Sunday Dinner: Pay Attention

~

“You are one of the rare people

who can separate your observation from your perception…

you see what is,

where most people see what they expect.”

.

Tsitsi Dangarembga

~

~

“To acquire knowledge, one must study;
but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

.

Marilyn vos Savant

~

~

“Do stuff. be clenched, curious.

Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead.

Pay attention.

It’s all about paying attention; attention is vitality.

It connects you with others.

It makes you eager. Stay eager

.

Susan Sontag

~

~

“Observation is at its core an expression of love

which doesn’t get caught up in sentiment.”

.

Takashi Hiraide

~

~

“Only when you observe with the intent to understand

you will discover the deeper truth.”

.

Tatjana Urbic

~

~

“For a Photographer –

Having an OBSERVANT MIND

is more important than having

an expensive camera.”

.

Sukant Ratnakar 

~

~

Photos by Woodland Gnome 2018

*

“The waves of probabilities collapse

into a physical reality

through observation by a conscious mind.”

.

Ilchi Lee

~

~

“The beauty and mystery of this world

only emerges through affection, attention, interest and compassion . . .

open your eyes wide

and actually see this world

by attending to its colors,

details and irony.”

.

Orhan Pamuk

~

 

 

Ordering Caladiums For Our Summer Garden

Caladium ‘Desert Sunset,’ introduced last season by Classic Caladiums.

~

Again this year, I am organizing a large Caladium order for friends, neighbors  and family.  By combining our orders, we can buy large lots of 25-50 tubers of each variety which gives us a lower price per plant.  We also save on shipping costs.  I’ve selected a dozen different varieties to order this year.

Six varieties are new hybrids on offer from Classic Caladiums.  All of these were  developed by Dr. Robert Hartman, CEO of Classic Caladiums,  to withstand more direct sun and produce more leaves than older Caladium cultivars.  These six varieties have only been available commercially in the last few years.

I grew C. ‘Desert Sunset’ last summer, and was very happy with how it looked and how it performed.    One of the benefits of these new Caladiums is the introduction of some new patterns and even new colors into the world of Caladiums.

I am most interested in growing out  the new C. ‘Peppermint’ this year.

~

Caladium ‘Sweet Carolina’ sports chartreuse leaves and bright rose pink spots.  C. ‘Miss Muffett’ was a  parent of this new hybrid.

~

You might have seen my posts last summer about C. ‘Sweet Carolina.’  I’ve saved the tubers I grew last summer and hope they survived winter in our garage.  That cultivar isn’t on the list, although the Caladium proved to be a strong grower.

Our friends who grew the tubers I shared with them weren’t very enthusiastic about it; likely because of its truly unusual appearance.

~

Caladium, ‘Cherry Tart’ is a fairly short variety, but produces lots of intense, red leaves.  These plants were vigorous and vibrant until frost.

~

They were much happier with C. ‘Cherry Tart.’  A gorgeous deep red Caladium, I would recommend it to anyone.  You won’t find it on this list because I want to see the new 2017 red Caladiums C. ‘Fireworks’ and C. ‘Flare.’

Here are the varieties I plan to order for 2017:

New Caladium Hybrids from ClassicCaladiums.com 

(Please follow the links for photos)

White Delight   ( part sun 18”-24”)

White Star  ( full sun/part shade 12”-18”)

Peppermint  ( shade/part sun 12”-18”)

Desert Sunset ( sun/part shade 12”-18”

Fireworks  ( full sun/part shade 18”-24” )

Flare  ( full sun/part shade 12”-18” )

~

C. Florida Fantasy appreciates a little afternoon shade, but performs well in morning sun.

~

Older Caladium Hybrids

Florida Sweetheart ( sun/ part sun 12”-18”)

 Lance Wharton ( sun/ part sun 12”-18”)

~

C. Florida Sweetheart

~

 Florida Fantasy (shade/ part sun 12”-15”)

 Florida Moonlight ( shade/ part sun 18”-24”)

~

Caladium ‘White Christmas’

~

 Florida Roselight ( shade/ part sun 18”-24”)

 Miss Muffet ( shade/ part sun 12”-18”)

~

Caladium ‘Miss Muffett”

~

All six of these older varieties are beautiful, strong growers.  It is very hard for me to choose a favorite.  Thankfully, we enjoy them all in different parts of our garden. 

All four varieties with ‘Florida’ in the name were developed at the University of Florida. They are fairly new hybrids with pretty good sun tolerance, vigor, and good health.  C. ‘Miss Muffett’ is a gorgeous Caladium, and one of the parents of the improved C. ‘Sweet Carolina.’

~

Caladium ‘Florida Moonlight’ really lights up a shady spot!

~

Although I shared an email invitation last week with a few friends and neighbors to join this year’s Caladium order, I am posting the list of Caladiums, and a few photos,  again here.  Some folks had trouble opening the page I sent with photos of all six varieties.

If you live in the Williamsburg area, and would like to participate this year, then please contact me sometime this week by email.  We will get in touch with one another and you can join our order anytime between now and next weekend.

~

Caladium ‘Lance Wharton’

~

Caladiums prove a great plant for our hot Virginia summers.  They thrive in our heat and humidity!  Once they get going in May or early June, they keep giving and just grow better with each passing month until the weather cools in October.  Whether grown in a pot or in a bed, Caladiums have few problems and generally are left alone by deer and other wildlife.

These are a good choice for busy gardeners who don’t have time to fuss around with high maintenance plants.  Foliage plants have staying power in the garden.  These are some of the easiest and most interesting foliage plants we’ve found.

And now is the time to plan for the coming season.  Order yours now, while the selection is still good.

~

 Caladiums love our summer weather!

~

All photos by Woodland Gnome 2015- 2016

~

 

Caladium ‘Desert Sunset’

~

 

Wednesday Vignette

~

“Peace is present right here and now,

in ourselves and in everything we do and see.

Every breath we take, every step we take,

can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity.

The question is whether or not we are in touch with it.

We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.”

.

Thich Nhat Hanh

~

~

“Accept the seasons of your heart,

even as you have always accepted the seasons

that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity

through the winters of your grief.”

.

Kahlil Gibran

~

~

Photos by Woodland Gnome 2016

~