Category Archives: fieldtrip

Tunnel of Trees

autumn, fieldtrip, rambling thoughts

This past weekend I traveled north into Zone 5a to take a drive with Mom G. and enjoy some autumn colors. She had already taken a handful of pictures that week around their property as the leaves started to turn.

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I really love this one!
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In the north eastern area of Lake Michigan there is a 16 mile stretch of scenic highway called the Tunnel of Trees. It is a popular destination in both the spring when the trillium are blooming and in the fall when the expansive stand of trees begin donning fall color. At each end of the drive there are small, northern towns. Here is a shot of the first.

101516_churchWe noticed the color hadn’t progressed as far as in Mom G’s town. When we drove along the lake, there really wasn’t much color, but boy was it a beautiful drive.

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At the other end of the drive we enjoyed a warm meal of sandwiches, European coffee, and pastries. On the drive back down to Zone 6a I stopped off at a rest area  to snap some more photos.

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I don’t know if I could ever live in an area without very visible changes in season. There is something therapeutic in the waxing and waning of the growing season here.

Autumnal Equinox and Mum

annuals, containers, design, fieldtrip

Today marks the first day of Fall in the northern hemisphere, otherwise known as the Autumn Equinox. Today is also Mom G’s birthday. Speaking of Mom G, she and I took a field trip this past Tuesday to the local botanical gardens. The seasonal exhibit of Chrysanthemums & More just opened.

Chrysanthemums Exhibit

The breezeway at the entry of the gardens is always dressed up with seasonal pots and flourishes. This time we were greeted by a variety of mums, asters, gourds, and ornamental kale.

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The autumnal containers continued through the interior of the gardens. We came across  huge mums referred to as “football mums.” We were told these mum plants continuously had all blooms except one pinched off the plant. This allows the plant to put all of its energy into a single bloom.

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The bloom was so huge the plant stalk had to be staked to it could hold up the flower.

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Another section of the building was given to a wonderful display of the seasonal plants. Living walls and suspended balls covered in the mums decorated several rooms.

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I felt the apples were a unique touch of color.

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I was momentarily distracted by this wonderfully Seus-like pine tree. How great are these needles?

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The mums displays carried outside into the grounds of the gardens. The exhibit had just began, so many of the mums had just started to open.

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The ornamental kale and cabbages were absolutely beautiful. They looked great with the asters.
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It seems whenever I visit another garden, I walk away with ideas to try on the Lot. Next year I’m going to grab a few of those cabbages to pair with our mums.