The Huntington’s “Funtington” family fun week continues with Secret Garden Thursday, Nov. 5, when participants will have the opportunity to explore The Huntington’s Ranch Garden, its “secret garden,” discover the qualities of the “stinky plant,” and sing along to local music.
The online event starts at 10 a.m. and is free for everyone to attend.
As usual, throughout “Funtington” week, Bhi Bhiman performs The Huntington’s daily Funtington song, “Best Friends,” before Secret Garden Thursday begins. Visitors can grab their pots and pans, and dance and sing along.
Head Gardener Cara then introduces guests to the Ranch Garden with a virtual tour where they will learn about the thriving ecosystem there and explore all the different animals that call the Ranch Garden home.
“Can I Have Flies with That?” explores The Huntington’s “stinky plant,” the Titan Arum, which Indonesians have come to call Bunga Bangkai, or “corpse flower,” because it exudes a foul stench, like rotting meat, when it flowers.
Botanists say the smell attracts flies and other insects, which inadvertently help pollinate the flowers. Smelly carnivorous plants, of course, use the smell to attract food – yes, they “eat” those insects.
Staffer Riz then presents “Citrus Mandala,” inspired by the history of citrus growing in California. You will learn more about the history of growing citrus fruit at The Huntington and will make your own inspirational mandala out of dried orange slices, spices, and found objects. The video is available in English and Spanish.
The Kitchen Magician, Bob Blumer, then demonstrates how to make a delicious garden on a plate, a “Flower Power” Veggie Plate. Before the show, download the recipe and prepare the ingredients – Japanese eggplant or any small eggplant, red bell pepper, stalks of asparagus, basil leaves, some goat cheese, and olive oil – so you can follow along and later enjoy the veggie plate.
In “Kitchen Scrap Garden,” staffer Joy shows how to make a kitchen scrap garden in water, using cuttings from kitchen vegetables and some used glass containers, even without soil. People would normally throw the bottom part of their romaine lettuce into the trash can, but Joy shows how to grow salad lettuce with this video.
Finally, Joy leads a reading of “Plants Can’t Sit Still,” by Rebecca E. Hirsch, in Funtington’s “Story Time.”
These videos are available at 10 a.m. on Secret Garden Thursday.
For more information, visit www.huntington.org/funtington-secret-garden-thursday.
