Garden Stuff.............

A side greenhouse that is attached to the Botanical Center dome has practical suggestions for growing plants in home gardens.  The red chair a design originally created by a famous designer Garret Rietveldt in 1918. Many people have duplicated the design to have chairs that look like modern art.

This is the view of the setting with both chairs in it  I did at one time want to make one of them but I am not so sure they are so comfortable for sitting. The are pieces of artwork though.

A single red orchid that is much like the lady slipper that grows in Minnesota.  It only had this one bloom on it at the time.

I keep seeing orchids for sale in many different kinds of stores. The prices have dropped on them from a few years ago because there so many sold. I cringe when I see the kind of conditions they are placed when I see them in some of the stores. People who work garden products really don't have an understanding of the plant.

My mom grew foliage plants in her gardens.  I don't think I have ever tried them.  I don't know if they need a lot of care or very special growing conditions.  In southern Iowa they were grown in the shade.  In this greenhouse it seems to be doing very well.  I see there is a nice multi- color foliage.  I remember the days when P. Allen Smith promoted them on his garden show with all the different color varieties.

Another shot of koi that was taken looking down from a bridge in the Center. They are such a slow easy going fish.  Seeing them reminds me of a memory while at the Omaha Zoo.  It has been probably 20 years ago, but they were draining the koi pond.  The pond was very large and the fish so plentiful that they could barely swim.  A couple of men were out on the island with a boat and large garbage cans.  They were lifting koi into the garbage cans filling them to the top.  I assumed then they were not moving them as they would have put water into the cans.  It seemed unusual.  I thought maybe they were going to use the fish to feed the other animals in the zoo. The Center removed many koi from their creek and pond.  They may have shared them with the city zoo.

I am in the special education room today helping students with their homework.  I am enjoying the change from the English classroom.  It is trying to rain here today but the wind is the most noticed weather condition that we have today.  It was blowing hard most of the night from the east and then this morning it changed to the north.  It is Wednesday which means we all have made it half way through the week.  Thank you all for stopping by today.