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asgardian--angels · 5 years ago

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My Syracuse Pollinator Garden - Year 2

Hi everyone! I’m sure a lot of us are facing stress during these troubling times and so as I’ve mentioned before, gardening is an excellent way to take your mind off of current events, de-stress, reflect and connect yourself with nature while remaining in the safety of your own property. Last year, when I moved into my Syracuse apartment (technically a room in my landlady’s house; I’m here for grad school), I was granted permission to start a pollinator garden. I am a pollinator ecologist slash conservation biologist so I bring some expertise with me here. I say this because I always encourage anyone who sees this and is curious about doing it yourself to come and ask me questions! I highly recommend you check out last year’s post which thoroughly goes over 1) the principles of gardening for pollinators and wildlife, 2) resources to help you learn more and get started, 3) what plants I have in this garden, and 4) how it progressed over the course of the summer in 2019. Unfortunately, because of fieldwork and coursework I had trouble keeping up with it regularly so I think I missed a fall installment. I intend to be more thorough this year. Quite a lot has already happened, and I will review it the best I can and from this point forward, attempt monthly updates.

I also want to mention that I’ve learned a lot since last year too - better ways of doing things, since I’m not a landscaper. Such as, you don’t have to break your back digging up turfgrass for hours on end. Instead, you can smother it for three months with old newspapers and get rid of it that way. It’s also important to note that the way I have my garden laid out is not ideal for a pollinator garden, it doesn’t follow every recommended principle. That’s because I had limitations and conditions under which I had to work, given that it’s not my own land and I had limited funds. But any effort is better than nothing, so don’t think that just because it’s not perfect, it’s not worth it. It is! You can always build, change, or improve upon it later.

In the second year of a new garden with perennials, you can expect a lot more vibrant growth - the plants have established root systems and can put more energy into above-ground growth and flower production. Thus, I was thrilled to see my plants growing more vigorously than before!

MARCH

Here in central New York, March was still freezing, wet, and snowy. But, by the end of the month, the garden was starting to show signs of life, sending up the first shoots of hardy native perennials.

In particular, the Jacob’s ladder already had quite a lot of new growth, with the nodding onion and yarrow close behind. In my herb garden, the chives had erupted with force from the leaf litter. The yard was still messy, with dead stems and fallen leaves blanketing much of the ground. My landlady insists I clean these, but if it’s your choice, leave the leaf litter around where you can. It’s important habitat for invertebrates and returns nutrients to the soil as it decomposes.

APRIL

The world was beginning to wake up. I had cold-stratified hundreds of seeds of native plants I’d collected last fall, and it was time to take them out of the fridge. The wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata) had already sprouted, so I planted them in pots. The rest, I put in a seed starter tray.

Next, within the first few days of April, male hornfaced bees (Osmia cornifrons) started emerging in multitudes from my bee hotel. These are a non-native, but naturalized, species of mason bee common in suburbia and they are the most frequent users of bee hotels in the northeast. I watched as they dug through the mud cap on their natal nests, peeking out with fresh eyes at the sun for the very first time. I felt like a proud parent. (You can see more pictures here)

At the same time, male Dunning’s mining bees (Andrena dunningi) were patrolling the new nest sites of females, dug in the soil between the stones laid down near the front door.

There wasn’t much for these bees to forage on yet, mainly the wild violets that grow each year on the lawn and my landlady’s invasive vinca. But many more of my perennials had started to come up, and I decided it was time to cut the dead stems.

It is best to cut dead stems back in April or so if you’re in a northern clime; the purpose of this is to offer nesting places for stem-nesting bees, which will start flying in April and May. Don’t cut them to the ground, give them several inches. Leaving stems through the winter also allows birds to forage on the seedheads.

Towards the end of April, despite several more snowstorms, the barren strawberry began to bloom.

I also saw the emergence of the female hornfaced bees, with males pursuing close behind. It is advised that you discard a bee hotel after the bees have emerged, or else they will try to nest in it again, which can lead to high mortality rates, as an old structure harbors parasites and is generally dirty.

MAY

May was a month of excitement. Given that I have been at home almost every day instead of being on campus, I was able to closely monitor the progress of the garden, apart from a week spent at home for my birthday. The dandelions dotted the yard, attracting gynes of common eastern bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) and the first honeybees (not native, need I remind you).

Alongside the dandelions was ground-ivy, which sent up stalks of purple flowers also used by the bumblebees. Almost all my plants had sprouted at this point.

My wild cucumber, which is a vine, had grown so rapidly that I couldn’t give it support fast enough, and eventually it decided to wind itself around my drapes. I brought one home as a gift for the parents, and placed the other two outside and snaked them around the front banister. However, despite my best efforts, only two other seeds from the hundreds I cold-stratified sprouted. A disappointment for sure; I was hoping to have swamp milkweed in the yard. But, there’s a chance for the wild hibiscus! Alas, with new growth comes deer, traipsing through the yard each night intent on nibbling my natives. They hit the columbine heavy this year as they did last year, and that stunted its growth and prevented it from flowering on time. I managed to protect it by putting a recycling bin over it each night. From the 7th to the 17th, I went home and visited a local native nursery.

There, I picked up a new plant for the garden - scarlet bee balm, Monarda didyma. I already have bee balm (M. fistulosa), but this species blooms red and is attractive to hummingbirds.

When I got back to Syracuse, I was astounded to find how quickly everything had shot up.

Among new blooms were the Jacob’s Ladder, woodland stonecrop, and finally, the wild columbine. The chives and thyme began to flower as well.

The milkweeds were one of the last to come up, being late to break dormancy. But once they did, they grew like lightning, gaining a foot in a week.

I planted my row of annuals (cosmos and sunflowers) along the walkway, and added beans to my herb garden. The dill and basil sprouted and once they get a bit bigger I’ll transplant them outside.

Then, in late May, I visited my advisor’s farm, and he gave me two new plants for the garden, from his own land - Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), which is a lovely yellow-flowered member of the carrot family which blooms in spring, and the classic purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). They transplanted well.

Honestly, everything is doing better than I could have hoped. What were ungainly spaces between the plants last year are starting to fill in as they grow more vigorously - the single-stalked milkweed I put in last May is now 17 stalks, and I see seedlings of the biennial brown-eyed susans coming up all around it in a three foot radius. Even the purple prairie clover which was eaten to the ground by rabbits last summer has miraculously returned. The only thing I am still waiting on is the bottlebrush grass, which remains dormant. It’s a warm-season grass, so I hope as we get sustained high temperatures in June, it will come back! But its seedlings too are popping up all around the beds.

And this sums up spring! It has become cold again for the week, but that won’t halt the growth once it’s started. The New England aster is almost half as tall as me, and my black raspberry has flowered and hopefully will produce a small handful for me to enjoy!

Check back in late June for another update on the garden!

#pollinator garden #pollinators #bees #nature #gardening #mine

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vsuvia · 5 years ago

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sooooo who are some of your fave apprentices (other than ophelia of course)?

WELL time to jump on the Love Train (choo choo all aboard)!!! in no particular order...

@alvrudart‘s noah is SO cool and handsome holy heck, he’s been one of my faves every since i saw this outstanding art piece of him all Magic Power-ed up

@sad-arcana-au has a few absolutely amazing ocs but i’m partial to vee as they have a very similar patron arcana to ophelia (knight of cups for vee, ace of cups for ophelia)!!! and they are SO cute, plus aster is one of the nicest people on this gotdang site!! (i also love abeela who has some of the prettiest outfits i’ve ever seen)

@cherryquitecontrary deserves soooo much more love on this site, and her apprentice elvira is so cool and has the cutest familiar ever (a xolo??? SO adorable)

i don’t know a toooooon about @asrasotherbottom‘s toni but i love the character design like?? the tattoos? the piercings?? the actual body type diversity?? like hell yeah

if you don’t love @arcanaprentiss‘s design and all the Lore about her relationship with birblian, tbh are you even part of this fandom

@bitcxes-n-cream‘s jay gives off such intimidatingly cool vibes!! and obviously was created by such an incredibly talented artist ahhhh

@greyhands is hands-down one of my favorite content creators, and her apprentice nell is just adorable!! i especially love her teal hair and her chinchilla familiar paisley ;w;

there are SO many more that i can think of but this was just off the top of my head! honestly, i’m astounded by all the amazing diversity of character design that everyone comes up with, it’s what inspired me to actually bother fleshing out ophelia as a character! feel free to reblog this and add your favorite apprentices to keep the love going <3

#fan apprentice #asks #anonymous #Anonymous

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driftingicecaps-fr · 7 years ago

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Lair Review for Mask #5984

Hiya @mask-fr, glad to see you were interested <3

First off, the amount of detail and work you’ve put into lore is astounding and you’re one of the users I’ve always envied. I love that you have a dragon that organizes your lair into all of it’s subsets. Every one of them is utterly fascinating. I mean they have alignments, locations, and motivations. I can barely keep up with two groups! You never cease to amaze me and I’m happy to be taking a closer look at your dragons.

Luster: Okay I’m sorry I can’t resist caramel dragons and she just looks so charming. Stronk and gay. I imagine that, though she is helpful and and a wonderful ally, she might be a little rougher than her mate. Not in a bad way, but more so that she is a little more blunt or upfront. Her looks must match her name, and I bet her bluer scales shine brilliantly. Her feet are calloused and rough but she seems to have a gentle touch.

Aster: I wasn’t surprised to find out her lore had to do with brewing. I could see it in her just from a look. I can’t even begin to imagine the state of any dragon who fails to best her at her own game. I imagine she smells of nightshade and her claws are stained from the many liquids she’s worked with in her years. I feel that most dragons can tell just from the look in her eyes they’ve made a mistake to cross her path but few own up to it. I wonder if her birdskulls are the results of some unfortunate experiments.

Bastion: If his lore is still accurate, I feel greatly for this boy. Does he hide his face in the hood due to scars from the torture? He certainly looks like a strong warrior. I feel that the bright orange of his wings could blind his enemies in the right lighting. I don’t want to imply too much as I’m looking forward to where he and his companions stories go.

Kyrbes: Finishing off with this interesting girl. I imagine her voice is a bit gruff and gravely and she’s nearing middle age. I like the idea of her being given over by Usige especially in regards to her lore. I can’t imagine her trying to get close to anyone for any reason other than trickery in the long run. I imagine her with tired eyes and chipped claws.

#lair review #mask #mask-fr

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livingcorner · 4 years ago

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How to design a garden

The aim of this article is to help you select a site, size, and shape for a flower garden and then to fill it with a harmonious combination of plants. We present this process as a series of steps–seven in all–that takes you from the mere notion that you want a flower garden to a finished plan. If you already have a garden but are not satisfied with it, we suggest that you review the first four steps, then study Steps 5 through 7.

When we say “flower garden” or “border” in this brochure, we mean an ornamental planting, one with well-defined edges and often (but not always) a backdrop of some sort–a house, a hedge, a wall, or a fence. You may be familiar with annual beds and perennial borders, but most gardeners (ourselves included) get greatest satisfaction from what are known as “mixed borders,” gardens that contain the gamut of plants–annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and small trees–for variety and a long season of interest.

You're reading: How to design a garden

We want to emphasize at the outset that there is no single “right” way to make a garden. Most experienced gardeners follow guidelines similar to those we offer here, but others ignore them–sometimes to glorious effect. Your taste and desires are what matter, not what your neighbor is planting or what a gardening magazine says you should want. This brochure is meant to help you make choices, not to paralyze you with the fear that you’re not doing things just so. Have fun, and if fun happens to coincide with “rules” of design, fine. If not, that’s fine, too.

1. Think about what you want.

The first step in designing a garden is to decide exactly what sort of garden you want. You’re unlikely to realize your dream if you’re not sure what your dream is. Do you want to decorate a small square by the front steps with a few annuals, or do you long instead for a sweeping border bursting with perennials? When do you want your garden to look its best? Will a brief but spectacular spring or summer show suffice, or do you want a garden that looks attractive from early spring until hard frost? How much time, energy, and money are you prepared to devote to the task of planting and caring for a garden? Do you want a garden that you can dig and plant in an afternoon and that requires little effort to maintain, or do you prefer a more ambitious project, a garden that will usurp at least a weekend at planting time and require regular attention throughout the growing season?

2. Choose a location for your garden.

If you don’t already have a place in mind for your new garden (and even if you do), you should walk your property and peer out your windows. Ask yourself the following questions as you look around you:

* Where does a garden “belong” in the landscape? A flower garden is not a self-contained unit. It’s a part of the landscape, just as a shade tree is, or a flowering Crabapple or a bluestone patio, and as such it needs to be placed where it will fit in with its surroundings. A border plopped into the lawn or stuck into a corner looks like an afterthought at best, a distraction at worst. A good design is wasted on a bad location.

* Where will a garden provide the most pleasure? If you plant a garden in order to enjoy it, then you should probably put it where you spend time outdoors or where you pass often–near the back terrace, along the driveway, at the foot of the front steps, or by the swimming pool. You’ll appreciate your garden even more if you can see it from inside the house. Rinsing dishes and tapping away at the computer seem less like drudgery when you can pause to gaze out the window at bright flowers swaying in the breeze.

*Where is the nearest spigot? A garden also needs to be within reach of a hose. Even in climates where rainfall is abundant, dry spells are inevitable. If you can’t supply water when your plants require it, you risk the unpleasant prospect of watching them gasp in summer’s heat.

* What sort of background will the border have? Think about the superb garden photos you see in books and magazines. In almost every case, there is something standing behind the exuberant floral display–a fence, a stone or brick wall, a dark green hedge, or a mass of shrubs or trees. These backgrounds prevent your eye from wandering all over the landscape, allowing you to focus instead on the colorful plants in front of you.

If the location you choose for your border lacks a good background, consider building a simple fence or planting a hedge. A hedge needn’t be a row of tightly sheared Yew or Privet. An informal assembly of shrubs such as Viburnum, Syringa (Lilac), Clethra, Roses, and Hydrangea offers a combination of bright flowers, fruit, and striking fall color, as well as a rich green backdrop for the summer spectacle that unfolds at their feet.

If you want to use a border to break up a large expanse of lawn, you may wish to dispense with a traditional background and plant an island bed instead. An island bed stands alone, surrounded by a sea of turf. To be effective, it must generally be large–but in scale with the overall landscape–and it must contain tall plants (4ft or more) either at the back or through the middle of the garden. These tall plants act as a background for their shorter neighbors and give the bed the sort of presence that a small circle of compact plants lacks.

* What sorts of plants do you want to grow? Plants have basic needs that must be met if they are to thrive. The most important of these are sun and soil. The majority of flowering plants require full sun to reach their full potential (see drawings). Many will tolerate partial shade with little reduction in bloom, but the number of plants that thrive in full shade is relatively small (though quite a lot larger than most people believe). The point is that if you dream of Iris and Peonies, Daylilies and Roses, Asters and Mums, you’ll need to put your border where it will receive ample sunshine. If you put your border in shade, you must be prepared to explore Hostas, Astilbes, Heucheras, Hellebores, Ferns, and other denizens of shady nooks.

Soil type is the other factor that determines which plants you can grow. Most plants grow best in a soil that retains moisture reasonably well while allowing the excess to drain away. On the extremes are sandy soils that dry out rapidly after rainfall or irrigation and heavy clay soils that stay soggy long after the rain has stopped. If you site your border on a hot sandy bank or in a low, poorly drained area, you may have to abandon your list of favorites and do some research to discover plants adapted to your soil type. It is possible to amend soil, to change it to suit the needs of plants (see our “Caring for Your Plants” brochure and the cultural instructions booklet under Gardening Help on our Web site), but radical transformation is labor-intensive and expensive. You’ll do better to grow plants that like your conditions.

3. Determine the size and shape of your border.

A border’s size should match the scale of the surrounding landscape (large properties generally require large borders, small properties, small borders) and the inclinations of the gardener. Most people start with a small bed in a sunny spot and are astounded at how fast the space fills up. They then add a few more feet to the front or along the sides, perhaps several times over the years. There is nothing wrong with this gradual approach to garden making. In our experience, it’s better to start small and expand as time, money, and interest allow than to be overwhelmed by the demands of designing and planting a large border. The object of gardening, remember, is to have fun, not to pull your hair out because you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.

If you are designing a new garden from scratch, however, you should aim to make it no less than 4 feet deep. A 2-foot-wide strip along a fence or deck barely allows for a single row of plants. A depth of four feet or more allows for a difference in plant height between front and back and for enough variety to hold your interest through the season. In a few years, you may decide to deepen the border to eight or ten feet. Sixteen or 20 feet is not too much if you want to put large shrubs along the back.

Should the edges of your border be straight or curved? Straight lines and hard angles suit formal designs, in which borders are given standard geometrical shapes (squares, rectangles, circles). Gentle curves and irregular shapes have a more relaxed, natural, and therefore informal look. Choose a shape that fits your landscape, but don’t be afraid to mix and match. Borders close to the house and deck, for example, might be straight-edged, matching the lines of the architecture, while borders along a property line or surrounding a group of trees and shrubs might undulate with the natural contours of the site.

4. Mark and measure the garden.

To help visualize the border-to-be, trace its edges with strings tied to stakes (appropriate for straight-edged beds) or a garden hose (which mimics a sinuous edge). Step back and look at the area from various vantage points and adjust the lines to suit your taste.

When you’re pleased with the layout of your garden, take a can of spray paint (white is easiest to see) and, following the string or the hose, paint a line on the lawn or the soil. Then measure the dimensions of your border. If your border has an irregular shape, take multiple measurements so that you’ll be able to reproduce the curves on paper. It’s also important to note the relative position of anything that is to remain inside the border–a shrub or a boulder, for example–and the location of nearby shade trees, hedges, fences, or other objects that might affect the amount of light that reaches your garden.

Now it’s time to do some research.

5. Look for plants adapted to your growing conditions.

Faced with the seemingly endless variety of plants available in catalogs and garden centers, how do you choose the few you have room for in your garden? Height, flower color, bloom time, and leaf texture should all be considered (and we’ll discuss each in some detail below), but the overriding concern of the gardener can be summed up in another question: will that plant grow for me? Plants are living things that have basic requirements for good health. Provide those requirements and your plants will thrive; deny them and your plants will languish or expire despite your best efforts. No matter how good your design looks on paper, it is doomed to failure if the plants you choose are not adapted to the growing conditions in your border.

Because trial and error can be frustrating and expensive, the best ways to discover whether a plant will grow in your garden is to talk with fellow gardeners, read gardening books, and consult plant catalogs. The chart at the end of this article lists many good garden plants and, along with flower color, height, and bloom time, indicates their sun and soil requirements. If your new garden will be in the shade and you’re at a loss for what to grow, we refer you to the list of plants at the end of the article that thrive with little or no direct sun. Most of the plants are available in either the spring or the fall from White Flower Farm.

6. From the list of suitable plants, make selections according to the basic principles of flower garden design.

A single flowering plant can be very beautiful. A grouping of several specimens of the same plant can be impressive. Combining groups of different plants so that each complements the others is the art gardeners aspire to. Here are a few principles of organization that many gardeners have adopted because they work so well.

Tall plants at the back, low-growers up front. A plant has to be seen to be appreciated, so it makes sense in most borders to put the shortest plants along the edge, long-legged plants at the back, and the rest in between, creating a gradual slope from, for example, Dianthus in front to Coreopsis, Lilium, Phlox, and finally tall ornamental Grasses at the rear.

Read more: Dirty Secrets: 9 Ways to Improve Garden Soil – Gardenista

“Drifts” make a statement. There is a tendency among new gardeners to fill a garden with individual specimens. The result is a collection of plants that becomes a confused

jumble when seen from a distance. Apart from shrubs and a few large perennials, such as Aruncus dioicus (Goatsbeard) and ornamental Grasses, most plants put on a better show when planted in numbers of three or more in irregular groupings called “drifts.” A drift is generally wider than it is deep, and the plants that comprise it are typically arranged in a staggered pattern resembling an upside-down “W,” which provides a natural, flowing look. Succeeding drifts are added in overlapping layers to help conceal the joints between them. Planting in drifts means fewer varieties of plants in your border, but those that are represented have much greater impact than single specimens.

A few tips on using color. Color preference is very personal. Combinations of color that cause one person to sigh with delight may cause another to wince. So, while entire books have been written on color theory and why some colors “work” together and others don’t, it makes sense to begin by choosing the colors you like and experimenting to arrive at combinations that please you. Don’t be surprised if your taste evolves with time. Changing color preference is one of the many reasons gardening sustains a lifetime of interest.

If you’re at a loss at where to begin, try following these suggestions:

* Pastel colors (creams, pale yellows, soft pinks, lavenders) are soothing. They have the effect of a cool drink on a hot summer day. If your border is near the house or near where you sit outdoors, you might want to choose a color theme in which pastels predominate.

* Hot colors such as red, orange, and bright yellow tend to grab attention. Use them to make a dramatic statement in a pastel border. A single orange Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale), for example, can draw attention to a whole drift of cool blue Baptisias. And because hot colors stand out at a distance, they deserve the leading role in a border that is located well away from the house.

* If you want to separate colors that you fear will conflict with one another, try using blue or white. Both go well with almost all other colors, which allow them to serve as buffers between warring neighbors.

Managing the sequence of bloom. Gardeners dream of borders brimming with flowers from early spring through frost, but most bulbs, shrubs, perennials, and even many annuals bloom for a limited period of time. Spring-blooming shrubs such as Rhododendrons and Lilacs, for example, are at peak bloom for just a week, two at most, and such popular perennials as Peonies and Iris don’t last much longer.

For the budding designer, the big question is whether to devote most of the border to a group of plants that flowers simultaneously, for a superb but brief crescendo, or to opt for a less spectacular but longer-running show. The answer depends on when you look at the border. If you are away on vacation every July or August, then you can ignore plants that bloom then and concentrate on those that bloom earlier and later. If your garden surrounds a pool that is used only in high summer, you can leave out spring bloomers and fall-flowering Asters and fill the space with annuals, Daylilies, Phlox, and Echinacea. But if you see your border from one end of the growing season to the other, you won’t be satisfied with just one big splash.

Here are some suggestions for designing a border with a long season of interest:

* Squeeze in spring-flowering bulbs. No matter how much you crowd your border with shrubs, perennials, summer bulbs, and annuals, you’ll still be able to mount an impressive spring display if you plant spring-flowering bulbs. Planted between the crowns of perennials in fall, Narcissus, Tulips, and a host of other early risers will perform magnificently the following spring, while the perennials are just beginning to awaken from winter slumber. The perennials then shoot up and hide the bulb foliage, which withers and disappears as the bulbs enter summer dormancy. Spring-flowering bulbs are offered in the fall by White Flower Farm.

* Keep the show rolling with annuals and long-blooming perennials. Don’t deprive your garden of Peonies and Iris just because they don’t bloom all summer. Instead, grow them with plants that do. Annuals and tender perennials such as Gomphrena and Petunias compensate for their short lives by blooming like the blazes all summer and into fall. Many hardy perennials have similarly irrepressible blooming habits. They keep on making flowers while other plants shine more briefly, then fade to green. (See list of long-blooming perennials.)

* Add a few plants with colored leaves. There are perennials, annuals, and shrubs that are prized more for their beautifully colored leaves than for their flowers. Silver Artemisias, golden Callunas (Heathers), and purple Heucheras complement the flowers of other plants when a border is at its peak and offer welcome dashes of color when blooms are scarce. In the shade, where summer color is at a premium, the two-tone leaves of variegated plants such as Hostas, Lamiums, and Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’, when combined with all-green plants, carry a border right through summer and into fall.

A variety of textures brings the border to life. An attractive garden includes a variety of plant forms as well as colors. Contrasting flower and leaf shapes and plant silhouettes provide texture and give a border a dynamic quality even on a calm day.

A garden of daisy-shaped flowers, for example, may be colorful and charming, but add the trumpets of Lilies, the spikes of Liatris, Foxglove or the flat-topped heads of Achillea, and the airy cloud of a Gypsophila, and the composition really sings.

The same diversity is found in leaves. They can be vaguely thumb-shaped, broad and wavy, grassy, needle-like, lacy, or delicately lobed. Combine and contrast them and your border will hold your interest even when there are few flowers to be found. In a sunny border, try putting the sword-shaped leaves of a Siberian Iris behind the fine, needled leaves of Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’; set the lance-shaped leaves of a Physostegia against the flowing backdrop of a Grass; or contrast ferny Achilleas with the huge, cabbage-like leaves of Crambe. In the shade, pair the broad, rounded leaves of Asarum with the smaller, heart-shaped leaves of Lamium; juxtapose the finely divided fronds of Ferns with shield-shaped Hostas; or soften the bold, flame-like leaves of Convallaria with the delicate lace of Corydalis.

Plants also have a variety of silhouettes. Many, such as hardy Geraniums, Nepetas, Peonies, and Hostas form broad mounds. Ornamental Grasses resemble arching fountains. Garden Phlox, Buddleia, and tall Asters are vase-shaped. Ground-huggers such as Dianthus and the shade-loving Lamiums make spreading mats. And Delphiniums and Alceas (Hollyhocks) throw towering spikes.

7. Draft a plan.

Once you’ve narrowed your plant choices and and ruminated a bit on the principles for combining them, you’re ready to begin working on a plan.

Purchase drawing supplies. The drawing supplies required are available at most stationery and art supply stores. You’ll need a few sheets of graph paper (8.5in by 11in sheets with Gin squares are adequate for all but the largest border), a straight edge, sharp pencils, and an eraser. You should also consider investing in some transparent tracing paper, a set of colored pencils, and a compass (the sort used for drawing circles and arcs) or a plastic template that artists use to draw perfect circles. The tracing paper allows you to doodle without having to redraw the basic outline of the border over and over again. The colored pencils come in handy when arranging plants in the border by flower color. The compass (or template) simplify the drawing of accurate circles.

Determine a scale. Before you put pencil to paper, you need to determine an appropriate scale for the drawing. Drawing your border to scale (that is, assigning a unit of measurement on paper that equals a much larger measurement of the real border) will help you keep plant groupings proportional and help you determine, with a fair degree of accuracy, the number of plants you will need.

The simplest way to proceed is to choose a scale that allows you to fit the entire border on a single piece of paper. There are 44 one-quarter inch squares running across the long side of an 8H by 11-inch sheet of graph paper. If your border is 20 feet long, you’ll have room enough for a scale of two squares per foot of your garden (2 squares per foot x 20 feet = 40 squares). If your border is smaller, you can assign a scale with more squares per foot; if your border is larger, you’ll have to use one square per foot or perhaps give each square a value of two or more feet of garden space.

Put the outline of the border on paper. Once you’ve decided on a scale, mark the points where you took measurements outdoors and connect the dots to create the outline, in miniature, of your border. Then indicate the points of the compass (North, East, West, and South) in one corner and add the important landmarks–trees, shrubs, large rocks, fences. (The easiest way to show trees and shrubs on a plan is to draw circles or arcs that describe the spread of the branches.)

Fill in the outline of the border. Lay a piece of tracing paper over the outline and begin sketching out possible combinations of plants. Represent large specimen plants,

shrubs for example, as circles; show drifts as irregularly shaped blobs resembling the cells you saw through the microscope in biology class. Inside each circle and blob, note the name of the plant and a few key bits of information: flower color, bloom time, and height (see the drawing). Color the circles and blobs with colored pencils to help visualize the distribution of flower and foliage color. Use separate pieces of tracing paper for each month or for each bloom season (spring, June, summer, and late summer/fall, for example) to see how the display will change over time.

If you’re unsure of where to begin, pencil in the shrubs first. They’re often larger than the other plants in a border and they’re more difficult to move if you change your mind (you can change your mind) after you’ve planted them. Then add the perennials, including hardy, summer-blooming bulbs such as Lilies, and the annuals. Because they can be planted between the feet of perennials and shrubs, the spring-flowering bulbs should be added last and the area they occupy should be marked with dotted lines on your plan.

This process goes more quickly if you remember that this is your garden and you can plant what you want to. Give your favorites prominent placement and combine them with a supporting cast that shows them to advantage. Once you’ve made a few big decisions, you’ll generally find that the space fills quickly.

Estimate the number of plants you’ll need. When you’ve settled on a basic design, the final step is to estimate how many of each plant you’ll need. You might think that coming up with this number would be straightforward, but in practice, it’s a bit tricky. People have differing opinions on how full a border should look. Also, the plants you buy from a mail-order nursery or garden center will not be full size. Shrubs, and many perennials, require several seasons to reach their mature dimensions. Do you want to wait for the plants to fill in or would you prefer to have the garden look full sooner rather than later (with the understanding that you’ll have to do some thinning to prevent overcrowding)?

To arrive at a reasonably good estimate of the number of plants you’ll need for your border, we suggest the following procedure:

* Consult the White Flower Farm catalog or Web site, the cultural instructions booklet shipped with your order, and the label that comes with every plant for recommended spacing. In most cases, you’ll find a range (12 to 18 inches, for example), which is generally equal to the mature spread of the plant. Choose the lower number for a fuller look, the higher number for a more open look.

* Lay a fresh piece of tracing paper over your design.

* With a compass or a template, draw a circle for each plant that is in scale with your plan. If the scale is one square = six inches, then a plant that spreads 12 to 18 inches wide should have a H- to I-inch diameter circle. Within a drift of like plants, remember to stagger the plants at the points of an imaginary, upside down “W.” The points mark the centers of the plants. The distance between points is the spacing (12 to 18 inches in our example).

As you draw your circles, you’ll probably discover that your plan needs adjustment. To get the show you want from a drift of Garden Phlox (which might require five to seven plants), you may have to reduce the number of Echinacea you had hoped to use or eliminate them entirely. If you left more space along the edge of the border for Nepeta x faassenii than you think it requires, you may want to add some Silver Mound Artemisia to fill the gap.

Don’t be surprised if, at planting time, you discover you’ve purchased either too few or too many plants. The translation from paper to reality is never perfect. If you come up short, order more plants or plug in annuals. If you have a surfeit of plants, look around your property for additional planting sites; you can always find a corner that would benefit from a splash of color.

8. Next steps.

With a plan in hand, you can proceed to buy plants, prepare the soil (see our “Caring for Your Plants” brochure on our Web site and the cultural instructions booklet that accompanies your order for instructions on soil preparation), and plant your garden. You’ll soon be able to enjoy the flowers you’ve dreamed of. But your work as a designer has just begun. That’s because a garden is never finished. It’s a process, an everchanging work in progress, that requires regular intervention on the part of the gardener as the plants grow and flourish (or occasionally disappear.) That’s what makes gardening so much fun. There’s always something new and different to look forward to.

A Selection of Long-blooming Perennials

Achillea ‘Moonshine’ (Yarrow)

Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’ (Aster)

Boltonia ‘Pink Beauty’ (Boltonia)

Calamintha nepeta nepeta (Calamint)

Centranthus ruber and C. r. ‘Snowcloud’ (Valerian)

Coreopsis (Tickseed)

Read more: How to Fix a Leaking Outdoor Faucet

Corydalis (Corydalis)

Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)

Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)

Heliopsis (False Sunflower)

Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’ and

‘Stella de Oro’ (Daylily)

Nepeta sibirica (Catmint)

Perovskia (Russian Sage)

Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ (Black-eyed Susan)

Salvia ‘Rose Wine’ and ‘May Night’

Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ and ‘Pink Mist’ (Scabious)

Stokesia (Stokes’ Aster)

Veronica ‘Goodness Grows’

Plants that Thrive in Shade

Aruncus (Goatsbeard)

Asarum (Wild Ginger)

Astilbe (Astilbe)

Convallaria (Lily-of-the-Valley)

Corydalis (Corydalis)

Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)

Ferns

Helleborus (Hellebore)

Hosta (Hosta)

Lamium (Dead Nettle)

Liriope (Lilyturf)

Mertensia (Virginia Bluebells)

Polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal)

Primula (Primrose)

Pulmonaria (Lungwort)

Smilacina (False Solomon’s Seal)

Tiarella (Foamflower)

Preplanned Gardens

Plant Selection Chart

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/how-to-design-a-garden/

#livingcornernews

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chaoticgouda · 1 year ago

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34. What is your partner’s voice like?

39. Do you have cute pet names for each other?

93. What are some major differences between you both?

99. If you were both in a dating sim, what character tropes would each of you be?

127. How does your partner treat you special compared to everyone else in their life?

Ahem here you go, definitely just a stranger

Ooooh an anonymous person in my inbox? How intriguing....

34) This might be my bias talking but it's... Just so incredibly soothing. Warm, soft, gentle. Sometimes it's adorably hesitant and shy, other times it's playful and teasing, other times it's more to-the-point and serious. I also adore their accent and some of their turns of phrase, like "y'all" and "what all". It's ridiculously endearing to me <3

39) Hehehe we have a few yeah!

For them: Sunflower, Star, Simp, Special lil guy, more general ones like darling, my love etc etc

For me: Chairlie, Chi/Sleepchi, [Lucky] Charm, also my love, darling etc etc

93) Hmm I guess the way we tend to approach some displays of affection and our communication styles in general? I'm v much gushy and kind of theatrical/dramatic in my shows of affection, writing rambles about things I like about them, stuff I'm excited to do, silly things like that lol -

Whereas they're more considerate and thoughtful with their praise and affection, giving it out a little more sparingly but having it be all the more meaningful for that?

There's a few other differences but that's the first one that comes to mind :>

99) Ooh this is a good one!!

Them: The cool, talented and attractive creative type who seems a little aloof and reserved at first but is secretly a dork with a huuuge heart once you put in the time to get to know them. One of the first CGs with them is definitely one where they kiss your hand.

Me: Uhh probably the supportive and silly character who is a bit of a sad clown about it, wants to encourage and help the main character while ignoring their own needs. Breaks the 4th wall for the bit.

127) Sooo this little tidbit of info always makes me smile whenever I think about it - They've confessed to me before that they feel a little awkward when I'm hanging out with them and their friends because they have to suppress the urge to be as affectionate as they normally are, and that their friends would be surprised if they saw that side of them. They're really sweet and sentimental and honestly kind of a big romantic when we're together, and I think that tenderness and affection steeps through into a lot of our interactions, spoken and unspoken. I feel loved and appreciated, whether or not they say it with words <3

#don't mind me gushing at like 5am ghfkd #i can't remember their tag hghh #darling dev <3 #astounding aster <3 #krill answers #anonymous #or should that be 'anonymous'

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braidiepatiencegrad702 · 4 years ago

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✷ Manuscript - Fourth Draft ✷

- Streamlined, and then streamlined some more! - Word count: 661 (down from 800)

The Legend of the Winged Bear

✷ Act 1 ✷

Once upon a bear kingdom underneath the starry skies, there lived a bear named Nova.

The Kingdom was bright, full of colour and sound, as the bears celebrated their beautiful coats. They would admire themselves all day and night in the glassy surfaces of the kingdom.

When the bears gathered in the city square to gaze upon themselves, Nova would sit on the citadel dome and peer up at the starry sky.

Every night the city grew brighter, for the bears needed more light to admire themselves by. As the city grew brighter, the night sky became dimmer, slowly washing away all traces of starlight.

✷ Act 2 ✷

When the last speck of starlight disappeared, Nova got up and left the bear kingdom in search of the stars.

Travelling to the wilderness outside of the city, Nova looked up and saw a forest of starlight before her.

Seeing an eagle in the distance, Nova had an idea. She would be like the eagle and soar through the skies, and she began to craft a set of wings using twigs and leaves and tree sap.

Spying a small cliff ahead of her, Nova strapped on her wings, and with a run and a jump, launched herself into the night sky.

Down, down, down she went. Crashing in the shrubs below.

As she lay there, a mysterious creature emerged from a hidden cave under the cliff.

‘I’m Aster, it looks like you could use some help!’

Nova cautiously approached the strange creature,

‘What are you doing all the way out here?’

‘This is my home, I come from a smoky city where everyone stays indoors. One night when the smoke cleared, I saw some twinkling lights in the sky, so I set off to find them and ended up here.’

Deciding to trust this new creature, Nova shared her dreams of reaching the stars, showing Aster her ruined wings.

Together the pair rebuilt the wings using scraps of metal and paper from the box of treasure Aster brought with her from the smoky city.

They climbed the small cliff, and Aster jumped on Nova’s back as she launched them into the air.

And they flew through the sky! With shouts of pure joy, they soared higher and higher.

Now, some of the bears were curious about Nova’s disappearance, and went in search of her. Hearing shouts above, they looked up and saw the silhouette of a winged bear in the distance.

Astounded, they quickly rushed home to share what they had seen.

The winged bear flew them back to the cave, passing through a cloud, the wings began to soften and tear.

And the pair tumbled from the sky.

Battered and bruised, the duo looked at each other and laughed into the night.

They went to mend the wings and try again, but Aster opened the box of treasure and found that all the paper was gone. Inside, there was nothing left but a dirty, old blanket.

Aster grabbed the dirty blanket hoping it could be of use. As the blanket unraveled, an object suddenly fell to the floor with a clang!

And before them, under all the dirt and dust, lay a golden telescope.

Nova and Aster set up the golden telescope and were amazed at what they saw! The stars were close enough to touch!

✷ Act 3 ✷

Gazing up at the starry night, Nova remembered the colourful bears in her city and their love for beauty.

Telling Aster of the bears, the two set off for the bright city to share the wonder of the night sky with them.

When they reached the city, word spread of Nova and her new friend, and curiosity led some of the bears to come see what all the fuss was about.

Few travelled to the cave, but those that did stood in wonder at the starry night, realising that the world was bigger than they had ever imagined

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ao3feed-brucewayne · 2 months ago

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Every time I drive through the city where youre from I squeeze a little

by Giselia Old Friend by Mitski Aster and her friends were having a jolly folly hang out at the local mall when a portal opened under them and sent them to an unknown land, what they later recognize as Gotham city, from the iconic comic series Batman. Having no way home and being completely and utterly homeless and identity-less, they do the only thing they could possibly do, make their own bat signal, and call upon batman!! He is astounded at their stupidity and idiocrasy and immediately adopts them, or at least, tries to. Aka the most self-indulgent and fandom thing ever written. All batman characters belong to Dc. OCs belong to me :3 Words: 926, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Batman (Comics), Original Work Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Original Characters, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake (DCU), Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Damian Wayne Relationships: Bruce Wayne & Original Character(s), Tim Drake & Original Character(s), Dick Grayson & Original Character(s), Jason Todd & Original Character(s), Stephanie Brown & Original Character(s), Alfred Pennyworth & Original Character(s), Cassandra Cain & Original Character(s), Original Character(s) & Original Character(s), Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Damian Wayne & Original Character(s) Additional Tags: Angst, Fluff and Angst, Funny, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Crossover, Isekai and Transmigration, Gotham City is Terrible, Portals, whole lot of nonsence via https://ift.tt/AY5fZkB

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #the caped crusader #gotham #dcu #dc #ao3 #ao3feed

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 7 years ago

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Full Line-up Announced for 2018 Overlook Film Festival – April 19-22, New Orleans

The Overlook Film Festival has just dropped an incredible line-up of horror and genre films, interactive exhibits and panels for the 2018 event. Happening April 19th-22nd, genre audiences will descend upon the Bourbon Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, for premiere screenings of Hereditary, Unfriended: Dark Web, St. Agatha, Ghost Stories, among many others.

We attended to the 2017 Overlook Film Fest atop Mount Hood at the infamous Timberline Lodge (exterior setting of the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining) and it was our favorite festival experience of the year. From the second you enter the fest, you step into a world of film, interactive horror, and sensory experiences. We had such a good time, we’ve already booked ourselves in for 2018’s events. And now that they’ve announced the line-up, I can hardly wait..

From the Press Release

(NEW ORLEANS, LA) – The Overlook Film Festival is proud to announce its second year programming lineup. In addition to the 40 films (23 features and 17 short films from 12 countries) on offer, the festival will feature exciting parties, virtual reality, interactive events, and live performances – all taking place in America’s most haunted city: New Orleans, Louisiana.

On opening night of the festival, audience members will enjoy the chiller Unfriended: Dark Web (United States, 2018), from Blumhouse Productions and Bazelevs Productions, directed by Stephen Susco, and starring Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Connor del Rio, Stephanie Nogueras, and Savira Windyani.

The Overlook Film Festival will screen A24’s highly anticipated Hereditary (United States, 2018) as its closing feature presentation, directed by Ari Aster, and starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, and Gabriel Byrne.

The Centerpiece of the 2018 edition of The Overlook Film Festival is St. Agatha, directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, which will hold its world premiere in New Orleans at the festival.

The festival’s Visionary Award will be presented to modern genre favorite Leigh Whannell, best known for writing the first three films in the Saw franchise, as well as Insidious, and Insidious: Chapter 2, and directing Insidious: Chapter 3. Whannell is an Australian screenwriter, producer, director, and actor who will celebrate his latest directorial effort at the festival, Upgrade. The Visionary Award was established to honor a contemporary horror figure or company elevating the genre, while fostering the community by providing opportunities for new talent to thrive.

Hereditary

In addition to the films and special guests, the Overlook Film Festival will be generously packed with live presentations. The festival’s virtual reality program will feature the world premiere of noted experience creator Jon Braver’s Delusion: Lies Within, a fully immersive, 360 degree episodic narrative from Skybound Entertainment.

Other experiences will run the gamut from live podcasts and storytelling shows, to immersive attractions for an audience of one – including the world premiere of a new show from immersive theater troupe BLACKOUT – and The Overlook Immersive Game, a new alternate reality game that will span the entirety of the festival created by this year’s experience designers Scott Gillies and Nick Tierce, whose credits include a range of interactive projects for companies that include Electronic Arts, Disney, Microsoft, Niantic Labs and Google.

The Overlook Film Festival is programmed by festival co-directors Michael Lerman and Landon Zakheim, and programmer Lili Rodriguez. The schedule, sponsors, and additional surprises will be announced in the coming days.

“We’re so excited to unleash this program onto our devoted audience and new fans in this haunted city” said festival co-director Michael Lerman.

“It’s such a great year for horror and the varied nature of this program is really a testament to innovative ways filmmakers are finding to frighten, challenge and celebrate the genre.”

Added co-director Landon Zakheim: “We’ve assembled a wonderfully sordid array of some of our favorite storytellers, performers, and immersive artists to create the signature events and shows that round out our weekend-long summer camp. We can’t wait to share the secrets, surprises, and ghosts of New Orleans with all of you.”

Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing Night Presentations

Unfriended: Dark Web

Opening Night Film:

Unfriended: Dark Web Director: Stephen Susco Cast: Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Connor del Rio, Stephanie Nogueras, Savira Windyani United States, 2018 Preparing for his weekly Skype game night with his friends, a cyber café attendant borrows a laptop from the lost and found, only to find that the previous owner will stop at nothing to retrieve it. A sequel in name only, UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB borrows key cinematic elements from the original UNFRIENDED while telling its own edge-of-your-seat sadistic tale full of shocks and surprises that will make you think twice about who’s watching when you log on.

Centerpiece Film:

St. Agatha WORLD PREMIERE Director: Darren Lynn Bousman Cast: Sabrina Kern, Carolyn Hennesy, Courtney Halverson United States, 2018 Horror film impresario Darren Lynn Bousman, director of SAW II, III and IV, modern experiments REPO! A GENETIC OPERA and THE DEVIL’S CARNIVAL, not to mention the groundbreaking ongoing immersive property The Tension Experience, brings to life his latest vision, a period piece concerning a troubled woman running from her past who finds herself kept hostage by a coven of vicious nuns.

Closing Night Film:

Hereditary Director: Ari Aster Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Gabriel Byrne United States, 2018 When their reclusive grandmother passes away, the Graham family is slowly taken hold by a cursed terror, one that won’t let go. A cavalcade of gifted performers led by Toni Collete star in filmmaker Ari Aster’s astounding debut feature, which has deservedly become one of the most anticipated horror films of the year since it’s electrifying debut at the Sundance Film Festival.

St. Agatha

Feature Film Presentations

Arizona Director: Jonathan Watson Cast: Danny McBride, Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Wilson, Lolli Sorenson, Elizabeth Gillies, Kaitlin Olson United States, 2017 This wickedly inventive comedic thriller that sharply utilizes the true life economic turmoil of the housing crisis as its backdrop, casts Danny Mcbride as an unhinged homeowner who attempts to take out his frustrations on a scrupulous relator (Rosemarie Dewitt) with a rampage that grows increasingly murderous.

Beast Director: Michael Pearce Cast: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Trystan Gravelle,Geraldine James United Kingdom, 2017 In this brutal, sexy, critically acclaimed debut thriller from UK director Michael Pearce, a disturbed woman finds herself caught between her oppressive family’s demands and her animalistic attraction to an alluring stranger who’s arrival in her life is suspiciously timed with a series of vicious murders in their isolated community.

Blood Fest Director: Owen Egerton Cast: Robbie Kay, Jacob Batalon, Seychelle Gabriel, Tate Donovan, Barbara Dunkelman, Nick Rutherford, Zachary Levi United States, 2018 When the most exciting horror festival in the country turns the tables on its zealous fan base by trapping them on the grounds and murdering them en masse, a group of teens armed with the knowledge of a thousand horror movies must fight their way through the bloodbath in this hilarious send-up of horror culture.

Blue My Mind Director: Lisa Brühlmann Cast: Luna Wedler, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen Switzerland, 2017 During the process of moving cities with her parents and trying to start over with a new group of friends, 15-year-old Mia begins to discover unexpected changes to her body that she dare not speak about to anyone. In spite of her radical attempts to halt the process, Mia is forced to face the horrifying reality of who she truly is. Equal parts tender, surreal, and grotesque, actor-turned-director Lisa Brühlmann’s first feature is a worth addition to the adolescent body horror canon.

Caniba Director: Véréna Paravel & Lucien Castaing-Taylor Cast: Issei Sagawa, Jun Sagawa France, 2017 Sensory ethnography documentarians Lucien Castaign-Taylor and Véréna Paravel turn their cameras on notorious Japanese cannibal cum manga author, pornography director, and sushi critic, Issei Sagawa. In an unprecedented and shocking interview, Sagawa reveals gruesome details about his life and crimes, as well as a peak into his fraught relationship with his mysterious brother.

Don’t Leave Home Director: Michael Tully Cast: Anna Margaret Hollyman, Lalor Roddy, Helena Bereen, David McSavage, Karrie Cox Ireland, 2018 An American artist accepts a strange invitation to a secluded Irish manor to construct an original sculpture for a priestly painter whose work has been shrouded in a sinister urban legend involving the disappearance of an 8-year-old girl in this creepy, offbeat cinematic discovery from indie stalwart Michael Tully (SEPTIEN).

Downrange Director: Ryuhei Kitamura Cast: Kelly Connaire, Stephanie Pearson, Alexa Yeames, Jason Tobias United States, 2017 Macabre mastermind Ryuhei Kitamura (VERSUS, MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN) comes crashing back with a frenetic new film of murder and mayhem. Stranded by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere from a tire blowout, a group of carpoolers become suddenly besieged by flying bullets from an unseen shooter with incredible precision and a savage will.

The Farm WORLD PREMIERE Director: Hans Stjernswärd Cast: Nora Yessayan, Alec Gaylord, Ken Volok, Rob Tisdale United States, 2018 The classic horror tale of a young couple who takes a wrong turn and stumbles into a small town full of people with nefarious intentions is turned on its head in this disturbing manifesto about food production. Seeping with eerie atmosphere, this unnerving first feature from newcomer Hans Stjernswärd finds as much fear in its silences as it does in its sickening, insidious images.

Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories Director: Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman Cast: Martin Freeman, Alex Lawther, Andy Nyman, Paul Whitehouse United Kingdom, 2017 After stumbling across a long-lost folder of material from his childhood hero, Goodman, a TV investigator known for debumking psychic hoaxes, digs deep into three cases of ghoulish hauntings. Determined to find rational explanations, Goodman quickly realizes he’s in over his head. Featuring Martin Freeman, this spine-tingling anthology, adapted from the hit stage play, tells enough tales to keep you up for nights to come.

Good Manners Director: Juliana Rojas & Marco Dutra Cast: Isabél Zuaa, Marjorie Estiano, Miguel Lobo Brazil/France, 2017 A surprising, imaginative and engaging twist on classic genre stories told with a sophisticated cinematic technique, GOOD MANNERS begins unassumingly with a near destitute nurse becoming the caretaker for a wealthy, isolated pregnant woman exhibiting strange behavior. But soon her habits turn into a sleeping hunger that changes both of their lives forever.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich WORLD PREMIERE Director: Sonny Laguna & Tommy Wiklund Cast: Thomas Lennon, Michael Paré, Barbara Crampton, Udo Kier United Kingdom / United States, 2018 During a roadtrip to a convention for the 30th Anniversary of the infamous Toulon Murders, a comic book nerd, his new girlfriend and his best friend come face to face with a set of sadistic nazi puppets out for blood. A reimagining of the Charles Band classic, this uproarious horror comedy starring Thomas Lennon, Udo Kier, Barbara Crampton, Nelson Franklin, and Charlene Yi pays homage to the Full Moon features of the late 80s, early 90s.

The Ranger Director: Jenn Wexler Cast: Chloë Levine, Granit Lahu, Jeremy Pope, Bubba Weiler, Amanda Grace Benitez, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden United States, 2018 A band of punks on the run from trouble with the local law hide out in the woods, only to stumble onto the radar of a deranged park ranger with a malicious approach to justice and a mysterious connection to a member of their group. Longtime indie horror producer Jenn Wexler makes her directorial debut with this manic, punk-rock take on the traditional slasher flick.

Revenge Director: Coralie Fargeat Cast: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, Guillaume Bouchede, Jean-Louis Tribes France, 2017 First time filmmaker Coralie Fargeat subverts expectations of the exploitative rape-revenge film tropes from the grind house age for this explosively shocking assault on misogynistic culture that stunned unsuspecting audiences at both the Toronto and Sundance film festivals. Don’t miss one of the most intense debuts of the year.

Satan’s Slaves (Also our featured image) Director: Joko Anwar Cast: Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Dimas Aditya, Endy Arfian, Nasar Annuz, Ayu Laksmi, Egy Fedly Indonesia, 2017 When Mawarni, a famous Indonesian singer, dies of a mysterious illness, her husband and four children are left behind to pick up the pieces, only to discover that they are being haunted by a pack of rabid spirits headed by Mawarni herself. Technically billed as a remake of the 1982 Indonesian remake of Don Coscarelli’s PHANTASM, celebrated director Joko Anwar’s SATAN’S SLAVES is its own chilling throwback to 70s supernatural thrillers, packed to the brim with jump scares and iconic imagery.

Sex Madness Revealed WORLD PREMIERE Director: Tim Kirk Cast: Patton Oswalt, Rob Zabrecky United States, 2018 Notorious comedian Patton Oswalt and renowned magician Rob Zabrecky star in Tim Kirk’s (DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY) latest experiment in how to tell tales of terror. Taking the form of an audio commentary that plays out over the little known 1938 STD propaganda film SEX MADNESS, the voice of a persnickety film blogger interviews the descendant of the original motion picture’s director who harbors a nefarious secret.

Tigers Are Not Afraid Director: Issa López Cast: Paola Lara, Juan Ramón López, Ianis Guerrero, Rodrigo Cortés, Hanssel Casillas Mexico, 2017 In one of the most imaginative (and award winning!) features traveling the genre festival circuit in recent months, a young girl with a missing mother joins a band of street misfits in effort to survive amidst rampant cartel violence in modern-day Mexico City. Populated with fairy tale imagery, TIGERS is at turns harshly real and terrifyingly surreal, reminiscent of films like THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE and CITY OF GOD as it details a tragic and engulfing nightmare.

Upgrade

Upgrade Director: Leigh Whannell Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie Australia, 2017 Fan favorite Leigh Whannell, whose work on the SAW and INSIDIOUS franchises have made him a modern genre icon, thrills and delights with this gory and action-packed foray into a science-fiction dystopia. An experimental procedure infuses a sentient computer chip into the body and mind of paralyzed Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), fueling a spiraling mission for vengeance that leads to a terrifying endgame.

Vampire Clay Director: Soichi Umezawa Cast: Kyoka Takeda, Momoka Sugimoto, Ena Fujita, Yuyu Makihara, Asuka Kurosawa Japan, 2017 A group of unwitting art school students find themselves in a brutal showdown against a pack of evil of modeling clay in this campy, inventive, practical effects extravaganza from Japanese FX artist turned filmmaker Soichi Umezawa.

What Keeps You Alive Director: Colin Minihan Cast: Hannah Emily Anderson, Brittany Allen, Martha Macisaac, Joey Klein, Charlotte Lindsay Marron Canada, 2018 For their first wedding anniversary, Jackie and Jules retreat to a cozy cabin near a beautiful lake. The sudden appearance of Jackie’s childhood best friend sets off a chain of unlikely events that turn a quiet vacation into the deadliest game of cat and mouse in Overlook Alum Colin Minihan’s (writer of STILL/BORN) claustrophobic survivalist thriller.

Wolfman’s Got Nards: A Documentary Director: André Gower Cast: Fred Dekker, Shane Black, Seth Green, Adam F. Goldberg, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Chuck Russell, Heather Langenkamp United States, 2018 August 14, 1987 saw the release of what has become one of the strangest, scariest and most iconic kids film to ever grace the silver screen – THE MONSTER SQUAD. In this endearing documentary, director Andre Gower takes us not only behind the scenes on the production, but also into the heart of the fandom surrounding the movie and the magic that made it such a defining cinematic experience for so many in the genre community.

Virtual Reality Presentations

Campfire Creepers

Campfire Creepers: The Skull of Sam Director: Alexandre Aja From master of horror Alexandre Aja, the director of films such as The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha, and Horns, comes an original anthology series that brings classic campfire stories to life in stunning Virtual Reality. Produced by Oculus and Future Lighthouse and distributed by Dark Corner, Campfire Creepers invites viewers to join the fire circle at a summer camp called Camp Coyote as a group of kids take turns telling spooky tales. Inspired by cult classics like Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt, every episode of Campfire Creepers is a wild ride that will have you laughing and screaming in equal measure.

Delusion: Lies Within WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jon Braver Set in the 1940’s American South, beloved author Elena Fitzgerald goes missing before releasing the final novel in her epic dark fantasy that has captivated fans Daniel and Virginia. As many believe her to be dead, Daniel and Virginia must leave their grim reality behind to save Fitzgerald from her own literary nightmare. The VR series from Skybound Entertainment is a fully immersive, 360 degrees episodic story. Delusion is based off Jon Braver’s 2014 immersive theatrical performance in Los Angeles.

Masters Of The Sun Director: will.i.am This interactive comic book series from Oculus Studios, born from the mind of will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas), is a retro futuristic B-boy zombie thriller about a hip-hop group from East LA that must battle an ancient god who is turning black drug dealers and gangsters into zombies. This epic journey, spanning 13 episodes, explores gang culture, hip-hop origins, and cloaked conspiracy theories—from ancient Egypt to the streets of LA. Starring Queen Latifah, Rakim, Jamie Foxx, Ice-T, and KRS-One.

Night Night Director: Guy Shelmerdine It’s time to drift off to dreamland…but first your mom is going to read you a short bedtime story. Take a journey into your childhood nightmares with Dark Corner’s sense-stunning immersive experience. Produced by Dark Corner and MPC VR.

Wolves In The Walls (Chapter 1) Director: Pete Billington Eight-year-old Lucy suspects that wolves live in the walls of her family’s home. She has no one to believe her … but you. Forging a groundbreaking blend of film, theatre, audience agency, and sleight of hand, this exquisitely crafted animated experience, adapted from material by Neil Gaiman and choreographed by immersive theater company Third Rail Projects, casts you as an active performer in a narrative where you interact, have a relationship with, and go on a quest with the central character in ways that leave your mark on the experience.

Live Event Presentations

BLACKOUT WORLD PREMIERE Creators: Kristjan Thor and Josh Randall In 2009, an underground immersive horror experience swept through the NYC art scene and began a path that would transform the international theater community. BLACKOUT, the X-rated fear experience designed for adults over 18 to walk through completely alone. Created by directors Kristjan Thor and Josh Randall, BLACKOUT has had productions in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Now at the Overlook Film Festival, BLACKOUT presents the world premiere of a rare and unique opportunity for the adventurous to make their way through what the NEW YORK TIMES has called the “most extreme theater event of the year.” WARNING: This is considered an extreme experience and is exclusively for pass holders. Participants are required to sign a waiver. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders.

The Canon Podcast Live Host: Amy Nicholson What films should be included in the list of all-time greats? Film critic Amy Nicholson and a guest debate, discuss and sometimes harmoniously agree about whether a film should be Canon-ized. Ultimately, the decision is yours. Cast your vote, and decide the legacy of each movie forevermore. No pressure.

In Another Room Directors: Austin and Aaron Keeling Last summer, E3W Productions’ surprise hit ‘In Another Room’ invited guests to explore the richly storied rooms of a notoriously haunted house in Los Angeles, introducing audience members to the inhabitants who lived and died within its walls. Now, E3W Productions is pleased to offer exclusive access to one of the rooms from their debut show, transported to the Bourbon Orleans Hotel for the duration of the Overlook Film Festival. Audiences of three will be invited to step inside this room, where they will meet a previous inhabitant and learn of the tragedies that befell them. ‘In Another Room’ sold out in just three days upon its initial run, and this excerpt promises a haunting, moving, and extremely intimate experience. We invite those of you most attuned to the psychic and supernatural to join us for a once in a lifetime opportunity to come face to face with the unknown. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders.

Infinitely Dinner Society: Midnight Snacks Creator, Director: Annie Lesser Infinitely Dinner Society’s Midnight Snacks presents Bananas Foster. IDS Midnight Snacks are late night pairings of food and art with the math and science behind infinity. Previous snacks have included donuts paired with the infinite points of a circle, cheese cubes paired with hypercubes and oyster shooters paired with the intangible nature of infinity. Each snack features food sourced from local bakers, shop owners and farmers markets. For the Overlook Film Festival, creator Annie Lesser has designed a piece based on the cosmic horror of the multiverse featuring Bananas Foster made from Louisiana cane sugar and rum. News about Infinitely Dinner Society and the IDS Midnight Snacks can be found Instagram @infinitelydinnersociety. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders.

The Overlook Immersive Game Producer: Mali Elfman For the signature event of the Overlook Film Festival, 2018 introduces a new alternate reality game and welcomes this year’s experience designers Scott Gillies and Nick Tierce, whose credits include a range of projects with companies such as Electronic Arts, Disney, Microsoft, Niantic Labs, and Google. Throughout the entire weekend, uncover an interactive horror mystery that permeates the festival, featuring live actors inhabiting unique locations, hidden clues, tactile puzzles, and surprising twists that each player can engage with at their own level of comfort and curiosity. Follow the clues to become the protagonist of an engaging and thrilling narrative that no two players will experience in exactly the same way. Details of the game’s story will remain locked away until the festival begins, but you may wish to seek out the celestial raven, instantly. The game is available exclusively to festival pass holders, with active player registration limited to 100 available spots. All registered players must attend a game orientation upon festival check-in. Over the course of the game, curious players may receive invitations to engage further for additional immersive depth, which they may opt-in for when the opportunity is presented.

Paperbacks From Hell Creator, Writer, Performer: Grady Hendrix In the early Seventies, three books changed horror forever: ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE EXORCIST, and THE OTHER. The first horror novels to hit bestseller lists since 1940, they opened the floodgates for an avalanche of horror paperbacks to pour onto supermarket shelves throughout the Seventies and Eighties until SILENCE OF THE LAMBS slit the genre’s throat in the early Nineties. Writer Grady Hendrix delivers a mind-melting oral history of this now forgotten world of Nazi leprechauns, skeleton doctors, killer crabs, killer jellyfish, killer babies, pretty much killer everything. Prepare yourself for a tour of this long-lost universe of terror that lurked behind the lurid, foil-embossed, die-cut covers of…the Paperbacks from Hell!!!!

The Pumpkin Pie Show: Best of Show Creator, Writer, Performer: Clay McLeod Chapman Come join us for an encore presentation of the best Pumpkin Pie Show stories from over the last 20 years. Author Clay McLeod Chapman will lead the audience through the back-catalogue of his personal favorite tales, offering a view into the sordid lives of Southern Gothic monstrosities that explore the domestic horrors of the everyday, finding terror within our own households. This is Edgar Allan Poe for the modern age, people.

The Pumpkin Pie Show: New Skulduggery Creator, Writer, Performer: Clay McLeod Chapman Author Clay McLeod Chapman is bringing BRAND NEW STORIES to the Overlook! The Pumpkin Pie Show has remained a staple of the fest – and this year they’re offering an even sweeter treat: original tales that have never been inflicted upon an audience anywhere. Flesh-eating bacteria, killer baby carrots and haunted comic books are all on the menu. These new campfire stories will be sure send a shiver up your spine. Hear them first before they’re unleashed upon the rest of the world!

The Pumpkin Pie Show: One-On-Ones Creator, Writer, Performer: Clay McLeod Chapman A returning favorite from last year’s fest, please join author Clay McLeod Chapman as he takes one audience member at a time on a dark ride through this depraved, intimate storytelling experience. Think of it as a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters telling their own story. No fourth wall, no escape. First come, first serve. Sessions will last 20 minutes. Slots will be made available exclusively for all-access pass holders.

Shock Waves Presents Host: Ryan Turek Overlook welcomes Ryan Turek, co-host of Blumhouse’s hit horror podcast Shock Waves for an insightful discussion with one of the festival’s guests.

Summerland Lost Creator, Writer, Performer: Grady Hendrix The Wall Street Journal calls him “a national treasure.” His mother calls him “Sunshine.” Now author Grady Hendrix brings his one-man show about psychic teenagers and shaved cats to New Orleans with Summerland Lost: A Ghost Story. Telling the all-shocking, all-true tale of drunk Victorian teenagers who spoke to the dead, this is the real life story of how biomechanical sex cults, the ghost of Ben Franklin, suffragettes, abolitionists, anarchists, and Arctic explorers all teamed up to answer the ultimate question: is there life after death?

Short Film Presentations

The Beaning

Amy Director: L. Gustavo Cooper Cast: Danielle Kennedy, Rebekah Kennedy, Tom Fitzpatrick, Samantha Ann United States, 2017 Set against the backdrop of the deadliest heat wave in recorded history and inspired by America’s most prolific female serial killer, L. Gustavo Cooper’s AMY provides a surreal and distorted glimpse into a killing spree that captivated a nation in the early 1900s.

The Beaning Director: Sean McCoy United States, 2017 An experimental sports film combining documentary techniques with horror aesthetics, THE BEANING explores a sinister theory surrounding the death of Cleveland baseball player Ray Chapman in 1920 and the subsequent rise of the Yankee dynasty.

Beastly Things Director: Zev Chevat United States, 2017 A young street artist encounters a group of local schoolchildren, and learns what really makes monsters.

Blood Runs Down WORLD PREMIERE Director: Zandashé Brown Cast: Farrah Martin, Idella Johnson United States, 2018 When a woman undergoes a frightening transition, her vigilant young daughter must decide between saving her or protecting herself in this haunting tale of inheritance, daughterhood, and demons.

Cerulia Director: Sofía Carrillo Cast: Diana Bracho Mexico, 2017 Cerulia returns to her childhood home to bid farewell to her past, but the memories of her youth and a presence in the home will not let her go.

Coyote Director: Lorenz Wunderle Switzerland, 2018 A coyote loses his family to a vicious attack by wolves. Tormented by fear, anger and grief, he sees a chance to avenge their deaths…

Good Morning Director: Elaine Mongeon Cast: Maya Kazan, Jamie McShane United States, 2017 A young woman and her father adapt to terrifying changes they never expected.

Hair Wolf Director: Mariama Diallo Cast: Kara Young, Taliah Webster, Madeline Weinstein, Trae Harris, Jermaine Crawford United States, 2017 In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture.

Latched Director: Justin Harding & Rob Brunner Cast: Alana Elmer, Peter Higginson, Jarrett Siddall, Bowen Harding Canada, 2017 A choreographer pursues creative inspiration at a cottage retreat while attempting to wean her demanding toddler — and unknowingly awakens a vile fairy corpse in the process. When she discovers the creature’s terrifying intentions, she will have to put her creativity to good use to lure the repugnant beast.

We Summoned a Demon

Milk Director: Santiago Menghini Cast: Cameron Brodeur, Anana Rydvald Canada, 2018 On a late night, a young teen goes into the kitchen for a glass of milk. Upon encountering his sleepless mother, he quickly realizes things are not as they seem.

Möbius Director: Sam Kuhn Cast: Caley Jones, Daiva Z, Britt Grayson, Elissa Mielke, Austin Will Canada/United States, 2017 A moth eaten tale of magic and mutation half remembered by a teen poet whose beloved lies lifeless in a stream.

Pan Director: Anna Roller Cast: Anna Platen, Jeff Wilbusch, Luisa-Céline Gaffron, Sue Simmy Lemke, Emil Borgeest Germany, 2017 Juno, a twenty-year-old girl becomes obsessed with Pan. Her obsession turns her into an animal.

The Plague Director: Guillermo Carbonell Cast: Gabriela Freire, Walter Rey, Rafael Soliwoda Uruguay, 2017 Rosa’s father escapes from a nursing home and comes back to his former house. He hides a secret, and he’s not coming alone.

The Sermon Director: Dean Puckett Cast: Molly Casey, Grant Gillespie, Denise Stephenson, Oliver Monaghan, Emma White United Kingdom, 2018 In an isolated church community in the English countryside, a powerful hate preacher prepares to deliver a sermon to his flock, but his daughter has a secret that could destroy them all.

Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time (Episode 1: Strangers) Created by Peter Gulsvig Cast: Rachel Butera, Nate Corddry, Peter Gulsvig United States, 2018 Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time exists in the fractured psyche of a middle aged woman whose refusal to grow up has resulted in a life spent talking to inanimate objects (and a dying box turtle) in her parents’ house.

Thursday Night Director: Gonçalo Almeida Cast: Bimbo the Dog Portugal, 2017 An elusive stranger pays Bimbo a visit in the middle of the night to deliver a vital message.

We Summoned a Demon Director: Chris McInroy Cast: Kirk C. Johnson, Carlos Larotta, John Orr United States, 2017 They just wanted to be cool. Instead, they got a demon.

Well, what are you waiting for? Head to the Overlook film Fest website and pick up your festival passes. Tweet at us @NOFSPODCAST if you’re attending the fest- and we’ll meet up for a bourbon-something! And, if you can’t make it, keep your eye on The Nightmare on Film Street website, Instagram, and Facebook Pages for all of our highlights from the fest!

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chicagoindiecritics · 5 years ago

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New from Kevin Wozniak on Kevflix: The Best Movies of 2019

It all comes down to this. The best movies of 2019. The final year of the decade the was the 2010’s and it sure was a good one. 2019 was an incredibly strong year for cinema and one that we should all be happy about. Like most years, we had our duds and disappointments, but we also had plenty of surprises and some truly great films from some of the best filmmakers working today. I saw 191 films in 2019, a few less than 2018, but still a great amount. I was able to see all kinds of movies from all over the from all different genres and budget sizes. I do wish I saw more documentaries, though, but hey, I am only human.

So without further ado, here are my picks for the best movies of 2019.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

[In Alphabetical Order]

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Tom Hanks becomes Mr. Rogers is Marielle Heller’s delightful film.

BOOKSMART

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is one of the best high school comedies of the 2000’s and features break out turns from Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever.

GLASS

The finale is M. Night Shyamalan’s Eastrail 177 Trilogy is a somber look at how broken people use their trauma to become super.

LITTLE WOMEN

Greta Gerwig gave us a whimsical, unconventional adaptation of the classic story.

MARRIAGE STORY

Noah Baumbach’s best film to date features awards-worthy performances by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a coupe who’s divorce proceedings get uglier than they expect.

THE REPORT

A tightly wound political thriller featuring terrific performances from Adam Driver and Annette Bening.

THE SOUVENIR

Joanna Hogg’s experimental, powerful look at trauma and memory.

TOY STORY 4

Woody, Buzz, and the gang came back for a fourth chapter that is just as sweet, funny, and heart-breaking as the previous three.

WAVES

A sprawling, emotional, intense look at family, toxic masculinity, guilt, and moving on from loss. It’s writer/director Trey Edward Shults boldest film to date.

And now, my top ten films of 2019.

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2018

10 – AD ASTRA (James Gray)

James Gray is one of our most under-appreciated directors working today. Ad Astra is proof of his talent and shows how Gray can give us large-scale movies with personal stories. Ad Astra stars Brad Pitt as astronaut Roy McBride, who is sent on a mission across the solar system to find his father, who went missing 30 years ago and is now threatening the universe. Featuring some of the best visual effects of the year, a heart-wrenching story, and a great subdued Brad Pitt performance, Ad Astra is a jaw-dropping sins-of-our-father movie.

9 – KNIVES OUT (Rian Johnson)

Rian Johnson reinvented the whodunit genre with Knives Out. Boasting an all-star cast, led by a never-better Daniel Craig and the breakout performance of the year from Ana de Armas, Knives Out isn’t your classic murder mystery, but one that changes directions so much, your head will be spinning. Thanks to Johnson’s whip-smart screenplay and outstanding direction, Knives Out was the most fun I had at the movies in 2019 and a movie that only gets better the more you watch it.

8 – MIDSOMMAR (Ari Aster)

Writer/director Ari Aster’s follow-up to his 2018 horror masterpiece Hereditary is one of the most shocking and exhausting experiences I had at the movies in 2019. Florence Pugh solidified her leading-lady status as Dani, a girl stuck in a bad relationship who experiences horrible events at a mid-summer festival in Sweden that help her come realize her relationship isn’t everything it seems. A great looking movie in terms of costumes, production design, and cinematography, yet a horrifying movie in some of the grisly events that take place, Midsommar is one of the most haunting break-up movies ever made and solidifies Aster as the next great horror director.

7 – FORD V FERRARI (James Mangold)

Ford v Ferrari is a classic American sports underdog story. A movie that bleeds red, white, and blue and will have you wanting to stand up in your chair and cheer, “AMERICA!” Director James Mangold has made a wildly entertaining, rousing racing movie that features stellar direction, excellent performances from Matt Damon, Christian Bale, and Tracy Letts, who gives the best speech in the movie, and edge-of-your-seat races to give us one of the most exciting and charming movies of the year.

6 – THE FAREWELL (Lulu Wang)

The Farewell is as beautiful as movies got in 2019. This a sweet, emotional story about a Chinese family who discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies. Writer/director Lulu Wang takes us deep in to Chinese culture, showing us how the Chinese view death versus American culture. It’s a movie about the love of family and celebrating life. This is a movie that melts my heart every time I watch it. Hug your grandma!

5 – PARASITE (Bong Joon-Ho)

Parasite is a movie that I did not see coming. Nothing about this movie is conventional and you can’t predict a thing about it. This a smart, funny, eerie, sad look at class disparity in South Korea and it’s a stunning film in every way. From the production design, to the performances, to the twists, to the shocking ending and heart-breaking final scene, Parasite is an astounding achievement from the great Bong Joon-Ho.

4 – ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD (Quentin Tarantino)

After stumbling with The Hateful Eight, writer/director Quentin Tarantino came back strong in 2019 with Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, his funniest and most personal film to date. This Hollywood fairy tale looks at a washed-up actor (Leonardo DiCaprio, a marvelous turn) and his stunt-double/friend (Oscar-bound Brad Pitt) as they make their way through Hollywood in 1969. Gorgeous sets and costumes coupled with pitch-perfect Tarantino dialog immerse you in the era. This is a funny, fun, beautiful look at finding your purpose again even when you think you don’t have it anymore.

3 – UNCUT GEMS (Josh and Benny Safdie)

Uncut Gems is a movie that will have your heart racing from minute. A look at a degenerate gambling New York jeweler (Adam Sandler) who can’t catch a break has never been this riveting. Casting Sandler was the best casting of the year, as Sandler gives the best performance of his career and of any lead actor in 2019. The Safdie’s also get unexpectedly great turns from up-and-comer Julia Fox and future NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett. Uncut Gems has a pulse and a feeling unlike any movie of 2019. An anxiety-inducing hell of a man who continues to dig himself further and further down until he is on his last rope. Josh and Benny Safdie are two of the most exciting filmmakers working today and Uncut Gems is their best film to date.

2 – AVENGERS: ENDGAME (Anthony and Joe Russo)

Avengers: Endgame is the most epic finale we have ever seen. This was eleven years and twenty-plus movies in the making and Anthony and Joe Russo ended it perfectly. Sure, there are going to be other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Avengers: Endgame ended the Tony Stark/Steve Rogers/Infinity saga and it was a glorious way to go out. Seeing every single Avenger on screen fighting Thanos and his army might be the single greatest cinematic moment of the decade. And like all great MCU movies, Avengers: Endgame is exciting and endlessly entertaining, yet this one is elevated to greatness due to its heart and the love that we have for these characters that we have grown with over the last decade.

1 – THE IRISHMAN (Martin Scorsese)

The Irishman is Martin Scorsese’s magnum opus. A three-and-a-half-hour crime epic about a man reflecting on his life, the decisions he’s made, and regret and sadness he lives with. It’s masterful work from the 77-year-old director and some of the best direction of his career, full of technical wonder, tons of emotion, and amazing performances. Robert De Niro leads the incredible ensemble, with Al Pacino and Joe Pesci giving awards-worthy performances. These men haven’t been this good since the 90’s and it’s amazing to see how great they still are. The Irishman is a movie about living with your past and living with the decisions you have made, something Scorsese is battling with here as a director who has made his name in the gangster genre for nearly fifty years. This is another Scorsese masterpiece and the best movie of 2019.

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full-zoe-blog · 8 years ago

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Tropical Flowers

Titan Arum (Amorphophallus Titanum), the biggest blossom on the planet, is a tropical bloom of South-East Asian Origin. Indeed, it is the world's biggest un-extended inflorescence. In its local grounds, the blossom sprouts shift in measure from 7-12 feet in stature.

Tropical blooms hold an extraordinary place in the hearts of blossom beaus because of their stunning scent and dazzling excellence. Orchids, Rhizomes, Gingers, Heliconias and so on., which are more prominent with the bloom significant others, are tropical flowers.Tropical Flowers are those that flourish actually in tropical climatic conditions.

All the tropical blossoms happen to be outsider to other geographic areas of the world viz., the calm and polar locales where they are alluded to as Exotic Flowers. Every single tropical blossom are along these lines outlandish to the Americas and Europe yet it is a bit much that every single extraordinary bloom are tropical blossoms.

The tropics are the geographic locales of the Earth fixated on the equator and restricted in scope by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern half of the globe. Tropical Flowers are those types of blossoms that are local to the tropics. The foremost districts with a tropical atmosphere are the Amazon Basin in Brazil, the Congo Basin in West Africa and Indonesia. The trendy expression in the realm of blossoms, the Hawaiian tropical blooms, originated from this center tropical district. In addition, India, southern China, and so on., additionally fall under the tropical locale.

Bloom Name (with Scientific Name) About the Flower Flower Image

African Moon (Dimorphotheca Pluvialis/Osteospermum spp) The African Moon is a white daisy bloom covering the tremendous spring fields of Namibia. Take in more about African Moon Tropical Flowers 1

African Tulip (Spathodea Campanulata) African Tulip blooms are the orange red blossoms with reflexive green pinnate takes off. Take in more about African Tulip Tropical Flowers 2

Snow capped (Aster Alpinus) Alpine aster blooms are violet pink and white shaded blossoms which are useful for cut blossom courses of action. Take in more about Alpine Aster Tropical Flowers 3

Alpinia (Alpinia) Alpinias are found in hues extending from pink to red, and make exceptionally noteworthy holder plants. Take in more about Alpinia Tropical Flowers 4

Amazon Lily (Eucharis Grandiflora) The Amazon Lily is a wonderful, sweet scented white blossom, which makes into an incredible pruned plant. Take in more about Amazon lily Tropical Flowers 5

Holy messenger wing (Begonia Coccinea) The Angel-wing begonia blooms come in pinks, reds or oranges and make excellent blossoming houseplants. Take in more about Angel wing begonia Tropical Flowers 6

Yearly Delphinium (Consolida Ajacis) Annual Delphinium blossoms are in blue, white, pink or lilac shading florets. Take in more about Annual Delphinium Tropical Flowers 7

Begonia Fairlady (Begonia Sempeflorens) Begonias are minimized sheet material plants which are white in shading. Likewise find out about Begonia Fairlady Tropical Flowers 8

Begonia-relentless red (Begonia Nonstop Red) The Begonia Nonstop Red are tuberous begonias which are perfect for wicker container, pots and gardens. Take in more about Begonia-constant red Tropical Flowers 9

Sharp Gourd (Momordica Charantia) The Bitter Gourd blossoms are yellow and its biting natural product is consumable. Take in more about Bitter Gourd Tropical Flowers 10

Cover blossom (Gaillardia Aristata) The Blanket bloom has yellow blooms where petals are extensively margined with yellow. The rest of the bloom has a few shades of dark red. Take in more about Blanket flower Tropical Flowers 11

Draining Heartwine (Clerodendrum Thomsoniae) The Bleeding Heartwine blossoms have white calyxes and red blooms. Take in more about Bleeding Heartwine Tropical Flowers 12

Blood Lily (Scadoxus Multiflorus, Haemanthus Multiflorus) The Blood lily is a bulbous plant with an astounding blossom head which is a tremendous round umbel containing 100 blooms. Take in more about Blood lily Tropical Flowers - Blood Lily

Blue Alpine Daisy (Aster Alpinus) The Alpine aster blossom is a delightful bloom and is utilized as a front of a fringe. Blue Alpine Daisy Blue Alpine Daisy

Blue Dawn blossom (Ipomoea Indica) The Blue Dawn blooms are a striking purple-blue, framed in a thick grouped inflorescence. Take in more about Blue Dawn flower Blue Dawn Flower

Blue (Jacaranda Mimosifolia) The Blue Jacaranda blossoms are bunches of blue tubular blooms which offer ascent to woody, plate formed seed cases. Take in more about Blue jacaranda Blue Jacaranda

(Caladium x hortulanum) Caladium is a variety of plants of the family Araceae. They are regularly known by the normal name elephant ear. Take in more about Caladium Caladium

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Blossom Name (with Scientific Name) About the Flower Flower Image

Blue-Passion blossom (Passiflora Caerulea) The blue enthusiasm bloom is delegated with noticeable blue and purple-joined fibers, with an egg-formed orange organic product. Take in more about Blue-Passion flower Blue Passion Flower

Container Brush (Callistemon Citrinus) The bottlebrush bloom spikes are normally yellow or red, and give a little woody organic product containing many modest seeds. Take in more about Bottle brush Tropical Flowers - Bottle Brush

Calatheas (Calathea Roseo-Picta) Most of the Calathea species are famous house plants and are generally called Prayer Plants or Zebra Plants. Take in more about Calatheas Tropical Flowers - Calatheas

(Catasetum Spitzii) Catasetum species, are typically head protector lipped, with blossom shading changing generally from apple green to greenish-yellow, splendid yellow or orange-yellow, with red markings. Take in more about Catasetum Tropical Flowers - Catasetum

(Cattleya Amethystoglossa) Cattleyas are the uncommon lavender shaded blooms, delivering 20 blossoms at once in an inflorescence. Take in more about Cattleya Tropical Flowers - Cattleya

(Cautleya Lutea) Cautleyas are the eastern Himalayan brilliant yellow blooms, encased in dark red hued bracts. Take in more about Cautleya Tropical Flowers - Cautleya

Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum blossoms sprout in different structures and can be daisy-like beautiful pompons or catches. Chrysanthemums can be white, purple or red in shading. Chrysanthemums are a standout amongst the most well known blossoms on the planet, next just to the Rose. Take in more about Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum Flowers

(Constantia Cristinae) Constantia blossoms are truly light shaded smaller than expected blooms which are more than 1/2 an inch. Take in more about Constantia Tropical Flowers - Constantia

Universe pink (Cosmos Bipinnatus) Cosmos blossoms are garish single red and brilliant shaded plates, seen likewise as white, pink or purple blooms. Take in more about Cosmos pink Cosmos Pink Flowers

Cryptopodium Cryptopodium blooms are expand from an inflorescence of 5 feet, creating many yellow blossoms. Take in more about cyrtopodium Cyrtopodium

Day Lily Frans Hals (Hemerocallis Hybrids) Day Lily blooms are viewed as appealing, substituting splendid yellow and yellow-striped red petals. Take in more about Day Lily Frans Hals Tropical Flowers - Day Lily Frans Hals

Enriching Dahlia (Dahlia) Decorative dahlia blossoms have full twofold sprouts without a reasonable plate. Ball and little Decorative Dahlias were well known scene blooms of the eighteenth century. Take in more about Decorative Dahlia Decorative Dahlia

Encyclia (Anacheilium Fragrans) Encyclia blooms are to a great degree fragrant with no shading variety yet have stripes on the lips. Take in more about Encyclia Encyclia Flowers

(Etlingera Elatior) Etlingera blossom inflorescence leaves the ground rather than the terminal spike. It is extraordinarily utilized as a cut bloom. The focal point of the blossom demonstrates a cone molded structure framed by the bringing down of the bracts. Take in more about Etlingera Etlingera Flowers

Fire of the Forest (Butea Monosperma) Flame of the Forest blossoms, are splendidly hued scentless blooms assembled along the finishes of the stalks. The trademark bloom highlight is its bended nose formed bottom. Take in more about Flame of the Forest Flame of the Forest

Frangipani (Plumeria Rubra) The Frangipani bloom is propeller molded with a sensitive yellow focus and a smooth white external petal. Frangipani blooms are profoundly scented amid evenings and are regularly utilized as a part of bunches. Take in more about Frangipani Frangipani Flowers

Brilliant shower (Cassia Fistula) Cassia blooms are splendid, yellow, fragrant blossoms. Cassia blossoms are alluring to honey bees and butterflies, and look like long grape-packs of yellow gold blooms. Take in more about Golden shower Golden Shower

Grass of the Dew (Cyanotis Arachnoides) The Grass of the Dew blossoming plants create hairy violet sprouts, dabbed with yellow stamens. Take in more about Grass of the Dew Grass of the Dew Flowers

(Heliconia Pendula) (Frosty) Heliconias are twofold shaded with Pinkish red on the lower half of the cheek and red on the upper half, with a yellow lip and tip and having a dark red rachis. Take in more about Heliconia Heliconia

Hibiscus (China-rose) (Hibiscus) Hibiscus blossoms are huge, level, prominent, trumpet-molded blooms with five petals extending from white to pink, red, purple or yellow. Take in more about Hibiscus Hibiscus (China Rose)

Koutruk Lei (Koutruk Lei) Koutruk Lei blooms are little ringer formed, blue blossoms. Koutruk Lei blossoms are uncommon blooming plants, sprouting once in like clockwork. Take in more about Koutruk lei Koutruk Lei

(Laelia Angereri) Laelia blooms are delivered on long inflorescences. Laelia Angereri is the biggest species in the rupicolous Laelia gathering. Take in more about Laelia Laelia Flowers

Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera) Lotus blooms are found in white and pink hues when all is said in done and they develop in shallow and dinky waters. Take in more about Lotus Tropical Flowers - Lotus.

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