butterfly japanese maple

a while back, i decided that i needed a japanese maple in my life. there were some lovely ones at botanica, but they cost as much as a sofa. a friend told me she could bring me as many as i wanted from virginia, where they'd only set me back $14.99 each at her local home depot. (new york prices pretty much ensures that you think anything you want to buy anywhere else is dirt cheap.) but on her next trip, something got in the way of her driving a truck full of trees through four states, so my search continued. that's when i discovered mazzone hardware in carroll gardens. i love a good hardware store (which it definitely is), but mazzone also has a sizable nursery, which makes it the best hardware store ever in my book. and the people there are so nice! they carry a wide selection of plants, ranging from edibles like herbs and bok choy to shrubs and trees like azaleas, peonies, and of course, japanese maples. 

the unusual colors sold me on this particular tree.

i walked away with this butterfly japanese maple and have loved it ever since. it has reddish branches in the early spring and pink-tinged leaves that become a variegated white and green later in the summer. even though it's about 8 feet tall in its pot now, i'll probably insist on taking it when/if we move. 

a close-up of the branch and bud colors.

april 22 update: the leaves are coming in green and pink.

grey

grey days like this remind me of  my winter in beijing. these lakes in the middle of the city always managed to be serenely beautiful even when the rest of beijing was unbearable. to celebrate the fact that new york is finally out of the frozen zone, here are some photos of beijing on ice.

enterprising locals made these "chair skates" and charged visitors to go out on the ice. 

the "skewers" on the dock are used like ski poles...

rhinos and ranunculus

yesterday, i swung by botanica on my way home from the new york historical society. spring is here...i think. well, it is as long as i have these ranunculus in my line of vision. 

these colors make me so happy.

the selection at botanica is always great, and although it's a bit pricier than the corner shop, their blooms are worth it. (right? see above.) i also brought home this little air plant and set it in the mini rhino planter that joy bought me when i was in asia.

it's like an adorable porcupine-rhino hybrid.

i'd been looking for the perfect thing to plant in the little guy. what do you think? here he is keeping company with the rest of the foliage in my bedroom. 

it's a jungle in there! rhino stands guard with the basil tree and some rosemary, i'd also love it if someone told me what that spiky thing is.

taiwan

taiwan's been on my mind a lot lately. growing up there, i never thought much about its tropical lushness or quiet beauty - it was just home. on recent visits, i've been trying to document the neighborhood i grew up in as well as places that i never bothered to visit while living there. new york is home now, but i'll always be from taiwan.

an old liquor factory, now reclaimed as a cultural events space.

a quiet courtyard, taichung.

a factory space, taichung.

unrestrained greenery at huashan cultural and creative industries park, taipei.

it grows on trees

i have always loved basil. it smells great, looks good, and is so easy to grow. for the past few years, i've planted sweet basil every spring. in astoria, i had it in a little pot on my windowsill. two years ago, i had a whole mess of it in the yard. i thought that i would just do the same this year...that is until i discovered basil trees. hhh and i were just strolling along manhattan avenue in greenpoint (he in search of records, me in search of something delicious) when i saw a row of small green planters topped by airy, leafy spheres. from far away, it almost looked like tiny boxwood. i ran inside the store to ask what they were, and the shopkeeper told me it was "tree basil." i scoffed and said, "that's not basil!" he said, "smell it. it's basil." 

it's gotten a bit unruly since i've had it. 

this is what it looks like close up.

i've had the basil tree for a few weeks now, and keep it in the bedroom (where there's good southern light). it smells so good. today, i finally looked it up on the internet to see what the deal is. apparently basil trees are the grafted result of  two strains of basil - one for trunk sturdiness and another Greek variety for tastiness. and amazingly, it's perennial and will live for up to five years. that means no annual replanting! (you do still have to bring it inside when it gets too cold out though.) it's even won prizes and stuff. i'm a fan. 

but don't worry, sweet basil. there's room for more than one basil on carroll street. 

doesn't that look tasty?