Gardens

We are filling up the last little bit of summer.

I toured the Michigan State University Horticultural gardens.  I took my 14 year old son but he copped an attitude and would not leave the truck.

Larger photos can be viewed by clicking on the pictures in the post.

Nothing thematically consistent about the pictures.  These are just pictures of specimens I enjoyed.

Luffa (as in the sponge) is an outstanding ornamental vine.  Fast growing, clean foliage, 40mm dia butter yellow flowers.

These kinds of gardens require constant attention.  This young lady was moving mud that had washed onto a walk way.

Theme gazebo in Children's garden.   The steps were fabricated by standing cordwood on end.  Not a great idea.  The steps were slippery.

This area had been a maze but became overgrown.  They are doing a re-start.

The gate in the center-foreground drives a pump that makes the frogs spit.  This was an action shot.  You can see the blurring of the gate and the spray coming from the frog on the left.

A waterlily from the frog pool

This is a guy named Ryan who is returning to school after about 12 years.  He bakes scones and other sweet edibles from 2:00 AM until 8-ish.  Then he drives 60 miles to take horticulture classes.  He said that he is not the oldest non-traditional student.  He said that one of his classmates is a neurosurgeon.

Cassia didymobotrya (Popcorn Plant).  The leaves smell like buttered popcorn. Unfortunately it is a tropical so it will not over-winter outside.

Junior.

In the Children's "Native American" garden.  The same kind of tobacco the Woodland Indian tribes used to grow.  It can have up to 3 times as much nicotine as Burley.  It makes a good insecticide.

A dragon tunnel of willow wattle (woven willow withes)

Some girls.  About 50,000 of them.

My attempt at artsy photography.  Rain drops on Spicebush berries.

This is a cultivated variety of basket willow.  It has an interesting name.

A white, Asian eggplant.  The tag was lost but it looks like the cultivar "Gretel".  These were in a raised bed and are strikingly beautiful. 

I tried to capture how prolific this tomato is.  It is sprawled out like drunken, beached octopi

Continuing with the mis-named and marine animal motif, this amaranth should be re-dubbed "Kracken"

This species has the misfortune to be named Chokeberry.

The light was a bit muddy to capture the color play in this okra.

Integrated Pest Management pest monitoring station.

The flowers on this trumpet vine are easily three times as large as the flowers on the vine over my back deck.

Another volunteer