Archive for April 2010
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
There is nothing more exciting than taking a hike and stumbling into a patch of the eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis. It is quite common as an understory tree, with an extensive range from east coast to the central United States. Right now the vivid purple flowers are abundant at the Scott Arboretum. Although the straight species is exceptional by itself, there are several cultivars blooming in the Scott Arboretum that I would like to comment on.
The reason I love this small tree is its adaptability to sun exposure. Naturally occurring in the understory throughout Appalachia, it is a nice candidate…
Continue reading »
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
At the Scott Arboretum in the spring the flowering of the magnolias and cherries is unprecedented for its sheer beauty. Both of these collections are impressive to say the least. The flowering cherries, Prunus, are mostly massed in the Cherry Border which is across the street from the Scott Arboretum offices. The cherries are planted along Cedar Lane and lead up the President’s house across to the Meetinghouse extending all the way to the Lilac Collection. The lawn in the middle has been left mostly unplanted so the visitor can stand on the lawn and have a panoramic view of…
Continue reading »
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
by Alan Weisman
Humans often look at the world from their point of view. When we learn about the history of the earth, we are often most interested in the beginning of humanity and assume that life on this planet won’t continue without us. But Alan Weisman challenges us to think differently in The World Without Us. Weisman proposes the idea that one day humanity suddenly disappears and describes in detail, using New York City as the point of reference, what will happen to all of our man-made buildings and paraphernalia once people are no longer there to maintain them. Of…
Continue reading »
earlier posts »
