LAST POST FROM PAUL J. CIENER BOTANICAL GARDEN

If you missed my first post on Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, it can be found here.

It was a very pretty garden, beautifully laid out with more land to be expanded upon.  I forgot to mention before that there is no admission charge but there is a donation box in the visitor center. 

And the flowers were gorgeous!

I have not identified all of these pretty blooms, as I think most know what they are.  If there is someone who doesn't, please let me know and I will find its name.

Being surrounded by flowers always makes me feel bright and sunny.

More good advice for all of us.

I thought I would ID this Trumpet Vine.

I would like to know what the fan-like plant is among the sunflowers, some kind of cactus perhaps.  I saw something very similar but it was a photo without ID.

I think this bee is feeling the joy.

We visited the kitchen garden which was right next to the visitor center.  I was very happy to see that all produce harvested is donated to area food relief shelters.

The large water-filled container below is a Sugarcane Kettle - circa 1800s. It was used in the early 19th Century.  The kettle was being used as a water feature.

There was what I thought might be some kind of carnivorous plant on top of the water, similar to something I found at the following link, which are called Sarracenia pitcher bug eaters. You can read about carnivorous plants here where you will see different kinds.  It is hard to tell from my photos if my ID is correct, but I liked their reflection from a photographic point of view.  Unfortunately I didn't take much notice of the plant at the time, as I was more interested in the kettle and also the pattern of the stonework surrounding it.

 Continuing our walk in the kitchen garden, we came across the tomatoes.

The nearby marker said they were Sungold Cherry Tomatoes.

Another marker identified this as a Black Beauty Eggplant.

Coming up next, 'Bright Lights' Swiss Chard

'Cinnamon' Basil, so named because when the leaves are crushed, they smell of cinnamon.

Sweet Basil, scientifically known as Ocimum basilicum.

Next is the Cubanelle Pepper

I am thinking this may be a stink bug laying eggs on a 'Marketmore' cucumber leaf.  I didn't see the eggs until I cropped the photo later. 

The following is called the Botanical Fainting Couch created by Sarah Peters.  You can see more of her creation here.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this garden, but it is important to manage expectations.  It is a lot smaller than many others we have visited at this point in time (July 2019), still a work in progress as I have mentioned before.  Very much worth the visit, a real gem of a place, and I wouldn't hesitate to visit again next time we find ourselves in that area.  It will be fun to see it grow and when we were there, we felt that the landscapers had done an amazing job!

This is my last post on the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden.  

WALNEY VISITOR CENTER - PART 3 - WHAT'S GROWING IN THE GARDEN?

Before we went away I didn't have time to share our last visit to the Walney Visitor Center. Those posts are here and here.  We found the garden gate unlocked on our second visit, so we were able to look around.  

The information on the garden and its contents was right next to the entrance.

Above are the fruit trees and below you can see the tobacco plants I mentioned in my previous post.

The Corn was nearby.

I am not sure what this little bird is.  Does anyone know?  Gregg took the photo.

I am wondering whether its coloring was a trick of the lighting.  We went when the sun was high overhead, rather than the late evening of the previous visit.  It was very evident that the time for taking photos is either in the early hours or the late afternoon when the sun is going down.  We didn't mind because the butterflies and bees were abundant, and very interesting to watch.

I don't know much about Lemon Balm and the pretty flowers growing next to them attracted a lot of white butterflies and bees.  The ID marker said they were called Anise Hyssop and it is a deer resistant plant.

The flutter bug is a Cabbage White Butterfly.  You have to scroll down the page on the link to see their photographs.

Local residents from the nearby beehive were  enjoying them too, and other bees from out of town.  If you go to this link it has 20 very interesting Honey Bee facts.

I was surprised but happy to see the Thai Basil.

Thai Basil and Italian Basil were growing side by side.  We are fans of both herbs, but ever since we discovered how much we enjoyed Thai dishes and making our own, we love Thai Basil.  It was very difficult to come by years ago, but now we have a local Asian supermarket where it is always in stock.   The difference in taste is such that you would never mix the two herbs for Thai or Italian cuisine.  Thai Basil has more of a licorice taste and has a much stronger flavor.  I like to eat a couple of leaves right after washing them, before being putting into a recipe.  I use Italian basil whenever I make a spaghetti sauce.

The tomato plants were looking very healthy.

Recently we were given fresh, home-grown tomatoes from a friend's garden.  Nothing like getting them that fresh is there?

And that was our look around the garden.  I took a few photos of the bees just across the way.  No, I wasn't that close as I used the long lens on our camera.

The bees were making their way into the hive.

Thank you for taking that virtual walk with us and have a great weekend.  I will be back on Monday with a recipe.