Phelps Collection, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries, Columbia, SC

The camellia is the subject of an online exhibit at the University of South Carolina, Phelps Memorial Collection of Garden Books.  Mrs. Sheffield Phelps and her daughter, Claudia Lea, (1930s-1950s) the donors of the Library’s collection of garden books, were past presidents of the Garden Club of South Carolina and their garden, Rose Hill,  in Aiken was well-known for its trees, shrubs and camellias.

Phelps Collection, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries, Columbia, SC

The origin of the name, camellia, can be traced to Georg Joseph Camel, a German Jesuit missionary and pioneer botanist in the Far East (1661-1706).  Another German, Andreas Cleper  brought back dried camellia specimens from Japan in the 1680s.  He named the plant, Thea chinensis.  The German botanical artist, Ehret used the Japanese name for the camellia plant, tsabekki.  The second colored plate shown here of the camellia ( images are from the Phelps Collection) was painted by George Edwards and is called, the “Chinese Rose” in Lord Petre Stoves at Thorndon Hall in Essex garden.  Edwards said, “I drew from nature, this beautiful flaming tree.”

This article was extracted from the text of Patrick Scott, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections.

Turrell at Roden Crater, Copyright: James Turrell, Photo By: Florian Holzherr.

James Turrell Perspectives, a new exhibit featuring the premier of a new installation entitled St. Elmo’s Light, is now on view at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD. James Turrell is an internationally-acclaimed light and space artist whose work can be found in collections worldwide. Over more than six decades he has pursued his fascination with the phenomena of light to create striking works that play with the perception and the effect of light within a created space.  Since 1974, Turrell has been converting a dormant volcano in Arizona, Roden Crater, into a monumental work of art. James Turrell Perspectives is concurrent with the artist’s retrospectives at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

James Turrell Perspectives will emphasize the issues and ideas that have been at the core of Turrell’s work. The artist, who resides part time on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and his team are collaborating fully on the project. The exhibition consists of four components, installed in four ground floor galleries in the Academy Art Museum, including a room of holograms, the site-specific light installation, a selection of photographs and plans and a set of bronze and plaster models related to the Roden Crater project in Arizona. Together these four parts will focus on Turrell’s fascination with both the room of holograms, the site-specific light installation, a selection of photographs and plans and a set of bronze and plaster models related to the Roden Crater project in Arizona. They will also introduce recurring themes in Turrell’s oeuvre related to geologic time and his efforts to give viewers a direct experience with the cosmos.

Photo #1: James Turrell, St. Elmo’s Breath, 1992, Private Collection, Copyright James Turrell, Photograph by Florian Holzherr.

The first part of the exhibition will be an “Aperture Installation” entitled “St. Elmo’s Light,” constructed ex-novo in the Museum’s Lederer Gallery. This new installation belongs to a category Turrell calls “Space Division Works” and is the third in a series that began in 1992 to examine the quality of light. Viewers will experience an interplay of space, forms and tone in a carefully crafted projection of light. The projections work on visual perceptions and the sense of light as a real physical material. Turrell comments about his installations, “I love making spaces that change as your looking changes, it’s not quite as if something’s looking back at you, but it’s about something that has a presence equal to yours, because the light inhabiting that space has a ‘thingness’ of its own.”

In addition to the direct visual experience, this installation has a strong conceptual component.  Although often associated with the minimalist and land art movements that have been prominent since the 1960s, James Turrell also has an affinity with artists like Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Caspar David Friedrich and J. M. W. Turner who were compelled to represent light in a way that also implied a greater meaning and conveyed something transcendent.

The second part of the exhibition will be the premier of eight holograms of abstract forms. The holograms will occupy the Healy Gallery that has been specially adjusted to enhance the visual experience.  These holographic images will introduce visitors to ideas that have engaged Turrell for decades: the duality of light, visual perception, dematerialization, the physical property of light, as well as the spiritual quality of light. Viewers may learn more about how Turrell tries to encode light with meaning.

James Turrell, Roden Crater Aerial Photograph. 1979 Photograph (carbon print), with Wild RC8 camera image 23” x 23 ¾”

The third and fourth components of the exhibition, a group of photographs and plans from Turrell’s personal collection and a set of recently constructed bronze and plaster models relate to the ongoing development of Roden Crater.  Although rarely tagged as a traditional photographer, Turrell was once an assistant to Ansel Adams. The photographs relate to Turrell’s interest in aviation, technology, landscape and time. They may be considered both within the context of the representation of landscape in America and as documentation of the Roden Crater project. The models will help viewers understand the spaces that Turrell has constructed within Roden Crater to facilitate celestial observation. They have been displayed on a limited basis in Munich and New York.

The exhibition, organized by Museum Director Erik Neil and Curator Anke Van Wagenberg, will be on display at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD, from April 20 through July 7, 2013, and is underwritten in part by the Dedalus Foundation, the Talbot County Arts Council and the MD State Arts Council, Ilex Construction, Inc., The Ravenal Foundation, as well as Thomas and Robin Clarke, Tim Kagan, Frank and Joan Kittredge, and Robert and Marsha Lonergan.  The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated checklist.

Van Wagenberg will provide curator-led tours on Friday, May 10; Thursday, May 23; and Friday, June 7, 2013 at 12 noon.  Admission to the Museum is $3 for non–members, children under 12 admitted free. The Museum is open Monday and Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with extended hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  The First Friday of each month, the Museum is open until 7 p.m.  The Museum is located at 106 South St., Easton, MD, 21601. For further information, call 410-822-ARTS (2787) or visit www.academyartmuseum.org

Hampton Mansion Gardens, Courtesy, Hampton National Historic Site, National Park Service

Eliza Ridgely was considered an accomplished gardener and horticulturist, her flowers came from her extensive gardens at the Hampton estate north of Baltimore. The American Farmer Magazine in 1854  deemed her gardens “as expressing more grandeur than anything in America.”

American Farmer Magazine also described the “sophisticated” watering system that Mrs. Ridgely employed in her gardens, “a reservoir at the mansion, from where it radiates to different sections of the garden, where hydrants are placed, and by a hose the entire garden can be watered at pleasure. Last summer, when all other places in the neighborhood were dry and barren, the flower garden at Hampton presented a gorgeous array of bloom. The Petunias, Verbenas, Geraniums, and other summer flowering plants, looked as though they lacked no moisture there.”

What is not in the above paragraph about gardening in the 1850s and particularly Mrs. Ridgely’s gardens piques interest.  Gardening manuals were just becoming in vogue in the U.S.  Andrew Downing was one of the first “go to” landscapers to capture the garden style of the day.  The great Crystal Palace in London was built in 1851  with an extensive watering system.  Mrs. Ridgely’s sophisticated irrigation practice as described in 1854 to keep her flowers from wilting in the humid high 80s and low 90s of a Baltimore summer showed ingenuity.  The petunias, verbenas and geraniums, all annual bedding plants are Victorian flowers.  Eliza appears to be ahead of the curve or on par with her English compatriots in her choice of plant material.

“A beautiful Swiss cottage of fine taste greets the weary at one end of the (Eliza’s) garden…” as described by The Horticulturist, June 1857.  Why Swiss? Perhaps Ms. Ridgely was enamored of the folly (French, folie,) an exotic ornamentation used in European gardens to remind one of things past.  Of course her gardens would not be complete without an Orangery, built in the Greek Revival style in ca. 1830 to over-winter her citrus plants.

Photo Courtesy: Hampton National Historic Site, National Park Service

Ladew Topiary Gardens, My Lady's Manor Steeple Chase Awaits, photo: CarlisleFlowers

Barbara Paul Robinson delighted the audience today with a talk about her book entitled, “Rosemary Verey, The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener.”  Ms. Verey, an author of 18 garden books, began her gardening career after a bad riding accident in the Cotswolds, England.  She wrote her first book at age 62; Ms. Robinson gave hope to her audience that a good gardener is not constrained by time. The jacket cover of Ms. Robinson’s book shows the classic view of Rosemary Verey’s garden, through five trellised laburnum (golden rain tree) reigning down and purple alliums reaching high.  Ms. Verey believed that the garden should look good all year round said Ms. Robinson, and Verey’s knot gardens in the winter, reminiscent of Elizabethan times, looked lovely, their greens intertwined with a dust of snow.

Barbara Robinson had the good fortune of gardening with Rosemary at her estate, Bornsley House in the Cotswolds.  The author showed the audience pictures of American gardens that Verey designed.  She was frequently inspired by other gardens which lead her to create The Becks Gardens in Lexington, Kentucky, and a potager garden for the New York Botanical Garden which is still in the design stage.  Prince Philip and Sir Elton John sought the advice and designs for their respective gardens.  Rosemary Verey’s name invokes herbaceous borders and the author was quick to point out that in order to plant in layers Ms. Verey ripped much of her plant material out to constantly plant again. Like Rosemary Verey whose husband was an architect, Barbara Robinson’s lovely gardens in Northern Connecticut are built with the follies, bridges and trellises that her husband designed and crafted.

A book signing by the author, Barbara Paul Robinson of, “Rosemary Verey, the Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener” followed with light refreshments in the Ladew Studio filled with pictures of Harvey Ladew, his books and window views of the hunt country, indeed a fine venue for a fine book.

Wonky Conker Tree and Helping Hand, credit: Tom Arno

The “Helping Hand”, which holds up the “Wonky Conker tree,” near Kingsley Statue on Bideford Quay in England, very nearly didn’t happen at all.  Some years before  its construction, it was decided to chop down the mature trees on the riverbank in order to facilitate the building of the new car park.
Many trees were sawn down on a Sunday before an outraged public became aware of the destruction.  One brave fellow sat by the “Wonky Conker”, successfully to save it from the chainsaws.
A few years later, Doug Jenkin of Torridge District Council telephoned me, explaining that the “Wonky Conker” was in need of some physical support.  He asked me if I had any ideas.
After mulling things over, we came up with the idea of a hand thrusting through the paving stones to support the large horizontal branch.  This idea was eventually approved and I set to work.
I bought some large lengths of oak from Torridge Hardwoods in Littleham, and with help and advice from my friend Barry Hughes, I worked out how to undertake the project.  Firstly, the branch was supported by a metal prop that had been set into the ground.  I then constructed the sleeve around the prop.  The next stage was to form the fingers from individual lengths of oak and bolt them all together.  Finally, the fingers, palm and thumb of the hand were set into the sleeve.
The “Helping Hand” project was covered in the local press, including an illustration of what was proposed.  At this stage, a lady called Mrs Mayhew contacted Torridge District Council to say that she would like to pay for its construction, in memory of her late husband Samuel.  This is why the initials S.T.M. and dates 1914-2000 were carved into the cuff.
The “Helping Hand” has been supporting the “Wonky Conker” for ten years.  It is well weathered and has become a much photographed landmark.   I hope that it will continue to give pleasure to Bidefordians and visitors for years to come.

John Butler. (See more of John’s work at his studio in Butchers’ Row,  Bideford Pannier Market).

Lecture by McKay Jenkins at Cylburn Arboretum, Wednesday, April 3rd, 7:00pm

Author of What’s Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World

In the past few years, scientists have become increasingly worried about the growing presence of synthetic chemicals in our bodies, and in our environment – and the connection these chemicals may have to cancer, hormonal imbalances, and many other diseases. These are not just the toxins leaking out of industrial dumps — they are the chemicals leaking into us from the products we use every day: from cosmetics, cookware, and the fabric in our upholstery; from pharmaceuticals in our drinking water and the pesticides we spray on our lawns. What’s Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World takes a clear-eyed look at the ways everyday things may be making us sick, and shows how we can protect ourselves by making wiser, healthier choices. It examines the way products are made and regulated (or, typically, not regulated);  the way synthetic chemicals enter our bodies, and the latest research about what this chemical “body burden” may be doing to our health. It looks at our shopping habits, our drinking water, and our lawn care, and it ponders the ways advertising and marketing have blinded us to some pretty obvious problems.

McKay Jenkins is the Cornelius Tilghman Professor of English, Journalism and Environmental Humanities at the University of Delaware where he has won the Excellence in Teaching Award.  J and many other publications. He lives in Baltimore with his family.

Anyone interested in learning more about the book can visit the author’s website, www.mckayjenkins.com.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.cylburn.org.   Please call the Cylburn Arboretum Association at 410-367-2217 for more information.

Cylburn Arboretum Association is a membership based organization dedicated to supporting, maintaining and improving the Cylburn Arboretum; its Mission is to protect Cylburn Arboretum as a place of open space, beauty, and learning; and to ensure the preservation, enhancement, and interpretation of the site’s gardens, woodlands, historic buildings and collections as educational, environmental, and recreational assets for the benefit of the City and citizens of Baltimore and surrounding regions.