This late winter and early spring, a recurring theme in my scattered photo topics has been the varied world of plants: alive, extracted, in bloom or semi-dormant. Flowers, definitely, but beyond their showy riot, some strange and wondrous plant-adjacent places and things to ponder.
The best way to share this kaleidoscope of colors, mixtures, and marvels is through photos with captions. And so, enjoy, and think about the plants in your sphere, some of which you might be overlooking or taking for granted in your daily life or far-flung adventures.
Back in February, my friend Lise and I visited the eclectic Museum on O Street. I was enchanted by the garden at the front of the museum, depicting Alice in Wonderland (sporting a red rose for Valentine’s Day) and the early hellebores at the far right, the earliest of blooms in our area. The museum in general is worth a visit if you have several hours and don’t mind spending $30 to explore countless rooms full of secret passages and strange juxtapositions. Locals, you’ve got til the end of April to catch the as-usual-great orchid exhibition in the Kogod Courtyard between the Museum of American Art and the Portrait Gallery! My former intern and long time colleague Katy sent me peonies for a retirement present. They were in various stages of bloom, so became “the gift that keeps on giving.” The peonies in my garden, this reminded me, are the legacy of my great aunt’s garden in Blairstown, NJ. I dug up a bunch of rhizomes many years ago and they still flourish though my aunt has been gone for years. Friends and family old and new, flowers binding us all.You probably need to zoom in to read the ingredients of this alarming antique tonic which was displayed on the window ledge of Beans in the Belfy, an old church turned cafe in the river town of Brunswick, Maryland (visited by my friend Debi and I for our almost annual afternoon tea treat, falling somewhere around or between or birthdays). If you get beyond the alcohol and – gasp – CHLOROFORM – there are a list of botanicals including wild cherry. Speaking of cherry… you can’t get away without a shot of the iconic blooming cherry trees around the Tidal Basin. They made their appearance early this year, peaking even before the Cherry Blossom Festival started, and as usual coinciding with spring breaks so that the crowds were enormous. Many locals skip a visit for just that reason, which is a shame. They never get old.Another thing that never gets old is a good sunrise on the beach. Got this snap through the beach grass while visiting my sister in Hilton Head Island, SC. The sunrise is more dramatic with a foil such as some handy plant life!In the category of “who knew?!” our visiting friend Rita and I ducked into this urban farm called Area 2 Farms off of Four Mile Run. The unassuming door to an old paper warehouse opens to a thriving business, providing greens and veggies of various sorts to subscribers. The hydraulic set up with lights, watering systems, and other stuff I didn’t really understand was fascinating and maximizes what can be grown in this indoor space. Finally, my favorite photo of me at the retirement party I shared with long time buddy and colleague Diana. (Who sent me the photo. Thanks for photo bombing, Erin, though I could have “removed you” thanks to Google Photos, but didn’t even try!) It’s been a whirlwind of flowers and plants and other wonders for the past few months!
