Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Another Day Visiting the Luthy Botanical Gardens


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We continue our tour of the Luthy Botanical Gardens in the fantastic sunny borders. Mr. Fix-it and I visited the Luthy in July--in the middle of a fairly long drought period, yet the gardens looked great. I think most of the plants in this area are drought tolerant plants and are well adapted for the location. This garden above flows nicely and has lots of textures and no ground showing. It is very interesting to me.
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In another part of the gardens we found giant concrete chess pieces. Mr. Fix-it and I got a kick out of these because whenever we visited our favorite park in Germany (Luisen Park in Mannheim) we enjoyed playing life sized chess on the lawn. All of our kids know how to play chess and I think it is an important game for everyone. Playing it outside makes it fun!
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I believe these berries were Cornelian cherries. They were awesome and if I recall correctly they did not taste bad, but they were tart. I hope to find a spot for a Cornelian cherry tree in my garden one day. They are very lovely small trees.
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Garden art was a big part of Luthy Gardens.
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I believe these nuts to be beechnuts. My sister Dawn posted on her beechnut trees years ago on this blog.
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A beautiful viburnum. There was a whole viburnum collection at the Luthy. It was the first time I have ever been able to see viburnums en masse up close and personal. Viburnums are one of the most diverse plant groups in the category of shrubs and I haven't found one yet that I did not like. This collection was a very nice one.
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I leave you with one more long shot of the tropical house. Friday will be our last post at the Luthy Botanical Gardens....

in the garden....



Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

18 comments:

  1. Fine pictures again. You have such a sunshine there. We're having rain right now.

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  2. I love the life size outdoor chess pieces! It makes me think of Alice in Wonderland. I confess to not knowing how to play but the rest of my family does. I've never liked board games but an outdoor one would appeal to me too.

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  3. I'd love to have an outdoor chess set in the backyard! Not sure the kids are old enough to learn how to play it yet, but soon. Love the Cornelian cherry!

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  4. I too like the giant chess set. They were popular at one time as garden ornament. I do not play chess, but agree it is a great game to learn for both logical and creative thinking.

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  5. Are the Cornelian Cherries edible? Love the garden art. Wish I could have a Beech Nut tree here. That brings back memories. # 1 son would love that chess set. He plays it & is good at it. I don't play.

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    1. Lola, yes the Cornelian cherries are indeed edible. I read that they make great pies and preserves. They are beautiful too!

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  6. I remember seeing those giant chess platz in Germany too! I never learned that game. Have you ever seen it played with life size human people in costume, even with horse's? I have never seen that but on TV. Think it would be awesome to see it in person though. Would make for a great benefit to raise money for a cause....

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    1. I've not seen it played with horses but with people in the Renaissance costumes. Most neat! It is a favorite past time in Germany at least in Luisen Park. We could never hardly get a chance to play ourselves.

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  7. There sure are a lot of wonderful things to see there. That cherry tree looks mighty interesting to me. Do you think it would survive the heat here?

    It would be a lot of fun to play chess on the lawn, but it would probably have to be played quickly on my lawn. The fire ants wouldn't allow for any hesitation.

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    1. I'm pretty sure they won't survive the heat W2W. It is rated Zones 4-7. I can't even find it in my zone so plan to look for it up north. It does grow in Kentucky according to Bernheim Arboretum.

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  8. The giant chess set is a fun addition to the garden. Love going back and reading your sister's posting on the beech tree. I have not opened a beechnut, that was pretty neat to see.

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  9. I love all your garden tours!! I get to see so many beautiful things!!

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  10. Thanks for the walk around..Such an interesting post. I especially love the garden art. Adds a bit of whimsy to the garden:)

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  11. I love that first garden. All the textures and perfectly planned heights are delightful.
    http://www.flowersforums.com/ruth/blog/

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  12. Lovely tour and that viburnum is exquisite..

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  13. Love the cherry tree and the beechnut. Both are very interesting.

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  14. Interesting decorations there!
    So cute :).

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  15. I need a few chess pieces for the garden. Not the whole set but a few would be cool.

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