There are many white things in this world.

White flowers.

White lightning.

White weddings.

White sport coats (with pink carnations of course).

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Filed under: Horticulture

Lawdy Mercy! Spring is coming on so fast and furious my head is spinning!

It’s almost too much yet it can never be too much. There’s stuff everywhere!I’ve been trying to photograph as much as possible and I can’t hardly keep up! Plus we have started planting over at 100 Acres while there’s still all the regular work to do. Let me just tell you it’s keeping me in a tizzy. And next week-end is the Perennial Premiere – Jumbo Size. Let’s face it. It’s the busy season.

But I refuse to ignore all the amazing and pretty plants putting on their big sex show this year. Yes, I said sex show. Those flowers you’re admiring ain’t for you. They are for the pollinators (more on National Pollinator Week later). But what the heck. Let’s be nasty voyeurs this week and take in the show.

If you have questions about any plants in particular, that’s why we have a comment section. I will try to find an answer for you.

I tried to find a video for the Forester Sisters’ “Too Much is Not Enough” but had no luck. So ……..

Filed under: Horticulture

We took a walk around the Art and Nature Park Wednesday afternoon. There was some sun but it was surprisingly chilly. What a change from what it was several years ago before the Grounds Guys started doing all the removal of weedy shrubs and trees. Wildflowers like Anemonella were up in multiple places but the animals were far more attention-getting.

Saw several feathered and furred creatures on the river – a great blue heron (twice), mallard and bufflehead ducks, and three beavers. One beaver was quite unperturbed by my presence as I hung back to try to get some better shots. I started taking pictures when it was far out in the river. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Horticulture

Well, I think winter may have finally arrived, perhaps not on the calendar but in pretty much every other way.

Icy roads. Short days. Bitter winds. Freezing temperatures. The bloody freaking temperatures absolutely scream winter. It’s especially a slap in the face after the extremely long beautiful autumn. But that was then and this is now and winter will be what it wants to be. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Horticulture, Musings

Audience at The Toby

We have a lot to offer at the IMA: permanent galleries, Lilly House, 152 acres of gardens and grounds, exhibitions, public programs, web projects, and community outreach. After a while, it’s easy to take for granted all of the ways that the museum serves its mission. Every week I write ads, print pieces, Facebook updates, and blogs that focus on the opportunities for visitors at the IMA, but I often don’t take advantage of them myself.

Just 30 seconds from where I sit, I have an amazingly impressive collection of the world’s art, and I rarely take the time to see it. I’m not sure if it’s my hectic schedule or laziness, but it’s shameful to me how little time I spend in the galleries or at the IMA’s public programs. As a marketer, I spend my day encouraging others to experience the IMA, but I wouldn’t be doing my job well unless I do it myself. Therefore, I have recently decided to attend two public programs each month and spend at least 30 minutes in the galleries each week. It’s still not enough, but it’s a start. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Marketing, Musings