Boston Commons

I had the great pleasure of traveling to Boston this past week for an audiology conference where I learned a lot and had a ton of fun. Of course I couldn't walk through the old historic streets and parks without taking a few pictures to share. Unfortunately the beautiful warm weather along the east coast decided to disappear while I was in Boston. However, the cloudy sky actually made it easier to take pictures.
Boston Commons is the large park right in the middle of the city and this is where most of the shots are from. Hopefully I will be able to go back to Boston when all the flowers are in full bloom but the bones of the park were still great to see.

ENJOY!

Blooming trees along the street

Public Garden started in 1837

These strips of pansies brought some color to the landscape.

The grounds of Boston Commons

Gate to the Commons

Old South Church I believe

Paul Revere's Tomb

Graveyard where Paul Revere is buried. Interesting to see tombs date back to the 18th century.

Hawaiian Jewelry Made From Nature

At the 2012 Philadelphia Flower Show there was a whole display of accessories made out of flowers and other natural elements. Hair combs, necklaces, charm bracelets and handbags were all on display and they attracted lots of attention. Although all of the pieces were made out of unusual materials, they were still functional and wearable. A card accompanied each item with the raw elements so that you could decipher what was in each piece. The above necklace is made from hydrangea, ivy, reed, rhododendron sea pod, juniper berry, grapevine and wax flower.

The hair combs below mostly feature orchids in keeping with the Hawaiian theme.

This comb used real leaves to look like an orchid.

This comb used seeds as the main element.

Charm Bracelet.  Made from:  ivy vine, lemon leaf, protea, daffodil petal, black bean, pine nut, setaria, paperwhite petals, fern and an acorn.

The green 'beads' in this necklace are actually made from almonds and the 'fringe' is sago palm.

The theme for the handbags was to make an evening bag that was inspired by the ocean.

Palm tree bark was used to make the look of the waves.

The blue balls are all white peppercorns that have been colored.

Maybe you will be inspired go out and collect something from your yard to make yourself a unique fashion piece.

Pittsburgh Spring

Crab Apple Blossoms

So spring has decided to come early here in Pittsburgh which I am certainly not complaining about. The daffodils and crocuses are spreading their petals and the trees are covered in lovely blooms. While walking to class this afternoon I stopped to take some pictures of the lovely signs of spring. I really the like contrast of the beautiful flowers and trees against the architecture of the city.

Flowering white crab apple tree in front of Bellfield Towers

Magnolia Tree and Heinz Chapel

Redbud tree outside of Bellfield Hall.

 I couldn't decide which of the two close ups I liked better, so I decided to put up both.

Outside of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Art

Love the arching of the trees

Can't believe I am in the middle of the city.

Cathedral of Learning and Stephen Foster Memorial with beds of daffodils in Schenley Plaza.

Magnolia and cherry trees on the lawn of the William Pitt Union

Magnificent Magnolia

Upside Down Cherry Tree

I hope this encourages you take a walk outside and take in the beauty and warmth of spring in your own neighborhood.

Hawaiian Wave

One of the first large installments at the Philadelphia Flower show this year was a giant wave made out of plastic, lights and of course flowers. As you walked underneath it you noticed how moving pictures were interspersed with rows of white orchids and anthuriums (Flamingo Flowers). The display called 'Wave' was created by Valley Forge Flowers and won an award for the beautiful orchids that they showed.

Walking under the wave.

White orchids that won an award.

Stripes of flowers.

The curve of the structure gave the illusion of movement.

There were lots of large installments and displays that I will post about soon.

Terrariums and Tulips

 I had the pleasure this week to visit the 2012 Philadelphia Flower Show where the theme was Hawaii! Large landscapes and installations featured native flora such as birds of paradise, palm trees and of course orchids. I spent hours walking through the convention center with my mom looking at all of the displays and some of vendors, taking close to 400 pictures. I'll have more than enough topics to share over the next month.

Some of the first things that I saw when walking into the convention center hall were the small individual plants and terrariums. Terrariums are probably one of my favorite forms of displaying plants and flowers and I was not disappointed by the entries at the flower show. I think that not only do you have to a well maintained and thriving plant but an interesting container in which to display it.The terrariums were grouped on the size of the containers and number of plants each housed. I tend to prefer larger structures with multiple plants.
Here are some pictures of some my favorites; I couldn't get the best angle on some of them because of the large crowd.

The group of large containers with multiple plants.

I really like the uniqueness of this terrarium.

Such an interesting container!

Smaller container with a single flower variety.

Right next to the terrariums were rows of brightly colored pots of tulips. Nothing says spring is here more than a beautiful bunch of tulips, unless of course it is the daffodils right beside them. However, I must admit to preferring the arrays of colorful tulips and thus took numerous pictures as opposed to only one daffodil shot.
Enjoy!

Some of the beautiful tulip entries.

Tulipa Acuminata

Tulipa 'Pinocchio'

Tulipa 'Tom Pouce'

Tulipa 'Foxtrot': Blue Ribbon Winner

Narcissus 'Accent': My lone daffodil picture. I like the unique coloring.