garden fool

2012 FIRST BIG SNOWFALL

2012-01-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

we got about 4" of snow today...

self portrait...

the harry lauder walking stick is covered with buds this year...

2011 SUNSET, MOCKINGBIRD

2012-01-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

last pretty sunset in december...

we had a few cold days with the birds puffed up round...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

harry lauder's walking stick decorated for the season...

we had such warm weather on solstice that one camellia bloomed...

jasminium nudiflorum is blooming...

peace on earth

WINTER BIRDS

2011-12-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

i'm trying to keep the bird bath ice-free for shy visitors...

house finch...

mocking bird...

cardinal, eating tulip tree seeds on the deck...

POTAGER LIT FOR HOLIDAYS

2011-11-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

happy thanksgiving.... we have so much to be thankful for....

here's the lit potager at dusk, so that colors can still be seen

we had a fantastic sunset yesterday, and beautiful un-november-like weather all holiday

FALL COLORS 2011

2011-11-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

leaf peeping time... i took the dogs to the pond early...

the water was still...

like a leafy ink blot...

joe joe played at the pond edge...

the snowtober storm bent this tree over another...

luna under the forest cathedral...

butt of all evil...

sparrow libation in the bird bath...

tree men finally did the pruning... foggy morning before:

and after... you can see the little japanese white pine again... it's sad, but it will look better next year.

the potager, almost ready for lights...

ROOTS

2011-11-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

marigold roots, flat because they grew in a crack...

last carrots...

we had a frost this morning. looking south from the deck...

the potager, which i'm clearing in prep for holiday lights...

SNOWTOBER TREE CARNAGE

2011-10-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

historically early snowstorm hit yesterday, while the leaves are still on the trees...

we got about 5 inches of snow... after i took this photo, i shook the old dogwood and it was saved.

the bald cypress remains a potential casualty... this was yesterday afternoon, after i shook the snow from the tree...

luna managed to cut her foot two days ago, it got infected, and we had to take her to the emergency vet in the storm... i think we risked our lives for that cute purple dressing... but they took a piece of wood out of her foot...

this morning, before i released the bald cypress from its snowy bonds...

more broken tree mess, but pretty colors...

the bald cypress is recovering a bit by mid afternoon, after hubs went out and pushed it up with a tree-pole.

by late afternoon, the bald cypress is still rising up. will it recover? i called out tree guy, hoping he would hoist it up, but he's too busy cleaning up emergencies...

the cypress fell on magnolia 'ruby.' i hope she will recover. one storm has maimed my two favorite trees.

ruby was still flowering...

some halloween! however, we are lucky, as we only lost our phone lines and many are without power...

SNOWTOBER

2011-10-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

it's just starting to snow here. we are having a record snowfall, since it almost never snows here now...

flattened potager...

encrusted buddleia...

dangling cleome 'violet queen'

bowed, snowy sunflower...

splattered amsonia...

festooned marigold...

portrait of evil... (how'd he get in here?)

wilted willow...

rescued green tomatoes... ;-)

much more snow is coming...

9/11 MEMORIAL VISIT

2011-10-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

yesterday a friend and i visited the 9/11 memorial in downtown manhattan, new york city

on the way there we passed reflections of the growing one world trade center

and previewed how the skyline is shaping up: hopeful and modern, but austere

after presenting our tickets (ticket info below) and passing through an amazing labyrinth of security measures, we arrived at the memorial. you see the landscaping first, and it is underwhelming. i suppose the purpose of the landscaping is to provide shelter from the sun, a flat walking surface, places to sit and no detraction from the dramatic pools or surrounding architecture. the design accomplishes all that and.... yawn.

however, the memorial is as solemn, poignant and heartbreaking as it should be...

these photos are from the south pool...

this is the north side of the museum (not yet opened.) the multiple mirrored surfaces can be disorienting.

the north pool and foot of 1 wtc...

the unopened museum...

a sad tribute...

daylight was fading. this shot looks south across both pools.

the middle pit of the pools is so deep that you cannot see the bottom, evoking feelings of unfathomable loss.

the fountains up close. they are not as noisy as you might expect, but you can get wet when the wind blows.

as it drew into evening, the lights came on and reflected in the pool corners.

as we left, construction lights glowed from the nascent buildings...

FREE TICKETS: you must reserve tickets to the 9/11 memorial which you can do here. it was sad to see so many people turned away at the gates of the memorial.

GAZING THROUGH GLAZING

2011-10-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

luna is checking the garden for deer...

ceramic coffee cup from my sister, with marigolds to repel the stink bugs...

you lookin' at me?

joe joe with new anti-slip socks... now he can stand on the bare floors again...

tropical shrub i bought 2 years ago is blooming, but i can't find the tag... bro, can you help?

leaf detail...

the tag might be under all the succulents...

what could luna be looking at?

yes, dear readers, it's the face of EVIL!

the potager today...

BLACK SWALLOWTAIL CATERPILLAR

2011-10-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

it's that odd time of year when the garden is in disarray.

i haven't seen this caterpillar in years; today I saw 2.

I owe this to the juxtaposition of butterfly bush and fennel.

passiflora 'pura vida' is blooming now in the house...

echinacea 'coconut lime' petal-less flower...

80 IN OCTOBER

2011-10-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

echinacea 'tiki torch' delicately sizzles on this hot october day

female sparrow portrait

hydrangea 'blue wave' glows in the late-day sun

the culprit! i caught her in the act of making holes in my house!

you can see the holes along the eaves... the painter said i would have to cut back the crepe myrtle so he can get better access... i removed about 4 feet of branches, leaning out the windows with a tree pole to get it all. the result:

my neighbor who removed the tree is getting a new roof. wow, do these guys work hard.

guess who came to dinner? the garden is decimated.

here's the square garden, with the mums just starting to bloom, and the camellia wrapped in chicken wire to deter the deer. i have enough deer poo to shovel it into the compost heap.

in the square garden...

the little impatiens i bought has turned a pretty color...

the potager. what a mess, but still producing tomatoes! best producer this year: cherokee purple.

GANG OF BUTTERNUTS

2011-09-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

let me start by saying that the sparrows are being unreasonably shy this fall...

ok, now that i've got that out of my system...

my squash harvest so far... the pumpkins are all volunteers...

butternut gang...

i left this one in the fence.... any suggestions? i don't mean suggestive suggestions... should i cut the fence, or the butternut?

here's the messy potager... still yielding tomatoes, kale, parsley, chard, broccoli and the occasional carrot.

NORWAY MAPLE FREE AT LAST

2011-09-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

my wonderful neighbor has finally tired of the shade from the last norway maple standing between our two properties. if i'm reading his tattoo correctly, leonard, a detroit tigers fan, is ridding the se corner of my garden of a huge pest...

for some perspective... much of the tree was already gone when i realized what all the sawing was about...

leonard checking out the next victim...

leonard must be in amazing the shape to work so hard at such a height...

job's all done... you can see the pumpkins on my compost heap in the foreground... in full sun now!

yippee!

10TH YEAR 9/11 REMEMBRANCE

2011-09-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

our town held a 10th year remembrance of 9/11...

view of nyc from our town, where many watched that day...

EPHEMERAL ROCK SCULPTURES

2011-09-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

someone has been making masterful rock sculptures in the local woods for a while now...

i took this with my phone, went back with the camera an hour later, and it was knocked down...

this one looks like a pregnant woman on the left...

and another person on the right touching her baby...

this one made me think of rock lace, with its cantilever and delicate arch...

the simple, elegant balance of this sculpture was arresting.

many people make simple rock trail markers, and i don't know how many people make these... but at least one is very talented...

VOLUNTEERS ON LABOR DAY

2011-09-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

this year the compost heap has at least 3 different volunteer squash vines...

a tiny pumpkin...

why am i yellow?

the compost heap in the back...

a butternut squash is growing in the left foreground...

and then there's this mystery squash... at least i think it's a squash...

the 'pink beauty' brugmansia has finally bloomed...

the potager is still producing tomatoes (and a dozen butternut squash)

the crape myrtle continues to glow up against the house, remarkable tree...

"i'm volunteering, too!" (downy woodpecker)

"hey, what choo looking at?"

"i'm cleaning up these nasty sunflower seeds, nom, nom..."

DENISON & IRENE

2011-08-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

busy week...

we drove to ohio and back to take our daughter to college...

the freshman induction ceremony was beautiful...

then home to prep for hurricane irene, which included cutting some flowers...

thankfully for us, after 8" of rain and much wind (still blowing) we still have power. others in my family are without power...

SPLIT TOMATOES

2011-08-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

the downside of heirloom tomatoes is that their thin skins split...

but the delicate skins also make the heirlooms better eating.

last week, my neighbor mary and i used her canning knowledge and supplies to can my crop. on the left is canned brandywine, center is dr. wyche's yellow and on the right is black krim/purple cherokee (these two are similar tasting.) i'm curious to see if one can tell the difference in the flavors canned.

here's a spot i don't photograph often, the entrance to the potager...

just inside the gate, a profusion of blooms...

the standard top view...

visitor to echinacea 'sundown'...

echinacea 'tiki torch'...

california poppy.

COOL, RAINY AUGUST

2011-08-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

mark t's sunflower is blooming...

thanks, mark t...

the sunflower pops above the 8 ft deer fencing...

a variety of tomatoes... in the back is a cherokee purple on the l, dr. wyche's yellow on the r, middle row brandywine on l and c, black krim on the r. the brandywines still have the best taste... i might have enough tomatoes by tuesday to can some.

romanesque broccoli. i've decided that broccoli is just too hard to grow.

allium florets kick free...

portrait of a garden terrorist... this young doe has been ubiquitous... i fear she will get run over...

echinacea 'sundown' enhanced by afternoon sun...

rainbow chard glowing in the sun...

echninacea 'coconut lime' matures to green pompoms...

hubs completed the rock wall and it's beautiful! next spring i'll plant on it.

volunteer echinacea sparkles in the late afternoon...

AUGUST HEIRLOOMS

2011-08-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

yesterday i picked these tomatoes (cherokee purple on the l, black krim on the r):

here's what the brandywines looked like on july 31st...

cherokee purple tomatoes on july 31st...

brandywines today...

another brandywine today... i think the tomato ladders are a real success... i'm getting close to feeling i can recommend them... let's see how they store over the winter.

the potager is blowsy with blooms, with helenium 'mardi gras', echinacea, verbena bonariensis and cleome 'violet queen'

the verbena sprinkles spent blossoms on the butternut squash leaves...

the potager... i had to pull the summer squash from the empty spot at top right due to vine borers...

and hubs rock wall is coming along nicely.

BLOOMING INFERNO

2011-07-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

record heat and drought do not dissuade the crepe myrtle...

taken from the 2nd floor deck...

and the side of the house

hub's rock wall is progressing beautifully...

arisaema cosanguinium blooms demurely...

one has to experience the profusion of bloom in the potager - this photo does not do it justice. we don't have ripe tomatoes yet, perhaps next week.

2011-07-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

this is the first year that the evergreen magnolia has bloomed non-stop. it's a bee party down there!

the potager is awash in color...

and producing! we had the first cucumbers this week, and with all this heat we hope for a bumper crop of tomatoes.

here's the typical overview:

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

2011-07-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

dill fireworks!

echinacea fireworks!

sedum sparklers!

i mulched the potager with sweet peet... we'll see if it's worth it...

this cucumber vine is about to reach out and touch someone...

i love when the potager looks full and green like this, and is producing every day for dinner...

we are building a retaining wall to replace the one that fell... hubs went and got some rocks...

and we've been letting gravity do as much as possible to get the rocks into the yard...

more to follow! hubs is outside digging a trench in 90 degree heat to prepare the foundation...

happy birthday to our swell country!

ARISAEMA & THINGS

2011-06-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

the evergreen magnolia has never had so many blooms...

arisaema candidissimum delicately blooms in the shade

arisaema farghesii hidden beneath its leaves

the potager coming into its own... we have harvested lettuce, carrots, rainbow chard, radishes, snow peas, and herbs so far.

MAGNOLIA ASHEI & OTHER WHITE BLOOMS

2011-06-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

magnolia ashei has finally opened after a 3 year wait... here's a bloom decorated with a pansy so you can see the size...

m. ashei is on the left of the potager... which looks to need a good sweep...

here's m. ashei with a 2' rose placed inside... big flower!

the white wisteria has finally bloomed after a 5 or so year wait...

dependable white iris...

and evergreen magnolia 'bracken's brown beauty' is abloom with waxy, 9" blooms.

white flowers are too boring, eh?

clematis 'kingfisher' with its first bloom...

END OF MAY 2011

2011-05-31T04:33:00.000-07:00

we had rain yesterday morning, which is a good time to use the macro...

this is a seed head of clematis 'guernsey cream'

rose 'heritage' bud...

rose 'heritage' opened...

mountain laurel 'pinwheel'...

another shot of the square garden... i just looked at last year's post, and it looks quite the same!

a bi-colored deutzia....

single, pink peony resting on grass in the north garden...

more of the bi-colored deutzia...

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

2011-05-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

our town held it's small memorial day parade yesterday...

this great dane is a member of the "ecad", more on that later...

veterans of all ages...

women's auxiliary member...

these ladies look sharp...

a somber member... not sure who these folks were...

the ecad group...

golden retriever brigade... (ha ha)

unsure who these folks were...

the police emerald society of weschester... very sharp...

with probably the most photogenic boy in westchester...

more revelers... wonderful "when the saints come marching in" rendition...

they were ahead of our volunteer fire department, with the most handsome firefighter right in the middle...

the entirety of our volunteers and trucks, except the new ladder is not pictured (but it is in earlier posts)

happy memorial day!

FALLIN'

2011-05-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

the good news is that i have a job. meanwhile, the continual rain has helped gravity - here's the front walk, littered with dogwood petals, from the 2nd floor window...

a close-up... my car also looked like a pink pinata, but i was in a hurry and didn't photograph it...

the bridal wreath spirea was bowed...

and the little border where the retaining wall fell has descended a few feet!

the potager is doing well, but only the flowers (not the veggies) like this english weather.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAUGHTER

2011-05-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

today my daughter turned 18; here are her favorite flowers celebrating!

a robin has been feeding these 3 chicks under the deck...

the tree peony bloomed this week...

clematis 'guernsey cream' is blooming for the first time in the potager...

the flowers are 5" across; there are only 5 flowers, since i planted her just last year.

the crape myrtle's exfoliating branches are snaky-green in the rain...

spanish bluebells - they are everywhere...

here is the wound where the retaining wall used to be...
f i x m e . . .

"so i tell her, just cuz we're nodding, doesn't mean it's time to dead-head us..."

i'm happily surprised these parrot tulips bloomed this year...

happy birthday...

SPECTACULAR MOTHER'S DAY

2011-05-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

happy mother's day to all of you gardeners, artists, visitors... and what a spectacular day it is... the redbud is in bloom in the north garden...

the dogwood is having a banner year...

got out of the shower this week to this steamed view...

after the steam cleared...

this week we hired carters to haul away the fallen retaining wall, which hubs (and i, just a little) sledge-hammered apart...

the tree peony bloomed... sorry i took this without the macro...

taking more photos of the dogwood, i noticed the luna with the back window behind her and the dogwood reflected off the front window...

here's the entire front garden... the part at left has been established for years, the part at right is new and growing...

now the bugloss is blooming under the redbud in the north garden...

i made this arrangement (for me) for mother's day...

(camassia, lilac, columbine, viburnum, euphorbia)

the square garden is really coming into it's own now, though much tidying is needed...

yesterday i made the deck containers... what fun!

and here's the potager, with everything planted except the tomatoes... the squirrel traps are out again, as there's evidence of digging...

happy mother's day to all!

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?

2011-05-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

i noticed this garden less than a mile from my house...

what are they thinking?

FINALLY MAY

2011-05-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

finally it's may... my favorite month... and i find myself between contracts and looking for my next gig... there is not be a better time to be unemployed, when i can work in the potager near this...

here's how i feel... pulled in many directions...

on the fringe of my once-coworkers...

optimistic...

and... well, i just don't know what this tulip might represent, but i like the way the light passes through it...

this clematis is new and i look forward to seeing it bloom! promise, that's what i need!

this akebia is strangling the cherry once again, and i must rescue it...

anemone, so pure in this morning's light...

i know i over-enthuse about magnolia 'daybreak'...

cutest epimedium on earth! bandit earlier this week...

and today...

the potager, which is soon to be full of stuff! thanks for visiting on this wondrous may day...

HAPPY EASTER

2011-04-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

here's a newt with her eggs for easter!

magnolia daybreak is somewhat peachy, which is rare for the usually purply magnolias...

we are working on the retaining wall that fell, removing blocks to rescue hydrangea blue tide.

magnolia ruby is blooming in front of the cherry tree...

i had to take lots of photos of her...

bleeding hearts are doing their thing...

here's a surprise - morels in the front shade garden again...

a red epimedium...

camellia 'april dawn' blooming... now i need to move her because of the fallen wall...

magnolia ruby... this is the best display ever!

my hoya is filling my office with a tropical scent today...

i just planted most of the potager... here's the mess on my desk of seeds and plans...

happy easter!

WOODPECKER'S APRIL FOOL

2011-04-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

busy spring so far. here's how the potager looked in late march...

and how it looks today... i'm trying some new garden supports; i'll let you know how they work. i've planted the cold weather things.

in march, the dwarf iris bloomed for weeks...

witch hazel 'diane', jasminum nudiflorum and and southern magnolia made nice color contrasts...

today a mockingbird came to call....

bee resting on magnolia 'ruby' bud...

small bee hiding in magnolia 'leonard messel'...

magnolia 'leonard messel' blooming....

blue jeffersonia blooming... it didn't bloom last year...

we've been hearing the woodpeckers, but come to find out that they have neatly drilled 9 holes on the south and east sides of the house... then they left. however, i've heard other birds busily building their nests... and finally spotted one face looking out over me....

hm. this can't be good. called the painters to come fix the holes before we give the house up to the sparrows.

sadly, today there was a dead female rabbit in the yard. it's a mystery how it was killed, because i'm pretty sure it was killed by a mammal, but my dogs didn't appear to have done it.

POTAGER PREPARATION

2011-03-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

this weekend we prepared the potager for planting... here's before...

hubs and i shopped for compost, peat, fertilizer, etc.; he was nice enough to carry most of it into the potager.

we both worked in the afternoon to turn the existing soil...

then, this morning, i emptied all the bags into the beds, mixed the fertilizers in the wheel barrow and shoveled them into the beds.

i then mixed and raked. i'm hoping to finish by tuesday, and begin planting before the rain on wednesday.

MARCH FLOODING

2011-03-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

we've had around 6 inches of rain this week... march has come in like a tiger... witch hazel "diane" below...

i've started trapping squirrels in the potager and have relocated 5 the past week. perhaps i'm just trying to drain the ocean, but it's that or cover every vegetable in the garden.

joe joe standing by the small retaining wall that collapsed this winter. we just relocated the pieris today.

species crocus - the next day, the deer ate them.

i finally planted some double snow drops...

japanese coral bark maple (sangu kaku) drips in front of the neighbor's shed...

the saw mill river parkway, flooded for half a mile in each direction, yesterday. it is passable today. like nothing compared to japan, right?

FIRECRACKERS IN SNOW

2011-02-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

hamamelis 'diane' blooming in the snow

apple espalier, jasminium nudiflorum budding in background, diane in foreground

southern magnolia

DOGS IN DEEP SNOW

2011-02-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

ehn!

free!

what was all the fuss?

joe joe plays with the white shepherds

sugar pond with willows

trail marking

bridge and tree at south end of sugar pond

ICE STORM WELCOMES FEBRUARY

2011-02-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

fence drops

emergent witch hazel flower trapped in ice

harry lauder walking stick

icy tufts of lespedeza

sangu kaku maple

pieris

lespedeza

hydrangea limelight

japanese maple

SNOW ZIGGURAT

2011-01-29T07:19:00.001-08:00

when i came home from work after the last heavy snowfall, a lighted, snow ziggurat greeted me. hubs had stayed home from work, since mayor bloomberg asked people to stay out of the city, and had let his creative side take over!people were stopping their cars to have a closer look... a friend thought it was a wedding cake...
we usually don't have enough snow to make such large creations... thank you to a wonderful husband...

EASTERN SCREECH OWL (RED MORPH)

2011-01-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

yesterday a crowd gathered at my dau's school... there was an eastern screech owl (red morph) in the holly! thanks to dau for this pic... the owl is all fluffy due to the cold that day...

today the owl was still on the same branch, so i was able to photograph (5pm)...

i'm afraid the owl did not like the flash very much...

see the owl in the holly at left? this shot shows how tiny it is, and how even at 5pm a little crowd was gathered.

everyone is wondering whether this owl is ok... time will tell. (update... the owl is not there today, thursday...)

ET TU SNOW?

2011-01-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

yet another large snowfall, this one over a foot

i took these in the morning

the bald cypress still has leaves clinging

curly larch

potager... i especially like the small spruces in the center, totally coated with snow

up the street

down the street

the nj palisades

joe joe snuggled inside

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-01-09T16:53:00.000-08:00

we had the most wonderful, fluffy snow last friday... here is the harry lauder walking stick...
joe joe loves the snow...
the trees were encased with fluff...
the potager... resting, as am i... happy new year...

POST CHRISTMAS SNOWSTORM

2010-12-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

i'm sure you've heard about the little storm that blanketed the entire east coast yesterday... we got about 18 inches of snow, but it was hard to tell because of the drifts. here's the view out our front door before i shoveled...today sparkled.
here's the potager last night, when we only had a couple of inches of snow...
here it is this morning. the wind carved the paths...
pattern on the garden wagon...
the bench...
river birch...
our christmas tree...
here's all we've been seeing of luna... i'm amazed she goes out at all...
joe joe by the fire...
i hope you are warm, safe, sound and joyous this holiday...

NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME

2010-12-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

we had some hard frosts, so i cleaned out the annuals and lighted the potager for the holidays. now all i need is snow!we continue to have spectacular sunsets this late fall...

YES, IT'S ME

2010-11-25T12:57:00.001-08:00

if you've been reading urban farm magazine...and saw this photo... yes it's me, from about a year and a half ago...
a photograper acquaintance took some shots of me in the potager and sold one.

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T12:49:00.001-08:00

happy thanksgiving to everyone! i made this arrangement today with flowers from the potager:sunset the other day...
we have not yet had a hard frost. i did trim the dwarf spruce for eventual holiday lighting...
the bald cypress is one of the few deciduous trees still cloaked with leaves...
this little enkianthus is always a startling scarlet.

SPLASHING SPARROWS

2010-11-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

it's getting colder; the finch was puffed upit was a fine morning for the sparrows' bath

finch again...
cold skipper
the potager
witch hazel 'diana'

WATER COOLER CHATTER

2010-10-30T15:06:00.000-07:00

happened to be in the office today where we gathered around the watering hole...mr. house finch stayed quite a while... well, for him...

mr. sparrow is ever so bold...
suddenly the leaves are dropping off the trees and it makes one thirsty...

PURPLEY SUNSET

2010-10-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

harvested my meager beets (and 1 parsnip!) we're having them for dinner tonight.
purpley sunset today
the potager... there are 4 more tomatoes and it should be warm enough to ripen them this week.

OCTOBER COLORS

2010-10-17T13:18:00.001-07:00

the leaves are just turning... palisades on the hudson...
sugar pond...

new echinacea 'macaroni & cheese' opening...
new echinacea 'green jewel'
my favorite marigold, 'jolly jester'
dwarf oakleaf hydrangea
luna posing...
clematis 'roguchi' seed head
and some spring-like colors... asters and mums...

CLINGING TO SUMMER

2010-10-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

though summer ended last month, wonderful daytime temps have brought out this bee, clinging to the echinacea for all it's worth...slanted fall sun knifes through the blood grass...
mums are just popping open...
i just bought this mountain mint, so pretty and the deer avoid it...
nicotania brightens the potager...
the potager heading towards winter... masses of marigolds glow... tomatoes blush, and then i bring them into the house to ripen, rainbow chard is still going strong, cabbages are beginning to form heads...

FIRE TRUCKS!!!

2010-09-26T13:27:00.001-07:00

our local volunteer fire department celebrated its 100th anniversary, and all of westchester county came to celebrate:
fire trucks galore!
my favorite photo from the parade...
our neighbor, t...
our town's new hook and ladder truck, which has blue led lights all the way up the ladder...
people who don't look very indian....
fire bikes?
volunteer fireman in the making...
above the knee sock tats were the rage...
irvington's literary-themed fire truck...
old fire chief's truck from tarrytown...
tarrytown lost two fire fighters last month in a gas accident... this was the only sad part of the parade...
i think this was nyack's truck with a painting of an 1834 truck...
and here's an actual truck from the 1800's...
even the drums were old... the drummer told me this one is over 50 years old...
scarsdale's 1946 truck...
the drummer who's drum is pictured above...
wow, now this is a classy old truck...
looked good coming and going...
the parade made its way down to the hudson river... crossing the bridge over the metro north tracks affords a nice view...
two ladder trucks hold up our flag at the end of the parade.

OSPREY VISIT

2010-09-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

the osprey visited us again this year, though much later and more briefly. i was watching him and got lucky; he spread his wings for me...the potager is mellowing. recent produce is limited to tomatoes, chard, kale and....
butternut squash! what an easy and rewarding thing to grow. one only needs protect the ripe squash from the squirrels, as butternuts do no get vine borers. i had 4 plants yeild about 7 squash. (one plant developed blossom end rot.)

VISITORS FROM AFAR

2010-09-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

thanks to my brother for identifying this visitor, and ailanthus webworm, visiting from the tropics. apparently these tropical moths sometimes travel as far as eastern canada, though they do not survive northern winters. have my nothern ny or canadian friends ever seen one?
at 11pm on my birthday last week, the night-blooming cereus put on a 3 bloom show. only my daughter, her friend and i were there to see and smell this once-a-year bloomer.

AUGUST'S END

2010-08-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

ok, i know i haven't been around... my 5 .5 year old computer bit the dust and now i'm finally back with a new one. tonight i took some photos... of rose 'heritage' glowing...shy gloriosa daisy...
peas growing on the compost heap...
hubs took a photo of the osprey, which was back for just one morning (with a fish...)
the japanese anemones survived our mini-drought...
and the potager, in it's late august decadence... i have had to prematurely pick some butter nut squash because the squirrels are noshing. plus, the squirrels are now beheading the sunflowers! what nerve. i'm still producing kale, rainbow chard, tomatoes and green beans. i just replanted lettuce and carrots, which are coming up happily. i made a squash soup with two of the butternuts, which was pretty good considering they were not fully ripe.

GLORIOUS AUGUST

2010-08-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

i'm almost looking forward to fall. we've had a break in the heat, but still need significant rain to overcome the drought. i've only been watering the potager and new plantings. here's a gloriosa daisy about to be glorious...the helenia 'mardi gras' has a new flush of blooms, redder than the first...
one teddy bear sunflower survived to flower, and it's worth the trouble...
last fall we hacked back this crepe myrtle, and it appreciated the effort, growing larger than ever. few people in our town grow these, as global warming has recently made them work here. this is the south side of our house.
here's the crape myrtle from the deck right above. you can see the grass dying on the left, where i don't bother watering. the square garden is on the right.
visitor
brugmansia 'pink beauty'
the potager. i have more tomatoes, green beans, rainbow chard and kale than a family can eat. the cukes have taken a break, thank goodness. looks like i'll have some corn and a large number of butternut squashes. i need to get out and plant more lettuce.

KATYDID LAMP

2010-08-09T18:58:00.001-07:00

translucent katydid was not an enthusiastic model this evening."must climb into lamp for safety..."
"ehn"
"ooh my toes are hot"
after this shot, he flew off...

BIG BAMBÚ

2010-08-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

this week, my vacation, we visited big bambú, an installation by doug + mike starns, identical twins, atop the metropolitan museum of art in new york city. one can take a special tour through the bamboo structure, but cameras (or any hand-held items) are not allowed on the tour. however, one can walk underneath the structure and snap away. in this shot of the structure looking north you can see people within the structure taking a tour:early morning cityscape looking south:
and looking west:
here's a photo from underneath a walkway. i was really frustrated i couldn't bring my camera up through the structure; it was photo-worthy!
a platform and walkway. the structure flexed a bit in places when i walked on it. it's almost entirely made of bamboo and nylon climber's rope. i saw only a few steel cables tethering the structure to the roof, and one or two cable ties.
another walkway. one walkway has a bench and they all have handrails. the walkways are uneven. one must wear sneakers (no sandals or flip flops allowed and no skirts, for obvious reasons!)
the lashings are beautiful...
here's a bamboo storage area. we visited during the work week, so the artists were there continuing to build the structure. the plan is to add a second level by the end of august. in fall, the structure will be dismantled, perhaps to be rebuilt elsewhere.
more lashings. what a lot of work to make this and more to take it down!
me, reflected by a mirrored roof on the north side of the structure. the installation is supposed to evoke a wave. for me, it is the "swiss family robinson" house oddly placed in an urban setting. others on the tour were moved by the seeming chaos within the rigid city. the starn's installation is a wonderful new york experience intensified by temporariness.

TOMATO SUMMER!

2010-07-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

this summer is terrific for tomatoes, if not for people. i only planted one variety, brandywine, after being burned by late blight last year. ok, that was a mistake. however, all my friends are trying to give tomatoes away, so other varieties are not hard to come by. here's how the potager looks today:the sunflowers had a tough start and are just beginning to bloom...
i've got a severe vine borer issue this summer and have tossed all the plants save this one, which has a nice sugar pumpkin. i've had to remove the borers from it's stem... i hope the plant can hang on for the rest of the summer.
passiflora today, with lantana in the background...
this year's bounty includes cucumbers, rainbow chard and string beans, in addition to tomatoes.
and so far the corn experiment looks promising!

TIGER SWALLOWTAIL BARES ALL

2010-07-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

gf has really gone downhill, just like a tabloid. but look at the shameless display this butterfly put on for me! it completely obscures its helenium 'mardi gras' perch...obviously, the favorite libation is echinacea 'sundown'
can you hear? "nom, nom, nom..."
it let me get so close, i used the macro...
no dignity whatsoever... thanks for the show!
day lily 'bermuda queen'
lily 'scheherazade'
most of the peaches from the dwarf miller nurseries tree! quite tasty once they ripen, these are about the size of an apricot... i'm really glad i bought this little tree...
note to self: 6 japanese soyu cucumber plants are too many for my family! my neighbor is trying to make pickles from them... thanks...
typical daily harvest... note to self, too many beans this year also...
my tomatoes are about to ripen, how exciting after last year's blight. anyway, i took this seed pod photo for sophie munns and homage to the seed... it's a baptisia australis. these pods become like rattles once the seeds are mature. sohpie, do you have these in australia?

HOT, DRY JULY

2010-07-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

the veggies love this hot, dry july... brugmansia 'pink beauty' echos the shape of the trees behind...echinacea 'coconut lime' is loving the weather...
pumpkins are making blossoms all over...
a few little butternut squashes are growing larger...

helenium 'mardi gras' is the fireworks this year (i'll divide it next spring or it'll take over!)
flowers and fruits abound...
the tomatoes, foreground, love this weather, but have yet to ripen.
the cat birds continue to meow at me for trespassing in their territory!

CURRANTS CONTINUED

2010-07-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

happy 4th of july... i did mash and cook the currants...
then put them in an old pillow case, suspended by the pot rack, to strain...
and cooked the juice with maybe a bit too much sugar, this year...
i use an old martha stewart recipe and a scraggly mix of jars... i'm not fancy...
here they are all snug in the fridge to jel... i only got 5 little jars, and it took me about 6 hours, including picking the fruit! currant jelly has such a singular flavor, so it's worth it!
here was a harvest this week. i'm giving away beans and cucumbers quite a bit these days...
and a recent shot of the potager...

"HOMAGE TO THE SEED"

2010-06-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

just mailed my submission(s) to sophie munns "homage to the seed" postcard show in Brisbane, Australia, mid July. how fun for me to design something new. because i couldn't make up my mind what to send, i sent some seed-y cards, but also cards with the potager in spring...
summer...
fall...
and winter. sophie can curate them whatever way fits in her show.
please contact sophie if you wish to make an entry!

SOLSTICE CURRANTS

2010-06-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

usually i harvest the 'champagne' currants around the 4th of july, but the heat this year caused early ripening, so i picked them tonight, ahead of a forecast storm.i cleaned them...
this is maybe 3 quarts, and it took me 2 hours to pick and clean them to freeze. hopefully i'll be able to make jelly saturday morning, before a family party, so i can bring them.
last night, the brugmansia 'pink beauty' was blooming... last august it had over 20 flowers blooming at once!
earlier in the week, this doe let me within 10 feet for a photo (no telephoto lens here.) note the scar, and if you enlarge the photo you can see evidence that this doe probably has a fawn hiding somewhere. she is just across the street from my house, and i hope she stays there!
we do have less deer invading the gardens this year, so i haven't had to protect the day lilies.
the potager today. i have harvested lettuce, rainbow chard, peas, 2 carrots and green beans. you can see the corn coming up in the foreground.

ORNATE PISTIL

2010-06-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

arisaema fargesii nuzzlling...irresistible echinacea 'tiki torch'
southern magnolia with petals like a magnetic field around the ornate pistil... worth a closer look?
the back of the cuddling arisaemas...
the potager... so far a great year for the tomato plants, i hope it holds up... corn is small yet in the foreground, i just planted cabbages & parsnips in the upper left corner where the spinach was. everything is going pretty well so far... and the deer haven't made too many visits to the rest of the garden.
the champagne currants look ripe under their net, but have not sweetened at all... they should be good by july 4th...
this one in the 'cat bird seat' is watching me photograph the arisaema from the dogwood in the front shade garden...

JUNGUST

2010-06-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

last summer was cool, rainy and tomato blight ruled. this summer is a scorcher. we're having august dog days in june. well, the toms are happy, while the rest of us are sweating. this is rose 'dainty bess.'baby grasshopper perches on dainty bess.
i'm pretty happy with this white iris photo, but i don't even know how i got so much contrast. the light was really nice, though.
the potager
clematis 'm julia correvon' really likes her digs in the potager.
more potager... later i pulled up the bolting spinach in the back left bed to replace it with cabbages, and, because i'm truly a garden fool, (difficult for me) parsnips.
i like the color combination of the outside (pink) and the inside (orange) of echinacea 'tiki torch' petals. the flower is orange.
foxglove leans to beckon...
i bought a nicotania seed mix, and this is my favorite color of the bunch.

MEMORIAL DAY AT GF

2010-05-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

azalea kurame 'dogwood variegated' blooming...the flowers have large variation...
on a small shrub, sitting right on the curb, so this azalea has survived much salt...
the potager is coming along, though many pests are making growing difficult... not the foxglove my brother gave me last year blooming in the upper right hand corner...
yesterday, i harvested a cabbage from last year, which had finally formed a head. it was delicious!
rose 'heritage' with dew...
allium 'schubertii' is fully globular...
fireworks for memorial day!
clematis 'roguchi' looks prim and proper in comparison...

STILL BRIEFLY MAY

2010-05-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

flowers everywhere. peony...inside iris...
montana daisy unopened...
variegated deutzia...
species hosta bud... smaller than a q-tip, but delicately colored...
columbine 'nora barlow' red
allium schubertii...
i'm really happy with the square garden this year...