Alpine Plants

As I mentioned in the previous post, during the cold months I like to read and review my photos and videos, remembering interesting places, sun and warmth. Today I will share photos from my archive of the wonderful Botanical Garden. 
I have always been interested in how plants survive high in the mountains, how they can grow on rocks and stones. So a few years ago I was happy to visit the alpine plants section of the Botanical Garden.

There is flora from mountainous regions of the world, such as the European Alps and Pyrenees, Himalayan mountain meadows, North American highland meadows, Mediterranean shrub lands and the southern Alps of Victoria, Australia and New Zealand.

 

The photograph shows that the dwarf cedar shrub forms low, dense stands about a meter high on ridges. Other alpine plants occupy damp places, meadows or swamps, and have an abundance of primroses such as Primula nipponica and Rhodiola rosea.

Small plants are found where snow accumulates in deep drifts. Saxifraga asiatica and Сinerariа maritima are typical of these harsh habitats and survives in places such as alpine deserts.

 

As the winter snowpack melts  in the Alpine zone, plants experience a burst of growth and flowering. The entire growing season is completed in about three months.
Since almost all alpine flora blooms during the same period, a spectacular flower show is often seen.

Have a nice day!

source: 

source: 

 

My video: RHS Garden Wisley

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'November' by Thomas Hood

November in northern latitudes, especially at the end of the month, is often a damp, cold month, with frequent fogs, gray skies overhead and black trees with bare branches. 

Sometimes the low sun illuminates the snow-covered trees and they look mysterious, the sky turns blue. During the day, the weather can change dramatically.

In the city, where there is a lot of traffic and warmth, the snow melts quickly, the lawns with drooping dry grass. On the coast, the gray sky hangs low over the banks, the forest is in fog. At the end of November, there is snow and the water partially freezes.

In the cold months, I always want to read more books, your posts, search the Internet for poems by poets I have not read before. 

I found this poem written by Thomas Hood (1799-1845) for my November post and decided to illustrate it. It seems that the weather in November is always the same: there was fog, snow was flying with the wind, sometimes it rained and sometimes sun shines.

 

No sun – no moon!

No morn – no noon –

No dawn – no dusk – no proper time of day. 

No sky – no earthly view – 

No distance looking blue – 

No road – no street – no “t'other side this way” – 

 

No end to any Row – 

No indications where the Crescents go – 

No top to any steeple – 

No recognitions of familiar people – 

No courtesies for showing ‘em – 

No knowing ‘em! 

 

No traveling at all – no locomotion – 

No inkling of the way – no notion – 

“No go” by land or ocean – 

No mail – no post – 

No news from any foreign coast – 

 

 

No park, no ring – no afternoon gentility – 

No company – no nobility – 

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease, 

 

 

No comfortable feel in any member – 

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees, 

 

 

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, 

November! 

 

 

Thomas Hood was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as "The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Song of the Shirt". He later published a magazine largely consisting of his own works.
Born: May 23, 1799, London
Died: May 3, 1845 London

All the best to you! 

 

My video:

 

Autumn In Botanical Gardens

 

I think you will agree with me that the Botanical Garden is beautiful in autumn, despite the gloomy sky and light rain. On such a day I visited the Gardener's plot in the Botanical Garden. The figure of the gardener immediately caught my eye, he was standing with a shovel, like many of us in our gardens. It’s as if a gardener was wondering: what should he transplant this fall?

 

 

 

 

What is interesting about this plot? It contains perennial plants and herbs that do not require constant care.

I guess I won't be wrong if I say that having beautiful plants that don't require constant care is a dream of many gardeners. In this garden I saw perennial flowers, long-blooming shrubs, tall grasses swaying in the wind.

I also liked the color combinations of the plants - with dark red foliage, ash-colored low shrubs, purple and bright yellow unpretentious flowers. 

When I left this garden plot, I saw that the Gardener was back at work, sowing his garden.

A large sheaf of tall Cortaderia selloana grass greeted me goodbye.

 

 

 Have a nice day!

P.S. photos from my archive.

 

Here is my video 'Villa d'Este' 

 

 

Vatican. A Recollection Of a Visit To the Museums

 I recently looked through my archive photos of the Vatican, remembered and decided to tell about the Vatican Museums.

The Vatican Museums are a monument of world culture. What began as a small collection of sculptures has grown over time into the largest museum complex. It should be noted that you cannot get into the museums just by coming to the opening. All those who wish to order and buy tickets in advance and for a specific day and time. I ordered tickets and was looking forward to the day of the visit.

 

The Vatican Museums were founded in the 18th century and later opened opened art collections to the public with the aim of cultural education of the people.

Entrance to the museums

 

Gardens of Vatican

I began my visit to the Vatican Museums by exploring the extensive collection of Greek and Roman ancient art. Among the most famous sculptures are the statues of Laocoon, Apollo. Most of the statues were found in Rome or its surroundings. The Hall of the Muses (Sala delle Muse) is decorated with frescoes depicting Apollo and the Muses. There are several sculptures of the Muses, their leader Apollo, Athena, Hermes, and just human figures.

 

 

Nearby is the Round Hall (Sala Rotonda). Its floor is covered with Roman mosaics from the early 3rd century AD depicting sea, moon, sun and mythical heroes.

I liked the Gallery of Statues (Galleria delle Statue) with the enchanting sculpture of Sleeping Arianna (Arianna Addormentata). Because of the snake-shaped decoration on her arm, many believed that this was Cleopatra, who committed suicide by letting herself be bitten by a viper. However, in 700, she was recognized as Arianna, princess of Crete and daughter of King Minos, who slept on the island of Nassau.

The western wing of the museum is occupied by three galleries.
The long gallery, about 300 m long, was designed by Bramante in 1507 and decorated by Antonio Canova. 

Here is the Vatican Picture Gallery (Pinacoteca Vaticana). Paintings from the 12th to the 19th centuries hang in 16 rooms. Most of them are works by Italian masters. Pictures of interest are by Da Vinci, by Titian, Federico Barocci, Caravaggio.

 
Here is also the Gallery of Candelabra (Galleria dei Candelabri) - about 80 m long, decorated with Greek and Roman sculptures.
The second is the Gallery of Tapestries (Galleria degli Arazzi) with tapestries from the 17th century. 

 

There are also tapestries made in Brussels based on sketches by Raphael and his students.

 

 

Another gallery, 175 m, is the Gallery of Geographical Maps (Galleria delle Carte Geografiche). The walls of this gallery are covered with large drawings of maps created by Antonio Danti in 1580-1583. The maps depicted cities in Italy, islands in the Mediterranean, and papal territories. Unfortunately, I did not quite understand the maps on the walls, as the outlines of the continents did not correspond to reality.

As I walked through these galleries, I kept looking up to see the scenes of the frescoes on the ceiling, the paintings on the walls telling the events that took place in those days.

Raphael's Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello).

The Raphael Rooms (Stanze di Raffaello) display paintings that he worked on from 1512 onward. When Raphael died in 1520, he was only 37 years old, without having completed the painting of the papal apartments; his students completed the work based on his drawings. These frescoes are considered absolute masterpieces of Renaissance art.

 

I finished my acquaintance with the Vatican Museums in St. Peter's Basilica. This is a majestic cathedral, is a major pilgrimage site. Frequently drawing crowds of tens of thousands of Catholics, both the basilica and its adjoining St. Peter’s Square are used for a number of liturgies presided over by the pope throughout the year. 

 

I will talk you about St. Peter's Basilica in another post.

All the best, my friends. 

My video: Villa Torlonia, Rome