Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Garden Club's Garden Visit
It's good to share. So when the Tohickon Garden Club (of which I am a member) had its planning meeting for events, lectures, and trips 2009 I suggested a visit to the Barads garden. Here it is months later, and time for our trip. Eighteen of us have gathered here. The day may be overcast but we'll have a sunny good time.
First things first. We have a brief business meeting. Doubtless one
of the most pleasant locations, sitting by the Barads swimming pool.
Skill, and time created this towering Alberta spruce, now reverting to
its sprawling natural shape. It was was raised from a cutting by Dr. Barad.
I'm fascinated with the flowers of Asclepias syriaca, another of our
native milkweeds, that is making a fine colony next to the koi pond.
Dr. Barad points out a bed of succulents, planted out for summer display.
The various kinds are hardy to about 28° Fahrenheit, and will remain
on display outdoors until about Thanksgiving, in late November.
As we walk over to the vegetable garden, sheep pasture, and greenhouses we pass
a grove of bamboo that's swallowing up a satellite dish. Good thing there's another,
smaller one on the house or the television would certainly not be working.
Surrounded by banana culms pushing into green growth Dr. Barad points out
the bare remains of an older one. Last winter damaged many of them, even as well
protected as they were with insulating heaps of oak leaves & plastic wrapping.
Expert and an eminent authority on cacti and succulents, Dr. Barad has them everywhere -
in the greenhouses AND in the garden, where this opuntia is attractively in flower.
We tour the smaller greenhouse, which is mostly devoted to succulents.
That's far from dull, considering the diversity of colors, shapes, and textures.
.
Dr. Barad entertainingly and informatively explains the differences between the two,
cacti with their spines, succulents without, and other botanical details. There are
several cacti in bloom in the main greenhouse. I'm taken with this vivid red flower.
.
He explains the basis for this peculiar cactus. It is a graft chimera, a rare phenomenon
that happens only in cultivation. Two species, frequently of distinct genera, are grafted together.
Not a true hybrid but a mixture of cells, and named in reference to the monstrous chimera of
ancient Greek mythology, a legendary beast made up of parts of several different animals.
As we leave the big greenhouse Dr. Barad points out the unfurling new growth of a cycad,
tender green and elegant appearance on a plant contemporaneous with dinosaurs.
We've had a pleasant outing in the company of friends, with the opportunity to see
unique & special plants rarely on display (other than the Philadelphia Flower Show,
where Dr. Barad collects baskets full of ribbons) elucidated by a masterful grower.