Lydia Brodskaya, Paintings

 Today I want to introduce you, fellow bloggers, to the work of the artist Lydia Brodskaya. She was born in St. Petersburg. She is the daughter of the famous artist, painter, graphic artist, teacher, organizer of art education Isaac Brodsky.

Lydia studied at the St. Petersburg Choreographic School, later entered the Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in the workshop of her father I. I. Brodsky.

 Lydia dedicated her works to the image of the native nature. She is the author of landscape paintings depicting the nature of the Urals, Siberia, the Far East, Ukraine.

Lydia has participated in exhibitions since 1944. Her works have been exhibited in France, Finland, Poland, India, China, and Syria.

Pictures of Lydia Brodskaya (1910 -1991) are kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum.

 

 

 

 

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Dry Grasses

 

When I walked along the lake, the sky was blue, there was a light frost. As I walked I was passed by skiers of all ages. And I was a little offended that I did not go skiing with them, did not catch up with the last skier with all my might.
 

But walking isn't bad either. There is something to see and see. Stems and ears of dry grasses were preserved along the coast, these were reeds, sedge, wormwood and other herbs. From spring to late autumn, they grow beautifully near the shore, partly in the water. When winter comes and snow covers the surface of the lake, these ears of dry grass remind us how beautiful it was last summer. As they grew, grains ripened and fell to the ground and into the water of the lake.

 

 Here is how artist Karen Margulis talks about dry grass:

"...How fortunate we are as artists. Even something as mundane as dried grasses can be seen as beautiful. Many would pass them without a second look. What is interesting about dead grass?  It's brown and ugly! But when we begin to see things through the eyes of an artist even the ugly becomes beautiful.
Brown is beautiful because brown is not just brown. Brown is purple and blue and orange. Brown stuff has subtle and beautiful colors. We just need to look carefully and allow our eyes to really see it".

 

 

The color of dry grass is changeable. It depends on the illumination of the sun and can be yellow-brown, and on cloudy days it can appear dark brown.
Only dried ears on grass stems glow in the rays of the sun, as if they say: soon everything will come to life, there will be new plants, new seeds, new fresh herbs. I wanted to take a photo to remember my stroll.

That's all for now, bye!

 

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This Is How I Usually Do Forcing Bulbs

Friends, despite the fact that tulips (daffodils, hyacinths) are now sold almost all year round, the forcing bulbs is a lot of fun, because it allows you to choose varieties to your liking, observe the entire process of plant development and get the desired flowering.

I plant tulips or daffodils for cold storage from 1 to 5 October. Before planting, it is recommended to clean the bulbs from covering scales so that the roots penetrate the soil more easily and the bulb takes root faster. I can also look for signs of disease and cull diseased bulbs.

  

 March, 8

This year I planted 3 tulips close to each other in a pot with a diameter of 14 cm. I add more soil, watered abundantly. Then I placed a pot with planted bulbs in a plastic bag, then in a fridge with a temperature of + 9C. During the cold storage period (13-14 weeks), I periodically inspected and watered them.
I rearranged the pot with already sprouted bulbs to the windowsill, when the sprouts reached 10 cm, and at the bottom of the shoot the rudiment of a flower was felt or seen. The photos below clearly show that tulip buds developed quickly.

 

February, 2

 February, 14

Tulips and other bulbs should be watered with cold water, preferably melted water, since it contains a minimum amount of salts and acids.

 February, 27

 

March, 9

This year some weeks after the end of cold storage, my tulips bloomed. Usually flowering lasts 7-10 days. I noticed that if the temperature is lowered, then flowering lasts 10-14 days. 

Last year I forced these yellow daffodils and they bloomed in March 2022.

Have you done forcing bulbs? What is your experience?

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Evergreen Hardy Clematis

I really love growing clematis, their smell and beautiful flowering. Recently I learned about winter-hardy clematis. This was interesting because I cover my clematis for the winter. Sometimes especially when there is no snow, they freeze out.
Here are some tips I've learned from knowledgeable gardeners with extensive experience growing evergreen clematis.

These clematis are classified as either evergreen or semi-evergreen. Many of them have a pleasant smell, and they all prefer poor or drier soils that are not too wet.

While reading these gardening tips, I got to thinking: the soil is quite wet in my garden. Where can I choose a place for winter-hardy clematis?

Gardeners advise not to grow these clematis in strong winds or on heavy soil that is prone to water logging. They will not develop and possibly die. Evergreen clematis need shelter with a wall or a strong fence, the soil must be very well drained.

I thought that I would make a drainage for planting clematis, although it is laborious.

Evergreen clematis have a natural dormant period in mid-summer when they look "tired". In extreme heat, they can shed their leaves.

 

Since these clematis bloom in November-March, I doubt how frost-hardy they are. If I leave evergreen clematis uncovered for the winter, will they bloom?

Perhaps you have such evergreen clematis growing in your garden. Share your experience. I would like to know your advice. Thank you.

P.S.photos from the internet

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Winter Sun

 

Today I want to invite you, friends, for a walk. Walking in winter is definitely cold. But the frost is only -2 C and a little windy. The main thing is that the sun is shining today, although it does not warm, but it is very pleasing. Everything around seems cheerful, waiting for spring.
We will choose a route along a small bay, a hiking trail. Pines, bushes, grasses and birch trees grow around the path.

People with dogs like to walk along this path. Dogs behave calmly, do not rush forward, walk next to the owner, greet the oncoming ones wagging their tail. In summer, cattail, reeds and fragrant herbs grow and bloom here.

We came to a pier, near which yachts and boats stand in the summer. Now it is quiet here, boats and yachts are waiting for launching in spring.

 

The bright rays of the sun make their way through the branches of pines, beautifully illuminate the trunks of trees. We came to yet another small wooden pier. I think it's good to dive here from this pier in summer day. Or just sit here in summer and put your feet in the water.

It can be seen that dense ice has formed on the water. But it's cracked in some places. I think that there were no people who wanted to walk on such ice. Is it dangerous. Even if it’s not deep here, it’s still bad to be in cold water.

 

 Winter days are not long. How nice that the sun was with us for a walk. I love sunny winter days like this. 

After the walk I baked bread in the bread machine. Here it's warm and soft homemade bread:

 

Thanks for being with me.

'Katajanokka' Hotel

 

It was evening when I arrived in Helsinki, Finland. The road from St. Petersburg took 8 hours, so I wanted to relax and check into a hotel faster. The room was booked at the Katajanokka hotel. Looking at the hotel, its appearance struck me with its resemblance to a prison.

It turned out that I was not mistaken. 

 

This is a sophisticated hotel housed in a converted prison building. It has been refurbished according to the needs of the hotel's clients. This is what the windows and bathroom look like.

In the morning, when I left the room, I saw a gallery of stairs going up and down, metal railings and beautiful carpets on the floor.

 

 

Some details were reminiscent of the former prison, such as iron railing doors, rooms outside the main corridor, grids on the windows, unknown details on the ceiling between the walls.

I slept really well there, the breakfast was plentiful and tasty, the tea and coffee was of good quality. Now I think I had a good time in the Katajanokka hotel.

 

Here is my video of the ferry trip to Helsinki: