Tea And A Stroll With The Finch's March 23rd 2015
We departed home at 10:55 and arrived at the Huntington right around noon! Perfect timing as Sue was able to get our Tea Room reservations pulled forward and we walked right in!
There is loads still underway at the Huntington
The new entrance is open!
The magnolias let us know that Spring has sprung!
Mother Nature is just amazing
The Hawthornes were magnificent
Did You Know? - The best known species is Rhaphiolepis indica (Indian Hawthorn) from southern China, grown for its decorative pink flowers, and popular in bonsai culture. Rhaphiolepis umbellata (Yeddo Hawthorn) from Japan and Korea has blunter leaves and white flowers. It is the hardiest species, tolerating temperatures down to about -15 ?C.[citation needed]
The fruit of some varieties is edible when cooked, and can be used to make jam, but some ornamental varieties bear fruit that is of no culinary value.
The pomegranates were in full bloom
California poppies were staring right at the Sun
The overheads are finally done after almost a year of restoration
The Rose Garden was beautiful and the scents wafted through the air
The climbing roses were in full gear!
Did You Know? - Most Climbing roses grow anywhere from 8'?20' in height and exhibit repeat-bloom. Rambler roses, although technically a separate class, are often lumped together with climbing roses.
They also exhibit long, flexible canes, but are usually distinguished from true climbers in two ways: A larger overall size (20'?30' tall is common), so is a once-blooming habit.
Climbing and rambling roses are not true vines such as ivy, clematis or wisteria because they lack the ability to cling to supports on their own and must be manually trained and tied over structures such as arbors and pergolas.
The Tea Room was ready for us!
Plenty of goodies to select from!
"Spot of tea Old Chap?"
We polished off a mess of these little guys
The teapot weighed a ton!
Baby bok choy, mushrooms, beans.... All sorts of goodies
We had a delicious meal before doing our walk
It was a beautiful day
We are off and running now
The Kitchen Garden is right outside the Tea Room
and is full of all
the herbs and salad goodies needed in a kitchen
The arbor leads to the gully where the Japanese Garden is located
The Julia Child Rose.... Named by Julia Child
because she thought it was the color of butter
Did You Know? - Julia Carolyn Child (born McWilliams; August 15, 1912 ? August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef, which premiered in 1963.
Sue agrees!
Looks just like a tub of butter
Jan, Sue, and Brian walking the gardens
Sue's jacket was a perfect match for the gardens
Brian was amazed at the peas being so big
Jan brought the "flat camera".... The iPad is perfect for the garden!
Great times with great friends
The kale was doing well even in the heat of the day!
Did You Know? - Kale or borecole (Brassica oleracea Acephala Group) is a vegetable with green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms of vegetables.
The species Brassica oleracea contains a wide variety of vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussels sprouts. The cultivar group Acephala also includes spring greens and collard greens, which are similar genetically.
The Swiss Chard was beautiful
The "tee pees" held the "Indian Friends" veggies
What was Mother Nature trying to do with the bloom?
Sue volunteered her finger to show the size of the flower
No place to hide!
Interesting way to tie the plants back?
The restoration of the arbors included the trees in the garden
The rose named for obama.., Small, weak, no roots, no blooms, zip!
Real roses named after Ronald and Nancy Reagan
We are now headed for the Chinese Gardens
Brian has also mastered the flat camera
The water was as clear as a bell
The water lilies were just coming into their own
Did You Know? - The white water lily is the national flower of Bangladesh and State flower for Andhra Pradesh, India. The Blue waterlily is the national flower of Sri Lanka. It is also the birth flower for July.
The water-lily has a special place in Tamil poetics, where it is considered symbolic of the grief of separation; it is considered to evoke imagery of the sunset, the seashore and the shark. Sangam landscape
If you look carefully, you can see the metal fences protecting
the lilies from the geese and ducks
More Hawthornes
Enjoying the California weather!
The Chinese Gardens are huge and about to get larger
The island was an interesting addition to the lake
The concrete walkway is "floating" above the ground so the tree roots
will not fracture the concrete over the years - smart design
Holy rocks??
Brought to the garden from China
Just us (Courtesy of Brian)
The moon bridge is easy to understand
from this point-of-view
Did You Know? - A moon bridge is a highly arched pedestrian bridge associated with gardens in China and Japan. The moon bridge originated in China and was later introduced to Japan.
This type of bridge was originally designed to allow pedestrians to cross canals while allowing the passage of barges beneath. When constructed using the climbing ascent and descent this had the further advantage of not using space from the adjoining fields for approaches.
In formal garden design a moon bridge is placed so that it is reflected in still water. The high arch and its reflection form a circle, symbolizing the moon.
The Japanese Maple was beautiful
Did You Know? - Japanese maple trees (Acer palmatum) are actually native to Japan, China and Korea, and have been enjoyed for centuries, cultivated in gardens of exquisite beauty throughout these countries. With over 1,000 cultivars, Japanese maple trees come in an astonishing variety of colors, sizes and types.
Most maple trees have five lobes or points on the leaves, but Japanese maples may have five, six or seven. The leaf colors range from a light, delicate green to a rich, dark burgundy, almost purple color.
Japanese maple trees stay on the smaller side of the maple tree scale. A typical Japanese maple has many slender trunks, with branches rising from the trunks and forming a natural dome or rounded shape. Trees can be gently pruned but are often quite attractive if left alone.
Amazing colors against the blue sky
The blooms were fantastic as we walked toward the Japanese Gardens
Japanese cherry tree
This beautiful Clivia was hidden off the path and in the shade
Fooled us.... It was a bloom that fell off a tree above this little bush
The water gave off a relaxing sounds.... Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z
Set up a hammock and Brian and Paul would be gone quickly
Mr. Ducks seemed to enjoy the water
Azaleas were everywhere
Did You Know? - In Chinese culture, the azalea is known as "thinking of home bush" (sixiang shu) and is immortalized in the poetry of Du Fu and is used to rich effect in contemporary stories such as by Taiwanese author Pai, Hsien-Yung.
The azalea is also one of the symbols of the city of S?o Paulo, in Brazil.
In addition to being renowned for its beauty, the Azalea is also highly toxic?it contains andromedotoxins in both its leaves and nectar, including honey from the nectar.
The Azalea and Rhododendron were once so infamous for their toxicity that to receive a bouquet of their flowers in a black vase was a well-known death threat.
Many pomegranate examples were on display!
Did You Know? - What does the word 'bonsai' mean? Is means planted in a tray. It is arguable what the origins of 'bonsai' initially were, some claiming that it begun in China with Buddhist monks there. Today we associate it with Japan but it is fashionable throughout Asia just as Buddhism.
The displays are changed all the time
Did You Know? - Bonsai are primarily indoor plants. False. Absolutely not! Remember they are trees after all albeit miniature and like their larger counterparts they require the same environment to thrive. For instance the Japanese Red Maple needs the autumn cooling for it to tell the leaves to change color and to winterize. For maples this extremely important for their survival and it can only get this by spending some of its life outdoors.
What? Jan is larger than a tree!
Did You Know? - Steel wire is most commonly used for forming branches into desired positions. False. Steel as a rule is avoided because over time it rusts. Instead copper or aluminum is used in place of steel as it will not rust and it tends to be slightly more malleable
The flat camera goes to work
Did You Know? - The largest Bonsai park in the world is located in Japan. False. Korea holds this honor. The park is named Bunjae Artpia and it's located on Cheju Island.
A miniature forest!
Sue is NOT a bonsai!
Azaleas were in full bloom all over the gardens
Wisteria bonsai!
Did You Know? - Wisteria (also spelled Wistaria or Wysteria) is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the Eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Some species are popular ornamental plants, especially in China and Japan. An aquatic flowering plant with the common name wisteria or 'water wisteria' is in fact Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae.
Green??? Let's turn back the clock
Same trees December the 8th 2014 (Our last visit with the Finch's)
Water taken with fast
camera setting
Water slowed down via the camera .... Thanks to the camera
Jan hides in the bushes and scares the little kids...
The wisteria is about a week past its optimum time... But still beautiful
Down into the ravine we go!
Sue keeps attracting the bees... Wonder why?
The colors are mind boggling.... A million colors of green!
The koi were quite busy
Loved the reflections
The moon bridge in its natural state
Same bridge in years gone by
Brian talks to the fishies... We are worried about the boy
"Sue... Do you have a safety pin? I want to go fishing!"
The arbors are perfect for the wisteria
What a team!
Nice shorts, huh?
Just beautiful
Back to the Rose Garden
The tree roses were standing at attention
An ocean of white roses
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.... Great name for a song!
Does it get better than this?
Simply beautiful...
She apparently lost her head sometime on the past
Greg got Jan into a serious case of the giggles!
He looks so innocent... We know better!
The margaritas are disappearing quickly
Miles of smiles
Nancy is happy... She found her purse!
Irene rounded out the party.... Great fun with friends
The sun be setting
Could not resist trying to get the sunset on the way home
