Aroids

Time for some knowledge. So just to be clear, aroids are plants, and I'm going to be talking about them in this post. Get out now.
First, the bad news. I didn't take these pictures, even if some of these genera have shown up before (golden club, elephant ear), or are lurking suspiciously around the blog (Arisaema sikokianum). Know that I have searched the internet for some of its best photos, and have endeavored to avoid any copywritten pictures.

So

What are aroids? And why should anyone care about them?

Well, for starters, thats one of largest "flowers" on the planet right there. Six feet tall. That means its probably taller than you (shorty). This is Amorphophallus titanium or the Titan arum.

 

Aroids are the plants that compose the family Araceae. They are flowering monocots known for their spathe and spadix infloresence. If you look at that titan flower, you see basically two parts: the spadix is the purple spike in the middle, and the spathe is the wide purple and green cup-shaped modified leaf (bract) surrounding it. The true flowers (where the magic happens) are actually located on the spadix, although they are so small and boring you can't see them, and wouldn't really want to even if you could. This family contains over 170 genera and 3000 species, and includes some pretty famous ornamental genera that you've never heard of, but have definitely seen or heard of, such as elephant ears, the peace lily, jack-in-the-pulpit, lords and ladies, skunk cabbage, heart of jesus, pretty much every office and mall plant ever, and the root crop, taro. They are found in almost every climate, but are most impressive in the tropics of the New World.

The Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum)

Aroids are also generally poisonous. Not die-an-agonizing-death poisonous, but any-part-of-you-that-touches-them-gets-irritated due to a fascinating and specialized cellular defense system, where tiny spikes filled with a specific acid are isolated in liquid filled, pressurized vessels, which, when punctured, spew those nasty spikes into whatever caused the damage. They are also pretty acrid. Taro, for example, has to be boiled or dried before you can eat it without getting sick. So I thought I would provide a brief "fundown" of some of the interesting genera out there and the cool things they do. Starting with, of course, Arisaema.

Arisaema

Jack-in-the-pulpit

This genus is characterized by the "pulpit" spathe, where the bract lips over the spadix. The leaves are usually compound with three to five large leaflets. Many are tuberous, and die back to dormancy in the winter or drought. Usually they will only put up one leaf per tuber so if you STEP ON THEM, you're pretty much done for the year. This genus has a wide range, being found both in North America and (with greater diversity) in Asia. They like the shade, and moist soil.Native Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum

Arisaema sikokianum

Arisaema fargesii

Arisaema candissimum

And there are many more, all equally cool.

Arum

Lords and Ladies

Similar to Arisaema this genus likes temperate woodlands, but is found instead in Europe and north Africa. Flowering begins in April, with the production of a pale yellow spathe. The foliage dies back in the summer. In the fall the foliage reappears along with bright red berries. Fair warning, Arum maculatum is pollinated by midges attracted to a "particularly fecal" odor produced by the spadix. Want one that doesn't stink? Arum italicum is a good option.

Arum maculatum

Lysichiton

Skunk cabbage

A swamp aroid found both in North America and Asia. These things create monster root and tuber systems that dwarf the part of them that is above ground. Super roots, like you would need a backhoe to get the ones in the picture below out of the ground kind of super. They are one of the first plants to flower in the spring. If covered in snow, or in danger of freezing, the skunk cabbage is capable of producing its own heat to survive. Its a stinker. There is an Asian species, and it is white.

Lysichiton americanus

 

 

 

 

Orontium

Golden Club

One of my new favorites. Orontium is semi-aquatic, and is most often found growing along the edges of lakes or slow moving streams. It lacks a spathe, and doesn't stink. The leaves are waxy and water-repellent and have a nice bluish hue. Graceful thing.

Whew. Alright. Take a break. Get some water. While those last few genera focused on the spathe and the spadix, this next set will focus on foliage. Aroids exhibit huge diversity as far as cool foliage is concerned. They exhibit a huge variety of shapes, textures, colors, and sizes between the different genera and within populations of the same species. I thought I would focus on the elephant ears because everyone has met at least one of these in their lives and they're cool, even if they're a bit gimmicky. Know that the species here don't even begin to scratch the surface.

Alocasia

These are not from the New World. There are 78 different Alocasia species thus far, and they are found mainly in Asia and Australia. Many of these species produce beautiful infloresences, but remain known ornamentally for their impressive foliage, and because of the unique way new cultivars and populations of interest are created:

Most of these large leafed aroids exhibit genetic instability during both mitosis and meiosis. This means when the cells double their chromosomes with the intent of making an exact copy, the DNA freaks out and throws pieces of itself everywhere. Thus the cells that are created by the splitting of one parent cell into two, or four depending on which process you're looking at, are, more frequently than is normal, different enough from the parent cells to express phenotypic (observable) variation. This instability, combined with the fact that many elephant ear species (especially Colocasia) have been under the steady hands of interested humans for longer than we've been breeding rice, means there are literally thousands of rare and different varieties created through sexual reproduction resulting in seed or by the adoption of "rogue clones."

Meet one of the larger Alocasia, giant taro or Alocasia macrorrhizos

More angular, velvety, and smaller

Alocasia 'Frydek'Even though inflorescences are not what this particular genus is all about, they are still difficult to ignore. This is the inforescence of Alocasia cuprea.

Here is Alocasia x amizonica known often as an "African Mask" Alocasia

Just in case you were interested, this is what the front of Alocasia cuprea looks like.

Nice.

Colocasia

This is most famous for being a major staple of the Pacific Islands: Taro. Like less palatable potatoes. Because Colocasia esculenta is the species that is most frequently harvested for its tasty tubers, it remains one of the easiest to get, and one of the oldest as far as human selection is concerned. I have selected a few photos that show the variation present in esculenta and some different Colocasia species as well.

Colocasia antiquorum

Colocasia affinis

Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic'Colocasia esculenta 'Elena'

This last picture is kind of blurry but I have included it to make a point: foliage matters (that neon chartreuse guy in the front there is Xanthosoma 'Lime Zinger')

So. Keep an eye out for aroids. Once you know them, you see them everywhere.

Chanticleer

Chanticleer Gardens is thus far my favorite garden in the world. If Longwood is best represented by the concept of spectacle, Scott by community, Mt. Cuba by nature, Chanticleer is summed up most simply by saying, this is a garden devoted to the creation of whimsical, textural art. And it accomplishes this in most spectacular ways. Often by combining elements of impressive stonework and eclectic themes.

For example, the ruin garden: a garden based on the concept of the ruins of an old house on the property, complete with a fountain full of marble faces protruding from the water, a mysterious and somewhat foreboding dinner table and fireplace, and minimalist spacing of low walls and plants to suggest the outlines of specific rooms and windows.Its a bit eerie.

I also enjoyed the use of edibles such as those bright poppies in the very first picture, and the lettuces and cabbages that will show up later in the post. Here is a picture of part of their actual edibles garden, where they grow all sorts of vegetables for the staff. Nothing quite like the synthesis of beauty and utility:Here's your basic example of the use of texture (and lawn alternatives).From the Asian Woods garden, and the meadow walk, which follows a beautiful little creek that is currently all lit up by Primula japonica.
The pond gardenOne of the things that really makes Chanticleer impressive is how detailed all the beds are. The landscape photos I have taken don't really communicate the detail and tiny flecks of color hidden all throughout these gardens.
Here's a fun tidbit: They don't label anything, so at each major garden they cleverly hide a plant list, which has all the plants in all the gardens listed by location, and provides pictures of seasonal plants of interest.
The Gardens at the Main House



The Tea Cup Garden
I thought there would be a lot more to say but, really the pictures do the job pretty nicely. Check out their website, the year to year diversity of their gardens is amazing. There is a sense of peace, and wonder that cannot be expressed.

Adventure is out there.

Scott Arboretum

I realized, while looking over the meager blog, that I haven't spent much time describing the Scott Arboretum with respect to its particular qualities as a garden/arboretum/educational center. This is unfortunate, as Scott, as well as all the gardens I have visited thus far, have all profoundly different personalities, and I am remiss in waiting so long to introduce the arboretum with which I am the most familiar.

 

If Longwood is a powerful juggernaut which pummels its views with spectacle, and Mt. Cuba Center endeavors to create beautiful and subtle naturescapes that sink into the surrounding woods, Scott Arboretum is a conscious attempt on the part of its creators to provide collections and gardens that sink into the human community: this is an arboretum that is both physically and philosophically connected to both the college and the town of Swarthmore.

 

Thus the word you should associate with Scott Arboretum is: community.

But first some facts and figures. The Scott Arboretum is home to over 300 square acres and 3,000 different plants. It was created in 1929, and acts as a living memorial to Arthur Scott, a Swarthmore alumna, with the goal of encouraging horticulture in the "broadest sense" by acting both as a "visual demonstration" of planting techniques and species that thrive in the area, and by sinking these displays firmly in the hands of the public.

 

The Cunningham House, where the main offices of the arboretum are located:

The view from the Shane garden.

Scott relies heavily on the community for support, and in return, provides significant benefits. Almost everyday members of the community, as Arboretum Assistants, can be seen performing all sorts of maintenance activities, volunteering their time to keep the arboretum looking beautiful. On a personal note, these volunteers have been absolutely welcoming and a pleasure to work with, and they get work done.

 

It has also been fascinating to watch the students interact with the arboretum in subtle ways, its amazing how you come to learn what you see. I have seen many students stop mid-conversation to check a tag. Scott also provides classes, tours, trips to other gardens both near and far, and information about garden issues outside the arboretum, such as "my hollies are being killed by something could you please have a look?"

 

Green building, LEED certification, celebrating arbor day with first graders and handing out trees, is just a part of how Scott inspires the individuals it engages with, by showing people how easy it is, and how beautiful it can be, to cultivate community by providing a beautiful space that people feel personally connected to.

(who organized that?)

 

Scott has a bunch of impressive collections ranging from magnolias to tree peonies to hollies. They also have a variety of seasonal gardens that put on an impressive display all year long. Some of these seasonal gardens have specific themes, and specific plants they highlight. For example the Dean Rose garden is all roses, and the Harry Wood garden has a contemporary rock garden feel to it. The Cosby garden features containers planted with conifers in the colder months and tropicals in the warmer ones, plus a small collection of climbing vines. Plus, there are just a bunch of plants around that aren't in a particular garden or collection that are gorgeous:

Rhododendron canescens x austrinum

One of the many tree peonies in bloom right now.

American Yellowwood. If you don't have one, get one. They smell great and are beautiful trees.

Scott also benefits from being totally embedded within the Swarthmore college campus, so there is also beautiful architecture everywhere. Like the bell tower, and the mysterious amphitheater.

Really, Scott is more like a library than a for profit garden: its free, has huge amounts of information about the history and composition of its plants, everything is well labeled, the staff is small and knowledgeable, and it is easy to explore the space on your own, at your own pace. It is quiet, well organized, and provides a huge amount of information.

As a side note, it is also a great place to work. 

Adventure is out there.  

Longwood Gardens

Last weekend, I decided to head out to Longwood Gardens, one of the premiere botanical gardens in the United States, which is conveniently located about thirty minutes from where I live. It was a good trip, despite the admission people seizing my pack lunch, having to avoid half the park due to a wine and jazz festival (we can't all afford a 40 dollar ticket), getting stuck in traffic for about an hour both directions, and a temperature spike (hottest day yet).

Let me start off by saying that Longwood is the Disney World of gardens.

They are so extensive they don't necessarily have to devote a particular garden to a specific plant collection type, but can present concept gardens including a homage to the color white, and the Silver Room in the Conservatory which showcases succulents and cacti:

(White never looked so good, eh?)

(And how about those succulents?)Actually, Longwood is so with it, I'm pretty sure that Disney World wants to be the Longwood of entertainment parks. Here's why

 

The gardens are extensive, arresting, immaculate and truly overwhelming. You can spend hours there, and lots of extra cash if you aren't paying attention. Plus, the gardens are so artfully designed and deftly maintained that even if you desire greatly to have existential crises about the disquieting opulence of the displays you are ultimately beaten down by the powerful beauty of this juggernaut (crises include, but not limited to: the suddenly concrete understanding that the super rich have no idea what our lives are like, whether the gardens are a simple display of power hidden behind beautiful plants, the ringing in your ears as you walk past fountains of "let them eat cake," and the suspicion that there is something sickening about how all us peons come to bask in the warmth of money).

 

There is no escape, there is NO escape, so just enjoy yourself. Suddenly you'll find yourself being swept away by the mesmerizing, changing carousel of greenhouse-prepped landscapes, mass plantings, and the powerful combination of well trained plants and beautiful containers. You'll find yourself saying "I'm really not that interested in roses, but that rose is the size of a dinner plate and I can't look away."

Dinner plate.

The real trick is to get the picture-taking out of your system when you enter each garden. Get your picture taking fix first, and then take some time to just be there. Otherwise you're going to miss a lot in your picture-taking frenzy. This is especially important in the Conservatory, and especially true in the Orchid Room in the Conservatory. Because, let's face it, you can't catch 'em all.
 

Although, you can catch some of them. Sigh. Orchids can't be denied.

If you are strapped for time, please just look at the pictures on Picasa, because really there is nothing to read in this post that can't be better summed up by those pictures. They aren't particularly spectacular or well-labeled, but I think they do nicely exemplify the major idea of this blog post, which is: You must go to Longwood Gardens before you die.

I don't care who you are. I don't care if you don't like plants or have horrible allergies, or are unable to walk or are a small child who gets bored easily (well, I do care, but those sorts of things shouldn't keep you away). If you have any kind of complication that makes you want to spend as little time as possible on your feet, just go to the Conservatory. It. is. worth. the. money (18$). and. time (two hours if you're moving fast).

The Conservatory:

Longwood Gardens: A brief history

Longwood Gardens is owned by the du Pont family. If you are thinking to yourself I think I have heard that name before, you are correct. You have heard this name before because that family owns the Du Pont corporation, a global chemical manufacturer that makes all kinds of famous stuff, including: nylon, teflon, kevlar, neoprene, and lycra. The Du Pont fortune began with the creation of explosives and expansion of the black powder market in the United States (you can make a lot of money selling stuff like that during wars: they supplied about half of the union troops with gunpowder). Buuuuuut hey were broken up in 1912 as part of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act (your American history starting to come back?). They then basically owned GM during its formative years until it was taken from them after another anti-trust probe, were essential in creating wartime merchandise during the second World War, and were even involved with the Manhattan project, building the plant where the radioactive materials used in the Abombs were refined. It was after WWII that they really began creating all sorts of useful polymers.

The Chime Tower:

Actually, they are a rather complex company. For example, they built all those nasty cfc producing fridges parents tell their children scary stories about, but were one of the first companies to stop making them once it came out that cfc's were actually depleting the ozone layer. They are also the largest corporate producer of air pollutants in the United States, but have one of the best track records of implementing pollution and energy reducing technologies. So I don't really know what to think of them. Like I don't really know what to think about topiary displays.

Tell you what, though, children LOVE these things.

 

Longwood Gardens:

What you need to know about this space is that it is very old. Like originally bought from William Penn old. Longwood was already on its way to becoming an arboretum by the late 1700's. It was bought by the du Pont family to keep the large collection of trees from being destroyed, and by the mid 1900s, many of the features recognizable at Longwood today had been designed, including the fountains and a large conservatory. Today Longwood is home to over 11,ooo different plants, forty different gardens, and one of the most recognizable greenhouse/conservatory structures in the world. It provides classes, has summer firework displays and fountain shows, hosts musical events and festivals of all kinds, does its own in house research, and has access to tons of money to ensure that even when times are tough, their gardens are an unparalleled tour de force.

 

This garden experience will pummel you.

As for what I am doing? The short answer is getting strong, destroying my clothing (garden work is uniquely tough on clothes, and for some reason I get especially dirty no matter the task) and accumulating information about Arisaema but also the aroids in general (wiki it if you're confused, but know that aroids are absolutely everywhere once you figure out what they are).

Current reading (which I recommend to those interested):

Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family by Deni Bown (second edition)

and a non-plant book:

An American Childhood by Annie Dillard, whom I love.

Adventure is out there.