The Mysterious Seasons of Jeju

 

I know that I am more attentive to plants in season now because of my art, but I have never before encountered the mixed up growing seasons that are here on the island of Jeju. Part of this is due to the mild climate, wide use of greenhouses and the various hybrids engineered to mature at different times.  I would like to share the odd things I noticed that led me to dig deeper into how plants grow on the island.

First, the tangerines: In October many of the trees are starting to carry bright orange fruit, but others are still quite green.  Since the island is almost entirely covered in citrus farms, it is probably quite important that they do not ripen all at the same time.

However, I was confused by the big grapefruit size fruit hanging on the same tree with smaller green ones. Apparently the yellow fruit are last years crop that were not harvested by allowed to hang on the trees.  Since these summer oranges are not usually eaten fresh but used in jams and jellies, they can be picked when needed. There are other fruit, like the persimmon, that are harvested green for dyes and then later for eating. I am still waiting to see if the tangerine harvest disrupts the island with trucks and fruit stands overflowing with ripe fruit. It could be that a staggered harvest will avoid that. 

Coming in second, are the camellias: There are tree varieties, bushes and even the tea plants are in the camellia family. In August they were covered in small hard fruit that turned out to be seed pods. These burst open and cover the ground with black nut-sized seeds. This made sense since camellias flower in the early spring. What didn't make sense is that they are already budding again.  A local garden was advertising their blooming for photo visits in December! I find it hard to imagine that the whole island will bloom in winter, or if again the blooming will be staggered. The tea plants are already blooming, but then they are usually pruned so much that I wouldn't expect a seasonal bloom.

Planted annuals are common in the landscaping: However, arriving in August there was little blooming, probably due to the extreme heat and lack of rain. In September one school project was to plant out some of the beds with zinnia, marigolds and cockscomb. A little surprising since most fall beds are being dug up and put to bed for the winter. The gardens came alive in October with flowering lilies and grasses. Tourists were still lining up to have their picture taken among the blooms. The fields that were planted last month are showing onions, cabbages and flowering buckwheat.  Some are winter crops, and others are a second growing season. 

Flowering trees seem to do their own thing: I was told that most trees do not turn or lose their leaves... "Don't wait for the fall colors!" But there are all sorts of berries popping out. The hedges are blazing with pyracantha, or fire thorn, which is an evergreen in the rose family.  The Japanese blueberry displays dark purple fruit and the occasional bright red leaf. The Kousa dogwood does seem to be loosing its leaves, but  is giving out those curious red-orange compound berries like bumpy ornaments on a tree. While collecting branches with berries to paint and identify I noticed some curious bumpy bulges on the magnolia seed cones. They were quite ugly and I figured they were galls protecting some insect larvae. Later I took more notice because the protrusion had split open to expose the bright red seed inside. So I did collect the specimen and in doing so identified that there were three fuzzy flower buds on the same branch as the seed pod.  I suppose trees here on Jeju don't have to make up their minds to either flower or go to seed, they can do both whenever they want. True Jeju independence. 

Crafting Art

I need to say something about my art. Although I have always liked enhancing and decorating, I only started creating art during the pandemic. It is hard to get started learning a new skill, especially on your own.  I picked a flower from my garden and made a picture with colored pencils. Then I tried using some old acrylics and inks left over from my son's college art class. I bought some cheap brushes and watercolors and experimented.  I didn't know what I was doing, but bit by bit I learned some basic skills and filled a bulletin board with sketches. 

When I moved to Africa, I found a whole knew range of flora to study and paint. My art just didn't look as good as the real thing and I decided I needed some advice on what art supplies to buy and help with some watercolor techniques.  Most of my progress came from trial and error, rather than taking art classes. The real motivation for me was when the finished painting gave me the same joy as its botanical inspiration.  We all enjoy finding that perfect rose in a garden; then we bring roses in to enjoy their beauty for longer. The way I see it, if I can capture the beauty in a painting, then I am preserving it for endless enjoyment. 

A friend suggested I make some cards and that led me to transfer my art to the iPad. Digitally I could reproduce my ideas and create professionally looking cards and calendars. My husband pointed out that AI could do the same thing, but I persevered with my Apple Pencil as a way of putting what I had learned into practice. 

Only recently have I started watching videos of artists showing their work on social media. There is one lady I like in particular: she is quirky and keeps it quick and simple. She splatters paint and uses bold brush strokes, jokes about her mistakes and produces adorable holiday cards and postcards. More than anything she communicates to her viewer that anybody can easily do the same.  Of course I would need some more materials and luckily this woman sells all sorts of craft and art supplies. As I was putting some masking tape, note cards and colored pencils in my online basket I realized that I was hooked on watching carefully prepared how-to art videos that were essentially ads.  It is easier to buy art materials than it is to produce satisfying art.

In one of these online videos, my quirky artist displayed her studio/workshop. I noticed the wall full of less than perfect sketches and unfinished ideas. This made me feel better about my process. When I decide to paint a new botanical, I spend days sketching and researching, making small trials and displaying them for critique. I try different backgrounds and concentrate on small details until it starts to look real. I suspect that my online teacher did the same, trying out her ideas several different ways before deciding on the best and quickest way to get views and sell products. Although the videos make it look like she has just dreamed up a cute idea on the spot, joked about being unprepared and encouraged everyone to go with the creative flow... that is probably far from the reality.  I have tried to create some of her ideas but my hastily drawn bunnies and mushrooms didn't look nearly as cute. Maybe I just need to buy her materials..?

I thought of joining a crafting group who meet weekly to craft, which I am not sure includes what I do. I haven't brought myself to show up, because I keep imagining myself setting up my paints and being too scared to start on a fresh piece of white paper. With people watching me, I am sure I will mess up and people with judge my art. They will wonder how I produced my polished pieces that were posted on my media account. Truth is, I don't think I can sit down for a couple of hours in a social setting and produce something beautiful. But if you can't beat them, join them: buy the colored pencils and the felt tip pens, start filling in a small notebook with easy doodles. That is what I will try, in order to be social and spend time with other creative people. I can't imagine the great masters met and shared tips with their peers at the Royal Academy, but then I am not a great master.