The Train Show at The Domes

The Train Show at The Domes
January 23, 2010

Yesterday I posted about our visit to the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Train Show was the featured exhibit in the show dome. This exhibit is their most popular and it is easy to see why it delights children and adults alike. I took several short videos of the trains in action. The Train Show included a free copy of Beginning Garden Railroading, a supplement to Garden Railways Magazine and 21 Plant Portraits another supplement to Garden Railways Magazine. Both are quite informative resources for those interesting in setting up their own garden railway.

The Train Show

The Train Show is impressive to say the least. It fills the centre of the dome with a meandering path bordered by a large garden bed running along the perimeter of the dome. There is a wonderful little pond in the centre with bridges for the trains to pass over.

Surprisingly the show dome was quite cool the day we visited so we kept our coats on. The greenery mixed with flowering plants were total eye candy. Since this dome changes exhibits (garden themes) many of the plants in centre display area are planted in pots for easy dismantling but you have to look close to notice that. The attention to detail is incredible!

Attention to Detail

We have visited several train shows and we are always impressed at the incredible detain the railroader hobbyists build into their displays. This train show did not disappoint. Intricate to scale buildings complete with people, animals and vehicles highlighted the exhibit all landscaped with real plants. There are working street lights, traffic signs, hydro lines and just so much more! Pictured is four views of some of this detail just to give you an idea.

Constructing a garden railway combines two hobbies, gardening and railway. A lot of times it becomes one that both husband and wife can enjoy together. I'm not so sure a garden railway would work well in our zone as we get snow and freezing temperatures during the winter months. It is something I'm researching because it just looks like a fun garden theme to set up then watch as it evolves. The grandkids would find it quite delightful!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes)

The Domes
January 23, 2010

We love visiting conservatories during the winter months. It is a lovely way to enjoy a bit of warmth and greenery. We had an opportunity to visit the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) located at 524 S. Layton Blvd. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The conservatory consists of three large domes with three themes. The first is the floral show dome which changes based on the current show. We were lucky enough to visit during the railroad show, one of their most popular shows. A schedule of the shows is available. The second dome features desert plants (arid dome) while the third dome features tropical plants. The connecting enclosed hall houses the entrance, a small sitting area, a couple of snakes and a turtle behind glass, an information area and small gift shop. Admission is $6 for adults with group discount and other discounts available.

The next few posts will feature some of the plants and sights we enjoyed when we visited The Domes. It was a cold day when we visited and surprisingly both the show and desert domes were cold enough to need a coat. It was still quite enjoyable!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Conservatories

During the cold of winter one of the most pleasant activities a gardener can do is to visit a conservatory.  It is quite pleasant wandering through the paths in a conservatory stopping to enjoy the plants and a bit of warm out of the winter weather.  The peace and lush growth soothes the soul while the mind comes alive with all the possibilities for the up coming growing season.  What I really enjoy too is seeing the plants that I know won't grow well outdoors in my zone.  Some conservatories have birds flitting around while larger ones like in the Ontario Science Centre have smaller amphibians as well. 

I alway take my camera so I can get pictures of those plants I'm interested in growing.  Seeing these plants at their mature sizes gives a better idea as to whether they will fit into the space I have in mind.  I also take a small notebook to record any additional ideas.  Most digital cameras will take fairly decent pictures of the plant identification tags so the notebook is more to record things such as approximate size of the plant as well as what I liked or didn't like about the plant.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Gearing Up for Spring

My gosh!  Coming up with something garden related to write about in January is difficult.  There is little going on besides garden planning and browsing through the seed catalogues.  I usually let the indoor garden dwindle as we take a 7 to 10 day vacation each January so like to reduce the indoor temperature as low as possible while gone.  Any cold hardy indoor plants are fine as one of the kids stop by to check the house and water the plants.  By the time we leave for vacation I've already ordered seeds and have started getting everything ready to start plants shortly after arriving home.  Within a week or so of getting home the first of the seeds start arriving.  It won't be long now that I will be able to start reporting on seeds, seedlings and this year's garden plans.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Importance of Snow

Snow Covered Garden Beds
January 8, 2010

Friday we received our first snow storm of the winter considerably later than normal. Usually we have snow flurries as early as October with some accumulation in November and even heavy accumulation in December. This year we received no accumulation until January. Why is that a concern? Snowfall is part of the annual precipitation for the area. Those in rural communities growing commercially know a low snowfall can mean the soil is too dry in the spring. Spring runoff from the thawing ground and melting snow makes its way to ditches where it ends up running into tertiary and secondary waterways. It replenishes the marshlands that is home to a large variety of waterfowl and other wildlife. In the end the spring thaw ends up in the Great Lakes and connecting waterways.

In recent years we have seen falling water levels in the waters in the Great Lakes waterways. We live on the water so see first hand the falling levels. We have a boat and have heard some insurance companies will no longer insure some boats because of the lower water levels. This past summer we saw unseasonably cold with a bit more rain than normal but not enough to compensate for the drier fall and lack of precipitation so far this winter. I don't know if these changing weather patterns are part of a normal weather cycle or a further indication of global warming. At any rate the lack of precipitation in our area will affect our growing season this year.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

A Taste of Summer - Yellow Petunias

Yellow Petunias
June 14, 2009

I have always loved yellow petunias. The problem is they are annuals here and hard to find. Pinks, reds, purples and fuschia tends to be the most popular petunia colours. Last year I did a lot of petunia seed collection specifically yellow petunias. I am really looking forward to an abundance of yellow petunias this year!
Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Looking Back On 2009 and Forward to 2010

Oh my gosh looking back on my gardening adventures in 2009 is exciting. After moving here in 2007 we basically spent a lot of time and energy doing an incredible amount of ripping out. The grounds were so over grown and in many cases so poorly planned we had little choice. In 2009 we saw the first of the vegetables beds go in and even though they were late getting started we had a good yield. The important thing that we accomplished was partially re-establishing the herb bed. We did however have a few setbacks.

The entertainment zone suffered a huge setback in 2009 with a good portion of the newly sodded yard being dug up for emergency plumbing problems. That resulted in a good 100 ft trench that was roughly recovered and we were told to let it settle a good year before leveling off, top soiled and seeding so that was a bit depressing but it solved a serious flooding problem in the house so the lesser of two evils. The work zone is still in progress but we made a lot of headway. The front zone looks a lot better with some of the undergrowth removed. All in all despite the set-backs I'm happy with our progress.

I have a lot of garden plans for 2010! More raised beds will be going into the work zone and we will be adding a low fence to keep the rabbits out. There will be a lot of work going on in the work zone with removing the remaining stumps and rock then replanting with a low growing, rodent unfriendly vegetation to soften the hard edges of the brick. Rodent control is extremely important here! I'm thinking snow in summer would look nice but we'll see. There will be a lot of work going on in the one side yard as well and we may start into the entertainment zone as well at least as far as intalling a new dock. So stay tuned to see how my gardens progress in 2010!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Welcome 2010 from Garden Gnome Wanderings

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009