Sunday, April 5, 2009

Stalking the Mystical Scurfy Pea

I'm still not sure why people are watching my video blogs, but it's been a great deal of fun learning to work in iMovie and screaming at my computer like a NYC cab driver. This latest effort chronicles another trip to San Marcos Growers, a wholesale nursery where I try to obtain all the plants for my designs.

In this thrilling episode (complete with titles, sound track and a few cool transitions) I head out in an electric club car searching for Psoralea pinnata in full bloom. That's Scurfy Pea, a fine textured, purple flowering big shrub from So. Africa. The fragrance of the flowers is like grape flavored Koolaid. On this very breezy day, it was dancing on the wind, accompanied by Otatea acuminata subsp. aztecorum (Mexican Weeping Bamboo).

Enjoy.

9 comments:

Garden Chick said...

As always, I love the humor! The plants you highlighted are ones I've never heard of and love to learn of anything new! Thank you! I may have to have you ship me some of these or send a truck out once I've completed my list of "wants".

The videography: there's alot of wind static and normally I don't get motion sickness but this time there was alot of sudden movement and jerkiness. A little long on the upside down but liked it for a bit.

It might be beneficial to take an assistant along on the jaunts where you move around alot. The assistant could hold the camera and allow you to focus on the content and humor which is your forte.

I need a vacation, can I apply? Visiting nurseries is almost my very favorite thing to do! CA has so many unique plants I've never heard of.

Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Your editing is getting better and better. Love the "motion sickness" production

I agree with Garden Chick, a little long this time. I especially loved the part where you were sneaking up on scurfy pea and you asked us to come closer to the monitor. I actually did! Too funny.

Hard to hear your voice over during the electric car ride while you were filming up-side-down. Ha-ha!

Where can I find me one of those plants that hang from the ground?

Your hilarious my friend. I'd watch you on TV any day! Ooh, then could I make a guest appearance? I'd can be the girl in the background watering plants.

Ciao!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

"Heckling" yourself is very innovative filmmaking! Wind is annoying in audio recording, too (my friend records frogs we hear calling). I didn't know either of these plants, either, but it's different here in zone 5! :) P.S. Some yuccas actually are hardy in southeast Michigan!!!

MikeTheGardenCoach said...

The cutting and editing is getting better, and I love the slo-mo 'happy dance' ending. The music is a good fit for the rhythm of the wind-blown foliage.

Scott Calhoun said...

Love the video--the upside-down camera work is genius! With that hat and jacket, you look like the Elvis Costello of the gardening world. Mexican weeping bamboo is one of the coolest plants ever.

Ross said...

Good to see that the bumpiness and nose hair shots were back! I especially liked the upside down shots - very cinema nouveau. I turned my laptop upside down for that section. I couldn't smell the fragrance you were talking about though - must be something wrong with my screen?
I did like the combination of the music and the plant dance at the end...and I have to admit, I've never used a Psoralea although I have seen them in the wild.

chuck b. said...

Love it.

chuck b. said...

Here's some Echium for you, in Capitola.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82479320@N00/3471857969/

Anonymous said...

I liked watching the Farrah Faucet documentary much better but this was good too;)

I did laugh my fool head off and I think you should open a day spa. I kept thinking massages and such for some reason. Maybe is with the rustling of the leaves and the music.

I didn't get sick at all and liked the rawness of being out there in the natural habitat of these plants.

I'll be back. Will you be getting better?