Sunday, Flowers at Marché de la Place Flagey, Brussels.

  

                                                    Le marché aux fleurs sur la Grand-Place, Bruxelles

Émile Hoeterick (

1858-1923)

Words in pictures: Lilacs in Russia

Pavlovsk - May 2019

Lilacs and Forget-Me-Not, 1905. Igor Grabar (1871-1960)

Lilac, 1906. Natal'ja Sergeevna Gončarova (1881-1962)

Lilac, 1915. Konstantin Alekseevič Korovin (1861-1939)

 

Lilacs, 1940-50. Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deĭneka (1899-1969)

Photos: TravelinaGarden, St. Petersburg - Moscow, May 2019 

On Hyacinths, the Flowers of which appear expanded in water

􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀
"Of late years, it has been common in the London seed shops, to observe hyacinth glasses with the plants inverted, the flower appearing expanded in the water, where the roots usually are, and the bulbs and roots being contained in a small pot of soil, turned up side down, and resting on the orefice of the glass. This is not shown with much effect in the water glasses of the ordinary size, but when the glasses are made twice or thrice 􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀􏰀the usual size, the effect is more striking. [...] Sometimes a glass appears with one inverted plant directly over it, growing erect, with its flowers fully expanded in the open air; the bulbs and roots of both plants being in the same pot, or in two pots, placed bottom to bottom. "

from: Art XVI. On Hyacinths, the Flowers of which appear expanded in water. London, February 1840. in The Gardener's Magazine, and Register of Rural and Domestic ..., Volume 16
John Claudius Loudon

"Hyacinths"

About the history:
Hyacinths - The Gardens Trust


Images:
Traite Sur la Jacinte.
Contenant la manière de la cultiver suivant l'expérience qui en a été faite par
George  Voorhelm, [1752] 1773


The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. "Hyacinths." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47dd-e8fb-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Aucuba japonica

A recent trip to Bristol reminded me of a rounded evergreen shrub from Asia not so fashionable in modern gardens: Aucuba japonica.

Walking from Clifton to the University Library, I passed elegant Victorian houses and shaded entrance gardens where its glossy green leaves created solid barriers with Mahonias, Viburnum tinus, box and ferns against boundaries walls. 

In Japan, its variegated leaves became popular in gardens from the late eighteenth century and, like Nandina domestica, it is associated with good fortune.

1.

2.

     

In England, it was cosseted in greenhouses in the early nineteenth century, but soon it proved to be a perfectly hardy shrub, particularly suitable for town gardens, where it thrives under the shade of trees, in ordinary soil. In 1838, John Loudon strongly recommended to associate it with other evergreens as, in winter, deciduous shrubs without leaves "would ... increase the apparent coldness and dreariness of the situation." (The Suburban Gardener..., p.184)

Easy to propagate, more and more common, its qualities condemned it to become the symbol of ugly suburban gardens.

In her book Flower Decorations in the House, dated 1907, Gertrude Jekyll tries to reverse its fate, suggesting, "A branch or two of this in any large jar, preferably one of the blue and white Oriental porcelain, is a fine winter ornament." (Flower Decorations..., p.3)

3.

She prompts the use of Aucuba in masses: 

in some quiet place of twilight half-shade, in company with bold tufts of hardy ferns and a restricted number of flowering plants, such as Solomon's Seal and Columbine; a kind of place the furthest possible in sentiment from the fussy unrest of the roadside shrubbery, enduring as well as it may the endless showerings of chimney-blacks and smothering road-dust. (Flower Decorations..., p.2)

A place like the garden I visited near Lake Maggiore a couple of years ago, where a collection of Aucuba japonica paraded near the entrance associated with hamamelis, ilex and cyclamens for enjoyable winter walks.

Photos:
TravelinaGarden, Borgomanero, Italy, February 2016 and Bristol, November 2018
except
1. 'Toyo sango' Awoki, Ono Ranzan and Shimada Mitfuss. Kai (1763), from 'Botanical Transculturation...'

2. Aucuba japonica, Thunberg, C.P., Flora japonica, t. 13 (1784)
     http://plantillustrations.org/

3. Aucuba Branches in a Maiolica Jar, from Flower Decoration in the House


Further reading:

'Botanical Transculturation: Japanese and British Knowledge and Understanding of Aucuba japonica and Larix letolepis 1700-1920', Setsu Tachibana and Charles Watkins,  Environment and History, Vol. 16, No. 1 (February 2010), pp. 43-71

https://www.jstor.org/

Flower Decoration in the House, Gertrude Jekyll, Country Life Ltd., 1907

The Suburban Gardener and Villa Companion, John Loudon, London, Longman, 1838
https://archive.org/

Magnolias and roses.

Photos:
TravelinaGarden, May 2017

牡丹節, Peony Festival in Luoyang, China.

Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072), Chinese statesman and author, was fascinated by the legendary tree peonies or Moutan that grew in Luoyang, a city in the Henan Province in China where he has been posted. In his treatise entitled Luoyang mudan ji 洛陽牡丹記 (Record of the Tree Peonies of Luoyang), he recalls: 'I first arrived in the city in the 3rd month of the 9th year of T'ien-sheng (1031), which was too late to see the peonies in full bloom.'

I also missed their blossoming peak visiting Luoyang in the last days of April, as formidable heat and sudden storms had inexorably accelerated their fading. However, there were still many beautiful peonies to see in this ancient capital where the origin of their cultivation is lost in legends. In the most popular, Empress Wu Zetian (624-705 AD), who reigned during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), ordered the flowers in her garden, in today's Xi-an, to bloom the following day. It was a cold and snowy winter morning, but, frightened by the tyrannical and whimsical Empress, all the flowers obeyed except the brave tree peony. The angry Empress exiled the flower to nearby Luoyang where, despite harsh winds and fierce sun, the tree peony flourished. Ouyang acknowledges it as 'the best in the empire' but firmly disagrees with the idea that its extraordinary beauty is due to the unique position of Luoyang, considered at those times 'the central point between heaven and earth...'

He focuses on flowers and on practical advices for their cultivation, from grafting to watering. He lists twenty-four varieties, including the famous and rare 'Yao Yellow' and 'Wei Flower' with multiple petals and yellow and red flowers, called the 'King and Queen of Flowers'.   Their names comes from the families where they were first cultivated and admired: 'Mr. Wei's ponds and buildings were vast and it is related that when the flowers came to bloom, those who wished to see them were charged a dozen cash or so, embarked upon a boat and taken across the lake to the flowers' location.' 

Ouyang remarks, 'The commonfolk of Loyang for the most part have a great fondness for flowers,' to such an extend that '...when powerful nobles seek cuttings, they are sometimes given those that have been killed by immersion in hot water.' New exciting varieties, with more petals, new shapes, colour combinations, blotches, dots and poetical names are still created and the Peony Festival, held in Luoyang each year in April since 1983, is the perfect time to admire them. Habits do not seem much changed from the past: 'In the springtime, the people in the city, no matter whether noble or baseborn, all wear flowers. Even the officials do so. When the flowers bloom gentry and commoners vie in taking pleasure trips and strolls to ancient temples and derelict households and turning such places as have lakes and pavilions into marketstances. They open up tents and awnings, and everywhere is heard the sound of music and singing.' 
I simply followed the crowd and enjoyed their beauty.

Photos:

TravelinaGarden, Luoyang April 2017

Further reading:
Ouyang Xiu, Record of the Tree Peony of Loyang, translated by John Marney for the American Peony Society Bulletin, No. 229 (1979).
http://www.paeo.de/h1/wang/ouy.html

Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, Peonies The Imperial Flower, London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999.

CHRISTOPHER BROADBENT "HERE TODAY [...]", Milan

Photos of flowers bouquets remind viewers of the transient beauty of life in Christopher  Broadbent's exhibition "HERE TODAY  [...]", held during the Design Week in Milan.

Inspired by traditional still-life paintings,  the English photographer, based in Milan, recreates their atmosphere and compositions in intense photos. 
No need of skulls or watches to recall the inexorable passage of time, but fading flowers arranged in fascinating old containers on a rustic table, against a neutral background.  

Black and white photos better return shapes, depth and light and shade effects of the compositions. Colour is a choice.   

Under the saying 'Here today, gone tomorrow', Broadbent's photos urge to enjoy life.

my black and white version of C. Broadbent's photo 

Photos:
TravelinaGarden, Milan, April 2017

Link:

CHRISTOPHER BROADBENT "HERE TODAY [...]" | 3 - 9 April 2017, 5VIE Design Week | Spazio BIG Santa Marta, Milan
http://www.5vie.it/