May 5 2020 - There's a Force for Everyone in being a Jedi

It's a long time since the Force came among us. It's over 40 years.  Since that time, the philosophy of Jediism has developed.  It is based on the depiction of the Jedi characters in Star Wars media.  This got attention in 2001 when a number of people recorded their religion as Jedi on their country's national census - it was meant to be a joke.  I assumed this is mostly Americans. But it turns out that 400,000 people in the U.K. and 70,000 in Australia did this. In 2005, the Temple of the Jedi Order was registered in Texas (of course).  There is also a substantial membership in Britain.  Here's how many people have self-identified as Jedi as of 2011: Australia - 65,000 Canada - 9,000  Czech Republic - 15,070 England and Wales - 176,632 To find out about this philosophy/religion the place to go is the Temple of the Jedi Order.  It is HERE.   The introduction: We are a Jedi church and international ministry of the religion Jediism and the Jedi way of life. Jedi at this site are not the same as those portrayed within the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars Jedi are fictional characters that exist within a literary and cinematic universe.  We are a recognized International Ministry and Public Charity; a tax exempt (donations are US income tax deductible) 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2005. George Lucas says that Joseph Campbell's book The Hero With a Thousand Faces was a major influence behind the Force's creation. In it Campbell draws parallels between the world's myths, arguing that they are all part of one "monomyth". In an interview with Bill Moyers, in 1999, published in Time magazine, Lucas said he created the Force as a device to awaken spirituality in young people. "Not having enough interest in the mysteries of life to ask the question, 'Is there a God or is there not a God?' – that is for me the worst thing that can happen." However, he said he never intended Star Wars to have a religious following. "I hope that doesn't end up being the course this whole thing takes," he told Moyers, adding that he would hate living in a secular world where entertainment passed for people's religious experience. He seems to have accomplished his task of awakening spirituality and needn't worry as the Jedi religion is not following Star Wars.. I found this abandoned farm house last year when I was on the greenhouse tour - the new greenhouses are in the background.  I drove by it last week.  It still stands, with more greenhouses around it. It still stands starkly alone on a bare field.

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Mar 13 2020 - Waves Coming

What are the tallest waves that lighthouses experience?  We saw a documentary on lighthouses of New York State along Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.  All the footage was shot in sunlight.  Everything looked so quaint, especially the lighthouse homes that are now private residences. Following that I saw a picture of Roker Pier Sunderland in the North Sea and the wave was so large and wide that only the top of the lighthouse showed.  One can go see pictures of waves crashing onto people HERE.  The first picture shows two men at a lighthouse about to be hit by a 30 foot wall of water.  It says they were rescued. Maybe these pictures are so compelling because they remind me of the massive impact of COVID-19 - it is like these pictures and is just about to happen. The news today says Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tested positive for the virus.  The Prime Minister is working from home for 14 days.  Ontario's public schools will be closed from March 14 through April 5. We usually go see the Home Show and Canada Blooms next week - it too is suspended.  The list of suspended and cancelled events is getting long. I received an email with forwarded advice from Stanford - this has been checked, and Stanford says it does not come from them and is not good advice.  Here's the link.  This is at theverge.com. They say that one should go to WHO's website for information. The myth busters are HERE.  I guess there are all kinds of things floating on social media by now. I remember writing an article for the Garden Tripod on conservatories and found a folder on my computer full of working greenhouse pictures amongst the Photo of the Day files.  Here are Niagara Falls, Langdon Hall and Sonnenberg Gardens working greenhouses.

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Orchidized

Today's pictures show Longwood Garden's Orchid Festival.  Their docent information package said there were 6,000 orchids on display.  Arches were formed of 600 orchids and the huge hanging orbs contained 200 orchids.  This silver greenhouse had 200 hanging Vanda orchids.  I have a mere 2 in my greenhouse - and one is purple like these - an intense and rich colour. In the Mediterranean greenhouse, I was double lucky - the arches had blooming Hardenbergia - a delicate purple flowering vine that looks like miniature wisteria.  This is the first time I've seen them blooming. The second 'lucky' was the couple doing engagement poses - this pose was perfect.  You can see the photographer's camera bag at the far right - I'll crop that out later.  Do you know how many orchid species there are?  There are 25,000 - 30,000 different species of orchids - that's just species.  At Longwood the Orchid House displays 200 - 300 of the 6,200 hundred orchids at Longwood.  They and the Asteraceae family are the two largest families of flowering plants.  And you likely know that Vanilla is a climbing orchid. Since the introduction of tropical species into cultivation in the 19th century, horticulturalists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.  I would guess that orchids are a hybridizing dream. We don't think of orchids as an ordinary plant in our northern gardens.  Our orchids are in woodlands and don't adapt well to our gardens.  Yet they have adapted to every corner of the world - the only place that orchids don't grow is on glaciers.  And it seems strange that the world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species are to be found in the Arctic Circle and in southern Patagonia.  With this many flowers in one family, it won't surprise you that there is a National Orchid Day.  It's on April 16th.

Cross Town

I was looking for information on how Christmas has so many colours associated with it.  There's the red and green, blue, and white for snow.  I came upon this overview of  crosses and thought it was interesting.  Some of the crosses are so complicated in their meaning. We return to our simpler world of the Christmas season and our pictures today are Centennial Greenhouses' Christmas display.  They are located in the west end of Toronto.   The Cross symbolises that Christians believe Jesus Christ died for everyone on a Cross. The Latin Cross, also sometimes called the Roman Cross. The base of the Cross has three steps that symbolise faith, hope, and love. The Irish or Celtic Cross is a normal cross with a circle in the middle to symbolise eternity. The Triumphant Cross represents the earth with the cross on top. It symbolises Jesus is triumphant over anything we can face in the world. The Jerusalem Cross was worn by the crusaders going to Jerusalem, in the middle ages. It can symbolise the Four Gospels in the Bible, the spread of the Gospel to the four corners of the earth or the five wounds of Jesus when he died on the cross. The Eastern Cross is the Suppedaneium cross with three horizontal crossbeams,  The top represents the plate inscribed with INRI, and the bottom, a footrest. There is more complexity to the story at wikipedia's orthodox cross entry  The Furca or Upsilon Cross comes from the Greek letter Y . It is also called The Thieves' Cross from the two robbers who were crucified on each side of Jesus. It also symbolises the choice between good and evil.

Poinsettias Are Here

This is their only month here in the Norther Hemisphere.  Known for their Christmas status, they lose favour quickly after the holiday passes.  

However, for this short time, they rule as the King and Queen of flowers.  Here are a few selections of the display at Centennial Greenhouses in Toronto, along with a scene of the  traditional display of dried fruits and pine cones. 

Niagara Poinsettias - A Commercial Crop

Now that I live in the Niagara region, I can visit the commercial greenhouses.  Both Sunshine on Carlton Street and Seaway on the Lakeshore are retail/commercial combinations.  They welcome visitors and it is possible to see the poinsettias as they mature from little plugs to mature specimens.  Here are two of the view yesterday.  These are sections of the greenhouses.  There is no easy way to capture the full impact of all these poinsettias.

Garden Explorations - Longwood Gardens May 2012

Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA is a magical garden with the distinction of vast conservatory greenhouses and massive waterworks fountains.  This year is the festival of light and there were lighting installations throughout the gardens.  

These are a few images of the floral displays on May 19, 2012. 

Beautiful Allan Gardens Toronto Canada

While I haven't had a chance to visit Allan Gardens this winter, here are some images from last winter's beautiful display - from the floral wall that I've decorated with textures to the cold greenhouse with azaleas and cyclamens in soothing pinks.

November is Chrysanthemum Month

Many people think of November as a sad time because the flowers are gone from the garden.  It's true that the gardens are losing their charm, the trees their leaves, and the cold winds are starting to blow.  I go indoors in November to the Conservatories and Greenhouses to find the Chrysanthemum Celebrations.  Today's images are from the Centennial Greenhouse in west-end Toronto, where there's a beautiful Chrysanthemum Festival on during November.

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Can't Wait for Spring

Charlie Dobbin, the horticultural director of Canada Blooms spoke at the Etobicoke Horticultural Society last year about the Canada Blooms show.  I was fascinated by the forcing greenhouses and the work it takes to get the materials ready on schedule.  I asked to visit the forcing greenhouses and this week had the opportunity to see the large greenhouses with trees, shurbs and perennials leafing out. 


Here's what the balled, bagged trees look like.

Of course, here's what's coming out.

And here is a sour cherry in bloom.