Cherry Blossom Festival at Yuko-En

Last weekend (the 17th-18th), Georgetown Kentucky played host to a couple of wonderful cultural events. Both events were related to each other, held in adjoining venues, but separate in scope. The first event that usually draws more attention from those with families is the annual kite festival. Out past the Cardome Center on U.S. 25, a huge field is opened to participants flying kites. The colorful display is remarkable and a wonderful opener to the spring season! The events for that portion are free, but parking is $5. Games and vendors are included in this event, but a frequently overlooked portion of this celebration is the Cherry Blossom Festival held in the adjoining Yuko-En Japanese Garden.

The Yuko-En on the Elkhorn is Kentucky's only official sister relationship garden with Japan. If you are not familiar with Georgetown, the city has a special sister relationship with the Japanese City of Tahara-Cho because of Georgetown's huge Toyota factory that sits on the northern boundaries of the city. The word "huge" is no exaggeration as the right viewing angle will demonstrate its massive size.......bigger than Georgetown itself!

Opened in 2000, the garden was constructed to be a Japanese garden in design, but Bluegrass region in specimen use. By combining the two elements, the experience is unlike any other. There are several reasons why I love visiting this garden. The architecture alone is quite stunning. I have admired this gorgeous entryway since it was built, and I didn't even live in the county at the time. The visual impact is not only arresting, but when entering through the large gates, they seduce you into this long sunken pathway lined with bamboo. The impact creates an immediate sense of entering a special and slightly mysterious other world.

The architectural elements continue once inside the garden. This large multi-purpose building was recently completed within the past few years, but has played host to several events, such as weddings and educational sessions.

The approach to the multi-purpose building is embellished with this beautiful red bridge that serves as a prime place for a photo-op!

But on the other side of the multi-purpose building, the walled zen garden is truly a peaceful and shady place to sit and contemplate the beauty that surrounds each visitor as they pass through. You may not walk in this portion of the garden, but you may sit on a deck that overlooks this stunningly detailed enclosure which is just as enjoyable. One feature of the festival itself is the zen garden combing ceremony. I missed that event this year, but that only gives me a reason to try again next year!

Across from the multi-purpose building is the lake that holds, what appears to be, thousands of beautiful goldfish and koi. This is usually the favorite spot for the children as there is a place dedicated to feeding the fish. Honestly, some of the old scaled veterans in there look like they are just miniature sharks, but they assure me they are really just koi. I'm not so convinced!

The view looking toward the waterfall feature, as seen below. As you can see, the blooms are exquisite during this festival. The dogwoods, redbud, and other blossoms provide quite the show!
Wandering down below the hill to the small waterfall, keep your eyes open for pieces of artwork that line the paths. This is a fairly new feature to Yuko-En, but a very welcome one. It adds such a visual interest to the surroundings and exposes the local visitors to an unfamiliar art element. In my humble opinion, introducing art into the garden not only enhances the experience, but better connects us to the culture of Tahara-Cho. Nothing conveys a message more clearly than artwork. Combined with the elements of nature, one can quickly appreciate the spiritual influences that are so important to the Japanese culture.

Overall, the events of the Cherry Blossom Festival are numerous all weekend long and just as colorful as the kites flying in the distance. The educational value is priceless for both the kids and the adults. My only criticism is one that could be very easily remedied......I didn't see any cherry trees! There looked to be some on the hill near the Cardome Center, but the blossoms had already reached their peak the week before and were already brown. I couldn't guarantee that they were cherry trees since I didn't get close enough to tell for sure. Needless to say, they should add cherry trees to the this beautiful garden that has ample room for such additions, or change the name of the festival.


If you missed the festival, don't worry, this garden is beautiful year round! If you are in the Georgetown area, be sure to put this on the itinerary......you will be very glad you did!

Sayonara everyone!

Easter Surprise

Since my move into a new neighborhood this past summer, most of my plants are still being watched over by my Mother. Moving and getting adjusted did not afford me enough time to do any fall planting or planning for that matter. However, the landscaping around my house is actually pretty nice....just need to add some of my favorites here and there, and re-do some of the backyard spaces. Today was so gorgeous here in Central Kentucky. This evening it was 80 degrees and sunny......so I decided to take a backyard stroll to assess the planting situation. I know I have some shrubs and a couple of perennials that haven't made a presence yet this year, but as I took some shots of the garden areas to keep with me as I shopped for new specimens, I spied a tiny little surprise in the top corner near the deck......a very healthy stand of Grape Hyacinths. Such a pretty overlooked little flower, with a great scent and lovely purple shades......little bells similar to the Lilly of the Valley, only perhaps a bit more dainty, with a stronger stalk. As I miss the daffodils and tulips from my previous home this year, I cut a few of these new little delights to brighten the room just in time for Easter Sunday.

Happy Easter everyone!!

Peonies and Pondering the Past

For those of you who have kept up with my blog in the past, I apologize for the year+ long hiatus from posting. Life just became way too hectic to keep up posting with the seasons, so hopefully I can fit this into my schedule....balance is my new mantra, so we'll see if that helps any.

I also realize that October is a funny time to be talking about Peonies, but another part of my life, genealogy, has recently reminded me of this moment when Peonies proved to solve a family mystery.

This gardening tale comes from the northern part of our state in Pendleton County. As so many of you know, small abandoned cemeteries dot the countryside as little testaments to the thriving communities that once populated these remote areas. As we moved away from farming as the main income producer, the familial descendants of these ancestors also moved away leaving the cemeteries to fall into serious disrepair or even complete obscurity.

This little cemetery is known as the Fisher Cemetery in the northern end of the county on number 10. It sits just down from the old Fisher School house. Unfortunately, the cemetery has had most of its stones knocked down and then piled into the middle of the cemetery on a skid by a kind person that cleaned them out of the fence row. Either scenario is horrible since the exact location of the stone in relation to remains was forever lost.

After going through the stones I could lift and checking a similar inventory taken years ago, I noticed that some relatives appeared to be unaccounted for. Let's put it this way, when you get to official burial records for 19th century small country cemeteries, the "official" part can be extremely sketchy. I have a set of 4th great grandparents whose burial location is unknown. They could be buried on previously owned family property, or even more likely, they could be in a cemetery like this one, where the number of related individuals to this couple is pretty high, therefore increasing the odds of a final resting place.

I suspect my elusive 4th great grandparents could be in this cemetery, but I still have not found confirmation, even though a teenage son as well as a grown son and entire family are in this cemetery.....pretty good circumstantial evidence. As I searched for this elusive couple, I also had another individual on my "lost" list that I had very little hope of ever finding.

Her name was Mary Malinda Mockbee. She was the daughter of William Mockbee and Jane (Allender) Mockbee, but was named after her grandmother Mary Malinda (Moore) Mockbee - one of the elusive 4th great grandparents I had been searching for. This Mary Malinda Mockbee died at the age of 14 from Typhoid Fever, and her burial place has been in question.

On a trip to this cemetery in middle March, I was admiring the gravestones of my other 4th great grandparents - James Jackson Allender & Mary (Stout) Allender - whose gravestones were some of the very few still standing. Since it was very early Spring, the Peony stalks were breaking ground at a height of about 6 inches above the grassline on this couple's plot. As I pondered which family members might have planted these peonies so long ago, a small cluster of the same peonies a few yards away suddenly caught my attention. They were growing vigorously with no stone to signify who they might be honoring each year, and the stone could be in the pile at the other end, but I wasn't so sure since I hadn't found any of my relatives in the pile.

I took this opportunity to run back to the car for the tire-iron in my trunk and proceeded to stab the ground around the peonies. Within a few seconds I hit stone and digging only a few inches under the soil uncovered the broken pieces of the stone belonging to Mary Malinda Mockbee. I could read enough to know who it was and even noted that her parents' names were inscribed there as well. Apparently, the pieces had been under the ground for so many years that they had eluded the previous cemetery inventory taken in the 1970s.

The discovery was such a small moment in the grand course of history and small even for my own family history. But she was precious to someone at some time, and I was happy to be able to solve this little family mystery once and for all. The records are now complete as to where this teenager was laid to rest.....right next to her grandparents. It gives me hope that her other set of grandparents might be nearby, but more importantly, it reminded me of how important gardening is historically.

Those flowers were lovingly planted as a reminder of the life renewed and the life that continues even after we are gone. Where did these peonies come from? Probably from Mary's mother's house, or one of her many sibling's homes. Perhaps they came from her grandparents homes and had quite a genealogy of their own. We may never know, but they are a living, breathing, glimpse into the vibrant world that came before us....a link to our families and a celebration of our heritage.

This story serves to represent another reason why I enjoy visiting cemeteries....not only for the historical information and artistry of the stones, but for the colorful gifts planted on the plots of loved ones so many years ago. If you want to begin the wonderful journey of heritage gardening, cemeteries are a wonderful place to start as they have wonderful examples of the varieties grown during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Plus, they can tell you a little about your ancestors and their favorite choices in gardening!

Happy Hunting!!

C

Kentucky Herb Festival 2008

Since our move to Kentucky about 15 years ago, we have made the Kentucky Herb Festival in Frankfort an annual tradition. It is not a large festival, but quaint and just big enough to take up about half of the day allowing the rest of the day to get home and plant what was bought! Last year, for the 15th anniversary, the Kentucky Herb Association decided to move the date from the second weekend in June to the third weekend in May. Unfortunately, only their die hard members got the news and the largest city nearby, Lexington was left out of the advert....so this year appeared to be much better attended. To give you a taste of why this trip is worth the yearly dedication, I will provide a sampling of the day's activities, including lunch and another favorite garden center visit that makes the day very special.

The day begins with a stop at the Herb Fest located in the farm buildings of Lakeview Park which overlooks a golf course and nice size lake.

The festival is free to get in, but parking is $3.00 and if you want to stay for their herbal lunch held at the beautiful brick building at the entrance, the cost is $9.00 and limited to 120 people.

Other activities include guest speakers, live music and an auction with proceeds benefiting the Kentucky Herb Association.

Now for a few tasty morsels from this year's festival:

One booth we usually make a bee line for is Wash House Herb Farm's homemade herb breads. They sell out pretty quickly, so we load up before heading around to the rest of the booths.

Chrisman Mill Vineyard (the oldest licensed vineyard in the U.S.) offers a very nice wine tasting with wine bread and cheese spread standing by for a wonderful sampling.

The other booths loaded with wonderful smellygood stuff and books about growing, cooking or crafting with your favorite herbs make for a visually appealing and diverse shopping experience.

And then there are the herbs and plants! So many unique herbs, wildflowers, native plants and perennials to choose from!

In fact, there are so many things to load up with at such reasonable prices, we have adopted the habit of bringing along our trusty antique grocery cart. Simply perfect for bags of bread, wine, herbs and everything else we can pack into it. The opening is also just the right size for laying a flat of plants on top. But as you can see, we only bought a few herbs this year that fit into bags on top of the bread.

As we head back to the car, we have thoughts of lunch at Gibby's (voted Frankfort's favorite place for lunch!) and then more plans for shopping at a local greenhouse - Wilson's.

Wilson's Nursery sits on Frankfort's By-Pass and takes up many acres of growing space.

The displays throughout the greenhouse, giftshop and terraces combine to create a gardener's heaven! Once upon a time Wilson's used to participate in the Herb Festival but left several years ago, preferring to put on a nice herb sale at their own place. In years past, the sale has been very significant, but this year the Herb Fest is a month earlier and so the sale is not as wonderful, but the selection is still worth the trip!

The ultimate fairy garden!

And be careful where you rummage through the plants! You may find a feline hiding in the roses. One of the workers said she was very friendly, but didn't know her name....only that her mother's name was Lola! So keep an eye out for Lola's daughter while spending your Saturday wandering through Wilson's!

A Big Daffodil Thank You to the Blotanical Readers!!

As I promised, May would be a much better blogging month for me. Classes ended about two weeks ago and I wanted to get started right away with some intro posts about the rose garden since I am a huge fan of growing antique roses. I was just sitting down this morning to blog about the Kentucky Herb Festival from last weekend, when I decided to do some poking around Blotanical for some catching up. To my wonderful surprise, the Blotanical readers have been busy little bees and have identified my mystery daffodils (see April post)!!

It all started with Pleasant Hill Rambles' post about his fascination with my daffodils followed by his serendipitous discovery of the same daffodils at his neighbor's farm in New York! As he blogged about my blog and his find, another blogger, The Occasional Gardener, piped up with the solution to our mystery....drum roll please...the Van Sion Daffodil! Linked through these blogs was a wonderful post about the Van Sion....and as a historian, I added a whoop to Pleasant Hill's when I learned how old it is....at least 1620! Ironically, this daffodil is the only daffodil that I planted in the antique rose garden because of readily available space when we moved. It may now lift its head proudly as an ancient regally named variety just as important as the ancient roses that have looked down on it for all these years as a "mystery mutant". Welcome Van Sion, now your story can be passed along when neighbors ask disdainfully..."What is it?".

Rose Report - Taking Inventory and Counting Buds (Well, not literally)

After finally having some time to walk the rose garden, I decided to take stock of what survived the winter and what did not. According to my calculations I only lost one rose: the Gertrude Jekyll. Which is very sad since I have had this particular bush for several years and she even survived the transplant from Bourbon County a few years ago. Since the rose garden is mostly full of antique varieties, Gertrude was a bit of an anomaly since she was a David Austin English Rose which may not have the survival instincts of the other older varieties. Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to paint the English roses as weaker specimens, but in this case, Gertrude had lost some of the soil around her base which means she may have been more vulnerable than the others. I have another English rose next to her, Othello, which also survived some soil loss, but survived beautifully. The rest of the antique varieties have me spoiled since I don't have to winterize them at all and they come back each year with full vigor. I should try to remember that the English roses are a more modern creation and may need some winterizing in the future.

As for the rest of the group, everyone seems to be flourishing. All have buds with the exception of the Chestnut Burr Rose which will develop buds much later than the rest of them. This one has always been the late bloomer of the season, but a long bloomer and kind of the last waltz of the ball. While none of mine have bloomed just yet, I have reports from friends that some of the same roses in Lexington are bursting forth as we speak and have been for the last week. One of the roses, which I will mention below (Lenoxburg/Bella Donna), seems to be a full two weeks ahead of my bushes here in Georgetown. Right now the two roses about to begin the blooming season are Clotilde Soupert and Belle de Crecy. So far, they both have large buds with color, so it will be a race to see who can't stand it anymore and pops open - although the Russelliana is gaining on them!

The rose garden is designed in a four quadrant style with a center circle. Most of my quadrants are full of antique varieties, but some spots are taken up by some left over Dr. Hueys which appeared after some of my Tea Roses reverted back to their root stock. Yes, I used to winterize all of my tea roses, but no matter the effort, every year I always had one go back to the root stock, so I gave up on Tea Roses. Besides winterizing, I just didn't have time to spoil the tea roses as they require, and so gave up on growing this variety. I was not only intrigued by the lack of care needed by antique varieties, but also by their volume of blooms each year. True, some of them only bloom for a few weeks in June, but you can get varieties that bloom all year and give the tea roses a run for their money. Historically, the sight and smell of the antique varieties are very rewarding. If you haven't tried one, go for it...you will be hooked!

And so on to the inventory:

The Lenoxburg/Bella Donna/Martha Washington - Damask - Pre-1876.

In the center ring we have a rose that has proven to be a mystery over the years. I found a full size bush in an old cemetery in Pendleton County that had small suckers growing all around in the lawn. While my normal practice involves snipping a clipping in the cemeteries, this one required a good pull from the lawn since the caretaker kept mowing them off anyway. The little suckers were very hardy and before I knew it I had the most sweet smelling blooms I have ever encountered - and this remains my favorite in the garden hands down. I will write more about this one when she blooms, but after posting to some message boards, some have identified her as the Bella Donna or Martha Washington. I will present the evidence at a later date.

Northeast Quadrant

Russelliana - Polyantha Climber - Spain, 1840:

This little gem has small blooms, and is a climber but I have it in the corner and keep it fairly controlled.

Rosa Mundi - Gallica - Pre-1581:
This is one of my favorites due to the variability of each blossom. From the striped to the almost solid red or white, it puts on a show of nice medium blooms. Be warned - the bumble bees love them!

Chapeau de Napoleon - Centifolia aka Crested Moss - Pre-1820:

Gorgeous rose with lush full blossoms that open from cabbage rose type buds. Intoxicating scent as well.

Felicite Hardy - Damask - France, 1832:

Pure white rose with beautifully formed full blossoms. Buds are not overly large, but could be described as medium size. Wonderful scent and known as the best true white among the antique varieties.









Ispahan - Damask - Unknown, Pre-1832:

I have only had this one for a couple of seasons and so this year should put on a more accurate show of what this beauty can do.








Day Rose - Unknown - Pre-1920:

This rose was one of my cemetery finds in Pendleton County. When I first encountered it, it was a huge bush over 6 feet tall next to the Day family plot. Even though it had survived for so many years, about five years ago, the cemetery caretakers decided to cut down such large bushes and alas this beauty is no longer in the cemetery. I have two bushes that grew from a couple of cuttings, but have no idea as to its identity. I will present its growing habits more completely when it decides to bloom later this summer.

Banshee - Alba/Damask (according to different reports) - Unknown origin, pre-1773:

Prolific bloomer that spreads by sucker very rapidly, but suffers from bud dropping or wilt which means some of the buds will rot away before blooming. When she does bloom, she is very pretty with a delicate pink blush that fades to white.






Northwest Quadrant

Marchesa Boccella - Hybrid Perpetual - 1842:
Very lovely little bush that supplies us with blooms for most of the summer season and into fall due to the natural repeat blooming nature of the hybrid perpetual. Fragrance is not very dynamic, but decent.

Tuscany Superb - Gallica - England, Pre-1837:
More readily available sport of the older Tuscany. Also known as the Velvet Rose due to the velvety look and feel of each petal.

Charles de Mills - Gallica - Unknown, Pre-1746:

Even though I have only had this rose for one season prior, it is already one of my favorites. The large perfectly formed purple blossoms are large and gorgeous!
Spreads by sucker as well.

Leda - Damask - Pre-1800:

This is also one of my favorites due to its unique blossoms. A white blossom with just a blush of color on each petal tip. Also known as the Painted Damask.

Dr. Huey - Climber - USA, 1920:

Dr. Huey is what remains from my previous attempts at growing tea roses. Eventually they all reverted back to their root stock which in this case means a nice show from Dr. Huey. I will have to say that the root stock is obviously very hardy since the root stock always survives. I have never lost a Dr. Huey, but I have several taking up space which I hope to someday replace with genuine antique varieties. But in the mean time, Dr. Huey is a cute addition. His "climber" description is a bit overrated. With just a bit of pruning he can be easily controlled.

Cardinal de Richelieu - Gallica - France, 1840:

Very nice little rose that produces a plethora of little purple blossoms. The size of the blooms are a bit small and not very full, but the color is unique and growth habit is tidy.

Sally Holmes - Shrub, Hybrid Musk - England, 1976:
This one doesn't exactly fit into my antique roses category but it was on sale and has proved to be a frequent bloomer. It prefers to demonstrate an upright growing habit that compliments a tower trellis we added to the corner.

Southeast Quadrant

Belle de Crecy - Gallica - France, 1829:

This purple beauty is also a favorite. The many different shades displayed over the course of opening and blooming are gorgeous and the rounded button formation in the bloom center is a very cute detail.

Baronne Prevost - Hybrid Perpetual - France, 1842:

A nice steady bloomer with large blossoms and large petal count.

Day Rose:

Duplicate from above.

Louise Odier - Bourbon - France, 1851:

Another old reliable that produces a nice amount of large, full fragrant blossoms.

Autumn Damask - Damask - Pre-1600:
The antique history of this rose is a bit clouded but it is reported to be the Four Seasons rose mentioned in ancient literary sources. AKA Quatre Saisons, it is so named because it is the first European rose bred to bloom more than once a year. In mild climates I would assume this rose blooms in all four seasons as the name would suggest. Very beautiful and fragrant....it does repeat and puts on a wonderful show.

La Reine - Hybrid Perpetual - France, 1842:

This one produces huge saucer size blossoms and repeats as its classification would suggest. Fragrance is just as nice...a nice reliable old variety.

Clotilde Soupert - Polyantha - Luxembourg, 1889:

This little gem is another favorite due to its miniature growth habit and dainty little blossoms. The pink blush/white blossoms are very full and fragrant, but more button size rather than large. She blooms all season and would be great for small gardens as she really is very polite in her growth. My only complaint is that she remains too small for my tastes. I wish she would get bigger, but for now we will love and shelter her as she loves to bloom with all her might.

Trabue Mystery - Climber:

I will go into the history of this rose at a later date but I will say it is a vigorous little climber that has small shiny leaves and produces clusters of very small double blossoms. Not much of any fragrance, but beautiful nonetheless. I found this little specimen on the side of the road in Bourbon County near where an old farm house used to stand. Since I took some clippings, I also ran onto one in the Frankfort Cemetery growing on the Trabue family plot. The Trabues were very close friends of Daniel Boone and are buried within a stone's throw of his grave that overlooks the capital. After my specimen was harvested and after I encountered the Frankfort specimen, the caretakers cut the rose so far back that we saw no evidence of it a few years ago. However, last year, the little gutsy wonder had defied the caretakers and started to grow and bloom again around Colonel Trabue's grave. I have no idea about its true identity or age, so I will refer to it as the Trabue Rose for now.

Southwest Quadrant

Othello - David Austin English Rose - 1986:
Another of my David Austin roses. I love his line of roses and bought several a while back, but Gertrude and Othello were my only survivors after about 10 years of no winterizing. Still very hardy in my book because the tea roses would have been gone long ago without any winterizing, but a bit more delicate than the true antique varieties. The full blossoms and wonderful fragrance make this a very welcome addition to the garden.





Gertrude Jekyll - David Austin English Rose - 1986:
You have read my plight about Gert as we lovingly referred to her before her demise. I miss her and her gorgeous aroma. I will probably buy another one.

Banshee:
Duplicate from above.

Chestnut - Species - Unknown, pre-1814:
This is the most unique rose in the garden. The blossoms are nice full, pink and fragrant, but the bud and stem appearance are interesting. The buds are rounded with prickly bumps on them which resemble a Burr Oak casing which is why this rose has been called the Burr Rose on occasion. The stems appear gray, almost white and dead but surprise every year with new green foliage prior to blooming.


Dr. Huey:

Duplicate from above.

Reine des Violettes - Hybrid Perpetual - France, 1860:

Another little gem found on sale when we bought Sally Holmes. This one made me really enjoy the repeat blooming quality of the hybrid perpetual. When I fill in spaces or replace a Dr. Huey, I just may get a few more Hybrid Perpetuals. They have the wonderful old rose scent with lovely color and nice compact growing habit. Very reliable performers.


So for now, that concludes my introduction to the rose garden. I hope to blog about each rose in turn as they reach their peak blooming period. Until then I will pine over the buds out there taunting me and my pictures from last year.

Happy gardening!