange and black colors of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

Resources

Pink Flamingos

Wordless Wednesday - Blooming Trees on Mount Royal Avenue

Traveler and Little Sorrel – tales of two horses

The week I went to Charlottesville seemed to be the week equestrian statues of Robert E. Lee merged with guerrilla knitting. Down there I encountered them both in Lee Park, though the knitting was on a nearby tree and not the statue. Back home in Baltimore, I was out walking that week and I was amused to find that someone had fitted the double equestrian statue of Lee and Jackson at Chancellorsville with a set of leg warmers. (This is the one near the Baltimore Museum of Art.) While I know that some people may find this disrespectful, I was tickled by it. Ever since somebody fitted the horses with leg warmers I've seen people snapping photos and the horses seem to look quite proud. I think this is a good way to draw attention to this statue, which I have always been quite fond of, especially since I recently visited Chancellorsville. But, while researching this statue it was the horses that piqued my curiosity.

Recently I called a friend about this statue because one of his favorite Civil War trivia questions is, “What is the name of Robert E. Lee’s horse?” (Traveler, in case you ever meet him and he asks you.)

Me: “I also now know the name of Stonewall Jackson’s horse. It is Little Sorrell.”

Him: “Yes, Little Sorrell is on display at the Virginia Military Institute Museum. We’ll go see him.”

Hmmmm………..

While both horses are famous, Traveler led a more genteel life, though with multiple identities. That animal later known as Robert E. Lee’s pale gray horse was named Jefferson Davis when he was born in 1857. He was originally owned by James Johnson, who won blue ribbons for the horse at the local county fair. During the early part of the Civil War the horse, then named Greenbriar, was owned by Confederate Captain Joseph M. Broun. It was during this time that General Robert E. Lee spotted the horse and aimed to acquire him. Lee, who enjoyed the horse’s skilled trotting, renamed him Traveler.

Lee’s son Robert E. Lee Jr. noted that the general was quite close to his horse. After the war Lee kept Traveler and continued riding him. After General Lee became president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, Traveler spent his retirement grazing on the school’s lawn. While Lee died in September 1870, Traveler was not far behind when he died from tetanus after he stepped on a nail in June 1871. He is buried at the Lee Chapel at Washington College.

Unlike the elegant Traveler, Little Sorrell was a small horse often described as ugly or dumpy. Yet, he was a smart horse and a good ride. Jackson had originally taken to Little Sorrell when he looked to purchase horses for both his wife and himself. Jackson found himself riding the little horse more often than the horses he bought for himself. Jackson soon found that the awkward looking little horsed was a nimble trotter and nicknamed him “Fancy”. The horse also kept his head in battle and was not often spooked by the noise of cannons or gunfire. Stonewall Jackson died at Chancellorsville, the scene that inspired the double equestrian statue photographed above. He was riding Little Sorrel when he was shot.

After General Jackson died, Little Sorrell was captured and re-captured a number of times, until the Yankees got tired of this and gave him back to the Confederacy. The horse lived for about 20 years more after the war, making the circuit of southern fairs and even appearing at the 1885 New Orleans World’s Fair. Ladies in the south had much affection for Little Sorrel, clipping souvenir hair from the horse’s mane and tale and fashioning them into rings and bracelets. After the World’s Fair Little Sorrell’s health quickly declined and he ended up living at an old soldier’s home in Richmond, Virginia. During his last months, Little Sorrel was so feeble that the veterans at the home devised a sling to lift the horse whenever they wanted him to stand. Unfortunately Little Sorrell met his end when this sling slid off on him one day and he fell, breaking his back.

As my friend alluded to, a lot of people have seen Little Sorrel since he died. This horse is indeed on display at the Virginia Institute Military Museum if anyone wants to see his stuffed effigy. If you would like to see Traveler and Little Sorrel in the form of the double equestrian statue of Lee and Jackson, it is near the Baltimore Museum of Art. It is across the street, on the western edge of Art Museum Drive. For more details and a map, see this page about the Lee and Jackson monument on the Monument City blog.

Resources

Robert E. Lee and his horse by Mike Higgins

Little Sorrel on the Roadside America web page

Six Pack Anticipation (Flowers, not Beer)

I’m a little late getting things together this week. On Friday we went to DC to see the cherry blossoms and saw some other garden related things that I also want to write about. I have piles of photos and notes to untangle. All of this combined with a family filled holiday weekend and busy days at my real job makes for a late article.

I spotted these bluebells around the neighborhood when I was walking to the Waverly farmer’s market on Saturday. I went over to see if they had six packs of anything I would like to plant yet. They do have pansies and marigolds, which I already have and plenty of herbs. I will have to think about the herbs because I know that if I wait there are other vendors that have them for a bit less money. This farmer’s market is my main source for annuals, vegetables and herbs. A lot of times they have a better selection than local home and garden stores. In fact, I an even find seedlings for the heirloom plants I was growing from seed, which works out better for me as I have a small garden an not a lot of seed starting space.

Also, now that I get down the Eastern shore more often I like to plan a May visit to get things for my hanging baskets. One stand I visit has inexpensive six packs for colors of flowers that I prefer, but don’t normally see up here. They also have a wide variety of double petunias, which I like for my hanging porch baskets.

A Big Pile of Fire Hydrants

Last winter, just before Christmas, I spotted this pile of fire hydrants on Howard Street. That entire week people kept excitedly asking, “Did you see the fire hydrants??” I never did find out the story behind this, but it was an amazing sight and has been in the back of my mind ever since. The pile was in front of the A. E. Harrington Plumbing Company, which I also tried to research (to no avail) when I photographed the tiny Statue of Liberty they have on the roof. Well, even though I have no research I decided to post this simply because it was interesting.

I do like fire hydrants and way back I did write an entry on the history of fire hydrants so that will have to do until I find out more about this pile, if I ever do.

Tulips, Open Doors, and Cement

Yesterday when I was walking to work I spotted tulips in someone’s yard. Technically, it was still March so this seems rather early to me. I then spotted a snapdragon on the way home. Despite the wild winter we had, things around town seem to be doing well even though it is so early in the spring.

I was busy with many things yesterday, including posting an article about Open Doors, a program for people struggling with addiction. They do many things, but they are currently working on a new community garden. When Paul, a program director there, contacted me I was happy to write about them. This is the kind of thing I want to do more in my column of because it unites gardening with city living. Their current project is only a short drive from where I work so when they finish I would like to go out there and photograph it as a follow-up for my readers.

I like things like this and the City Hall garden as I hope that it encourages people to see the potential of their yards. Now, even though I live in a rowhouse I’m lucky enough to have grass and dirt in the back yard. I’ve struggled, though; with the all-cement yard at other places I’ve lived. When Paul talked about needing sledgehammers to remove old building foundations I remembered one garden I had. There was a rosebush surrounded by a broken cement wall, but it was mostly buried in garbage. It was next to a small, odd building (also full of garbage) that my neighbors told me was once an outhouse. It took me a long time, but I cleaned it up, tamed the rosebush, and planted some fabulous zinnias and celosia. Whatever was out there for years must have improved the soil because one year the celosia was almost as tall as I was! You never know what kind of good stuff is under all of that garbage.