Tiny Forest

Tiny Forest

Tiny Forest © 2011 Bo Mackison

 The rational and the serious are empty playgrounds for the muse. ~ David du Chemin

I spend many hours in gardens throughout the year.

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.

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.

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.

But I don’t.

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

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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.

‘Be Happy’ Dahlia

Pink Hearts Flower

‘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!”

Shelter from the Sun

Shelter from the Sun

Shelter from the Sun © 2011 Bo Mackison

Silence is never merely the cessation of words . . .
Rather it is the pause that holds together–
indeed, it makes sense of–
all the words, both spoken and unspoken.

Silence is the glue that connects our attitudes and our actions.
Silence is the fullness, not emptiness;
it is not absence, but the awareness of a presence.

~John Chryssavgis

Today is a day of catching-up.

Today is the day I stop procrastinating and finally cross off those two items on my to-do list that I write over and over every day. Today is laundry day and there are five piles of sorted laundry waiting for me. Today is scrub the kitchen floor day. Today is a quick weed the garden day. Today is clean out the refrigerator day.

Today I am embarking on my first afternoon of silence.

This is a plan I hope to make a weekly occurrence throughout the fall. No talking, no phone calls, no text messages, no voice mails, no emails, no computer, no radio, no iPod.

Only the natural quiet.

There will be noises from the neighborhood, birds chirping at the feeders, Jazz meowing to go in or out (wherever it is she isn’t at the moment is where she wants to be.) There is a building project several blocks away and I can hear the hammers pounding.

I have chores that have piled up, I will be busy.

I’m curious to see how mindful I can be of those activities — cleaning, laundry, sweeping, gardening. How hard will it be for me to concentrate on what I am doing for the next four hours?

 

Almost Daisies

Almost Daisy Time

Almost Daisy Time © 2011 Bo Mackison

The garden is ready to explode with flowers.

We’ve had the rain. Now we just need a few hours of sunshine to get these flowers to pop! The coreopsis, my ‘Loraine sunshine’ plants which are called false sunflowers because they have variegated leaves, the wild geranium, and the Shasta daisies — all are on the verge of blooming.

My garden will be transformed from a garden of few flowers — a couple of iris, the blanket flowers, and a few coral bells the rabbits haven’t yet found — to a flower riot of yellows, whites, and purples.

This is the time of year when I love to take a break from my computer in mid-afternoon, pull my Adirondack chair under the shade of the maple tree, grab a good book and a glass of iced tea, and “set for a spell” as my grandma used to say.

Summer heaven!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. When she is not admiring her flower garden, she is photographing the flowers and getting ready for the Spring Green Art Fair this weekend in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Red Daylily – A Photo Visit in My Garden

Daylily in Garden
Red Daylily © 2010 Bo Mackison

I visit many botanical gardens.

I love botanical gardens, especially the ones where winding, almost secret paths lead from area to area. One minute I’ll be wandering in a rose garden, the next, in an alpine conifer garden, then a trip across a bridge brings me into the magical world of a Japanese Garden. I love all those grand sights, the vistas, the fragrance only a million roses in one garden can offer. But I am one of the lucky ones. I don’t have to go to a garden across town or across the state to get my flower fix for the day.

There are gardens surrounding my home that I lovingly tend.

I don’t live in the country, though a country home has been on my life list for decades. I don’t think it’s going to happen. We are too content in our home on the edge of the city. And after living here for nearly 25 years, the barren lot we purchased has been lovingly transformed into a luscious green space. The trees we planted back then now reach way beyond our roof. The gardens we planted with little bits of plants now mound high in the summer with bouquets of perennials. The rock garden is well established, as is the hosta garden. I have my little space of country here on the edge of the city.

I love tending my flower gardens, but I don’t take photographs as often as I might.

So for the next week or so I will offer a few photographs of my own gardens along with my favorite visiting garden spots.

Today’s flower is the lovely day lily, from a plant I transplanted from my grandfather’s garden in western Illinois more than 20 years ago.