Garden
"Gardens Are Works of Art Rather Than Nature"
"Every article of my dress was most assiduously studied; and while I can now smile with contempt on the singular hat, or odd-shaped pantaloons of some dandy of the present day, I recall to my mind the white coat, lined with blue stain, and trimmed with silver fringe, in which I was supposed to captivate all hearts on one memorable occasion." more »
A Bouquet of Monets
If you're interested in painting techniques, in 2006 NPR launched "a mini-series on how art is affected by available technology" and began with "the link between collapsible tin tubes and some of the world's best-loved paintings". Monet's well known biographer, Prof. Paul Tucker, imparts some details of the process as well as an amusing bit or two. more »
The Potent Plant Garden, Patterned After Agatha Christie's Novels
"While this might sound extremely dangerous for staff and public alike we have been very careful in our choice of plants, substituting less potent garden cultivars where possible,"says Ali Marshall, head gardener. "This is a garden designed to entertain — not provide murderous opportunities!" more »
Doesn't Everyone have a Bird in Their Earring?
A faint, brief cheeping broke through the layers of human noise and caught my attention. My head turned quickly to the side of the house, waiting during the pause to pinpoint the source. More cheeping … and my ears reported to my brain that it wasn’t coming from a nest up in the branches, but from the ground. I was reluctant to step off the porch without knowing where it was safe to set my foot down.The baby bird called out with urgency as I inched my way toward his voice. I discovered him half buried in leaves that had blown up against the house during a storm. Perhaps the same storm had tossed him out of his parents’ nest of twigs and warm downy feathers. more »
