Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Blooming and Beautiful

Earlier this season I took you on a blog walk through Michigan State's Beal Gardens. This is an outdoor botanical garden with a variety of areas -- poison plants, edibles, herbs, and loads of grasses, flowers and what some might call weeds. The university considers it an "outdoor laboratory for the study and appreciation of plants," designed for students in the agricultural/horticultural fields. But it is equally, if not more, popular among the general community.

 

 The garden has lovely spots to stop and simply contemplate.I was completely enamored with this one.

 

Maybe it's because I love tulips and this display was so bright and cheerful! It made me wish I'd brought my book! 

My first visit this year was in early April, and while our spring started early and warm, it relapsed into unseasonably cold. The weather we experienced in early May was more what I would have expected in early April! This time, much more was blooming and there were a lot more people out, too!


Beal Garden has volunteer docents and Ron was on duty during my walk. He was very good at his job, catching up with people and telling them a bit about the garden. He caught up with me, too!

 

For example, I didn't know the garden began in 1873 by a university professor, William Beal. Or, that it is the oldest continuously operated university botanical garden of its kind in the U.S.


It now contains 2,000 different types of plantings. (Ron said his favorite was the spice verbena, and he was right when he said its fragrance was intoxicating!)


Beal collected species from around the world and was intrigued by Darwin's concept of hybrids, focusing on corn varieties. He also became interested in something called seed viability. In 1879, Beal buried 20 bottles with over 100 seeds in each. The idea was to dig up one bottle every 20 years and plant the seeds to see what germinates and what doesn't.

The project was halted in the 1930s, so it wasn't until 2000, 70 years since the last bottle was pulled from the ground, that the last seeds were planted. In April, a new bottle was unearthed. The seeds were recently planted, the results yet to be discovered. But, of those from the last planting, only one seed germinated. 


Which may explain why the cosmos seeds I had left from last year tanked and didn't send up one sprout!


When I visited in April, I was saddened because I thought I'd missed the trillium, one of my favorites. Rick said I was wrong, it was too early. He was right. 


And I was rewarded!

 

 I'll have to come back in another month for an update!


It was such a lovely day, I continued my campus walk along the river. It wasn't long before I was greeted by a family of geese. If you count up the goslings, there are 20 there.


I didn't see any other parents with this brood. Either they are extremely prolific, gosling-nappers, or Pied Pipers. 


I know -- Canada geese are a terrible mess. But I do love seeing them and their babies!

Squirrels were out in full force.


So were students, fishing in the Red Cedar River. The photo is fuzzy, but you can see this one was a pretty big catch.


And, thankfully, released!

Another family of geese, along with quite a few ducks were taking their morning swim. 


They decided to come up on the shore and sample the university's finely manicured grasses!


The geese on campus are so used to people, they barely raise their heads when we come close when passing by. These little fellows had something else on their minds!

I leave you today with a last look at the trillium...


...what may be the last of the lilacs...


And this sweet face.


Yes, I think this time, spring might really be here.

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55 comments:

Pam Richardson said...

Good morning, Jeanie. What a gorgeous garden with so much to offer. How interesting about the buried bottles of seeds. I also love the trillium and oh to smell the lilacs. Sitting in a garden with a book is a great idea for my afternoon. Happy Tuesday!

Red Rose Alley said...

The Botanical Garden is beautiful, Jeanie. The girls wanted to take me to one in So Cal, but we never got a chance to go. There is even geese here, and those baby goslings are precious. The grass is so green and pretty with so many wonderful blooms. And I love that bench by the tulips. I think I would sit there awhile and just gaze.

Have a wonderful week, Jeanie.

~Sheri

R's Rue said...

Beautiful photos.

Linda Sue said...

Glorious spot in your world! Baby geese are the cutest , silliest little birds, leaning how to be geese. I do not really understand catch and release, Why catch them in the first place, it only traumatizes them and hurts their fishie mouths.
The lilacs here have come and gone in the blink of an eye. They were fantastic this year, due to all of the rain. All colors from snow white, pale pink to deep dark purple. Thanks for the lovely walk through your beautiful park.

gigi-hawaii said...

I had to laugh at the statement that only one seed germinated after all those years. What would that man say if he were alive today? Anyway, thanks for the tour of the garden. It is so pretty. Wish my backyard looked like that. LOL.

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

What a beautiful place to visit!

Don't give up on those cosmo seeds. I had a moss rose come up in my sidewalk crack last year and I had had moss roses in my yard for 3-4 years.

bobbie said...

Such gorgeousness! For the 3rd or 4th year in a row, we've had a duck build her nest in our front yard ~ can't wait till her babies hatch ~

Martha said...

What a beautiful place and so many great photos Jeanie! I want to get an annual pass to our botanical gardens again this year. I can't remember whose blog I read it on but supposedly geese will babysit each others goslings. I thought that was really interesting and might be why the couple you saw had so many. They sure are adorable either way! Enjoy the week. :)

Valerie-Jael said...

Lovely photos, it certainly looks like spring. Have a great week, take care, hugs, Valerie

Danielle L Zecher said...

I love the trillium, but the lilacs are definitely my favorite. Ours have already passed their prime for this season, but I love it when they're in full bloom. That bench with the tulips does look like a perfect place to sit and read.

DUTA said...

The sight of goslings and squirrels always amuses me. The bench is an item I very much appreciate in a garden.; it offers people a chance to rest, and at the same time enjoy the garden's treasures.

My name is Erika. said...

Isn't it great to be able to go visit gardens again? So many beautiful flowers and adorable babies. You got some wonderful photos Jeanie. Our lilacs are blooming now and they smell so good. And I am not against Canada Geese. They can make a mess, but they are still living things. This couple sure had a big brood of babies. Thanks for sharing these Jeanie. Hugs-Erika

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

It's really hard to beat a Michigan spring - when it finally arrives! Lush greens with pops of colors in the flowers - like Mother's Earth's art. Lovely photos today.

William Kendall said...

The tulips are a delight

Sandra Cox said...

I love botanical gardens.
And those goslings are adorable. Can you imagine having twenty little ones to keep track of?

Jean | Delightful Repast said...

Jeanie, what a beautiful day out! Your photographs are so beautiful, you really know how to capture experiences with your camera. I feel as if I've had a day out as well!

Prims By The Water said...

The goslings are growing up. This garden reminded me of the Meijer one/ My sister and I took my mom there once. Just beautiful! Janice

gretchenjoanna said...

Trilliums are so wonderful - I remember the first one I ever saw, in the Oregon woods. That huge garden and its history are a great gift to have within visiting distance. It's beautiful how the work someone does in a garden can have a long, long-term impact.

I'm glad your weather has warmed up again at least a little. We had a cold snap and are coming out of it, too, but it's still cooler than I like. ;-)

Pamela said...

Thank you for the wonderful tour. It looks like an interesting place to visit. Those babies are so cute.

Victoria Zigler said...

That garden sounds beautiful. I can imagine all the scents that must be in the air from the more fragrant blooms, and I'm sure it was fascinating learning all about some of the more exotic specimins.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jeanie,
What a wonderful day, a walk around the beautiful gardens. The flowers are all beautiful.
I love the cute goslings, I have finally been seeing some Goose families here. Lovely series of photos! Take care, enjoy your day!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

I am very glad that you met up with Ron. Docents like him provide such a valuable service and really enhance the quality of a visit. I know that Rick will approve if you tell him sometime soon you are slipping out to spent quality time with Ron!

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Is it just me, or does it seem like spring this year is the most glorious it has ever been? After the long sit during the pandemic, after the never-seen-around-these-parts ice storm---and then life returns, and it's not only life, but life more abundant.

Love the geese (I've never seen geese babies---goslings, I think?---in real life. And look at that trilium. Wow. No tulips here either. Beautiful walk.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

Is it just me, or does it seem like spring this year is the most glorious it has ever been? After the long sit during the pandemic, after the never-seen-around-these-parts ice storm---and then life returns, and it's not only life, but life more abundant.

Love the geese (I've never seen geese babies---goslings, I think?---in real life. And look at that trilium. Wow. No tulips here either. Beautiful walk.

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I love walking through gardens and this one you are sharing is so lovely.

shoreacres said...

Did we talk about William Beal before? Maybe I just read about him when I was roaming the garden's website. In any event, I remember that stuff in a bottle project, and the studies involved. Very interesting! Of course I love the image of you sniffing lilacs. If only we had the ability to transport fragrance through our blogs!

Joanne Huffman said...

A delightful spring walk! Great photos (as I've come to expect). I think Michigan has earned a lovely spring.

Divers and Sundry said...

What a lovely place for an outing. The history is fascinating!

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

Jeanie, yes, whatever happens weatherwise in the next while, they can't take those beautiful memories from you. I could sit forever on that bench among the tulips too..xxoJudy

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I apologize for taking so long to visit. I really enjoyed reading about Beal Gardens. I was in awe of the flowers, but was really amazed that it was a real botanical garden right on the University campus. It would rival with Wichita's botanical gardens. I am in awe of the viability experiment Beal initiated. I have some seeds from my grandfather's garden, and now I wonder if any might actually be viable. Thanks for taking me along with you to this magic garden again this month, dear Jeanie.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I forgot to mention about the geese. I think you know how I feel about their messes, since I often make reference of it, but the babies are sure adorable.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

How nice to get out and spend time in this garden, Jeanie. We have Canada Geese here in the Nashua River (and they do leave evidence of their having been on the walkways) but I have not yet seen any goslings, so nice to see all these in your post. The lilac fragrance is so wonderful and of course it's in my favorite color too!

Miss Val's Creations said...

Oh these are my type of gardens! I love that there is experimenting here. Agricultural is a never ending learning subject/task. It is certainly a place to visit monthly for its changes. The wildlife are adorable!

Evi Erlinda said...

I would sit in the bench with my book for all day :)
The babies are so cute !
The trilliums and lilacs look pretty.

Barb said...

Thank you for this look at the Beal Gardens and all that is blooming in May. Yes - I think your spring will stay with you now. Everything looks lush and green. I think walking there would be a calming experience.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

To answer your question about WOYWW. It stands for What's On Your Workdesk WEDNESDAY. Wendy became an obvious substitute. Thanks for asking, dear.

Lynne said...

Looks like a wonderful place for a walk and visit.
I love the ducks, but I must say, one has to watch where to walk!
Love the “soft and fluffy” ending photo.
They are such cute babies, goslings!

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

What a lovely garden, Jeanie! It's wonderful that you had such a knowledgeable gardener to guide you along your way! Yes, spring is surely at home near you. The trillium are beautiful--I haven't had the pleasure of seeing one in years.

Iris Flavia said...

That was my thought, also. Sit down on that bench between the tulips and enjoy the view with a good book. Let´s see who wins, flowers or book!

Wow, great you met Ron and oldest in the US... that is something.
Oh! To the seeds, hope they made it. Interesting project.

Wow. 20 wee ones. "...extremely prolific" sure gave me a laugh! Thank you. Ohhhh, and a squirrel.

Never saw a trillium, but, oh, happy pic of you!

Too cold and cloudy over here, still. Weird Spring...

Anca said...

Aww, the baby geese are so cute!! I love the flowers, there are so many. It was a lovely virtual walk through a gorgeous botanical garden.

Tracy said...

Hi, Jeanie! What a most wonderful place! I can almost smell the green things growing--that spring smell! And lilac... *swoon*... So sweet the geese, and the squirrels... And love that that young man released that fish back into the water--bless him! Hope all is going OK at the cottage now--that was a lot of to-do's you had going on! :/ Spring has finally arrived here at last. The builders will be here soon--at last. We're still waiting to get vaccinated. SO much is as usual... haha! I've been offline for a few weeks. I've been experiencing quite a lot of unpleasantness on Instagram (off & on for months now) which threw me off a bit and I needed a digital detox. Trying to surface again. Happy Spring Days to you all there! ((LOVE & HUGS))

The French Hutch said...

Such a wonderful place to go and enjoy the beautiful walking trails and blooms during the spring season. The bench surrounded by gorgeous tulips wold be a favorite spot for me. Here, UA has the Arboretum with walking trails, blooming plants and woodlands. A favorite is the wildflower gardens. I haven't been there in a while, I should go. Thanks for sharing your beautiful walk.

Ricki Treleaven said...

The trillium is beautiful, and I always appreciate seeing lilacs since they don't really grow well in the South. The garden is so pretty, but it's at the wrong school! It needs to be at Michigan not Michigan State, LOL!

What's with all the goslings? They must be running a daycare. I love watching the geese and ducks in our neighborhood, but you are right about them making messes. We just have to be extra careful when walking around the lake.

Sandra Cox said...

Don't you love lilacs? Lovely photo:)

Rustic Pumpkin said...

Isn't it just lovely to be out and about in the fresh air and flowers. We have a little saying here "one year's seeds is seven years of weeds"

Linda @ Life and Linda said...

Such a glorious garden. So many flowers to admire and smell. The Trillium is beautiful. Love the color in this garden. Gotta love those babies. Nature is so fun to watch.

Pam said...

What a beautiful place. I loved all the plants and flowers.

DeniseinVA said...

Great photos of this lovely garden. The flowers are gorgeous and the goslings are adorable. Thanks for sharing them Jeanie, a wonderful way to start the day :)

Mereknits said...

So beautiful. My favorite photo is of you smelling those beautiful flowers, such joy on your beautiful face.

Jenny Woolf said...

A truly beautiful place, and fascinating too. I'd love to visit in the spring. What a shame Beal's project was abandoned for so long, but I think it absolutely amazing that even ONE seed germinated after all that time! I'd love to know what it was.

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

It definitely looks like spring is in full bloom in your area, just lovely.

Carola Bartz said...

That is quite a beautiful garden to explore. One can see that you are blessed with rain. What an interesting experiment to bury bottles with seed and then years later see what comes up. I'm not surprised that not many seeds came up - I di know that many seeds can go dormant for many many years, but they probably still need to be in soil with the natural environment and not in a bottle with a rather stable and closed environment. But that's just guess work on my side. The tulips are spectacular, I wuld have liked to stay there for a while as well.

roughterrain crane said...

I was deeply fascinated with your breathtaking photos.

Lowcarb team member said...

As I type this it's Saturday evening, I have just enjoyed a nice cup of tea and have just read through your lovely post complete with a wonderful variety of photographs...
Bliss :)

All the best Jan

Iris Flavia said...

Oh! I like your new banner! Very, very beautiful and creative - shoot, now I hardly remember your old one!

Very well done! Wow, you´re sure very talented.

Majestic bird. And oh, the fish. And the... I could go on and on ;-)
Where is the crown? Did you kiss him, did he turn into a prince? If so, what did you do, you already have one! And the blue guy... And Harry. Wow,, the grooming!

Oh, here still grey and cold. Loved to see yours even more, hence!

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