A Visit to the National Botanic Garden

 

"Duck" fountain?

Last week I finally had a chance to visit the new National Botanic Garden in Chantilly, VA. I read about this new botanic garden from my Cooperative Living magazine, published by the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative which serves our area. The magazine did a three-page article with wonderful photos about the garden and its owners. Peter Knop and his Polish-born wife Beata have spent over thirty years creating this garden on the large farm he inherited from his family in Loudon County.

Built entirely from recycled construction materials, the gardens feature a large lake with many small islands which have one particular variety of bamboo growing in each. The bamboo is grown to feed the pandas at the National Zoo. The owners admit to being nuts about bamboo.

 

One of the many islands on the lake and the boathouse.

Bridge to another island on the lake.

View of the Lakeside pavilion and stone steps.

 

The main attractions of the garden are Beata's sculptures and the sculptural stone and earth constructions like Hobbittown, the Stone Barn, several other pavilions, and the still-under-construction Castle, which will not be completed for some years.

 

Entrance drive into the garden.

Looking the other way from the entrance.

Stonework by the main entry.

 

Being geographically near me in northern Virginia, I had purchased a ticket to visit--at this time the garden is only open to the public for a few days each month. My ticket was for June, but on the designated day they emailed me to say that the garden would be closed, due to severe thunderstorms expected that afternoon. They offered to reissue my ticket for another day.

I couldn't make it on the other open days in June, but I was able to get an alternate date in July. And so it was, on the hottest day to date, I took a bag lunch and my plein air painting kit to explore the gardens. Fortunately most of the garden is nicely shaded by woods.

 

The parking area.

From the parking area I walked down toward the picnic area near the big lake. I was hungry, so I sat down to eat my sandwich and take in the scene. I carried along a tote bag with my painting equipment.

 

The picnic area from the Lake Pavilion.

After lunch I was ready to explore the garden, but not burdened with my painting gear. There were only a few people there besides myself, quiet and contemplative--it was probably safe to leave my bag at the pavilion by the lake shore, where I would likely paint later on.

 

Bridge leading to the Stone Barn

I started out towards the other pavilions: the large gazebo and the Stone Barn were reached by crossing a small wooden bridge painted red, reminiscent of Monet's Japanese bridge at Giverny. A number of sculptures, some of them steles, adorned the paths along the way.

 

Path toward the Stone Barn.

Stone Stele.

 

At another covered pavilion a set of steps led to Hobbittown, a whimsical stone construction rising up a hill. Everywhere one looked there were fascinating details: sculptural rocks, round boulders and balls, light posts, fountains, planters. The plants themselves seemed to be the least of it, although clearly chosen with care and an eye for form and color. I happen to be a big fan of Hakonechloa grass--apparently the owners are too!

Another large pavilion.

The steps to Hobbittown.

 

I managed to climb through parts of Hobbittown, though it was quite risky for someone my age. I'm sure it's intended more for children and young people to climb through.

 

Hobbittown.

A doorway in Hobbittown.

My next stop was at the hottest spot--the arid or cactus garden. There wasn't much in bloom there, except for a lovely specimen of Texas Yucca (not a yucca at all--it's Hesperaloe parviflora). I have the same Mexican grass (Nasella tenuissima) in my garden but I wish I had space for some of that gorgeous Yucca rostrata!

The path to the cactus garden.

The cactus garden.

Texas Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora).

 

From here I thought the path would lead to the area they call Kyoto, but I was mistaken-- a fancy gate enclosed an area off limits to the public. I walked back in the merciless sun to take in more sculptures in the shadier part of the garden. The first one resembled some giant insect, so I called it the Big Bug.

 

The Big Bug sculpture.

I generally don't care much for modern-day abstract sculpture of this scale, finding most of them much too obtrusive and clashing with the nature it's supposed to enhance, but these were very clever and seemed to fit in nicely with the surroundings. All are made from recycled and discarded materials. None of the sculptures had labels that I could see, though I'm sure they have titles, so I gave them my own nicknames.

 

Atlas Shrugged?

Bird-shaped sculpture.

Two metallic sculptures.

Exhausted, I walked back to the lake pavilion to cool off and start painting. My gear was undisturbed where I'd left it, but my watercolor of the view of the lake didn't turn out to be very satisfying after all--a bit washed out and pedestrian. I'm afraid I haven't painted much plein air this year and am a bit rusty.

 

View of the National Botanic Garden Lake, watercolor, 11"h x 14"w.

The actual view.

After getting the painting this far, I left it and wandering about, ran into the owners--taking a break from their labors, they were talking to some other visitors, so I stopped to listen and eventually joined the conversation. They asked me if I'd visited Kyoto, and I said no, I'd been stopped by the closed gate. It turned out I'd been in the wrong area--the place they call Kyoto was along a completely different path! 

 

The Castle exterior.

A peek inside the castle under construction.

 

Once they gave me the directions, walking past the Castle, I  was able to find it. Good thing I found out, or I would have left  the garden without seeing this lovely and unique creation, inspired by Japanese gardens.

 

The entrance to the Kyoto garden.

Stonework in Kyoto garden.

 

The waterfall was quite a complex construction, I've never seen anything like it! There were so many unusual elements: the curving waterway, the steps, the ever-shifting perspectives were fascinating.

 

The Kyoto waterfall.

Stonework at the waterfall.

Water reflections with bamboo.

Another sculpture here seemed to echo the stonework of the waterfall, and the Japanese teahouse completed the tableaux.

 

Sculpture in Kyoto garden.

Another view of the sculpture.

Japanese Teahouse in Kyoto garden.

The garden closed at five, and by now I had just enough time to get my gear from the lakeside pavilion and get back to my car before driving out into the rush hour traffic to get home. I craved the lovely Victorian garden cart by the lakeside pavilion for my own garden--wonder where they found it?

Bald cypress with knees.

Victorian garden cart.

I'd love to come back for a peek another time, perhaps when it's cooler. There's still a lot of the garden I didn't get a chance to see. And being a work in progress, I'm sure there will be some new things to admire, and maybe more plants too!

July Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea)

Clary sage

 

This summer the deer have been incredibly voracious--they haven't left me very many flowers to show! One they haven't touched is the biennial Clary sage I planted last year. The flower spikes are big and bold, I'm sure their musky smell is the reason they've been left alone.

 

Centaurea cyanus 'Emperor William'

The nearby Centaurea 'Emperor William' which I grew from seed a couple of years ago, has been reseeding itself ever since, but this year, the seedlings all got chomped back and only this one plant somehow managed to avoid being eaten. I love their bright blue color!

 

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

 

Butterfly weed is another plant deer don't eat much, although they managed to eat the flower buds of all the 'Hello Yellow' ones--these plants are just finishing their cycle of bloom. The Buddleias are starting their show--with the extreme drought in our area and barely enough rain to bring relief, nothing is looking too great, only a few flower spikes where normally bloom would be profuse.

 

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)

 Buddleia Pugster 'Miss Molly'

Buddleia lindleyiana

The Buddleia lindleyiana is a native of Japan and is doing well in my Virginia garden, but I'm discovering that it likes to sucker, and needs more room. I  love the graceful arching flower spikes, and the pollinators really like this variety: butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

 

Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)

Speaking of plants beloved by pollinators, my Bottlebrush buckeye is about to bloom--it's a bit late this year, it's usually in full bloom by now. My tree is now about 6 foot tall and wide, it will probably reach its mature height of about 10 feet in a few years.

 

Seven Son Flower Tree (Heptacodium miconiodes)

The Seven Son Flower Tree, which normally doesn't bloom until August, budded out very early and has started to open its small clusters of seven flowers each. This shrub is a native of China, but still attracts lots of native pollinators such as dark swallowtails, and the hummers too.

 

Coneflowers under the Seven Son Flower Tree

Close-up of Coneflowers.

The back bed with a variety of Coneflowers and other blooming plants lies under the Seven Son Flower Tree, but this year, the coneflowers have been decimated--very few are left. I really need to be more proactive in spreading deer repellent or there'll be nothing left to show for all my labors.

 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Clematis 'True Love'

 

Again, these Crocosmia and clematis flowers above are the only ones left from the deer's depredations. The heather below grows under a wire cloche, or there would be nothing left of either foliage or flowers. 

Heather.

On the east side of the house, the hydrangea 'Incrediball' is lovely, the other hydrangeas have been chewed up a lot--only one flower left on the lace-cap  hydrangea, the one on the other side of Incrediball (behind) has not a single flower left! 'Little Quick Fire' hydrangea sustained very little damage, but the Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' is standing only because of the tomato cage protecting it.

Hydrangea 'Incrediball'

Hydrangea 'Little Quick Fire'

Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'

 

Lavenders are among few flowers that deer don't go for, and the mint family is also generally spared.

 

Lavender 'Grosso'

Hoary mountain mint with Ninebark tree 'Coppertina'

 

Salvias are not appetizing to deer either, and generally spared--I bought the one below at Green Springs Gardens, where our botanical artist group had a show this spring, and deadheaded it--it's starting to re-bloom. I thought that zinnias were immune to deer too, but this year my seedlings have been decapitated.

 

Salvia

Vitex agnus castus

The Vitex above is usually in full bloom at this time, but with the current drought, growth has slowed down so much! 

The plants on the deck and hanging baskets are out of the deer's reach, of course, so I may still enjoy those flowers.

 

Cuphea 'Hummingbird's Lunch' on the back deck.

Hanging basket on the porch.

Calibrachoas on the deck.

 

The Cuphea 'Hummingbird's Lunch' hasn't attracted many hummers, but well I remember how one evening last year, in late September, a lone female hummingbird, apparently starved, came and gratefully buzzed every flower.

To sum it up, this July I'm short of flowers to show. Let's pray for some good rains in our area soon, so that I may have something in bloom to show you next month!

Another Field Sketch Transformation

 

The Ledge at Calmes Neck. colored pencil, 14"h x 10"w.

Having obtained permission from one of the homeowners who lives there, I went back to Calmes Neck the week following the Virginia Native Plant Society's excursion to do another field sketch. I wanted to capture the red Columbines growing on the rocky ledges, with the idea of doing another piece on the unique plants that are found there.

I arrived mid-morning and was given a wonderful tour of their art collection by the owners of the gorgeous custom log cabin home. After that, I walked down the hill with my gear to find the best spot for my field sketch--there wasn't any level ground, so the best I could do was to balance my portable chair between the ledge and the steep drop-off, using my feet--a rather uncomfortable position, but the best I could do.

 

My gear on the ledge.

As I began to draw I saw that the ferns and rue anemones growing nearby might make a nice frame for the red Columbines, so I included a few of those as well as some of the moss-covered rocks, to give the impression one was really sitting right there. I had to keep getting up to look closely at the Columbines, in order to properly draw their complex petals and spurs, alternating looking with sitting and drawing. It takes a lot of energy to do this--at one point my sketchbook slipped out of my lap and almost ended up going over the cliff!

 

Field sketch in watercolor, 8"w x 10"h.

 

Once I had the pencil sketch and had started putting some color down, I took my lunch break--it was around one o'clock. While eating my sandwich, I could get a closer look at the flowers of the tall Pawpaw trees growing under the cliff. A light breeze from the river below cooled the otherwise hot afternoon--too hot for April! And too dry--after I was finished and was picking up my gear a couple of clumps of dry moss peeled right off the rocks! I guess the moss will grow back eventually once the drought breaks. Despite the discomfort of my position, it was a rich and useful field trip for me.

 

Pencil sketch of the ledge - Stage 1

I generally wait a while before I decide how I'm going to develop a sketch into a finished painting; it's always good to think about it as much as possible before one commits. Pencil sketches are the best way to practice and test out ideas for a composition. I decided to include the ferns and rue anemones and add a tiny purple cliff brake on one ledge--this fern was actually farther away on another rock ledge. I decided to go with the sketch above.

 

Pen and Ink sketch on tracing paper - Stage 2

The next step was to trace my drawing with an ink pen, and transfer it to the paper for the final project. I decided that colored pencils would be the most appropriate medium for the amount of detail I wanted on this piece, and to try rendering it on a sheet of  Bristol 300 vellum finish. 

Before doing the tracing, it occurred to me that this would be a good chance to include a pollinator, and that a ruby-throated hummingbird would complement these colors well. My first sightings of  hummingbirds in my garden had taken place just a few days before, and all of these were males. I understand that hummingbirds migrate solo, and that the males precede the females by two or three weeks, to allow the vegetation they feed on to recover, as they follow the same migration paths every year

 

Pen and Ink sketch on tracing paper - Stage 3

I cut another piece of tracing paper to attach to the first, and added a hummingbird sipping nectar from a Columbine flower. At this point I noticed that the purple cliff brake was too large in relation to the other plants, so I reduced it a bit by using my copier to scale it down to about 85% of the original drawing.

 

Colored pencil drawing - Stage 4

 

Working on Bristol 300 vellum finish is a bit different from the Fabriano Artistico HP paper that I prefer--the surface is much smoother, and one has to build up the layers of color gradually. It took a while to get the drawing to this stage (above) where I could begin to develop the darker tones. But this was only half of the area to be covered.

 

Colored pencil drawing - Stage 5

 

Unfortunately, I didn't take any other photos of the intermediate stages beyond Stage 5 above. By now all the various plants and their colors were clearly articulated, and it was just a matter of deepening the tones.