Native Son: On the Road Again…

Left Longview, Texas, headed off for Columbus, Ohio, to attend the Cultivate ’23 show, but I wound up in St. Louis, Missouri instead. Stupid GPS! Maddening gadget! Nagging voice constantly telling me to turn around! And those are the exact reasons I don’t own one.

Big rivers around here. Big bridges, too. This is the confluence where the mighty Missouri River joins the mammoth Mississippi. Barges, mostly. No riverboats … though if you think of Mark Twain, you might catch a rare glimpse of one.

So I pick up Mike, my best friend from high school, just across the river in Alton, Illinois. “Whaddaya wanna do first?” I couldn’t waste the opportunity…”Well … when In MO, one must MOBOT.” (Yes, I’ve been weird since high school.) So we head off to explore Shaw’s Garden…

Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest public gardens in the US, with displays and gardens spread out over 79 acres. The main features are Seiwa-en (at 14 acres, the largest Japanese Garden in America), the Climatron Conservatory, a wonderful Children’s Garden, amazing building architecture, and the hidden treasure of a herbarium with almost 7 million specimens!

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Now, granted, the very idea that 7 million meticulously-organized, completely dead plants … yes, dead plants … will ever draw hordes of people is, of course, ridiculous. I get it. You get it. They get it, too. That being said, if you are seriously into botany or horticulture, this herbarium is your Val Halla. You simply cannot leave a herbarium without being smarter. (In Texas, Barney the Botanist over at BRIT in Fort Worth is the BOMB! Go see him!)

So we get to the garden and what do you know … turns out they’re hosting a cheesy little artsy-schmartsy exhibit there … some glass-blowing fellow named Dale somethin’ or other … I go on in anyway, ready to gaze upon a collection of cheap glass ashtrays, I suppose.

Are.you.crazy??? It’s a CHIHULY show! LET’S GOOOOOOOO!!!

Above: This groovalicious yellow tower glass sculpture constantly changes with the light or angle.
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Above: The reflecting pools do essentially the same thing, and have since they were built in 1913. The elevated statues soaring over a pirogue full of phantasmical glass floating among the massive Victoria water platters is worth the double take. Click image for larger view.

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Above: The Climatron Conservatory features this gorgeous glass bowl ensemble in a tropical setting. Over near the Japanese Garden, crimson glass shafts dramatically rise from a karesansui, or dry garden. Click image for larger view.
Well, I thought it should be named, “Under the Golden Arches,” but that would probably get the lawyers excited. Click image for larger view.
Nothing screams color like Chihuly. Click image for larger view.
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Above: Just a taste of the magnificent blending of architecture and horticulture to be found throughout MOBOT. Click image for larger view.
The Japanese Garden is finely crafted and kept well-groomed. Click image for larger view.
I have waited decades to walk this famous bridge, named Yatsuhashi … and it was worth it. To walk it is to become one with it. Obviously, it makes you slow down, but it makes you walk differently, more cautiously, and in a weird pattern … who walks in zig-zag?. The chunky construction reassures you that it will not falter, which makes you realize the journey is entirely up to you. I felt like it was a bit of a clever mind game between the designer and me. I took it personal. Hmmm … kind of like when I’m trying to find clove oil in a Piggly Wiggly.
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Above: Simplicity and precision are the hallmarks of Japanese Gardens. Click image for larger view.

Suddenly, it’s off to Cultivate, North America’s largest horticultural trade show in beautiful Columbus, Ohio!

Okay, plantaholics! This is your moment … and I’m sorry I can’t show you literally hundreds more. That “fingery” plant is – I think – a form of Crassula quadrangularis – hmmm, maybe – okay, possibly — but probably. Likely.

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“A Crassula by any other name would look as cool.” — Steviespeare”

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Just might be…

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Almost certainly is…

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“If it ain’t it, it oughta be.”

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After three days of submersion in the convention center cave and I must come up for air, so we head down to the Franklin Park Conservatory.

The John F. Wolfe Palm House is one of several conservatories in Franklin Park, Columbus, Ohio, clustered together to form one complete experience. Click image for larger view.

This is what I live for … horticultural greatness, sprinkled with some razzle-dazzle and…
What’s that? My deadline for this article has arrived? Oh my. I guess I’ll have to pick this up next month, but I do want to tell you…

There’s more Chihuly! They’ve been touched by his glassworks in Columbus as well! Click image for larger view.

Just so you know … the Longview (Texas) Arboretum & Nature Center is OPEN! Summer Hours (July 1 to September 1) are 7am-3pm, Wednesday through Saturday; Sunday 12 noon-5pm. Come out and see us! And bring your own brand of Zen! 903-212-2181 Longviewarboretum.org.

I need a road trip! Let me know if you’d like me to come and speak to your group sometime. I’m low maintenance, flexible, and you know I like to go just about anywhere. No city too big; no town too small. Just send me an e-mail at stevenchamblee@yahoo.com and we’ll work something out.

Posted by Steven Chamblee

About the Author

Steven Chamblee is a regular contributor to Neil Sperry’s e-gardens newsletter.

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