garden : kiku


singular in number : creates many : incredible blooms

Ohayo : Good Morning -

The best gift Scott ever gave to me was a $35 membership to the New York Botanical Garden. Over the years, we have spent countless hours exploring the "Disneyland" of botanical gardens. Currently, they have a magnificent exhibit featuring kiku, which is the art of the Japanese chrysanthemum. This is what they say about it -

"The chrysanthemum, known as kiku, is perhaps the most revered of the fall-flowering plants in Japan. For centuries the secrets of its cultivation were carefully guarded. But during a five-year cultural exchange, The New York Botanical Garden learned the time-honored growing techniques and display styles to become the first garden outside of Japan to showcase the art of kiku in the Imperial style."

We visited the exhibit this week (luckily, before the winds and rain this weekend) and I wanted to share some photos with you. There was also a wonderful Bonsai exhibit in the Conservatory and I'll have those pics next time.
Hope you all had a very nice weekend!

Matane : See you, Cindy


Conservatory


Bamboo sculpture by artist Tetsunori Kawana


A web of bamboo.


Shino-tsukuri : driving rain. Each color group = one plant!


So tall and straight.


Ogiku : single-stem.


Bonsai.


Chrysanthemums and stones.


Feels like an ocean of blooms hitting the breakers.


Fall color.


Golden.


Delicate bloom.


Ozukuri : thousand bloom. Each color group = one plant!


This is my favorite style.


Kengai : cascade. Each color group = one plant!


Bonsai.


Chrysanthemums and stones.


Fall color.

21 comments:

Michelle Engel Bencsko said...

How DO they get mums and plants to grow in such perfect placement?! These gardens are amazing. I wish we had the time to get there for fall- I have never been in the Autumn. It's obviously a sight to behold.

Jude said...

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Thanks for sharing these. I also appreciate my Atlanta Botanical Garden membership and love to spend time there. In addition to the gorgeous flowers and plants, they always have something fun going on. Have a good Monday!

aimee said...

wow...that is artwork in bloom! what beautiful mums - mine only survived two weeks before the squirrels got them. now they look like lopsided sculptures!

onesilentwinter said...

Thank you thank you for these- it is a magical place!

Krissy | Paper Schmaper said...

gorgeous!! Looks like one beautiful weekend.

please sir said...

This looks SO AMAZING - wish I could see it in person, but these photos sure do help!

Cindy said...

thanks ladies - it is incredible! i'd like to go back and just look at everything without taking pictures. it's such a different experience.

jude, i bet the garden in atlanta is wonderful.

aimee, i think what you have now is 'abstract kiku' ;)!

Unknown said...

oh, how beautiful!! and i just read jude's comment above and was reminded to visit the atlanta botanical gardens again-- my my, the beauty of plants and the natural world never fails to thrill me!

Mrs.French said...

thank you so much for taking us with you...your photos are stunning...as always deary...xoxo

Megan Coyle said...

these are gorgeous pictures, it looks like you had a wonderful time. thank you for sharing these--I especially like the shots of the woven bamboo.

SimplyGrove said...

Hey Cindy!!
Come over to my blog for a table giveaway:)

Cindy said...

you ladies are most welcome! thank you!

Helene said...

Wow! That is just a beautiful place. Everything is just so interesting!

ELK said...

the visit here thru your photos was so rich~blessings

Cindy said...

i'm so happy you guys are enjoyed the exhibit!

yasmine said...

holy cow that's such a beautiful place! and i can only imagine how gorgeous the leaves are now in person! i don't think i've ever been to a 4 seasons state during the fall.

Cindy said...

thanks yas!

Suzanne : : S.HOPtalk said...

Cindy:

I'm still catching up this week and boy have I missed out. These photos are stunning...wow. I love that Scott gave you the membership as a gift--so thoughtful!

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous experience!! Thank you for sharing these incredible photos. My favorite is the Kengai series...I can't believe each is its own plant! I actually just returned home from lunch at our local Japanese Friendship Garden, which always makes me feel quite zenful.

Cindy said...

i know grace - the patience it must take. i don't have it and i'm glad there are others who do!

Cindy said...

Hi Suzanne - Sometimes, the best gifts are the least expensive. I'm glad you're feeling better, I missed you round these parts.