Tag Archives: nature

Experience Niagara Falls: A Camping Adventure on the US Side

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Anytime you hear about someone visiting Niagara Falls, the question of which side is better to view the falls comes up. Discuss it with friends who have not yet been there or have been. “Is the US side or the Canada side better?”

Well, when we picked our 2nd camping adventure, we picked the US side, primarily because we had seen the Canada side many years ago on a non-camping trip. We looked for campgrounds not far from the falls and found a place called Branches of Niagara Campground Resort.

We stayed at Branches of Niagara in September of 2022. Since then, the campground’s name has changed to HTR resorts. The address is 2659 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island, NY. It took us about 8 hours to get there from our home location in CT. But the campground is only about 8-10 miles from the falls on the US side which was perfect for us.

It was a rainy trip on the road. It was quite an adventure for us as new travelers. We were pulling our 16-foot travel trailer with our older truck. We were so excited to be going. Nothing was going to stop us.

Because it was September, there were not too many campers at the campground – just a few – maybe like 6. The pool was closed but the pool area looked very nice and is well set-up. There is a fishing pond, and the grounds were very nice with lush green lawns. There are also some cute cabin rentals at this campground. It is a well-maintained place, and nothing looked old or worn out while we were there.

We were new to camping so we had no idea, but they didn’t give us the best site. It was number 71 on the map. My husband recalls it wasn’t completely level. It was good enough for us because we were newbies on the camping scene. It was a smaller site in an odd space. The bathroom was directly across from this site, which was handy. We have a bathroom in our small camper as well.

We couldn’t wait to go see the falls on the US side the day after our arrival. It was about 10 miles from the campsite to the falls park on the US side. We prepared for the day by making sure we wore good shoes and a sweatshirt with rain jackets. It had been mostly cloudy and rainy on our travel up to the campground. However, when we went to go visit the park, it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. I was so thankful for that.

To be honest, I was sold on the US side of viewing the falls immediately because you can get so close to the water views. There are a couple parking areas on the US side on Goat Island, and I think we were in parking lot 3. We kind of just winged it and parked and then found the trail and followed it. It was so much fun. You can spend the whole day following the trail here. And you can get very close to rushing falls. We loved it. There are many spots to stop and check out various views of the rushing waters.

We came across a seating area and things like that. We did bring a small bag pack of snacks and stopped to eat where there were some tables and I think they sold food there, but we didn’t check that out at that time.

Look how close we were on the US side to the rushing waters. It was a thrill to be that close. While the Canadian side has many benefits, you really can’t get this close to that view shown above in the photo I took.

This was another area you reach while following the paved trails. You can see how lovely it is. It is a spot you want to just gaze for a while.

You can see the observation tower across this water view. However, for me, being so close to the fast-moving waters was bliss. Hearing the rushing sounds of it felt amazing.

I could share lots more photos of our walk on the trail. I’ll save them for when you go visit the falls yourself. There are many points to stop. You can take in the views and feel the misty rainfall from the falls. I’m sure there were things we missed too because we just winged it for the day.

The next day, we did go over to the Canada side. I did think ahead to have our passports handy. It was easy to cross over a bridge to get there thru customs. The Canada side is more hectic. There is a casino and more restaurants, and lots more people.

As I mentioned before, we had been there on the Canada side many years prior. We didn’t do the walk along the falls on the Canada side. Nor did we venture to the wine trail. We are “been there, done that” type of people and like seeing new things. We had explored the whole Canada side of the falls many years ago, doing a boat ride and visiting the casino, and having dinner at the top of a building, stuff like that.

Canada side above photo with the view of the casino and other buildings. When we exited here, we saw a nice view of the falls on the Canada side. But there are walkways below this area to view the Canada side of the falls. The trip happened back in 2022, which was 3 years ago. It is difficult to recall everything. Let’s just say we had a pleasant time.

The campground was a great location for us. We ate at two places nearby. One was called Griffon Gastropub on Military Road. I recall it wasn’t too thrilling. And another place was called the Brickyard Pub and BBQ in Lewiston, NY which we liked.

I would say in regard to the campground, it was a very nice place. We’d go back in warmer weather months. We actually used the heat in our camper because it was very cool at night that visit. We had full hook ups, and it was a clean place with full bathrooms. It was also a quiet place in September.

Hope this helps you visit. You may decide to see Niagara Falls in the US. You could also choose to visit Canada. You can do both like we did!

Cathy Testa
Date of Post: 12/8/2025

Our First Camping Adventure at Moose Hillock, NY

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When we took our very first camper out for the first time, it happened to fit well with a trip my younger sister had planned to Lake George, NY with her family. She mentioned a campground called Moose Hillock and it is in Fort Ann, NY near Lake George.

It was in mid-June of 2022, and it turned out it was going to be a very hot and humid week during our first camper adventure. No worries, luckily our new adorable retro looking little 16-foot camper has excellent air-conditioning, and the campground’s website indicated it had a huge, heated pool.

My sister was also staying there for her family vacation with her two young boys and husband with their 5th wheel camper. She was excited to learn we had purchased a camper at an RV show in the winter so we arranged to do our first venture out to Moose Hillock where she and her husband would be there to assist us if needed.

I did feel overwhelmed when I first started searching for campgrounds online. There are so many to choose from and being a planner, I really like to research, but I quickly learned, there are so many that it would be difficult to pin down which place to select for our first camping adventure.

On top of that, I learned campgrounds have rules and many of them all listed on their websites. It made me go cross eyed reading them all – pages of them. I remember thinking, “Holy Moly, these places have so many rules. Will I like camping?”

It didn’t take too many future trips to realize rules are more about just being a really good camper person, doing the simple things like not being noisy after posted quiet hours and picking up your trash, or not walking through neighbors’ sites, and keeping your dog under control, etc.

I don’t have a dog, but my sister does. When she was walking her dog the day we arrived to Moose Hillock, she saw us at our camper site setting up. She walked over and said, “I promise, I didn’t intend to show up immediately, but I was walking my dog and saw you.”

You see I had told her before we left, “Please don’t run over right away. I’m so new to this camping thing, I want at least an hour to setup our camper inside while Steve, my husband, would setup everything outside”.

Rosalie continued off to walk her dog after a brief hello, and I was excited to unpack all the boxes I had staged on the floor in the camper into the camper’s cabinets. It turned out to be a good system for this smaller sized camper, and I did the same routine every time we traveled with it.

Moose Hillock surprised me because I had absolutely no idea there were campgrounds more luxury style. This pleased me right away. You see, when we got our first little camper, it was quite spontaneous at an RV show. And I really was concerned about if we made the right decision. I knew I don’t like flying anymore, for obvious reasons, but would I like camping? I really never liked tent camping the few times we did that years ago when much, much younger.

When I saw the pool at Moose Hillock with a rock wall of skulls and waterfalls with a slide for the kids, I was impressed. I thought to myself, “My gosh, this competes with pools I’ve seen at luxury hotels.” I was really impressed with the abundance of lounge chairs around the pool area, the clean bathrooms, and the pool itself.

My nephews loved that we were there to join them in the pool too. My husband is a kid at heart and had no qualms about going down the big pool slide right after my nephews did – and repeatedly. It was fun to watch them having such a good time. I was even a bit disappointed that Steve and I had booked a steamboat tour on Lake George that day because we were having so much fun enjoying the beautiful big clean pool on a hot and humid June day.

Another bonus about this campground is the fact it is very close to Lake George, and lucky me, there was a wine festival happening the week we were there. Steve and I attended that on the next day while my sister and her husband stayed at the campground to enjoy the resort’s amenities. She and I are 13 years apart in age, and Steve and I really enjoy visiting an area’s features while she prefers to stay at the campground filled with amenities and fun for the kids. Make sense.

Regardless of camping styles and goals, we all enjoyed the private sites at Moose Hillock. Each site is lined with trees on each side of the site, and each has a big firepit with large rocks. One big rock on the back side and a few on each side. This was another surprise to me. I just had no idea it would be this nice.

Our first camping trip to brought surprises!

Again, one of the fun parts was my nephews really enjoyed visiting us at our site, making popcorn with Steve and roasting marshmallows. To honor our first camping trip with my sister’s family, I got her and I matching t-shirts. I had decorated my camper with the whole black and red classic tartan plaid theme, and even our t-shirts matched. She loved it!

We visited them at their site too. It was so fun. It really kicked off our trip and first adventure, and I knew we would have many more. Moose Hillock was a perfect choice for us beginners.

To recap, the things I really liked about Moose Hill lock are:

Big private sites with trees on each site
Amazing massive clean pool with nice lounge chairs
Being close to Lake George and doing things like the steamboat ride and wine fest
Big firepit to make amazing camping fires at night
The rv style to this campground

And unique to us – being able to enjoy our very first camper trip with my sister and her family.

Cathy Testa
Date of this post: 11/7/2025

Letting Go of Websites and Other Stuff

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I did it. Today I deleted another one of my websites called ContainerGardensCT.com. The website was primarily about my former service offerings as a plant person, such as container gardening and installing patio pots and such at people’s homes and on their balconies. It had some nice photos of plants and also a few articles, talking about what you could get for services by each season, and so forth.

As I have stated here and there, I’m technically retired, but it IS early retirement. It comes with letting go of some old passions and introducing new ones, such as our new camper adventures. I also no longer can lift heavy objects like I used to and that, with the combination of saving for travel, has reduced much of my former plant passions and work.

It is difficult to let go of my past plant writings and even more difficult to let go of my plant photos! But to maintain them at a cost online doesn’t make sense anymore, in my new early-retirement state of mind. However, like a band aid that must be torn off quickly, I deleted ContainerGardensCT.com quickly. I didn’t review the photos first or print the prior articles. I just did it quickly. Done!

Now, I will always love nature, plants, and all the wonderful surprises which comes from admiring nature and plants, like a butterfly visiting a flower to the abundance of bumblebees that recently covered the last fall blooms of my Stonecrop Sedum (Sieboldii). I had put two of these sedums in separate hangers and picked these sedums because they are very drought tolerant, thus while away camping, I wouldn’t have to worry about them not being watered often. They are also perennials, thus saves money when I would replant them somewhere in my yard in the fall after the hanger planter season is over. Saving money is also important as an early-retired individual.

What surprised me though was about 2 weeks ago, seeing all these bumblebees all over the sedums pink blooms. They were all sleeping (not sure if technical term) and not moving in the mornings. This lasted for a good week or so. During the day, they hovered and visited, and I couldn’t even attempt to water the plants there. They were not aggressive and kind of let me be as I took photos of them in the mornings.

They’d fly over and feed and then later in the day it was a scene to see them all frozen in sleep positions. That lead me to read about how all bumblebees die at the end of the season. I did not know this! Only the queen stays alive and hibernates in the ground. It was interesting to see that many, up to 20 bees on the plants, and also a bit sad knowing this was the end of their lives. Somehow it symbolizes the tragedy that we all face someday, that day we witness others face too. Anyhow, onto the sedum…

The Stonecrop Sedum Sieboldii is a full sun perennial plant and blooms in the fall, so if you like bumblebees, this is a great plant to have around in containers or hanging baskets like I did. It also has bluish-green foliage which draped over, perfect for a hanger, and prefers well-drained soils. It’s an easy-care plant for sure. I’m happy I had gotten two of them this year. They served multiple purposes.

Anyhow, the one website (blog) I still haven’t deleted is this one which you are reading on now. Container Crazy CT is still being visited by people. I noticed it recently, mostly folks looking for information on how to overwinter their canna lily rhizomes and elephant ears tubers. I’ve written about my process of taking them out of containers around early October and storing them in my basement in boxes many, many times. Just use the search bar and type in “overwintering” or canna lilies, or Ensete. You should find them. So, this blog site I still haven’t deleted yet. It still seems useful and has lots of articles I wrote for many years.

I mostly have the Alocasia elephants’ ears now. I grew only one canna lily plant from seed. Just one but it furnished a nice plant for the hummingbirds who loved the blooms in my tall patio container. And I have one big red banana plant (Ensete) which sadly it started to rot on the bottom this fall. I waited a bit too long to get it out of the soil.

We (my husband and I) went thru the process of digging that red banana plant (Ensete) out – It was on its 3rd year of growing in the summers, and it got huge! It was very heavy and when we dug it out – too wet, and it had been too cold, so it started to rot. I should have taken it out of the soil earlier, I thought to myself. Oh well, I knew I was risking it.

I told my husband to toss it in the woods after we dug it out and turned it upside down, when I saw the rot spot. He was like, “Really, this is your baby?” I had to remind him my baby Ensete was tossed 3 years ago after growing it for like 15 plus years. This one was only 3 years old, but it had grown quite a bit this season, was huge! Remember, these plants cannot stay outside over the winter here in my CT planting zone, so I always dug out my Ensete plant and stored the base (the stump so to speak) in the basement, and I did this for well over 20 years now. But this was one I just didn’t want to put away because I saw some rot and also it was soooo heavy. I don’t have the muscle power to deal with that anymore, I guess.

Anyhow, I am thinking that I may continue to use this blog site to not only write about plants, but maybe about some other things in my life and adventures. Perhaps my learnings as a new camper woman, maybe a bit about some other personal struggles, maybe I’ll write about a new craft I’ve tried, you name it. It doesn’t have to be just about plants, right?!

Speaking of crafts, if you know me, you know that I have created succulent topped pumpkins in the past. Well, no more succulent plants here really so I attempted to create a pumpkin topped with faux flowers. It came out pretty good for a prototype.

I used Loctite Tite Foam in a can (a product used to fill gaps and cracks). It comes out soft and then hardens. I sprayed it to the top of a pumpkin, let it set for about 30 minutes so it was a little harder but still somewhat soft, and then started inserting dry flowers (faux) and it was working!

My only HUGE MANDATE is do not use this foam product stuff without wearing gloves. OMG, if you get it on your hands or fingertips, that foam does not come off – TRUST ME ON THAT. I did have gloves on but later I tried to use some again to make a scary topped pumpkin and got some foam on my fingers – big mistake.

And note, the faux flowers and decor I inserted worked well if they were not heavy and had a stem to insert into the semi hardened foam. The foam ends up waterproofed too, so putting my pumpkin on a patio table outside was no problem. You may also spray paint the form once it is hard if you want to, but I didn’t need to on this faux flower version as all the pieces I used to decorate the top covered the white hardened foam very well when finished.

Oh, and I did grow those pumpkins in a container on my driveway this year. I got about 4 good pumpkins to play with. I love the Cinderella shape of these. They are fun to create with either faux flowers or succulents. You cannot use that spray foam for live plants or live succulents because it would kill them (too toxic for plants). See my prior blog posts about succulents on pumpkins on this blog, Container Crazy CT. Just search for “succulent topped pumpkins” if you wish to locate that prior blog post.

Well, that is my mix of topics for today. It is a little cloudy and a little chilly outside today. Somehow, I feel we are in for a cold snowy winter. Just a gut feeling I have. But this year, we plan to do a bit of time in a warmer state in late winter before it warms up here, hopefully! I may just blog about that later.

Have a good weekend,

Cathy T.
Zone 6b
Broad Brook CT
Container Crazy CT

Written on 10/24/2025

Topics: Blog Deletion, Bumblebees on a Sedum, Faux Topped Pumpkin, and more…

Getting into The Spirit of Fall

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Everywhere you go in the retail stores, you will see a bit of both these days – fall and holiday decorations and supplies. A month ago, I saw so much holiday decor in a store, I told myself – don’t look that way and stay focused on fall.

I love both seasons, of course, and I also have lots of activities surrounding both in my world of offering workshops and seasonal plant related gifts.

For example, in October, my succulent topped pumpkin workshops and custom orders kick it off. Then, as October comes to an end, a craft fair or holiday event pops up, which quickly leads to my holiday workshops in early December where we make kissing balls and wreaths.

Fall Fair by C Testa Copywrite_0004

As I worked in my greenhouse yesterday preparing for a fall craft fair coming up next weekend (as noted above), I was totally in the mood for fall. I know the holidays are right around the corner, but fall is still in the air. The fallen tree leaves crunched under my hiking boots as I walked the path to my greenhouse, and the cold brisk morning temperatures were just chilly enough to require a vest to keep warm, but not a jacket.

These environmental elements are what gets my mood into a particular seasonal theme. In fact, I went to a couple fall themed events last Saturday with Steve, my husband. The weather was predicted to be sunny and warm – and I was feeling like taking a break and enjoying the fall scenes, while they last, because it won’t be long before fall moves by quickly.

We drove to a pumpkin event in Coventry, CT at a church, which turned out to be directly across the street (practically) to a restaurant we enjoy there. The pumpkins were being sold at a church and the money is donated to various causes, one of which is a Navajo Indian farm. Since it was a nice area, we picked this as our first stop on Saturday.

The pumpkins were quite large and so were the gourds of various colors which I had not seen these colors before. I thought how wonderful some of these would have been for my succulent topped pumpkin workshops in October, but no matter, I still was there to enjoy them for carving or other projects.

Fall Fair by C Testa Copywrite_0007

I picked out this one for myself. This gourd weighs a lot but I just may make something creative with it this week. I had never seen this orange and white pattern on a gourd before. It is not a candidate for carving because it is so thick, but I couldn’t resist it.

Because the sun was brightly shining on this little journey of our’s, and the color of the shrubs next to the church were so intensely red, I used the opportunity to have Steve take a photo of me. As you can see, we were in the pumpkin and fall mood for sure.

Fall Fair by C Testa Copywrite_0005

I absolutely love that Steve enjoys fall adventures like this as much as I do. He is a kid at heart when it comes to carving pumpkins (and me too). He picked out a large tall one for his carving plans the next day.

Fall Fair by C Testa Copywrite_0006

After we visited this church and had lunch nearby, we drove back roads over to Manchester, CT and it turned out to be a spontaneous beautiful ride with some foliage colors still to be enjoyed. Steve commented how wonderful these roads would be on the motorcycle. He was starting to appreciate that we decided to take the day to have some fall fun.

In Manchester, we visited some small shops on Main Street during a Halloween Candy event, which even if you don’t have kids (we do not), you might enjoy. Seeing all the creative costumes and the smiles on the children’s faces is another way to get into the spirit of the fall season. Plus, they have a couple breweries in that area and we stopped at one which Steve also appreciated.

All of this activity got my spirit into creating plant related gift items and decor themed in fall colors, but I am still making some fun holiday items too. One of the fall items are large glass globes filled with live succulents and decor of orange and yellow fall colors. These will be available at this weekend’s Fall Craft Fair at the Stafford Fire Department’s event on Saturday, November 2nd which runs from 9 am to 2 pm.

 

Fall Fair by C Testa Copywrite_0003

I was debating whether I should create holiday items or fall themes for this craft show. As I got into making items, I let the fall spirit nature guide me. The natural cones and lotus pods of warm vibes as well as some vivid and bright orange and yellow fall decor let me go into that decorating mode. I think our Saturday adventure helped me get into that mode too, which was perhaps another reason why we got out there for some fall events.

This fall fair is expected to have various craft vendors, some of which are hand-made pottery and other items. I’m sure it will be a fun day for me – and you too if you decided to stop by! I always love meeting other vendors and adventuring to a new place, as you never know what kind of inspiration you will get from it – like we did this past weekend. Stafford is also another nearby town to be appreciated in all seasons. They have a local cidery and gift shops. They have a lot to offer and it is not far from the fire house.

Fall Fair by C Testa Copywrite_0002

Here are the details, again, of the location and event:

2019 Annual Fall Craft Fair at Stafford Fire Department No. 1 Ladies Auxiliary
Saturday, November 2nd, 9 am to 2 pm
27 Willington Avenue, Stafford Springs, CT

Stafford Fire Dept Building

Hope you will have the opportunity to swing by this weekend!

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy CT
860-977-9473
containercathy@gmail.com

www.WorkshopsCT.com
www.ContainerGardensCT.com

Why I love (and I mean LOVE) Container Gardening!

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Everyone who knows me, or has attended my container gardening hands-on workshops in the spring and summer months, is fully aware that I am nuts about container gardening. I love it. Even in winter as we stuff beautiful mixed evergreens into our pots to bring life and some color into the winter landscape – we are enjoying a form of container gardening.

Today, I am listing just some of the reasons why I love (and I mean LOVE) container gardening – and I think you should too:

It is easy, fun, and fast – Provides instant gratification! Even in winter, stuff in some greens, add some berries, and voila – You have a beautiful container garden on your front steps to welcome your holiday guests.

Cathy T Winter Pot

A Beautiful Barrel Stuffed with Mix Greens and Decor for the Winter

Container gardening takes less space and energy than in-ground gardening does to achieve success. It is instantaneous and provides lots of color and life to your yard. Just watching the plants and its visitors is good for your health. It makes you pause to view it all.

It is okay to make mistakes – This is how you will learn about plants. Plants in pots are more forgiving. You may easily fix mistakes quickly by re-potting or re-positioning the container to suit the plants’ needs, or the decor look you are attempting to achieve outdoors.

Deer can not jump onto your deck or easily visit your patio (hopefully) to dine on your plants in the containers and patio pots, and groundhogs have a difficult time reaching them too. Nice!

Your pets enjoy them – Cats enjoy them for shade in the summer, and they like to hide behind the planted pots when observing the birds or checking out the yard from different areas.

Cathy Testa Container Gardens_0019

Cat inspects the bees buzzing into a Mandevilla bloom. Little coco bowls with succulents make nice little decor on table tops.

If you have dogs, they usually like to sit by plants in pots to rest and relax after playing in the yard. They are less likely to tromp thru big pots of plants which are up high or elevated versus a level big garden inviting them to run over it and everything in it, or dig there. Setting up a garden to be pet friendly is somewhat challenging compared to plants in containers where you can monitor your little furry friends near your entertaining spaces by you, your home, doors, and entrances. Just be sure to keep any poisonous candidates out of your pots if they are the curious eating types.

Plant caddies (trays with wheels) allows movement with a slight push of the pot anytime I want, or anytime the plant wants, to be relocated if it needs more sun or more shade, a better home to view it from, etc. That’s flexibility. You don’t even need to get your hands dirty.

It is instantaneous – which is important in today’s world. Most of us want to enjoy beauty around us without too much time if we are busy with work and other fun things. Container gardening is quick, it is not too difficult to learn the how-to’s of Five Must Do’s by Cathy T – once you know them, it is simple and gratifying – and you end up being addicted.

You may use practically “any” plant – You are not so tied to your planting zones or rules because you are enjoying your plants for the summer season, you can use tropical plants and more. Don’t limit yourself to just annuals in the summer season, there are so many choices.

Drama is created with big and bold – Think different, big, unusual, and BOLD.  We like beautiful and showy backyards – and container gardening is a great way to achieve this BOLD look. Just one big plant which grows fast in a gorgeous pot will stop you and your friends in their tracks.

Copywrite Cathy Testa Concrete Planter

A HUGE container garden with showy tropical plants extends the season into Autumn (Photo Protected by Copyright)

You may create niches by grouping or staging various pots together. Potted plants will divide or connect spaces, they frame your view. It is an “extension” of your decor of your home and using some pots creates an additional room outdoors while entertaining your friends or being solo enjoying nature. The right pot can draw you out into your landscape to escape and veg’ out – something we all need to do more of, right?

Winter container gardens with evergreens dress up your outdoor space too – two pots by an entrance with greens, berries, golden or red sticks, is a way to say enter here and enjoy the holiday party. In Autumn, you extend your outdoor spaces with plants in pots that will remain until the first frost – they give so much those potted plants.

Not many bug problems or diseases in potted plants, and if there are any, you see them right away because your patio pots (and indoor house plants in pots) are usually near you. Potted plants have a more sterile environment as well, so the incidence of pests problems are less likely. If pests occur, the containers are easy to treat or quarantine.

If it fun to observe the cute visitors to your plants – hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, butterflies, bees, or even your mother in law admiring your patio pots! It helps your important pollinators – when you see bees visiting a flower, you will hear them buzzing as they go in and out to collect their nectar. It feels good to assist our little friends; we need them so lend them a hand by planting flowering plants in pots.

Bee on Turtle Head Cathy Testa

Bees enjoy a perennial (Turtlehead) flowers in a Container Garden

It helps your health – as you sit up close and personal enjoying your patio pots in your deck chair – you tend to relax, smell the aromas which calm your senses, and you take time to breath deeply – rather than think about all the weeds you have to pull from a garden bed. The distraction of admiring your potted plants in various mixed combination is a form of meditation which is very beneficial to your balance and harmony.

It is not too physically intensive, so if you have any issues with your back or knee problems, or digging in dirt in the ground with a heavy shovel is not your idea of fun, this type of gardening is for you. You may elevate pots or position them in a way for easy harvesting of veggies, herbs, and other goodness. Right outside your door – kitchen container gardens rule.

Cathy T Containers_0012

A pot on the deck by the pool – two pots say walk here to lawn area, etc.

You can hide problem areas in your landscape, or place beautiful container gardens on your steps or patio to utilize pots as amazing focal points, or test the scale of a plant to be planted in the garden by putting a pot there first. Plants in pots are functional art – they say, “Go here, step down there, look here, and stay here to enjoy life and nature.”

Mojito Ele Ear Cathy Testa-001

The amazing colors and patterns from an elephant ear – Colocasia ‘Mojito’

Textures and/or colors to be added to the garden later are easily tried out by using plants of them in a pot in your garden first. If you are unsure what to plant in your garden, put a pot there for a while and contemplate the look and feel of the plants’ style, look, colors, etc.

Lastly, you can create containers of lush plants, strategically place them on your patio or deck, and drink a margarita – now that is my idea of gardening and reducing stress.

And let’s not forget – during the winter, you can admire all the beautiful container gardens and patio pots you have arranged and grown from last summer as you browse your own photos or ‘Pinterest Pages by Cathy T‘ and Instagram photos – This will help you get through the winter months when there is more snow on the ground than anything.

Container gardening and patio pots are part of life today for adding beauty all around. Add a rain barrel to the area near your pots in the summer to use natural resources to water them. Keep an empty big barrel by a greenhouse or garage door to fill with snow during winter, and take it inside to melt onto the soil of pots of dormant plants being sheltered for the winter.

We all will enjoy container gardening as much as I do. I hope…

Cathy Testa
http://www.ContainerCrazyCT.com
860-977-9473
containercathy@gmail.com

 

A Fairy, the Castor Bean Plant, and Poison. Can They All Live Happily Together?

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Perhaps the only person to definitely know if the castor bean plant and its three little seeds lying within each of its seed capsules has been and continues to be falsely portrayed as a lurking killer is the beautiful and bold imaginary fairy by the name of Ricina, a clever creation by Nancy Farmer, an artist residing in the United Kingdom.

A FAIRY

  • “a small imaginary being of human form that has magical powers, esp. a female one.” (source: Google)

Art may be left up to the interpretation of the admirer or defined by its originator but my perception of Nancy Farmer’s creation, the fairy she named Ricina, is of a mature woman seductively perched upon the stalk of a castor bean plant.  With her eyes glanced to the side and a sneaky facial expression, Ricina appears to be ready to protect or serve the possible magical yet deceptive powers of the plant and its seeds. Her bright red lips and finger nail polish flanked by a smart little red bow tie around her neck matching her classic attire provides the admirer a glimpse of her individualistic style. And she looks a little playful too with a suggestive rise in her sexy leg and fashionable but just the right sized heeled shoes. A handsome umbrella dangles from the tips of her fingers and she sports a masculine hat – teasing mementos to remind of past stories and tales regarding the castor bean seeds and its potentially lethal toxin known as ricin.

Copyright Photo, Permission Required by Originator

Image courtesy of Nancy Farmer/www.nancyfarmer.net and nancyfarmer.wordpress.com

If Ricina could buzz by our ears, perhaps she would whisper there is nothing to fear. For only those with harmful and deliberate intentions could possibly use the plant’s powerful little bean-shaped seeds for malice and not joy.  She knows it requires the elements of keen knowledge about the plant’s toxic components and a bit of unrealistic determination by the offender.  Or maybe she would tell us only a fool would pry apart prickly seed capsules designed to keep predators at bay and then chew its seeds obviously marked with suspicious patterns.

Nancy Farmers artwork of the castor bean flowers (www.nancyfarmer.net and anancyfarmer.wordpress.com)

Nancy Farmers artwork of the castor bean flowers (www.nancyfarmer.net and anancyfarmer.wordpress.com)

She would continue to reveal the beautiful benefits of the plants’ ornamental characteristics and its ability to thrive with little encouragement to provide grandeur in our gardens.  As she continues to deflect our attention from unproven matters of the castor bean plant, she may fly around exclaiming the exceptional as well as unattractive features of the plant from its large showy leaves, a towering height, and flowers with a combination of features as complex as its tales. The key, she should would say, is to admire ‘all of the plant’s’ wonderful virtues along with its adversity.  Because the castor bean plant has its good and bad sides.

Source Permitted by: Nancy Farmer (www.nancyfarmer.net/nancyfarmer.wordpress.com)

Source Permitted by: Nancy Farmer (www.nancyfarmer.net/nancyfarmer.wordpress.com)

Source Permitted by: Nancy Farmer of www.nancyfarmer.net and nancyfarmer.wordpress.com

Source Permitted by: Nancy Farmer of http://www.nancyfarmer.net and nancyfarmer.wordpress.com

THE CASTOR BEAN PLANT

  • “A large shrub of tropical Africa and Asia having large palmate leaves and spiny capsules containing seeds that are the source of castor oil and ricin; widely naturalized throughout the tropics.”  (source: thefreedictionary.com)

Castor Bean Seeds with a Leaf

Castor Bean Seeds with a Leaf

The castor bean plant or castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) is a tropical shrub or tree hardy in planting zones 10-11.  It is treated as an annual in Connecticut’s planting zones since it will not survive winter temperatures here. The plant grows rapidly from seed when planted in ideal conditions. It can easily reach between ten to twelve feet in a single season. As the stalk increases in diameter, it resembles thick bamboo. Large distinctive green leaves growing from the tips of long petioles are lobed shaped with several pointed star-like tips.  The species is primarily green, but cultivars come in vivid red to maroon colors, including the seed capsules.

Nancy Farmer's artwork of the red seed capsules of a cultivar the castor bean plant

Nancy Farmer’s artwork of the red seed capsules of a cultivar the castor bean plant

Photo Courtsey of Nancy Farmer's Artwork

Photo Courtesy of Nancy Farmer’s Artwork (www.nancyfarmer.net and nancyfarmer.wordpress.com)

The plant’s odd-looking flowers consist of separate male and female flowers on the same plant. When both sexes are on the same plant, this is termed monoecious. The male flowers are white and tiny, situated just below the female flowers.  Red styles, the narrow part of the pistils, are clearly visible on the female parts of the plant.

Female Flowers on a Castor Bean Plant

Female Flowers on a Castor Bean Plant

Prickly seed capsules - Ricinus communis

Prickly seed capsules – Ricinus communis

Round seed capsules grow from the female flowers which are rather interesting. They are composed of three joined lobes or hulls covered with soft prickly spines. Inside each prickly capsule are the infamous castor bean seeds, known to be the source of a potentially lethal toxic, known as ricin. Although the castor bean seeds are the size of edible beans, think kidney beans – they are not true beans at all.  And they are not meant for direct consumption, but used for the production of castor oil and other traditional medicines. Some people think the seeds resemble inflated ticks, and the genus name Ricinus is the Latin word for tick.

Mature seeds of the castor bean plant

Mature seeds of the castor bean plant

Immature seeds in the capsule. Photo by Cathy Testa

Immature seeds in the capsule. Photo by Cathy Testa

A POISON

  • “a substance that, when introduced into or absorbed by a living organism, causes death or injury, esp. one that kills by rapid action even in a small quantity.” (source: Google)
  • “a person, idea, action, or situation that is considered to have a destructive or corrupting effect or influence.” (source: Google)

Relief from the use of castor oil derived from the seeds of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) may yield some benefits for people still using this remedy as a laxative, but there are reported sinister sides to the seeds, that when used in a specific fashion and with its toxic substance, will lead to illness and sometimes death of an unsuspecting victim. Some stories or myths shared from past to present about such occurrences, including claims of sneaky murders from administering ricin with a common umbrella as the mode of transmission, to claims of accidental deaths from chewing the seeds without the realization of the disastrous results days later, may be somewhat exaggerated.

In the words of John Robertson who has spent ten years researching, writing and talking about poisonous plants:

“But, though ricin is extremely poisonous it actually does little harm. Around one million tons of castor beans are processed each year for castor oil production leaving the waste pulp with up to 50,000 tons of ricin in it. And, yet, finding instances of ricin poisoning is not an easy task.“ (source: THE POISON GARDEN website)

Victims are said to suffer from vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration once attacked by the evil person in possession of the ricin.  Others have eaten the castor bean seeds in ignorance with the belief it is a medical solution to their health problem. Yet the more you read regarding the poisoning powers of the infamous castor bean seeds, the more unclear the accusations and exaggerations become regarding the potential for eventual death to occur. Some sources attempt to explain the differences between poisonous and dangerous because a person can do no harm without the right combination of both a lethal toxin and attitude.

In a ten minute video on THE POISON GARDEN website about ricin, John Robertson states, “There’s a big difference between poisonous and harmful.  For a poisonous plant to become harmful, there has to be a way to administer the poison.“

Leaf of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis)

Leaf of the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis)

THE HAPPY TOGETHER

Many references will indicate you should keep the castor bean plant and especially its seeds away from children or animals, and should you have either, this may be a needed precaution.  More important, I would say, is to be knowledgeable about the plants before placing one in your gardens. Unlike plant tags listing all the beneficial reasons a plant is successful (a winner, deer-resistant, hummingbird magnet, drought tolerant, etc.), the downsides of plants are not indicated at all.  One is to wonder if plants should have warning tags (e.g., potentially toxic, invasive, aggressive, addictive, etc.) but for obvious reason, they do not.  However, I have grown castor bean plants at my home and so have many others worldwide.  In some parts of the country, the plant grows as a common roadside weed and the population of people near these situations are aware of its hazards. Similar to other things in our society which are dangerous under the wrong circumstances and in the wrong hands, we must just be more educated and not be put in a state of fear.  After all, if the castor bean plant and its potential poison is a killer, why am I not dead?

Racina, the plant, and myself co-exist without any ill effects – and you can too if you admire the castor bean plant’s features.  One way to limit your anxiousness regarding the prickly seed capsules with seeds within is to remove the flowers all together on the plant, or remove the capsules before they mature and potentially crack open to drop seeds on the ground.  Wild animals seem to understand the precautions and warnings provided by the plants as an adaptation to say “don’t eat me, stay away, I’m trying to reproduce.  And if you tempt it, I will make you sick enough so you remember.”  How incredibly wondrous by the plant.  Racina, as I imagine her, understands this.  She, the plant, and the poison all live happily together.

And I think you could too,

Written by Cathy Testa©

White male flowers on the Castor Bean Plant (Ricinus communis)

White male flowers on the Castor Bean Plant (Ricinus communis)

P.S.  A very special thank you to Nancy Farmer, the obviously talented artist capturing the essence of the castor bean plant’s legends with a fairy.  She and her amazing works of combining ‘nature with art’ may be found at:

http://www.nancyfarmer.net/

http://nancyfarmer.wordpress.com/

References and Other Sources:

http://www.uicnmed.org/nabp/database/HTM/PDF/p86.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_oil_plant

http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/ricinus_communis.htm

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b459

http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/plant_pathology_and_ecology/poisonous_plants_06-27-08r.pdf

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/castorbean.html

Castor Bean Plant growing at Cathy Testa's home near a birdhouse on a 10 feet high pole.

Castor Bean Plant growing at Cathy Testa’s home near a birdhouse on a 10 feet high pole.

Living without my laptop taught me to swim like a dolphin and dive like a loon

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Bitstrips Source

Bitstrips Source

I can not believe I went two whole months without a laptop.  It was painful but also allowed me to become intimately familiar with my other devices.  I borrowed an iPad and used my iPhone as a back up – but posting via an iPad to my blog was challenging. Sometimes the iPad screen would not display correctly or the typing on the screen’s keyboard was cumbersome – I’m much faster on a regular old keyboard. The iPad would be slow at times – for whatever reason, I could not figure out.  And the iPhone, it is small and difficult on the eyes. Handy as it may be, I can’t use it to post content easily.  It would take F–O–R-evvvv-errr.  It was hard to bold my text, add links, insert photos, or fix spelling errors.  And, although these irritations happened when I used either device, I still opted to post to my blog – and not completely give up, because I like to blog. I’m actually somewhat addicted to it.  But, I started to feel like a dolphin.

“Blogging without a Laptop was like being Stuck in an Aquarium”

Stuck without a laptop feels like being in an aquarium

Poor guy – bet he wishes he had full connectivity to the outside world

I felt stuck like a dolphin in an aquarium tank.  I could make do and adjusted, making the best of it — but it didn’t feel free or easy to enjoy my surroundings. I started to swim along within my confines.  Trying to live without “full” technology was difficult, but also allowed some freedom too.  It gave me a break, from sitting in my office and being tied to a laptop screen, and sometimes, when we take a break from technology, we pay more attention to the live things around us. That is why when I took a long weekend away to a place with no connectivity, it actually felt good.  I started to get comfortable living without it – for the short term that is.  Living without it forever, well, that is just plain impossible these days.  So much of what we do is online, sad but true.

A Land without Connectivity?  Here it is…

Our Cabin - JK

Our Cabin – JK

When I went on a long weekend with my siblings this year, we stayed in cabins up north, way up north, as in like 10 miles from the Canadian border.  And our lodging had no connectivity, as you can see why above. Just Kidding. This was a house down the street from our cozy cabins.  It was an old home that one must stop to take photos of. The funny part of this story – stopping for photos that is – is there was a small garden to the right of the house that was in good shape – as in someone was tending to it.  But who? We wondered.  We didn’t stick around to find out.  Just took a quick snap with the iPad and took off quickly.

Anyhow, back to our lodging (cabins).  We spent three nights at a place where we could not text or check our twitter tweets, email accounts, or post to anything.  And in this case, this situation was a good thing.  It gave us a chance to enjoy the view of lakes in front of our cabins without distractions, and “pay attention” when special things happened.  Like when my niece ran up to show us the fish she caught.  Our noses weren’t stuck to our iPhones (me being the most guilty of this of my family members), but focused on our real surroundings, fresh air, and in person opportunities. And how convenient!  My hand was also free to hold other good things, like my wine glass (rather than my iPhone).

“Catch of The Day – A Fish and Wine”

Eyes on fish catch of the day

One of us finally caught a fish!

However, I must admit I did take my iPhone along with me when kayaking on this weekend trip which I promptly dropped in the water at one point as I was entering my kayak, but by some miracle, it did not malfunction or die after getting wet briefly. I dove my hand into that water faster than a loon dives after a fish in a lake.  I dried it on a boulder and it started functioning again, then I quietly snuck up in my kayak to a loon sitting on a platform. She was NOT HAPPY and squawked at me loudly, and I almost dropped my iPhone again, but fortunately did not.  This again freed up my hands for more important things, like paddling away before that loon attacked me. She started to jump into the water and approach my kayak, and at that point, I was the one squawking.

“My Close Up Shot of a Loon in North Country”

Loon Lady sitting on her egg. She did not like me!

Loon Lady sitting on her egg. She did not like me!

After kayaking a while, and returning to our cabins, I started to realize I wasn’t reaching for my iPhone anymore for anything other than capturing photos of the beauty surrounding us, but without connectivity, it was hard to share until I was back online again.  And sharing is what I like to do.  And now with a new laptop to replace the one that finally broke permanently, I can get to fixing my errors and updating my blog.  First to be updated was updates to my schedule of events.  See Cathy T’s Classes to learn about the next two classes in the fall and winter.  And next was a new page called SOCIAL, because it can’t be helped, but should be paused from time to time.

In the meantime, bare with me as I learn the new technology of my brandy new laptop.  Thanks for your patience.

Written by Cathy Testa

View without connectivity, but taken with my iPad

View without connectivity, but taken with my iPad

Miniatures Garden Workshop Update

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Workshop on August 15

Workshop on August 15

Hi everyone,

We decided to move our Miniatures Gardens Workshop to the August 15th rain date due to the predicted thunderstorms tomorrow.  Nothing is more fun than enjoying the class outdoors surrounded by plants and sunshine, and we don’t want to risk you and your miniature creation getting soaked during a strong rain.  I’m hoping those registered can make the new date. Please confirm your attendance to the new date by emailing at containercathy@gmail.com or 860 977 9473.  For more information, see SCHEDULE OF EVENTS on this blog. Thank you in advance. Cathy T

Class location: 72 Harrington road, Broad Brook, CT 06016

Cost: $15 per person. See description for items included under SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Time: 6 pm to 8 pm.

Date: August 15, 2013, Thursday

Come to socialize, learn, create, and enjoy. You take home your creation!!  Great as a center piece on a table, gift, hostess gift or keep for yourself!  Create a theme based on your style or home. The guest speaker is an Advanced Master Gardener and Professional Designer from Gardening Inspirations.

Where can I find some Heirloom seeds in Connecticut?

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Comstock, Ferre & Co.

Comstock, Ferre & Co.

If you are looking for a good mix of seeds from the common to the unusual, heirloom plants, gardening supplies, farming antiques, and participating in a bit of history, then Comstock, Ferre & Co. in Wethersfield, Connecticut is the place for you!

Last Sunday, they held an Heirloom Festival in celebration of 202 years of Comstock service to CT.  They had nationally acclaimed horticultural speakers, musical entertainment, vendors, plants, and handcrafted products – and of course, lots and lots of seeds.

In fact, the seed stock is probably one of the coolest things about this place.  Tall wooden shelves line the interior building showcasing rows with a wonderful assortment of seeds in beautiful seed packets.  Even if you are not into growing from seed, looking at all the colorful labels is fun.  And most of the seeds are heirlooms.

Comstock is big on heirlooms, and they offer documentation and books to explain all and why they find them beneficial.  As one of their handouts states, “Heirloom varieties are often the product of many generations of careful selection by farmers and gardeners who knew what they wanted from their plants.  If a variety has been carefully nurtured and its seed kept by generations of a family or in a small geographic area, it stands to reason that it must perform well in the conditions under which it has been preserved.”

My definition of heirloom is summed up by my Dad’s tomatoes.  I swear they are the best, and he saves the seeds every year to regrow the product he carefully selected.  It pretty much has been unchanged, and unmodified by genetics, which is another big topic of discussion and awareness at Comstock, the whole GMO concerns.  I won’t go into that whole world which is really getting mega attention these days, but lets just say if you want to be educated on Heirloom benefits versus GMO’s – Comstock is one place that will do so for you.

Choral sings at Comstock

Choral sings at Comstock

During this festival day at Comstock, my sister, Louise, was sporting a GMO free shirt as she conducted her chorale group of students from the Silas Deane Middle School.

Louise just loves Comstock and their offerings, and I keep telling her she reminds me of a Master Gardener.  She is tending to her garden of veggies daily and continues to expand her collection of plants and knowledge.  I’m starting to ask her questions now on veggies – she is so passionate about it.

Comstock is located in a historial section of Wethersfield, CT at 263 Main Street.  When you arrive, you will find street only parking, and a couple of nearby quaint shops, and even ice cream just a few short steps down the side walk.

The building is very old and you get the feeling you are entering a bit of history as you walk around checking out the antiques upstairs and downstairs.

The greenhouse is stocked with starter plants – lots of tomatoes, and other veggies.  And you can pick up some handmade birdhouses or other gardening decor, weeding tools, and trellis.  They have an interesting mix of items for sale.

Steve, my husband, purchased a birdhouse, and when we got home to read the documentation provided about its creator, it turned out he is from our home town of Broad Brook, CT.  Small world.  He made them from salvaged barn board from Windsorville, CT tobacco barns and roof slates.

Stock of Seeds

Stock of Seeds

After we listened to the young group of singers with wonderful voices, we shopped around the rest of the vendors at the festival, and I picked up one packet of seeds – Castor Beans.  Yup castor beans. I love big foliage plants and this one is on my list to try.  It has reddish bronze leaves (Gibsonii variety), and stunning scarlet seed heads.  It looks tropical and gets very tall, but only one word of caution, all parts including the seeds are poisonous.  However, it was a must-have for me.

Reference Materials

Reference Materials

We couldn’t stay long that morning due to other obligations, but it is a place I will revisit – especially useful early in the season to pick up your seeds for the garden.  Comstock, Ferre & Co. has been selling heirloom seeds for over 200 years.  Let’s help them to add another 100 to their record.

Lots of various old scales at the store.

Lots of various old scales at the store.

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy Cathy T
containercathy@gmail.com
860-977-9473

Comstock, Ferre & Co. Greenhouse

Comstock, Ferre & Co. Greenhouse

Crystal Ball Captures More than the Beauty of Flowers

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Class Attendees

Class Attendees

Photography for me is about capturing data at times.  I take photos at clients’ properties during my onsite evaluations for landscape and garden designs.  Sometimes, I will take at least 100 photos of a site while walking around, looking over their desired planting areas.  It is important to me to get every angle, and to record any problem areas – or potential design features spotted on the property or in the space. I also take photos of plants when visiting wholesale and retail nurseries for my plant research.  You can ask the garden center staff.  They will tell you I always have a camera in hand.

But I also enjoy photography as a “non-serious” hobby – what I mean is, I like to take photos of plants because I love them so much, especially up close to see the botanical aspects, from the stamen (male parts) to stigma (female parts) of the flower’s reproductive aspects. And of course, I like to take photos of butterflies, insects, and birds.  Sometimes, I’ll get a comment from a real photographer, a pro, saying a shot is good, but my photos are never anywhere near those taken by pro’s.  Again – I do it for fun – and like to keep it that way, but I should learn the techniques to improve.

DSCN2819

So when I met my class group for a guest speaker on photography yesterday, they found it a bit comical when I mentioned I had not yet taken out the components (like filters and cleaners) for my new camera out of the packages. I’ve owned the camera for a couple years now.  It is not a super fancy camera, but it is a good one.  I’ve played around with it more than taken the time to learn it.

However, yesterday, I got the chance, and what fun did we have.  We had a small group of attendees because the class, called “Capturing the Beauty of Flowers,”  was held in the morning of a weekday at a local garden center, where there were flowers a plenty.  And by the way, I heard loud and clear from my friends and past class attendees – they want a session held in the evenings so they can attend – so we will do that – on May 29th, Wednesday, 5:30 to 7:30 pm (flyer to be posted soon).  Note the date now.

Catherine Cella of Joyful Reflections Photography was my guest speaker.  It was an honor for me to have her show us her tips on how to maximize taking photos of flowers. There were some techniques I had never considered, demonstrated by Catherine, and we practiced as a group.  She then offered us advise on how to improve the shot.  But one of the best parts of the whole day is she taught us how to use a crystal ball to capture photos.  Any my favorite photo of the day is this one, I took, where the greenhouse roof is reflected in the ball.  Later I thought, is the Crystal Ball revealing my future?  I hope so (you know, I’m a dreamer).

My shot - love the greenhouse in it!

My shot – love the greenhouse in it!

Well, let me restate favorite, actually my favorite photos of the day, were those posted by Catherine Cella after class.  You can see them here on her blog at Joyful Reflections Photography Blog.

But before we got to the crystal ball photography part of the class, we practiced on flowers.  This is a shrimp plant, Justicia brandegeana.  A tropical plant I just adore, and so did another attendee in our class with a horticulture background. It is a little too early still to put out tropical types requiring heat and warmth – think of them like summer vegetable gardening — wait until Memorial Day to put them outside, but they can be enjoyed inside in the meantime as a gorgeous house plant.  This one was trained as a topiary – a real beauty and find, I must say.  Hummingbirds truly enjoy this flower on this shrub.  The flower is the white part extending out of the pink bracts.  This would be stunning in an urn with the style of this one being trained as a topiary.

DSCN2814

Trained as a Topiary - Shrimp Plant

Trained as a Topiary – Shrimp Plant

We also took close-ups of water droplets on plants, and here is one I took on a bleeding heart.  It actually worked out the day was cloudy and just a tad bit rainy.  Gosh don’t we all love this plant in the springtime when it flushes out in our gardens?  Whether you love the Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts or newer types with golden foliage, you can’t disagree with nature’s ability to capture our hearts with the rose-pink flowers on fern-like foliage dangling like charms from its stems in May.  This perennial looks amazing alone in a garden or mixed with other shade candidates like Astilbe, Pulmonaria, Hostas, and ferns – just to name a few.  However, I don’t recommend them in container gardens because they go dormant later in the season and kind of fade away.

Droplet on Bleeding Heart Leaves

Droplet on Bleeding Heart Leaves

The other two attendees had way more background on the camera’s technical aspects that moi, and they were practicing the tips reviewed by Catherine Cella.  My suggestion was to take photos of the flowering trees at our class location – The Garden Barn Nursery and Landscape in Vernon, CT.  There were many breathtaking blooms of magnolias, redbuds, dogwoods, and others in bloom now.

Here’s a photo I had to take of a Redbud tree, Cercis reniformis ‘Oklahoma’.  Talk about an intense purple wine color.  The coloring is more intense than the species on this small ornamental tree, great for smaller spaces.  It blooms in the spring, April to May timeframe, and the buds line the stems before the leaves expand.  It looks Asian to me, and has the most welcoming feeling in a garden space.

Redbud Tree Buds

Redbud Tree Buds

And I had to try to get a cool picture of one of my favorite ornamental grasses called Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’.  It can take partial shade and has a bright yellow color with a green stripes on the blades, and it cascades downward, versus growing upright. It is a beautiful plant to use in the front of a border, along pathways or by a terrace situation, or even in a container garden as a spiller to filler type plant.  The plant is a long-season ornamental grass, and won the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year award. Looks great near Weeping Japanse Maples too – why? because the gold of the grass shows up against the burgundy color of the maple.

Hakon grass 'Aureola'

Hakon grass ‘Aureola’

Early in the day, Catherine joked around with a tiny toy camera hanging from her neck – it even flashes.  But rest assured, her professional camera is quite impressive – and so are her talents –  which you will see and learn from when you sign up for the next session on May 29th, Wednesday, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.  Bring your camera and your dreams – so you too can Capture the Beauty of Flowers and the images you desire in your crystal ball of the future.  The next class is only 2.5 weeks away.

Catherine holding a toy camera - as a joke of course, with attendee Jo-Anne.

Catherine holding a toy camera – as a joke of course, with attendee Jo-Anne.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Cathy Testa
Container Crazy Cathy T
http://www.cathytesta.com
860-977-9473
containercathy@gmail.com