Snapshots: Tumbleweeds and Art

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Teresa Woodard

Tumbleweeds are rolling into the Columbus Museum of Art.  I first spotted a beach ball-sized one juxtaposed beneath a large pop art piece by Roy Lichtenstein.  Another rested below a gold-framed Monet-inspired painting.  Later, I found a room filled with tumbleweeds as part of a sculptural installation by featured artist Latifa Echakhch.  I’ve since learned tumbleweeds refer to at least two plants, Amaranthus albus and Salsola kali. According to plant lore, the seeds of the Salsola  or “Russian thistle” hitched a ride on imported grains from Russia.   I was also delighted to learn tumbleweeds are commercially grown today for decoration by Prairie Tumbleweed Farm in Kansas – coincidentally the state setting for tumbleweeds at Dorothy’s home in the Wizard of Oz.  Check out tumbleweeds’ other starring roles in this clever accompanying video commissioned from media artist Duncan Robson.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hXQL5_0RYuU]

Snapshots: Country Gardens Turns 20

Happy 20th anniversary to Country Gardens magazine! The recent anniversary issue features six stories with Midwestern ties, including a daffodil garden in Granville, Ohio; a garden retreat in Adel, Iowa; and the Better, Homes & Gardens Test Garden in Des Moines, Iowa.

P.S. –Excuse our pride, but we Heartland Gardeners are also pleased that one of our trio — Teresa — contributed two pieces to this issue.