#10_Possibilities of Gardening

A Green Curtain

Urban greening is one example of the gardening contributing to environment. For instance, tree planting in cities and rooftop gardening are one kind of great urban greening. Especially, urban cities have many heat sources such as large building, cars and so on. Then, plants can absorb CO2 as well as decrease temperature with evaporation. So, urban gardening is good way to contributing environment and human life. Green curtain is also a way to cooling in summer. That is making curtains with ivy plants. Plants shut down the sunlight and decrease temperature with evaporation. It also keeps the wall clean; the curtain prevents staining walls from dirt. But these examples can invite insects. So, if you hate them, it may be good way to

Cottons

Another possibility of gardening is regional contribution. Great public garden can be attraction and then that area can get benefit by that garden. Moreover, gardens like the Butchart Garden changed the landscape into beautiful. This is a contribution to regional scenery: maybe, that was not good for workers of the factory. Guerrilla gardening, that I explained in blog 7, may one kind of these scenery contributions. Cotton gardening is another type of contribution that can purify soil. After the Great East Japan Earthquake, vast ground suffered from salt water. Then, cotton does part in cleanup the soil. When cotton has been grown, that becomes material of clothes. Cotton is strong for salt in soils and cheaper than other plants. That is why cotton is used.

This is an abstract part of gardening but important one that garden can make humans relaxing. It is said, and is natural, that this reaction is seen in urban people than rural ones. Even today, continuing urbanization, humans long for nature, beauty of flowers, and splended trees. That is why gardening is not out of use. Everyone may need to feel relaxing in plants with leisure time. There is another effect that gardening is expected to improve gardener’s health. Today, we tend to act indoors. So, we bask less sunlight, and don’t work so much. Gardening need to act outdoors, plow a flowerbed and lift planters or something, moreover, memorize and remember what kind soils or fertilizers are required in each season. These activities make gardeners body and memory stronger. When you enjoy gardening with other people, these communications also make people relaxing. In vegetable garden, you can get many delicious fruits. 

#9_Popular Gardens of the World

A Stair-like sculpture

              “The Garden of Cosmic Speculation” is a sculpture garden in South West Scotland. Charles Jencks, landscape architect and theorist, created this garden. It is made by 40 areas, gardens, bridges, sculptures and so on. Through 30 acres of ground, there are a lot of fairing shaped structures and natures. The atmosphere of these formed natures is fantastic; up and down, curved ground etc. In addition, this garden is depicted in orchestra music by Michael Gandolfi, an American composer.

Japanese garden of Butchart's

              “Butchart Gardens” in British Columbia, Canada includes five areas; sunken garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, Italian garden and Mediterranean garden. These areas make one way from sunken garden to Mediterranean garden. Before the garden appears, there was not a garden but all around limestone. Then, this garden began as a decoration of that desolate quarry. Some roses and sweet peas were there, at first, but today it becomes so large, almost twice as large as The Garden of Cosmic Speculation.

Sunken garden with night light up

Butchart garden with colorful flowers and brilliant trees

              “Yuyuan garden”, in Shanghai, is one of famous Asian gardens. Yuyuan is represented in Chinese characters by “豫園”. “豫” seems “fun” or “preasure” and “園” seems a garden. This garden is said it is built more than 400 years ago, in the Ming Dynasity. There are Chinese-style (Shanghai-style) structures, bridges, rocks, ponds and trees. Curving and zigzagging walls and bridges tempt into the garden. Yuyuan garden itself is a traditional garden but many high-rise building around it.

             

A zigzag bridge

Mirabell Garden

              “Mirabell Garden” is a garden of Mirabell Palace which is in Salzburg, Austria. It is registered as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This palace and garden were built in 1606. The remodeling of the garden is finished in 1730 after some redesigning. But it is opened to the public in 1854. These four statues around fountain and they are symbolized the four elements: fire, air, earth and water.  The palatial symmetrical garden is great and it is noted for its boxwood layouts.

A Statue and Mirabell Palace

Versailles Gardens with colorful flowers

              “Versailles Garden” is a garden of very famous palace, Versailles Palace. Actually, total manpower to create this garden is greater than to build the palace. Louis XIV gave the order to create the palace and garden in 1661 and it took about 40 years to complete the garden. There are many water places and Mediterranean trees such as oranges or lemon. The symmetric and magnificent viewing with watercourses, plants and sculptures must be so exciting for everyone.

Magnificent view of Versailles Gardens 

References

http://www.charlesjencks.com/#!the-garden-of-cosmic-speculation

http://www.butchartgardens.com/jp

http://www.butchartgardens.com/

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B1%AB%E5%9C%92

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

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

http://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/fortress_palaces/mirabell_palace_gardens

http://jp.chateauversailles.fr/homepage

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%B4%E3%82%A7%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A6%E5%AE%AE%E6%AE%BF

http://toptencollections.com/top-ten-most-beautiful-gardens-in-the-world/

http://www.weather.com/home-garden/backyard/worlds-most-beautiful-gardens-20130329?pageno=1

http://worldinsidepictures.com/beautiful-gardens-from-around-the-world-13-pictures/

http://www.oddee.com/item_97211.aspx

http://www.topdreamer.com/the-most-beautiful-gardens-in-the-world-you-have-to-visit-in-a-lifetime/

photos from:

http://www.chinatourguide.com/Shanghai/yuyuan_garden.html

http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/china-asia-tours/china-vietnam-highlights-tour-pictures.html

http://www.shanghai.gov.cn/shanghai/node27118/node27968/node26489/userobject22ai36129.html

http://holidayandtraveleurope.blogspot.jp/2013/02/france-versailles-gardens.html

http://www.bestourism.com/items/di/1293?title=Gardens-of-Versailles

http://howardchoy.wordpress.com/tag/a-garden-of-cosmic-speculation/

http://www.anothermag.com/reader/view/5449/The_Garden_of_Cosmic_Speculation

Breaking News: Obituary of Amiri Baraka

Amiri Baraka

              Amiri Baraka died yesterday; Janiary 9, 2014. He was an African-American black person and a writer of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, essays and music criticism then he won some awards and honors of poetry, drama and literatures. Across his generation, he was the most published black writer. The literary style of his writing shows some negation of American social discrimination for blacks. Though he is famous in America, not known to Japanese.

              In October 7 1934, Baraka was born inNewark, New Jersy and at this time, he was named LeRoi Jones. After leaving his university, in 1954, he joined the US Air Force as a gunner. Later, he left there and began to work on warehouse. Some years later, in 1961, he published his first book of poet, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note. When Barack Obama stood for the Presidential election, in 2008, Baraka was supporting him and blaming for those who criticize Obama, anti-black workers. Then it was said that blaming is too violent. In2002, scholar Molefi Kate Asante included Amiri Baraka on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

              On January 9, 2014 at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey, Amiri Baraka passed away but the reason is not reported.



references

http://huzi.blog.ocn.ne.jp/darkness/2011/04/post_a08c.html

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

http://www.biography.com/people/amiri-baraka-9198235

#8_Difficulties and Problems

              The enemies of gardening, not only individuals also pubric, are harmful insects, animals and pests. Sometimes they eat away many parts of plants; beautiful foliages and flowers. Especially, vegetable gardens get more dameges from these bad elements. But almost all of them are not scary if you take appropriate care for them.

Spittlebug

              Not all of insects in the garden are not harmful; some are rather helpful than harmful for gardens. For example, ladybugs are eating aphid, one of major insect pests of gardens. There are many other pests in the garden; scale, leaf miners, spittlebugs and so on. Most of them are difficult to recognize that they are bugs at a glance. Scale insects look like knots on stems of plants. Leaf miners make zig zag tracks on leaves. Spittlebugs make clump of form and hide in it. They sip juice from plants and it can make plants weaken. If you find these pests in your garden, remove them away from the garden immediately. Galls are one kind of signs of these diseases. Actually, the gall itself is not an insect but influence of irritation. When insects damage trees, galls are appear mainly on leaves. They usually don’t kill plant but weaken them. For example, early leaves drop is caused by galls.

Black Spot

              Bad things for plants are not only bugs but also diseases. Tomato especially has risks of getting all kind of diseases. As far as you care tomato with proper way, these diseases are rarely deadly. But a lot of diseases exist in the garden. How correctly to distinguish these ills is important though there are too much species of them to write here down. Roses are beautiful and popular flowers. I’ll show some examples of rose diseases here. “Black spot” is one kind of fungus. As its name implies, black spots are appear on leaves. This can drop leaves. “Downy mildew” is very fatal disease. It spreads so rapidly and defoliates rose leaves in days. Black spot likes humid weather. Downy mildew prefers cold and wet climate to humid one.

Downy Mildew

              There is another bad thing for plants, nutrient deficient. If some bad effect like discoloration is seen with plant in spite of not having disease or insects on plant, it may be nutrient deficient. It is caused by some bad condition of roots; soil is not suit for the plant, little nutrition is in the soil or too much or little water is served. So, the solution is easy. To make the best status of soil.

references

http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/u/Garden_Pests_and_Problems.htm

Mypedia (encyclopedia)

http://www.yates.co.nz/problem-solver/problems/rose-black-spot/
http://blogs.cornell.edu/vien-interns/2011/07/11/mildew-madness/
http://www.sanelijo.org/animal-guide/spittle-bug