Designs for the coming year are pretty much done. We’ll have to wait to hear from some suppliers whether what we want will be available. It’s always good to have a back-up plant or two tucked away in one’s head just in case. Adaptability is rather important in horticulture.

We haven’t needed to shovel any snow thus far. Quite different from last year when it seemed the only time the world wasn’t snow covered between November and March was that freaky New Year’s Eve day when it was 61. That temperature didn’t last long and we were soon covered again by the white stuff.

Like last year, this winter is not terribly cold. But the mild temperatures are interrupted often enough by cold to remind me it
is indeed winter. This past Monday (the 2^nd) was WINTER with temperatures dropping to the teens and a vicious wind. Vicious I tell you. Friday (the 6^th) however will be spring at something like 50 degrees or warmer. Weather anymore is a roller coaster freak show of a ride.

It was so beautiful out on Thursday I took a break from the computer to have a look around the gardens. It felt like a January thaw except we really haven’t had a January freeze. I wasn’t sure what I would find but soon realized I had to walk back and get my camera. Things were a-poppin’.

One is not surprised at Hamamelis (witchhazel) in bloom when we have a mild streak. But I still so appreciate these amazing plants. The individual flowers are so intricate. They seem so delicate but in fact are tough as nails, unfurling on mild days, curling back tight on harsh days. They put on a show that lasts for weeks, sometimes months.

Here’s coppery ‘Jelena.’

And not much is sunnier in winter than the yellow witchhazels. This is ‘Wisley Supreme.’

Lots more buds yet to open so it’ll be a long show.

I found the Lonicera frangrantissima (duh, winter honeysuckle?) by the Garden for Everyone just starting to open. It often holds its leaves a long time but this is ridiculous.

Even a single bloom is fragrant if you get close enough.

But soon there will be many and you will smell it from quite some distance.

Another plant with semi-evergreen foliage is Magnolia virginiana (Sweet Bay Magnolia). This year the foliage of our ‘Satellite’ is nearly unblemished. I love this plant.

I usually start looking for Helleborus (hellebore) buds now if it is warm. Of course the Helleborus foetidus is blooming – just more perfect with the mild weather.

And what about plain old Helleborus x hybridus? Sure enough, buds are showing.

The new Helleborus x ballardiae Gold Collection^® is already flowering.

I love the foliage and flowers on these. I do still worry a bit about them because they bloom so early. But they seem tough as can be. I had some at home last year and there were flowers there every time we had a snow melt. They would get covered back up then when it melted again, there were the flowers. What concerns me is winters like this one where we have no snow cover. There could be a lot of damage to the flowers I fear. But, let’s worry about that when we have to. I still recommend these plants.

This is ‘HGC Cinnamon Snow.’

Some annuals are hanging in this winter – so far. In the Garden for Everyone again is Helychrysum italicum, curry plant.

Buddliea (butterfly bush) still has healthy foliage five feet in the air.

Petasites japonica (Japanese butterbur?) is an early bloomer but this is really early.

But the real kicker on my walk-about was this.

Those are daffodils in bloom!!!!!

Look. This just ain’t normal. Admittedly, this is obviously an early blooming cultivar , maybe ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation?’ Help me, Brent and Becky! I can’t find a record for it in this location. But we rarely have them blooming in February let alone early January. Not normal. And I know all about normal. This is crazy. And I know all about crazy too.

So what can we expect the rest of the winter? Mercy. Who knows? But as long it is mild, get out there and have look around. You don’t know what you might come across. And you never know when winter is gonna turn around and belt you with ice and temps below zero. So until it does, enjoy the perks. And try to keep those nasty global warming and climate change thoughts out of your head. They’ll just ruin the moment, Cleopatra.

And in truth, it is November. Snow in November isn’t exactly a miracle or a sign of the arrival of the End of Days.

All the same, I was not amused. It had been spitting snow off and on for a few hours but I never figured it would really get to the point of covering anything. When I arrived home, the wind-gathered leaves were heavily dusted with it. Plants in the garden had it clinging to their leaves and spent flowers. My gazing globes were covered with it, though under the full moon they looked rather delightful.

Fortunately earlier in the week I had gathered the last of my tropicals from my IMA gardens. At home, I collected the last of my most crucial plants and hauled them down to the basement on Monday evening. It gets dark so damn early I barely get started before I can’t see where to dig. With only four minutes of daylight after I get home in the evening, I gotta move fast. I only got four minutes to save my plants!

I still have cannas and dahlias to dig. Still have some agaves outside in pots (and one XMangave – Manfreda X Agave). Oh shit. I just realized I left my yellow-leaved fig out. Oh, I hope it’s okay. Damn. I don’t know where I can get another and it was not cheap. Dammit. Oh well. I said I was not going to try to save everything this year. Guess I’m just keeping myself true to my word.

Here at work, we are keeping more plants in the offices since we are trying to save money by not heating the old over-wintering greenhouse we used in the past. We concentrated on the tough stuff that can handle less than ideal conditions. It’s good to have some large specimens to put out so there is a bit of maturity to a design from the get-go.

These variegated figs and gingers will tolerate less than perfect conditions inside and outside, which is one reason we love them so much.

Some Xanthosoma and Plumbago occupy a conference table.

Bromeliads sit next to Jonathon’s desk.

And in my office is a collection of stuff from home and work.

In the basement of the northeast side of our offices (we are in the “double” – one side was the night watchman’s home, the other the gardener’s home) the bananas will wait out the frozen Indiana winter. These are both Musa and Ensete.

Check out the high tech containers.

Yes, those are garbage bags. You don’t need to be fancy. But it’s okay if you are. Especially, if it is your one chance.

In the basement on the other side, things are still a work in progress.

Some of the Colocasias (elephant ears) are put away but a good many still need processing. I wanted the soil around the roots to dry a bit before dropping them into plastic bags for the winter. It is a delicate balance – enough moisture to survive but not enough to cause rot. And why do all this? Why fret about if a plant will or will not survive? Well, isn’t it obvious?

I could always talk about the weather.

Trust me, it’s been quite the topic of conversations in my circles. It just saps you dry some days. And when you walk out and you can feel the heated air kinda pushing back at you? Like when you open the oven door? Whew! Mercy, I just want to give it all up. Or I see plants almost laying flat because they are so dry? Makes me a bit envious of those that worship the lawn. Lawn is so much simpler. My Ligularia ‘Britt-Marie Crawford’ was gasping by the time I finally turned on the water at home. Last Friday when it looked like there was at least hope for rain? I set up a sprinkler in my front garden to try to lure the rain in. I got a little. Think I’ll try that again this week.

Yes it is hot. But it was 106 in Nashville this week. Could be worse. Yes, it is dry. But at least it’s only been 6 weeks or so. And we had all that moisture in the “bank” from the wet spring. Could be worse.

We have been working hard to keep the plants hydrated so they remain beautiful and healthy. Well, at least healthy. Some plants no matter what you do eventually begin to suffer when a weather onslaught lasts this long. But I have to say things look really good so if you don’t like what you see at home come on over for a visit. You can always find a shady spot to rest.

If you have evergreens especially keep some water on them. Remember all the dead ones after last year’s heat and drought? Add a second year of that and we are going to start seeing major damage. I would never suggest you water the lawn but spend a few dollars on some water to save the trees in your yard. And if you planted anything this spring or last fall give them some extra TLC. We are fortunate to have our own wells here at the IMA. Not that we are attempting to replace all the missing rain with irrigation but we can usually save things that get in peril – usually. And, you know? That’s the best we can do sometimes. If we lose a few plants it’ll still be alright. We are gardeners. We accept some losses and then get all excited about choosing the replacements. Weather be damned, we will go on gardening.

You know. Let’s turn this ole weather negative into something positive. Everybody get up. C’mon, get up. Now get outside and turn the sprinkler on in – or near – your favorite spot in your garden. Here’s the tricky part. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be shy. You are hot. You are sweaty. You, yes you, you are a wild and free child of nature. Get yourself into that water. And shake some booty. It’s a heatwave and you are too hot to handle!!!

I went out Thursday afternoon to snap some pictures and try to capture the sparkly beauty of the ice on the plants. Cause dang it, that ice is right pretty on the branches and other plant parts. My skills at capturing it may not be quite as good as nature’s skills at creating it.  This is what I mean by everything iced over.

The steps from the Lilly House to the Formal Garden.

The Ravine Garden from above.

These Hydrangea quercifolia (oak leaf hydrangea) flowers look great, like they have been dipped in melted sugar.

Just think, it’s February, they are covered in ice, these blooms came out in July of last year, and they still look great. Why would you not use this plant? Having nothing but full sun is your only reason. Everything else is excuses.

Magnolia buds are beautiful at all times. These are Magnolia x loebneri “Merrill” near the Lilly House. The contrast between the smooth ice and the fuzzy bud is rather elegant though. In just another couple months these bud covers will fall away and the thick waxy fragrant white flowers will open.

Seeds of Rhodotypos scandens (jetbead) look kinda cool encased in ice.

An acorn cup filled with ice then blown from the tree by the storm’s winds.

And here’s a group of pictures showing the ice on different plants.

Now if the forecast holds we can expect some more very cold weather next week. But I have an offer to help you survive – an entire day of plant lust! Come to the IMA where we will be co-sponsoring a program with the Perennial Plant Association called Passion and Pursuit – The Search for the Ideal Perennial. You can hear six great speakers in a fun-filled informative day of pure plant joy. Click on any of the links to find out more. Why don’t  join me in the passion pit?.

In the meantime, keep chipping away at that ice. It will be Spring soon.

Listening to the pitter patter of ice on the windows, we just got word that the IMA will be closed again on Wednesday. What about you – are you hunkering down at home or braving the elements?  We’ve started a Flickr group called “Through your Lens” and want to see your photos of the storm, whether it be your backyard, a decimated shelf at a grocery store (here’s a pretty hilarious – and revealing – post from a St. Louis store), or your cozy indoors.   And we might, just might, post a few of our favorites on the blog.  Here’s one courtesy of IMA staffer Emily:

This is part of Jeppe Hein’s Bench Around the Lake which overlooks the White River. Just to the right, across from that stone pillar out in the river, is a USGS stream gauge. You can see the readings from this gauge on the IMA Dashboard. As of this morning, it’s reading about 14.3 feet, which is 2.3 feet above flood level (according to the National Weather Service). I walked down to the surface of the water, and if the river were about 6 feet higher it would come up to the bottom of the bench.

This is a bench that overlooks the lake, and Andrea Zittel’s Indianapolis Island. You can read Michael and Jessica’s take on the flood over at Give and Take. I went down to the water here, and it would reach the bench with another three feet of depth.

The lake is doing a great job showcasing the design of Kendall Buster’s Stratum Pier. When the water level was at its peak last night it was probably submerging the lowest platform. This morning it appeared to be resting right on top of the water.

The biggest surprise came when I glanced over at Tea Mäkipää’s Eden II. The lake had completely submerged the deck of the shack, which is usually accessible via a few stairs.  The water came almost all the way up to the placard. The relationship between Eden II, climate change, and flooding makes this situation poetic, in a wabi-sabi sort of way.

And finally, here’s a little reminder that the path around the lake is not always circumnavigable. Ahead in the water you can see another of the benches, which overlooks Eden II to the right. What you see here is the lake submerging the path. Further ahead there is an inlet which connects the river to the lake, but obviously I wasn’t able to check out the situation there with my bike in tow.

It was one of those rare days when the fog got worse as the morning went on. I think it was heaviest about 8:30am. Two volunteers and I were working on the South Parking Lot Hill doing spring clean-up, raking out leaves and twigs then cutting back the plants. The leaves of the Carex muskinguminsis and Diarrhena americana were frozen!

I had to beat the rake through them to get out the tree leaves and twigs!

The temperature at 9am was only around 32 degrees. Not sure how cold it had gotten overnight. But a landscape can be very pretty in the fog. I captured these photos after it had started to lift really.

Look how these yellow flowered plants glow in the low light of a gray morning. Yellow is so welcome in spring.

Here’s the Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ (witchhazel)

Here’s the Cornus mas (cornelian cherry dogwood).

There are so many plants in bloom right now it is amazing. With 70+ degrees coming for several days this week by the week-end it will be an explosion of color. You need to visit and visit often.

The truth is, I really haven’t traveled that much in my life. Part of that has to do with the fact that I’m afraid of flying (like really really afraid.) But, for the sake of ArtBabble, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Los Angeles last May. Fellow Nugget Danny and I documented the whole experience with photos and video. On our trip we met a lot of interesting people and dogs and enjoyed the sunshine, the warm weather, and (Danny especially) fresh tacos.

The reason we traveled was to film on location the construction of Andrea Zittel’s project, a large floating island to be installed in the lake of 100 Acres back in Indy. The island was fabricated by Barnacle Bros studio in East L.A. where upon arrival, we were greeted by a cast of characters led by a heavily tattooed man known as Smilee Barnacle. They brought us up to speed on the project and led us around the work shop,  which looked more like a carnival parade storage room than any kind of studio! The interview we did with Smilee turned out to be pretty hilarious:

And here are some pictures I snapped throughout the day. You can find more here.

That's Danny filming Smilee and crew

Shop dog

From the desk of Mr. Barnacle...

The colorful alley behind Barnacle Bros

Danny filming Smilee as he explains what materials were used for the island

There in the middle of the shop sat a snow-white igloo, which on closer inspection was not made of snow, but foam. And even better, it really looked like it would float! Smilee and his team used homemade tools to claw, shave, and mold the foam into a smooth, round shape. I can only imagine the spraying bits of foam as they hacked away at the towering mound of white.

It's snowing in L.A.! (standing in a pile of foam bits)

Here’s an interview we did there with Andrea to get a little more background info on the whole project.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when the Barnacle crew brought the island to Indianapolis… only to be greeted by chilly temps and mud in the Art and Nature Park… Indiana at its finest! There was a lot of activity in 100 acres lake that week. Both the island and Eden II are now floating in the lake for all to see.

I felt kind of sorry for Andrea and the Barnacle Bros, wading around in the frigid lake, because their visit to Indy was a cold and damp one. Then again, they get to experience the beautiful California weather all year ‘round. (Special thanks to Smilee, Theresia and the whole Barnacle Bros. crew, Andrea, and the cool cats at The Getty for their kind hospitality.)

It sure was sunny in California but I think I’ll stick with Indiana. I’m kind of partial to the sunsets.

I snapped this photo outside my house a couple months ago

They didn’t design the accompanying clouds you see here, but what if they could have?

by Theater of Inclusion

Fellow IMA blogger Ed Bachta recently told me about a new film called Owning the Weather.  Premiering last week at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the film tells the story of weather modification science.  The film features “seeders,” scientists who inject clouds with substances that hasten condensation, thereby making rain.  The doc also gives voice to philosophers on both sides of the debate about whether weather interventions are a handy solution to the global warming blues…or a sacrilegious crossing of the line between human and god.We can’t help but ask how long it will take some meteorologically-inclined contemporary artist to whip up a blizzard at the next Venice Biennale.  It could happen…

How about designer plants and animals?  It’s being done.  As physicist Freeman Dyson writes, every orchid, rose and lizard is the work of a skilled breeder.  The designers whose work is on view in the IMA’s current European Design: Shaping the New Century exhibition offer mind-blowing conceptions of chairs, lamps, etc.  Future design exhibitions may include the latest microbe, engineered to feed on plastic: an innovative design solution to the problem of reducing that gargantuan mass of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean.

Or, Dyson notes, Open Source biology may allow artists (or even third graders) to design their own genomes.  This is the premise of video games like Spore (whose designer we’ve been trying to invite to the IMA to give a talk).

As designer Bruce Mau asked in the exhibition Massive Change: “Now that we can do anything, what will we do?”

For now, I am going to keep it simple and join the international Cloud Appreciation Society.  I’m no sculptor but know how to savor a fine cumulonimbus, authored by no one that I know of.