SRI LANKA--BEAUTIFUL GARDENS, TEA PLANTATIONS and MORE, Part 2: A Guest Post by Susan Kean

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George went on a trip to Sri Lanka in March, touring the island country with a focus on plants and gardens. Susan has graciously shared her impressions and photos with The Intrepid Tourist. Thank you, Susan! This is the second of two parts.

Different types of tea. When the country changed its name to Sri Lanka, they kept the Ceylon name for the tea, as it was well-known worldwide.

The next part of the trip was a visit to a tea plantation and Victoria park in Nuwara Eliya, part of the town that is known as little England. They have a Turf Club with horse racing. Generally there are very few horses in Sri Lanka--all the cart pulling and farming is done by cattle.

Picking tea.

Chest of tea.

The Tea Plantation we visited was Glenloch Estate founded in 1917. All the tea is hand- picked. We saw how the tea is dried, shredded and allowed to ferment. Then it is sorted into different size leaf pieces and the leaf stems are removed.

Enjoying a cup of Orange Pekoe tea. Thank you to our guide Nuwan for the photo.

Our trip to Sri Lanka was primarily to look at plants. It is a lush verdant island. They say everything ever planted has grown! We experienced the hot humid lower regions as well as the cooler higher areas. There are dry zones and wetter rain forests and everything in between. Because there are so many flowers, there are amazing butterflies. Large 6” across to tiny ones. I didn’t have much luck photographing them!

Rice paddies. 

Rice is grown in large paddies. The beige brown line along the side of the road is rice drying. The locals lay it out to dry along the side of the road and drivers respect that. One place they had rice halfway across the road and drivers had to pass on the other side!

Terraced gardens.

In the cooler areas the hillsides were terraced to grow vegetables

Lunch dishes.

Our meals were lots of variety of curry and accompaniments. Beer seems to be the favorite alcoholic drink. Though wine is not common, we found some! We also got to sample toddy, their local drink made from fishtail palm.

Girls on their way to school.

We saw girls going to school wearing white uniforms and long ties. The population is as highly educated as the US up to High School graduation. Fewer go on to University. It is much more competitive.

Beautifully laid out bedding plants in Victoria Park.

Sri Lanka is a bit smaller than Ireland with a population of about 23 million … Ireland has about 5 million! In US terms it is similar to the size of West Virginia! They export textiles, tea and spices.

Buddhist shrine.

Religion-wise it is primarily Buddhist, with about 10% each Hindu and Muslim. About 7 % are Christian. Our experience was that the people of Sri Lanka seem to be a gentle people. We never heard a raised voice! They seem to drive well. We covered a lot of miles and saw NO traffic accidents even though there is a lot of traffic. 

In the orchid house at the Botanic Garden.

NATURE AS ARTIST: HAWAII TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN, Hilo, HawaII

Malay Rose at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Hilo, Hawaii

One of our favorite places on the Big Island of Hawaii is the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo, a treasure trove of tropical plants from around the world. We visit the garden every time we are in Hawaii and I have written about it numerous times on this blog. (See links below for reports and photos from previous trips.) 

The giant leaves of this fan palm explode in a geometrical pattern.

No matter how many times we visit, it is always a new experience depending on the weather, time of day, and the constantly changing growth cycle of the plants. On this trip I was struck once again by the incredible variety of nature-- from big to small, simple to complex, subtle to brilliant, patterns of all kinds—all juxtaposed in the lush background of the steep coastal canyon. It was hard to stop taking pictures, each one becoming another canvas in nature’s art gallery. Here are just a few of my favorites!

The flower on this plant is like a tiny, elegant vase complete with its own blossom

The basket fern encircles the trunk of a tree, like a giant green bowl.

The brilliant blossom on the powder puff tree is hard to miss.

 Look closely at the center of each bloom for what looks like a tiny face. This is just one of hundreds of varieties of orchids displayed throughout the garden.

A tiny lizard is hiding in this flower. Can you find it? It wasn't until I looked at the photo after I got home that I saw it.

These are among dozens of varieties of ginger displayed in the garden.

These leaves overlap one another like an abstract painting.

The dark dots and stripes almost seem to be painted on these leaves, as if they were made of  ceramic.

The colors of this heliconia bloom are almost glow-in-the-dark. The plants are sometimes called lobster claws.

I love how the names of the plants often reflect how they look. Not surprisingly, this flower is called cat's whiskers.

Tickets to enter the garden are purchased at the gift shop next to the parking area. An annex to the gift shop has interesting displays of items collected by the Lutkenhouse family (who built and founded the garden) that reveal some of the early history of the area. Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse founded the garden in 1978 and opened it to the public in 1984. It is now operated as a non-profit corporation. Admission for a day is $25 for adults, children ages 6 - 16 are $12. Children under 6 are free.

Directions: The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located on the 4-mile scenic drive off of Highway 19 (turn off just after the 7 mile marker). The scenic route goes through dense rainforest. This side of the Big Island is the rainy side, and, in fact, there was a small shower just before we arrived at the garden on our recent visit. (The gift shop provides umbrellas if needed.) But, whatever the weather or time of day, the garden is always worth a visit.

Report of our visit in 2015: https://theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com/2015/05/hawaii-tropical-botanical-garden-hilo.html

Report from 2012: https://theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com/2012/04/hawaiis-big-island-hilo-side.html

IMAGINARY WORLDS at the Atlanta Botanical Garden by Caroline Arnold at The Intrepid Tourist

52 Places to Go: Week 14

Peacock living sculpture inside the orchid house at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

(Note: This article was originally posted in July 2018. For information on current exhibits and visiting the Atlanta Botanical Garden, check their website.)

A fearsome dragon, a caravan of camels, a spectacular peacock and a giant Earth goddess, all created from living plants, are just a few of the many delights of the Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time exhibit in the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The exhibit is mounted in partnership with the International Mosaiculture of Montreal.

Chiluly glass sculpture, fountain at the Levy Parterre

In May, on a brief trip to Atlanta, I had the morning free and decided to visit the Botanical Garden, located in Piedmont Park, about a twenty-minute walk from my hotel in Mid-town. It was a beautiful sunny day and I joined other visitors and numerous school groups touring the garden.

Detail of Dragon sculpture; plants are plugged into a metal framework stuffed with planting mixture

The pieces in the exhibit are positioned throughout the garden along with the permanent plantings. They are created with a process known as mosaiculture. Mosaiculture first became popular in Europe in the 16th century as wealthy landowners commissioned elaborate three-dimensional gardens, or “embroidery beds,” for enjoying up close or at a distance. (By the late 1860's, the term “mosaiculture” was used for the first time in France, referring to the mosaic-like appearance of the surfaces of planted sculptures.)

Once Upon a Time "Storybook"

After purchasing my ticket and entering the garden I was greeted by the Storybooks sculpture. There I opted to go left toward the rose garden, great lawn and greenhouses. At the edge of the great lawn a huge dragon, who appeared ready to take flight, dominated the scene.

Dragon, mounted in the rock garden

From there I made my way toward the orchid center. On much of my tour I ended up following a school group taking a docent guided tour. At the Bogs and Poison Plant garden the kids were squatting on the ground trying to get a close-up looks at the Venus fly-traps and poking them with sticks to try to get them to snap shut.

Orchids

The orchid house is truly spectacular, with orchids of every size, shape and color. In the center was a giant peacock, part of the Imaginary World exhibit.

Earth Goddess at the Cascades Garden

I then circled back to the entrance passing through the peaceful Japanese garden and taking the bridge to the Kendeda canopy walk where I got a view of the Earth Goddess presiding over the refreshing Cascades Garden. She has become a permanent feature of the Botanical Garden. The rest of the sculptures except for the Shaggy Dog are temporary.

Mammoth

On my way back to the entrance I almost missed the mammoth with its giant tusks, peeking through the greenery. For a moment, I thought it was real!

Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time was on view May-October 2018.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is currently open to visitors but with limited capacity. Timed tickets and Covid rules are in place.
For more information go to www.atlantabg.org

IMAGINARY WORLDS at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Peacock living sculpture inside the orchid house at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

A fearsome dragon, a caravan of camels, a spectacular peacock and a giant Earth goddess, all created from living plants, are just a few of the many delights of the Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time exhibit in the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The exhibit is mounted in partnership with the International Mosaiculture of Montreal.

Chiluly glass sculpture, fountain at the Levy Parterre

In May, on a brief trip to Atlanta, I had the morning free and decided to visit the Botanical Garden, located in Piedmont Park, about a twenty-minute walk from my hotel in Mid-town. It was a beautiful sunny day and I joined other visitors and numerous school groups touring the garden.

Detail of Dragon sculpture; plants are plugged into a metal framework stuffed with planting mixture

The pieces in the exhibit are positioned throughout the garden along with the permanent plantings. They are created with a process known as mosaiculture. Mosaiculture first became popular in Europe in the 16th century as wealthy landowners commissioned elaborate three-dimensional gardens, or “embroidery beds,” for enjoying up close or at a distance. (By the late 1860's, the term “mosaiculture” was used for the first time in France, referring to the mosaic-like appearance of the surfaces of planted sculptures.)

Once Upon a Time "Storybook"

After purchasing my ticket and entering the garden I was greeted by the Storybooks sculpture. There I opted to go left toward the rose garden, great lawn and greenhouses. At the edge of the great lawn a huge dragon, who appeared ready to take flight, dominated the scene.

Dragon, mounted in the rock garden

From there I made my way toward the orchid center. On much of my tour I ended up following a school group taking a docent guided tour. At the Bogs and Poison Plant garden the kids were squatting on the ground trying to get a close-up looks at the Venus fly-traps and poking them with sticks to try to get them to snap shut.

Orchids

The orchid house is truly spectacular, with orchids of every size, shape and color. In the center was a giant peacock, part of the Imaginary World exhibit.

Earth Goddess at the Cascades Garden

I then circled back to the entrance passing through the peaceful Japanese garden and taking the bridge to the Kendeda canopy walk where I got a view of the Earth Goddess presiding over the refreshing Cascades Garden. She has become a permanent feature of the Botanical Garden. The rest of the sculptures except for the Shaggy Dog are temporary.

Mammoth

On my way back to the entrance I almost missed the mammoth with its giant tusks, peeking through the greenery. For a moment, I thought it was real!

Imaginary Worlds: Once Upon a Time will be on view May-October 2018.
For more information go to www.atlantabg.org