Month: March 2007

Blowin’ smoke (#1): The Whispering Crane Institute

The Whispering Crane InstituteAfter the kind words Rick wrote about Ellis Hollow over at  The Whispering Crane Institute yesterday, I was moved to blow a little smoke up his shorts, as well.

I’ll admit that I’ve only been visiting there for a few weeks. But Rick hooked me.  That’s because he does some things well that I think all us garden bloggers should strive to emulate:

  • Interesting original content not found anywhere else.
  • Content that extends far beyond one particular garden, including many posts of historical interest.  (I wish more bloggers would help sieve through that stuff and glean the best for the rest of us.)
  • And most importantly: Consistently interesting graphic content.  (For example, these colorful options for visiting Quito.)

Not treating graphic content as an afterthought is especially important for those of us who come to blogging primarily as writers. Gardening is largely a visual experience.  Reading online is a chore. Looking at pictures is easy. And Rick’s pictures carry a lot of thought-provoking content. It’s no coincidence that he’s a landscape-design professional.

So when you can’t read any more, head over to the WCI and page through the old posts. (Check out his series, ‘An Appreciation of Stone.’) You’ll find images that make you want to start reading again.

Go explore.

Sunday music: Illumination

More gypsy punk from Gogol Bordello.

No, I’m not angry. I’m hopeful because spring is dropping a few hints around here.

In case Eugene isn’t making himself clear:

Don’t believe them for a moment
For a second, do not believe, my friend
When you are down, them are not coming
With a helping hand
Of course there is no us and them
But them they do not think the same
It’s them who do not think
They never step on spiritual path
They paint their faces so differently from ours
And if you listen closely
That war it never stops
Be them new Romans
Don’t envy them my friend
Be their lives longer
Their longer lives are spent
Without a love or faithful friend
All those things they have to rent
But we who see our destiny
In sound of this same old punk song
Let rest originality for sake of passing it around
Illuminating realization number one:
You are the only light there is
For yourself my friend
There’ll be no saviors any soon coming down
And anyway illuminations
Never come from the crowned
Illuminating realization number one:
You are the only light there is
For yourself my friend

Go buy Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike now.

Winter’s back broken

-2F this morning.  About 6 degrees shy of the record, but plenty cold.  It’s easier to take this time of the year knowing that we’ve got 40s coming this weekend and 50s next week.

I predicted we’d pay for the warm early winter we had. But in all fairness, I also predicted that we’d seen the last of the below-zero temperature last time we bottomed out.

It should make for a compressed spring where all the early flowers  cram their show into a short period of time.

Save Heronswood

NY Times article this morning.  Long story short:  Burpee is selling Dan Hinkley’s gem of a nursery north of Seattle.  It will only set you back $9 million.  The Pacific Northwest Horticultural Conservancy is trying to raise money to buy it.

If you haven’t followed the Heronswood story, it’s caused a bit of controversy.  Key quote from the article:

At Christmas, Burpee landed on The Seattle Times’s “naughty” list along with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-il.

Many gardeners feel the same way.

Update 3//9/07:  Garden Rant posting where in the comment thread I speculate about the value of the business as opposed to just the property.