What’s fresh at the Botanical Garden? *Pop-Art orchids* Pop-Art may not sound fresh after all these years, but it’ll always be impudent. Now, here’s an Orchid Daze tribute that looks at it in a new way…
Homage to Roy Lichtenstein in the Orchid House – Atlanta Botanical Garden
Keith Haring and orchids…
And of course, where would we be without Andy Warhol soup-can orchids…
Saturday was also the day of the Atlanta Bonsai Society’s Spring Show at the Garden. And yes, those tiny twisty trees are amazing, but what I loved most was the moss. I entertained myself with the idea of growing a poison-ivy Bonsai (mostly kidding), but what I really want is a Bonsai-type container of just moss. This little tree trunk had my favorite groundcover:
Fresh moss: isn’t it blissful?
What does this post have to do with downsizing? More than you think — it’s refreshing to get out and see beautiful green things, and it was a much needed break from my current project of clearing out papers and filing cabinets. Now I’m back on track to fill up another box (or more!) of paper for the shredding event coming up this weekend.
What do you think? Fresh enough for you?
More on the Weekly Photo Challenge: Fresh
More on the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Hoarder Comes Clean 
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Hi Pip – you are the invisible woman today!
My comment was something like ‘Bonsai is the ultimate example of downsizing’. I tried ‘replying above the line’ but obviously failed.
Oh you are right! Good catch – I totally missed that aspect.
I like the idea of modern art and horticulture coming together. Looks like it really works well. Nice photos 🙂
Thanks Sophie! Last year it was Surrealism and orchids — it’ll be fun to see what they come up with for next spring.
That is certainly a lot of fresh moss, Sandy. Doesn’t look like the moss many of us are used to seeing. In fact, it looks like normal leaves you find on a bush. Those Andy-Warhol Campbell soup cans are indeed iconic. Each time I look at one I reminisce those days where I drank white hot and thick creamy Campbell’s mushroom soup. But back to the Botanical Gardens. We do have one here in Melbourne, but it has more green trees and leaves than flowers.
The moss is so close-up that it looks like a field of grass, doesn’t it? Some of the bonsai had several kinds of moss in one pot, but this one was the one I wanted to take a nap on. There’s a forested area in this garden too, a lovely Zen garden, plus right now, lots of spring bulbs about to pop. But this visit we went for the orchid and bonsai, as those are temporary displays. I’d love to see an Australian Botanical Garden some day — there must be lots of plants that would be new and unusual to me — Sandy
The moss looks deceiving. I don’t know if it’s okay to touch it, because I heard some moss irritates the skin. It’s actually quite hard to take your time and look at each and every plant and flower at a botanic garden. You’d think it’s a case of stop, look, see, move on…but no. Most of the time at the Melbourne botanic garden I end up leaving only after seeing half the garden. Too much for one day. You’d love the gardens here for sure 🙂
This moss was “no touch” since it was a display/competition by the Bonsai Club members (they were going around spritzing the trees and moss with water from time to time). But I wanted to touch it. When I used to live in Kansas City, in the midwest, there was a park with a garden for the blind, and all plants were meant to be touched, and, also had wonderful fragrances. I’d forgotten all about that until I read your comment (so thanks!) I’m still thinking about transplanting some moss from the woods into a container garden.
How cool in Kansas City that you can touch plants. In Melbourne, many of the flower gardens here have a “No touching” sign. See but no touch. I hear moss can get wild quickly if it’s not tamed, not sure how true is that.
Here, the moss thrives in the spring but when it gets hot (and often dry) in the summer it dies back. So – if I had a moss garden, I’d need to mist it regularly in the summer heat. Garden-wise, I always want to touch the flowers, especially the wooly leaves that some herbs have.
I really like the idea of mixing pop art in a garden. I would say the moss is definitely fresh enough for me, the green is really vibrant.
Thanks for commenting! (I’m all for art mixed in anywhere in life) – Sandy
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