Crochet Coral Reef Exhibit

Last month, I just happened to be in Roanoke, Virginia and luckily saw the coolest Art Exhibit at the Olin Hall Gallery on the Roanoke College Campus featuring the most colorful array of Crochet Sea Creatures!  The Institute for Figuring out of Los Angeles, CA gets local citizens to create handmade Hyperbolic Coral Reef objects and then they are assembled into art displays.  Each community creates their very own creatures and exhibit.

The premise of the exhibit is to creatively generate community awareness about scientific and environmental matters.  Coral reefs are experiencing severe damage due to man made environmental toxins. To illustrate this, crochet sea creatures and their habitats were created by hundreds of volunteers giving a fascinating look at the beauty of the reef and the devastation that occurs when environmental damage destroys them.  The bright colors in a healthy natural Reef were juxtaposed against the large display of a stark white sick Reef.

The haunting mass of the stone cold white Reef illustrates what happens when pollution takes it's toll.  The life of the Reef is sucked out and replaced with a dead barren floating dead barge.

One display used a sewer pipe as the focal point with crochet sea creatures amassed around the foreign object.  It was the only sound in the exhibit - the sound of constantly running sewage dripping from the pipe.

It was a beautiful and thought provoking exhibit and sadly it has been taken down.  This had to be my favorite exhibit I've ever seen.

Communities can apply to host a project just like this, maybe a gallery in Charlottesville will take it on.

-Rebecca

Stardreamer Daylily Farm

Yesterday the Gardening Group of the Newcomers Club of Greater Charlottesville visited the gardens of Daylily collectors, Carol and Dave Sarginger. 

Stardreamer Daylilies is located in Ruckersville, Virginia just north of Charlottesville.  Tucked at the edge of the woods in a rural neighborhood and surrounding a horse pasture is an explosion of over 1,500 colorful Daylily varieties.

Carol digs up a generous portion.

Carol conducted an interesting discussion about her recent experimentation with hybridizing Daylilies and her years of cultivation and love for this plant.  Afterwards, we each headed out with our Daylily inventory price list to examine and select our favorite Daylilies.  The internet provides an easy way to purchase plants but it was so much more enjoyable to roam Carols gardens and rank your top varieties.  Carol owns what I call a "point and dig" (you point and she digs).  At one time I nearly opened such an operation but life interrupted that path (something, oh I don't know, like a JOB).  I was one of the last gardeners to leave, enjoying watching what each person selected and helping Carol a little with check out. 

Neon Flamingo, for the collector, $150.00.

Given there are 1,500 varieties to choose from, several of us toiled over which varieties we liked the best and should purchase.  In my final evaluation, I wanted a double variety but I also wanted a color that was different than the Daylilies that I already have... so.... you can never buy just one... I really had no business buying more plants... but once you get there and see all the possibilities you HAVE to buy at least one... I had my mind set to NOT BUY ANY MORE PLANTS... but what the hell... you most likely only live once... so, IN THE END... I selected a dwarf double multicolor called Two to Tango and a delicate single lavender, Moonlight Orchid.  Both are now planted in my garden right below one of my rose trellis posts and are actually blooming.

My little floriferous Two to Tango

Daylily prices range from $5.00 for some of the darling dwarf varieties and up to $250.00 for some of the rare and "knock your socks off" varieties. The marjority are priced around $10.00 - $20.00 and I always like supporting a local fellow plant lover (and it doesn't hurt that she is a Trekkie). It's is obvious Daylilies are Carol's passion as she has collected them since a teenager.  If you are in the area, this is a must Summer stop for any plant lover.  Their gardens are open on a "catch them if home" basis or by prior arrangement.

-Rebecca