Tiny Forest

Tiny Forest

follow link Tiny Forest © 2011 Bo Mackison

https://hymnsandhome.com/thrifting-vintage/  The rational and the serious are empty playgrounds for the muse. ~ David du Chemin

I spend many hours in gardens throughout the year.

go here Not only do I visit in my backyard gardens, but the botanical gardens, the University’s horticultural garden, a large tract of prairie, and the arboretum are each about a fifteen minute drive from my home. I truly consider myself blessed to have such easy access to such a variety of botanical species.

The last few weeks I have spent most of my time photographing a single area in the Olbrich Botanical Gardens that is only about two feet square.

source link There are several varieties of elephant ear plants in this space and a few, low growing, flowering plants. Since this area is near the only entrance/exit to the outdoor gardens, I get many curious looks and comments from people walking past. Often they look to see if they can spot whatever it is that holds such fascination for me. A few stop and ask, “What are you taking a picture of?” And a little boy, perhaps five years old, once excitedly asked me, “Are there bugs and spiders in there? Are you taking pictures of snakes?” I even had a docent rush towards me and ask if I had fallen, if I was hurt? Evidently, he startled to see me lying half on the sidewalk, half in the mulch, looking at the underside of the plants.

I usually just smile and say I’m shooting the sunlight patterns on the plants.

Eszopiclone Lunesta Buy Online That is more than enough information for most people. Even the  docent shook his head and claimed he only takes photographs standing on both feet. Yes, he probably does.

go here But I don’t.

Half the fun of photography is capturing photos of things that hardly anyone else ever sees.

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https://www.appliquecafeblog.com/recommendations/ Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  Some days are just perfect for lying on your back in a garden and looking at the world through gigantic, swaying leaves.

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‘Be Happy’ Dahlia

Pink Hearts Flower

click here ‘Be Happy’ Dahlia

 “Be grateful for those who give us happiness; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls bloom.” ~ Marcel Proust

I found this charming dahlia at Olbrich Gardens yesterday morning while taking the last few photographs for a big project. I had to stop and take a break from “Big Project” — which is more than I bargained for anyway — so I could photograph this dainty dahlia.

When I checked the flower’s  ID plate, I laughed out loud. Her name is “Be Happy” Dahlia — how great is that? This is the kind of flower that just begs you to smile and start humming a happy tune. I’m not much of a heart lover, but I do love the little hearts tucked into the petals. They seem perfectly placed, and match the flower-induced smile.

This is an appropriate photograph for today because it’s a celebration day in our family. Today is the birthday of the guy I married a million years ago — well, to be correct it was really only 12,867 days ago! (I just added up all those days — WOW!)

Wishing my Sherpa, who brings much happiness into my life, a very happy birthday!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.  Bo is humming today while she does her work. “Happy birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Sherpa, Happy Birthday to you!”

Thai Pavilion – Ten Years Ago

Thai Pavillion and Gardens

Thai Pavilion and Gardens

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.  ~James Thurber

A pavilion, or sala, is a common structure in Thailand. Simply constructed pavilions are found throughout the country, often at roadsides, and are used as shelters from rain and heat.

Olbrich’s Pavilion is more ornate than traditional salas; it is more representative of those found at a temple or on a palace grounds. However, Olbrich’s Thai Pavilion is not a religious structure.

The Thai Pavilion was a gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai Government and the Thai Chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The University of Wisconsin at Madison has one of the largest Thai student populations of any United States college or university, and many Thai people have a strong relationship with the people of Wisconsin.

Thai Pavillion with Tropical Plantings

Thai Pavillion with Tropical Plantings

Thai artisans built the pavilion in Thailand by hand. It was constructed without the use of any nails or screws, using  traditional building methods. It was then disassembled and packed in shipping crates. The crated pavilion traveled by sea, rail and truck, arriving in Madison after 11 weeks of global travel.

Nine Thai artisans who built the Pavilion in Thailand flew from their home country to Chicago on 9-11-01, exactly 10 years ago today. The artisans were on the very last plane to fly into O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on that fateful day, on 9-11-01, the day of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

The Thai Pavilion was carefully assembled in three weeks by these artisans, as most Americans attempted to understand and cope with the 9-11 tragedy. Building the pavilion without hammer or saw was quiet, solemn work. The raising of this meaningful structure, a treasured gift from Thailand, was in strong contrast to the tragedy that occurred on 9-11.

Thai Water Feature and Bridge over Starkweather

Thai Fountain and Bridge over Starkweather

The Thai Garden looks much like a lush, tropical garden, but it has been scrupulously planted with look-alike, Wisconsin-hardy plants. Ornamental grasses and a variety of hardy bamboos help create the tropical look. Large-leafed shrubs and trees are also pruned to simulate the  look of typical Thai plants found in gardens there.

The Thai Garden is connected to the other gardens in Olbrich by a 155-foot arched, ornamental bridge that crosses Starkweather Creek. A winding path passes through a forested area and features several stone statues that are symbolic Thai figures. The path eventually leads to a grassy clearing and then the side entrance to the Pavilion.

The fountain stretches from the Pavilion towards the bridge. The large water basin is only a few inches deep, but has a layer of smooth gray pebbles on the bottom which adds constantly changing visual details.

The Thai Pavilion is only one of four located outside of Thailand. The others are in Germany, Norway, and Hawaii. Olbrich’s Thai Pavilion is the only one in the world that is surrounded by tropical plantings, so it is truly representative of the pavilions or salas that are found in Thailand.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She spent the morning at the Thai Pavilion, sitting quietly on a bench near the pavilion and the tropical-looking plants, amidst much beauty and calm. And she thought about many things.

Blanket Flowers

Blanket Flowers

Blanket Flowers © 2011 Bo Mackison

. . . when I am out searching, I never have a set idea of what it is I’m looking for. I simply seek, occasionally finding what it was I wasn’t seeking.   ~ Jeff T. Alu

Gaillardia, or Blanket Flower, is a perennial that has brightly colored, daisy-like flowers.

They are typically found in a bright red and yellow combination. Easily grown, different varieties of blanket flower can be grown almost anywhere in the contiguous United States.

Sometimes I am careful in choosing which flowers I photograph. I will look for flowers that do not have large blemishes or insect damage, and I will try to photograph so that the flowers that are past prime are not in the photograph. But I decided to include flowers in all stages — from bud to seedhead — in this photograph of a mounded blanket flower. I am most fond of the composition, though I also like seeing the different stages of the flower.

Another day of wabi-sabi appreciation.

Pink Zinnia

Zinnia

Zinnia © 2011 Bo Mackison

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.  ~ Buddha

I have had some wonderful successes photographing the late summer gardens at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Every garden I visited seemed to hold me hostage until I could get a some photographs that made me smile. I sure don’t mind being a hostage in a garden. Imagine having a tiny home surrounded by acres and acres of gardens (and lots of gardeners to help, too!)

I’ve been to Olbrich almost everyday for the last week. First, the hosta and elephant ear plants seemed to mesmerize me, as the early morning sunlight made the leaves almost translucent. I t was as if they were holding the sun. I almost felt like I truly was in a trance.

Three days in a row I shot nothing but these green plants, and they were only about 15 feet from the entrance to the garden complex. I just could not past this entrance area until I had nearly exhausted the plants and flowers (and myself) with all that photographic attention.

But the last two visits, I strolled right past the entrance — I waited to sneak in several more greenery photos as I was leaving — and I got as far as the gardens filled to overflowing with cosmos and zinnias. Since the cosmos are one of my favorites, I spent a fair amount of time lying on the sidewalk next to these beauties, having long conversations about important world events — like the advances autumn is making in its bid to overtake summer!

Finally, when the sun began to rise high enough in the sky to lose that soft lighting, I spent the last half hour with the zinnias. Lucky, I had the diffuser with me, so I could both reduce the shadows, and protect the flowers against the winds that started blowing off the lake.  This pink zinnia had with her head down, and so I happily got a few photographs from a different angle. I love the little pockets of shadings caused by the gentle curling of each petal.

Tomorrow the forecast is for a rainy Friday. Might have to stay home and tackle some house cleaning and computer work. That would be a good thing — plus the gardens would appreciate the rain, too.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Bo is having a most excellent start to the month of September. So many amazing projects are popping up, but no complaints. Creating and making meaning with photography is one of the highlights of her life!