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A New Appreciation

10/31/2018

Here I am leading a community Sip n' Art class last year with one of the artist groups I belong to.

A New Appreciation
By Annette Bartlett-Golden

When I heard the news over the summer that one of the artists’ organizations I belong to was dissolving, it hit me harder than I ever would have imagined. It was a very active organization with its own gallery space, sponsoring numerous exhibition opportunities for a large membership, as well as others in the community, and I participated in as many of the shows as I could. The possibility of that vibrant venue and organization no longer existing was a devastatingly dismal prospect. At the time, an artist friend of mine who was also a member told me she had lost her motivation to continue painting. I understood her feelings. The thought of losing that organization was almost like mourning a death. Fortunately, the organization was wonderfully resilient and after a minor restructure it is doing well.

That experience and another similar one, however, made me consider the importance of local artists organizations open to professionals, amateurs, and art lovers. For many artists, they are a lifeline providing support, a way to connect with other artists and their community, and welcome show venues. Making art is a largely a solitary pursuit, so getting out in one's community and making connections with people is particularly important. And they are also enormous sources of motivation for artists to continue creating art and showing their work.

While some may think that these sorts of specialized groups serve only their membership, that is not the case at all with the community artists groups to which I belong. These artist’s organizations provide engaging community activities that help build and strengthen the community while at the same time supporting their membership. The positive impact of these groups is deeper and more far reaching than I had previously realized. For all of these reasons I'm so thankful for the artist organizations that I am a part of!

Recently, I was elected president of the Muddy river Art Association and I am pleased to be able to serve the organization in this position after being a member for around four years.

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Pink Bananas

10/31/2018

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Pink velvet bananas with their huge luxurious leaves growing in my North Carolina garden.

Pink Bananas
By Annette Bartlett-Golden

It’s October and I have pink bananas growing in my garden! With its large, luxurious oval leaves and pink fruit spikes, the ornamental pink velvet banana plant Musa velutina certainly lends an exotic flare. Watching the small banana plants we were gifted with some three years ago grow bigger, flower, and develop fruit, then die back in winter and reemerge even stronger each spring has been a fascinating process. Pink flowers blossom on a flowering spike mature into small banana fruits with tough pink skins that have a pleasant velvety texture. This curious pink fruit, while very seedy and therefore considered ornamental, can be eaten and has a pleasant flavor. These bananas reach about 8 feet in height and prefer a sunny location.

While I had heard of bananas living in local landscapes, I had not seriously considered them for my own garden assuming that they would do poorly and look out of place. Now observing how they have thrived, tripled in size, and bear clusters of colorful small ornamental bananas each year, I see their potential for adding flare and interest to the garden. Combined with other similarly exotic looking plants such as red leafed canna lilies and the saucer sized flowers of hibiscus, they make a striking display.

The pink velvet banana is a type of cold hardy banana that does well up to USDA planting zone 7 when planted in full sun. While banana plants are often referred to as banana trees, they are actually the largest herbaceous perennial! In cold climates they will die back after the first frost of winter. Caring for the bananas during winter is relatively simple, however. Before frost, cut back the stems and leaves to about 8 to 10 inches above the ground and cover with heavy mulch. In spring, after the danger of frost has passed, remove the mulch from the crown. Bananas can also be planted in pots and kept indoors during winter.

Left:The pink bananas are now about 8 feet tall. Right: A close up of the colorful bright pink banana fruits.

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A New Appreciation

A New AppreciationBy Annette Bartlett-Golden

Pink Bananas

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A New Appreciation
By Annette Bartlett-Golden