Welcome, wild harbinger of spring! To this small nook of earth; Feeling and fancy fondly cling Round thoughts which owe their birth To thee, and to the humble spot Where chance has fixed thy lowly lot.
– Bernard Barton, “To a Crocus” (1827)
Forgive me for crooning verse so early in the year, but it seems spring has no qualms with breaking schedule. These little guys have popped up near Wamsler Rock.
Crocus chrysanthus ‘Cream Beauty’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
It turns out that the French botanist and designer, Patrick Blanc, is in fact very green. If you are unaware of his reputation as “The Green Man,” the eccentric eco-artist and designer sports bright green hair, and electric green nail polish painted on a long, curvy thumb nail.
With a strong background in botany under his belt, Blanc has explored the natural world while traveling extensively throughout the tropics. Through his travels he has paid particular attention to how plants situate themselves in their native environments–tangling and twisting amongst other species, climbing over each other, and colonizing small territories in diverse communities.
Blanc has paired his fascination with plants and their natural communities with new technologies, and is now one of the leaders in the field of vertical gardening, or “living walls.” In this day and age when space is at a premium–particularly in urban environments–vertical gardening is quite literally a breath of fresh air.
February 4, 2012; Isla O’Brien, Caleta Americana, approximately 54º53’S, 70º23’W
I told myself last night, shortly after I went to my bunk, that I would have a better attitude today.
The ship moved in the early morning to our field site for the day, Seno Ventisquero in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. I was summoned to the bridge from my bunk, so I quickly dressed and went upstairs. The seas were very rough and the captain wanted to explain that rather than heading for our tentatively agreed upon site, we would instead be tying-up in a calm harbor at approximately 54º45’S, 70º19’W. I always leave these decisions to him anyway so it was just a formality.
Last chance to collect next to a glacier
The day didn’t look like it was going to be a good one; the clouds were so low that they seemed to be barely hovering above the waves, and sleet pelted the ship’s deck. As a consequence, most of us were a little slow in getting ready to head into the field. Lily and I boarded a Zodiac and were taken to what appeared to be a coastal southern beech forest with a small river running through it. Throughout the entire ride we suffered through continual sleet, but, the moment we stepped ashore it stopped! Surely a good sign!
Do you think orchids are like dalmatians–born white–only to develop their spots after a few weeks? Learn the answer to all your burning orchid questions during History and Mystery of Orchids, a series of public lectures, Q&A sessions, and more during The Orchid Show: Patrick Blanc’s Vertical Gardens, opening Saturday, March 3.
February 3, 2012; Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Fiordo Garibaldi, approximately 54º58’S, 69º49’W
This morning we collected in Brazo Inutil (approximately 54º58’S, 69º49’W). The day began with patches of blue sky and the promise of a nice day, but it was colder than it had been recently, which I should have known signaled a change in the weather. The collecting wasn’t great, but I know at this stage that I have seen and personally collected much of the flora, and so have to fight surrendering to boredom. Most of my time has been spent looking for mosses and I have not really paid great attention to lichens. NYBG now has three lichenologists, as well as a new lichen graduate student joining us soon. My colleagues at the Garden, as well as various researchers outside of my home institution, have asked me to be on the lookout for certain groups of lichens, and I have decided that now is the time for me to do so! Once I have found what mosses I can at any site, I then devote some time to looking for lichens.
What started out as a trickle has surged into a flood, and now, in the final week of the Caribbean Garden photo contest, we find ourselves with piles of inspired photography to wade through. Despite the challenge of trying to ferret out the best photos in each category among a disagreeing cadre of jurors, we’re nonetheless having fun with it. Just seeing each of our competitors returning week after week to scrap for the proverbial crown is immensely gratifying. And the photos themselves trump all!
But as the last of this year’s Caribbean Garden events approach, the mood around here is bittersweet. Even with salsa classes bidding a fond adieu, and our photography workshops packing it up until next year, the momentous transition to the flamboyant wonder of Patrick Blanc’s vertical gardens fills the gap in fine form. Beginning Saturday, March 3, we fling open the doors of the Conservatory to unveil the 10th anniversary Orchid Show. Until then, you’ll be catching glimpses of the goings-on under the glass dome as we festoon our displays with the final, all-important touches.
It won’t be long now. Our Caribbean Garden is moving right along, and already preparations have begun for our next exhibition. It’s not a haphazard process that brings us to these moments, either–everything that springs to life in our Conservatory and elsewhere is the product of months (if not years) of careful planning. In the case of this year’s Orchid Show (our tenth!), one man’s lifelong passion will make its mark on the NYBG.
“Eccentric” comes to mind when considering Patrick Blanc. What other adjective sticks so well? Clover-green hair and patent emerald shoes, a matching Aloha shirt and vintage jacket; Patrick’s a walking canvas for his profession. As a renowned botanist, plant hunter, and designer, Blanc makes his mark on the world of landscape design with grandiose ideas of verticality and hanging foliage–not just from baskets or trellises but from the very walls themselves. Gravity is no constraint worth considering for this worldly creative.
