Volume 2, Issue 9
Now You See It! The Slime Mold Revelation
opens Friday, September 18

What do evolution and the Emperor of Japan have to do with art about slime molds?

Now You See It! The Slime Mold Revelation reveals the stories behind four centuries of artistic devotion to these otherworldly organisms. Just what are slime molds? Worldwide, one-celled bacteria-munching travelers of the earth beneath your feet. Shimmering rainbow-colored spore-filled protists on your rosebush. Tiny dwellers of the arctic, the rainforest, and the desert. Now You See It! is a colorful foray into a little-known world: a visual and scientific delight for all ages.

Please come to the library for an opening reception Friday, September 18 from 5 to 7 pm.

Curator Angela Mele is a scientific illustrator finishing the illustrations for a field guide to cosmopolitan slime molds. She recently received a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Washington. 

Gardening in Miniature by Janit Calvo
Reviewed by Brian Thompson 
An excerpt from the Winter 2014 Arboretum Bulletin

As a boy, I did not embrace the hobby of making models. Yes, I had a train set, but no desire to create a world of villages, forests, and the like to surround the tracks. Instead, I wanted to be outside in the garden and working with full-sized plants.

This makes me feel a bit inadequate to review Gardening in Miniature by Seattleite Janit Calvo. However it turns out that at its heart, this is a gardening book, with sound design advice and cultural tips, just all at 1:12 (one inch = one foot) scale, or even smaller.

"Using the basic garden tenets of anchor point, balance, layers, texture, color, and focal point, you can plan your miniature garden with confidence," the author states encouragingly. Step-by-step, fully planned projects provide lots of guidance for the beginner. I worried that plants would not stay to scale, and indeed they might not, but it's easy to swap plants in and out.

I learned from this that while there is some overlap in principles and techniques between miniature gardening and bonsai, they are largely distinct pursuits. However, they can be combined by making a bonsai the centerpiece of your miniature garden. Will I take up miniature gardening? Probably not. But my eyes have been opened to a whole new--and quite small--world.

Elisabeth C. Miller Memorial Lecture at Meany Hall
Thursday, September 10
The Evolution of an Irish Garden, featuring Helen Dillon

As a lasting gift to the horticultural community, the Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation, the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden, the Elisabeth C. Miller Library, the Northwest Horticultural Society and Great Plant Picks sponsor this free annual memorial lecture to remember the legacy of Betty Miller.

Doors open at 6:15 pm with the lecture beginning at 7:00 pm. A free reception with refreshments will be held at the conclusion of the program. Parking is available underneath Meany Hall for the Performing Arts.

To receive a ticket, please email the Miller Garden: info@millergarden.org.

New to the Library August 2015