24 March 2009
sphere for the cardinals
Grape vine sphere, woven from cleaning up a nearby slave cemetery, is entwined with new akebia vine growth (garden nursery calls the vine a coffee vine) which has clusters of pink and white downward hanging blossoms in early spring, with dark coffee bean colored 'seeds' within the early blooms. Akebia vine is one of the first to emerge each year losing its leaves only after a severe winter temperature period each winter. January's ice storm created the longest 'bare' period in years of growing the vine. Suitable for basket weaving, as honeysuckle vine, my domesticated akebia came from Connecticut in 1983 after working with Hisako Sekijima's traditional basket techniques at Brookfield Craft Center along side of the most innovative basket makers in the USA that summer in the historic studio, gallery and craft center. Cardinals love to feed on the emerging seeds and having cleared the winter holly berries from the adjacent tree they should welcome the new spring offerings throughout the garden.
