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| GATE TO AN ARTIST'S GARDEN |
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| CHICORY |
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| A JAPANESE MAPLE GROWS IN WASHBURN
Monday, 8:30 AM. 60 degrees F, wind N, light. The sky is clear, and the humidity is down, at 82%. The barometric pressure is up, at 30.08". It is a beautiful day to go raspberry picking.
On Saturday we went on a self-guided garden tour of Washburn, our neighboring town, and one of the best gardens was that of local artist Jan Lee, that has some nice artistic touches, including the sensitive use of color and form. She has an unusual entrance gate to her backyard garden which is pictured above. She has matched the light blue color of the gate perfectly with the blue flowers of chicory, Chicorea intybus, which is usually considered a roadside weed. I imagine she went out of her way to dig the plants up along the road somewhere, as I know they are not easily found in nurseries.
The dried, ground roots of chicory, which is in the sunflower, or Composite family, have long been used as an additive or even substitute for coffee, especially in France and in the American South. In some areas you can buy ground coffee with chicory, and I have tried it but I find the taste a little harsh.
We also found the above Japanese maple tree in an estate garden right on the lakeshore. It is not really hardy in the Bayfield region unless growing right on the water, where it is insulated from extreme cold.
The dog training season for bear hunting is over. I don't know what the bears thought of it but the dogs didn't fare too well, as the Daily Press reported last week that two hounds that had gotten into wolf "rondezvus" areas were killed. I'll have to be careful where I take Buddy looking for grouse before the season opens. |
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