Floral Remix

A Chinese artist named Fong Qi Wei uses flower petals instead of brush strokes to "remix" some classic pieces of art.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Van Gogh's Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers

Kind of cool, but I think her "Exploded Flowers" series is a little more successful.

Chrysanthemum

Hydrangea

Check out more: here.

Drugs, Guns, and Cacti?

Imagine if Walt and Jesse dealt with smuggling cacti across the Mexican/US border instead of meth. I am sure they would still botch everything up with their rookie antics, get a few cactus needles stuck in their legs along the way, and suspense and hilarity would ensue. However, this is a real and growing problem in Mexico. Smuggling cactus plants is the third biggest racket, behind drugs and guns. The demand for cacti is on the rise as more and more gardeners are opting for a "zero scape" garden or one that requires very little water. To meet this demand, people are taking cacti from Mexico's natural desert landscape instead of cultivating them legally. The WWF has reported some rare species being trafficked out of Mexico to buyers willing to pay $10,000 for a single plant. Lax law enforcement has allowed this racket to become very profitable with very little consequence. Salvador Arias, a cacti expert at Mexico's National Autonomous University says, "You can tell the smuggled plants. They tend to be more damaged and come without that perfect look you find in garden centres. It is sad that Mexico's floral heritage is being squandered for money. Once these plants are gone, they're gone."

Recent efforts to curtail illegal cacti harvesting include outfitting some of the most wanted species with tracking devices. The chips will allow officials to easily sweep nurseries and landscape centers. When purchasing large cacti at nurseries or garden centers, please ask how they were cultivated and where they come from. For more information check out this and this.

Witch Hazel

It might not feel like it in New York right now, but spring is on its way. Daylight savings is fast approaching and, matching that extra hour of sunshine, is the pop of yellow the witch hazel plant produces this time of year. Witch hazel is one of the first plants to bloom at the end of winter; a Punxsutawney Phil of the plant world. Its spidery yellow blooms bring a smile to my face, even if it that same face is covered with a scarf. Come on spring, we are ready!

(8th Avenue and Horatio Street)

More witch hazel images here.

Sugar and Spice

Everything about India is hot. The women, the ocean, the masala chai tea, the weather and definitely the food. The diversity of spices and flavors found here are endless and ancient. India exported herbs, spices, indigo, ebony, exotic animals, fruits and pearls to the Romans in exchange for their gold and wine. While recently in the southern state of Kerala, my boyfriend and I got to see some of these famed spices growing naturally.

Here is a pepper (as in the counterpart to salt) vine. Yes, pepper grows on a vine!

 

One plant can produce four colors of pepper: black, white, green and red. It is in the preparation of the small, green pepper corns pictured that changes the color.  To produce black pepper you take the green, unripe pepper corns as is, boil them and then dry them in the sun or in a machine. The small pepper corns then shrivel up and turn into the black pepper we are used to seeing on the table. To get white pepper you take a ripe, red pepper corn, boil it, and remove the red fruit to produce a white seed. This seed is then dried and ready to use. For red or green pepper, you take the ripe or unripe pepper corns and preserve them in a brine. Pretty neat!

 

Above is a clove plant. The pale green, cross-shapes above are the buds. When they turn red, they are collected and dried in the same manner of the pepper plant.

In addition to the plethora of spices India has to offer, fresh fruit and fruit juices are in constant supply. You can get delicious, fresh juices at almost any restaurant and certainly any street corner. Below is a machine that produces fresh sugar cane juice.

 

He feeds the sugar cane into this huge press and out comes delicious juice. 

 

This is the most minimal post on the extensive flavors and spices I have found in India, but I just wanted to share a small peak into the culinary vacation my taste buds have been on.

Mumbai Musings

I am headed to Mumbai, India tomorrow!

I will be back in two weeks. Just in time to start my tomato seeds!

Early Blooms

On the way to work I noticed a few spring bulbs poking out of the ground and I wanted to shout, "Hold on guys! It's still winter!" But it's too late. They are confused and are emerging into a windy winter instead of a warm spring. Our relatively warm December signaled to the bulbs that it was spring and so they started to grow. If this has happened to any of your bulbs, I came across this great trick from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to shield these early bloomers.

Photo by Sarah Schmidt

Any holiday greenery still on hand will protect these emerging bulbs from the oncoming wind and frigid temperatures. If any flower buds start to form, pinch them off to delay bloom and, usually, a bulb can reproduce another flower by the time spring comes around, which isn't soon enough!

My Desk

Sitting at my desk today I realized that I have slowly accumulated A LOT of plants. It is almost as if a small garden is sprouting around my computer and will eventually engulf my work space. I think I would be OK with that. :)

The newest addition to my desk garden is the Camellia Bonsai that Simon gave me for my birthday! I have only seen this plant as a tree in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden so I was very surprised to see it in miniature, bonsai-scale. 

I have never owned a bonsai before. They require a lot of pruning and vigilant care so I hope that I can keep up with its high maintenance. It will bloom all winter and, come spring, should be pruned and then placed outside in the shade.

Thanks Simon!