These Are the Things to Remember

This poem was taken from a book of poetry published over a hundred years ago. The author was listed as unknown. It is one of my favorites.

"I know where wild forget-me-nots wade
Along the edge of clear running water
Where a great blue heron stands at sunrise.


I have listened to the first spring peepers
And have counted the varied and tender
Greens of spring, from pale of willow
To dark of pine.


I have walked on pine needle carpets
And on spongy green moss
In sunlight and shade


I know a woodland pool
Hidden from sight by giant ferns
Where mayapples unfurl their green umbrellas
Beneath a stone lantern,
And the small face of the hepatica
Holds a drop of blue sky.


I have uncovered the damp sweetness
Of arbutus
And felt the south wind brush across my face
Bearing a hint of rain and flower gardens.


I have seen the scarlet tanager
In the topmost branches of the tulip tree
And the marsh wren in her house
Beneath the lemon lilies.


I know a pond at evening,
Where ducks trail silver threads in their wake.
Trout jump, and fireflies appear
Above the water.


I have seen the whipporwill
Silhouetted on a dusky sky
And heard his song of summer magic
While standing in bright moonlight
Watching shadows cast by giant pines.


I have felt the mystery of heaven
And the joy of earth--
And I know what I know--
These are the things to remember."

The Best of the Rest: Missouri Botanical Garden

Life here at the Chaotic Garden seems to have gotten pretty busy these past couple of days, and I have not gotten back to the rest of the Botanical Garden. But here it is!

A new garden has been added since we were here last. Glad to see George Washington Carver has been honored with a place here! A national monument at his homestead is here in SW Missouri not far from us.

On to the Kemper Center for Home Gardening, where we learn about ideas for our home gardens, and get all our garden questions answered!

Wind sculptures

The hosta garden at Kemper

I love the sculptures!

Some of everything is grown here, trials, experiments, new plants

Yummy looking lettuces! Beautiful!

River Birches. Love the peeling bark!

A great way to plant a container! The chard and other veggie greens are so beautiful with the flowers.

The Chinese garden is next, small but lovely.

The walk is embedded with mosaics of all sorts of flowers and bird pebble art.

Pomegranate flower and fruit

The Chinese have reverence for rock

Interesting upright dwarf banana. Musella lasiocarpa

Leaving the Chinese Garden, sculpture of sheep

Rainbow Knockout Roses

The Herb Garden

The dry creek

The DinoQuest exhibit was going on in the Climatron, unfortunately we were out of time and the Garden was nearing closing time so we had to miss this and the temperate house. Next time!

The rock garden outside the Temperate House

Tiny Dutch elm in the rock garden. It wasn't over 4' tall!

Ulmas x Hollandica "Jacqueline Hillier"

Chihouly glass sculpture. The light was behind it so I couldn't capture its brilliant blue. Amazing piece of work!

Goodby Missouri Botanical Gardens! So much had to be left out of these posts because of space and time, wish I could have shared it all with you. I've tried to pick the best representational photos of my favorite spots, and hope you have enjoyed it as much as we did.  What a wonderful day! If you would like to learn more, visit

http://www.mobot.org/ 

The William T Kemper center for Home Gardening is worth a visit for any of your gardening questions. There is also a "plant finder" that will enable you to identify nearly any plant that will grow in the MoBot zone, learn about its characteristics and where to locate it. A very valuable resource!

http://www.mobot.org/hort/gardens/kemper/intro/

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Alpha.asp

 Thank you for joining us at Missouri Botanical Garden. I hope you will put this garden on your list to  personally enjoy one day!

Missouri Botanical Gardens, Japanese Garden

It was a smooth transition from the woodland garden to the Japanese Garden, my next favorite place at MoBot.  (They are all my favorite places, who do I think I'm kidding?!!)

Not going to try to caption all these, just enjoy the wonderful tranquility and let it speak for itself.

The first lantern, guiding us into the garden, set in a gravel stream.. 

This basin was at the entrance to the Garden.

Moss lawn

Hungry Koi looking for a handout. Some of these were 3-4' long!

The bridge to the teahouse island. It was closed except to special groups.

The last lantern on the way out of the garden. Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Tomorrow, the best of the rest!!

Missouri Botanical Gardens, Woodland Garden

There is so much to see and enjoy at Missouri Botanical Gardens! But my favorite part of it all has to be the woodland garden. I would have just been glad to wander around in there for hours, but The Person I Was With wanted to see the rest .

You wildflower plant geeks are gonna love this place.

Mayapple, podophyllum"Spotty Dotty"!

I love the red flowers! Do I want this one? Hella yes!

Small pond, statuary "Three Graces". Water is a bit murky but it had been raining for days.

Another mayapple! I love these things! Podophyllum plianthum Dysosma

Wow! What is this, I asked!

Jack in the pulpit, Arisaema ringens. Gorgeous!

This robin was just having the BEST time!

 Allspice, sinocalycanthus chinensis I think I have to have this shrub!

Another arum, arisaema serratum

Would you have believed this was an epimedium? epimedium latisepalum

Looks like they have trouble with four-legged critters too! I just did this very thing with a wire basket to protect a hosta that was being attacked by deer, the morning we left for St Louis. Worked, too!

I love this stream winding through the woodland garden

So does this lovely couple!

European beech, fagus sylvatica. A wonderfully picturesque tree.

And onwards to the Japanese Garden.

So many pictures (I took nearly a thousand), so many plants, and so little time! Tomorrow, the Japanese Garden.