Reynolda House American Art & Gardens; Twig Reading, Mustardseed Moonshine Ramekins and Molly Dingledine Jewelry

We can learn a lot about a deciduous tree, even after it has lost its leaves. Choose a twig to examine.

Leaf scars – A leaf that falls off leaves a scar. Usually, the scar has a triangular or shield shape. How many leaves have grown on the twig?

Dormant buds – Most deciduous trees produce leaf and/or flower buds for the next season’s growth by the end of the fall. Flower buds are often rounded; leaf buds are slender and pointed.

How many leaves and flowers will grow on the twig next year?

Lenticels – The small dots and slash marks on twigs are the lenticels, openings through which carbon dioxide enters and oxygen exits the twig. How many lenticels can you see on the twig?

Branch scars – Each band represents a year of growth. How old is the twig?

We stumbled upon the R.J. Reynolds Reynolda Museum House of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC and subsequently, the section Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University. That led to Learning in the Garden and The Naturalist’s Notebook, a K-5 directed text, but one useful for novice gardeners, regardless of age. There is an edition for each season and in some cases, a reference guide, activity sheet and lesson plan.

For instance, Medicines from Plants: Annual vinca, Catharanthus roseum, a  Madagascar native, has been cultivated around the world and used medicinally for  centuries. In the 1950s, scientists isolated its alkaloids and began creating medicines that are used to stop bleeding and treat diabetes, high blood pressure.

Or, Growing a Brassica Garden: For thousands of years, brassicas have been cultivated for food for humans and livestock. Leaves are cooked, preserved, and eaten raw; oil is pressed from the seeds. Because most brassicas originated in cool climates, they are ideal candidates for the spring garden. With many classes growing the Wisconsin Fast Plant, Brassica rapa inside, a brassica garden is an ideal extension. Plant seeds in the classroom and grow your own plants, or buy small plants at a garden center when you’re ready to put them in the ground. Either way, they will be ready to harvest in May. Look on the packaging for varieties that mature quickly, about sixty days. Many of these are compact in growth habit, so they are excellent for pots or small gardens.

Built in 1917 by Katharine Smith Reynolds and her husband Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the house originally occupied the center of a 1,067-acre estate. It opened to the public as an institution dedicated to the arts and education in 1965, and as an art museum in 1967.”

Don’t overlook the Reynolda Museum of American Art’s shop nor it’s outstanding collection of paintings by Albert Bierstadt, Mary Cassatt, Frederic Church, John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Grant Wood.

The shop at present contains Mustardseed & Moonshine Ramekins which are botanically inspired and meticulously crafted ceramic flowers. and Molly Dingledine jewelry of silver, gold and pearls inspired by the natural world.There are two decks of cards, one by Martin Johnson Heade and Childe Hassam.