Brunch with the Birds- Glass Gem Corn

" Hold fast to your dreams, for if dreams die, 

life is  a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." 

~ Langston Hughes 

American Poet, 1902- 1967

The Westin La Paloma hostess graciously accommodated my desire  to share the magic of brunch without my lens intruding on the privacy of the other diners by opening the quiet side of the dining patio. 

The little birdies birds hover over left over crumbs on the tray drive staff batty - but really, don't you find their bold innocence charming?  

My waistline never missed the little bit of egg soaked English muffin set on the water feature's ledge.  

There is magic created whenever we commune with nature. Near our patio is a fountain. I feel inspired to set near it a platform where we might literally break bread with our feathered neighbors. 

Un-retouched Glass Gem Corn image courtesy of Native Seeds SEARCH

It is my prayer to make it to the top of the waiting list at Native Seeds SEARCH  for the beautiful Glass Gm corn. The un-retouched photo, borrowed from their web site  has created quite a waiting list ahead of me. 

Last week was my 37th Anniversary. I would like you to know something of him, for my life would not be all that is has been without Gerry's love, fidelity, sacrifice and companionship. But I don't want this story of a uniquely American man lost among other details. So if God and the computer are willing, I will post my homage to a very good man tomorrow. And if there is only one post of mine you ever read- let it be this next story. 

God bless you all for coming by.  


Words and Images, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by Lydia Plunk. All rights reserved.  

Tucson GWA Symposium VI - Scott Calhoun's Tucson

Scott Calhoun plucked this image of a girl clad in a cactus swimsuit off the Internet for his presentation The Hot Garden: An Introduction to Southwest Horticulture. A 4th generation Arizonan, his family came to Tucson during the days of the Mormon Brigade. Eating roasted agave heads and watermelon at Christmas seemed good enough reasons to settle in Arizona. The raw natural beauty, a reason to stay.

Scott's presentation on the challenges of the bi-national dessert was full of love and good humor. As the owner of ZonaGardens, the desert infuses his soul with its spirit. Even though he wasn't on the same garden tour schedule as mine, his kindly voice seemed to whisper lessons about what I was seeing. Starting with the bigness of skies and openness of landscapes.  

There is a special beauty to plants that do not let the harshness of the climate be a death knell as witnessed by the magenta plumes of this Amaranth.  This plant has thrived since ancient times, sharing with us its special gifts of nourishing seeds and rich dye to color our garments.

Zinnias. Proof that simplicity can be as beautiful as the exotic. Clusters of flowers call in the pollinators.  

Yet, to be alone with a single bloom is just as enchanting. 

Its been a bit crazy since I got home- I need to send thank yous to the gracious gardeners who let us garden geeks traipse through their gardens. Above- the ingenuity in re-purposing discarded solar tubes to grow celery in the desert deserves a medal. 

A retired civil engineer and his artist wife opened their rather spectacular grounds to GWA. The rebar replica of a Saguaro cactus with a wren perched upon the arm, a charming ode to the landscape.  

Next to water, shade is a most valuable commodity. 

A birdhouse signals the homeowners are good neighbors. 

The snake is not real. The sense of humor is. 

The good natured frog tempted a kiss from a garden writer. 

Gardening in California, I grew up to be cautious about pots in the garden.  They tend to provide hiding places for snakes, scorpions and all sorts of not-so-fun gardening companions to play hide and seek with me. Seeing so many pots in Tucson- I needed Scott's lecture to lead me to a greater understanding of why their omnipresence in home gardens. 

The local soil varies between granite and caliche clay- nearly impenetrable compacted layers of soil and salt. To plant a 1 gallon plant in the soil in gardens he installs, Scott employs a jackhammer with a shovel- like attachment. 

The satisfied smile emerging from the garden shed seems a good place to end this post. 

Tucson V- GWA Symposium- Botanical Gardens - What Makes an American Garden

The votes were tabulated by Readers Digest in 2005.  Americans elected The Tucson Botanical Gardens the  "The Best Secret Garden in America." Fueled by breakfast burritos courtesy of Fiskars,  I took a stroll with my fellow garden communicators through the 5 acre oasis in central Tucson with the objective to learn what captures the American gardening public's heart. What is it about this garden to which we instinctively relate.

Monarch Butterfly

Perhaps it is the American desire for freedom that drives the enchantment with butterflies. Or our love to root for the underdog. What appears more frail than a nectaring butterfly? What more inhospitable climate than the great Sonoran Desert? Leave it to the ingenuity of gardeners to understand how to create desire in wandering butterflies to settle down where we can enjoy them. 

Want butterflies? Plant flowers. Let them dance to the rhythm of seasonal breezes.  

Americans don't like to take ourselves too seriously. Jessica Reinhardt was a good sport about posing with the Monarch wings so that I don't have to show you how silly I look wearing them):- .

The shade of a pomegranate tree fills the role of the apple tree in warmer climates. 

We take the fruits of our labor seriously. Better known for our persistence,  our optimism equips us with the patience it takes to tend a sapling as it struggles to  reach its full potential as a factory of fruit and shade. 

We are naturally inquisitive. Since the Europeans got lost and ended up on our North American shores, we are a nation of explorers. I don't know what this cactus is, but its a happy discovery. So exotic- I have just the spot if California Cactus can source for me. 

We believe in the power of boldness. Such as the pomegranate- red wall embracing the water wall.  

We are a nation of contrasts. As a people, we are as cohesive as the background tile on the water wall. Yet because we embrace individuality, even when it seems this means we are celebrating fruits and nuts as literally as the relief tiles, we are not dull.  

'Bone Trooper" by Jana Imblum

We are a nation of immigrants, proud of our individual cultural roots. To celebrate the Mexican-American celebration of the Dia de los Muertos, the gardens sent out a call to local artists to create  life-sized dancing skeletons. 

'Quetzally Hernandez Corondo' dressed to dance with other dearly departed, by Camila Catrina.

As a continent wide nation, we are blessed to have pockets of artistic regionalism. Ceramic artist  Nina Borgia- Aberle is just one of the practitioners in the vibrant Tucson arts community.  

We are a nation built on the imagination of our people. Chris Kennedy Bubany celebrates everyday life through her decorative ceramic garden scene. 

Whatever our differences, when we walk through a garden, we are a nation of friends.

Whatever our family's stature in its country of origin, like this firethorn,  'Pyracantha coccinea' , in America, because this nation is exceptional, we have the potential to rise to barely imaginable heights . 

May God Bless the USA, all her gardeners and gardeners to be.