I PROMISED I WOULDN’T ADD EVEN AN EXTRA TRIP TO THE CURB WITH THE TRASH to my schedule, with all the mowing I have to do, but (big surprise) I layered on a couple of events, and I want to make sure you know about them, in case you are in the Hudson Valley/Berkshires vicinity this summer. Another container-gardening class, a 365-day garden lecture with an extra focus on water gardening and the frogboys, and a tour here in August (that last one you already might know about). Details, details: [Read more...]
in and around the garden with me, again
high on vines: intoxicating garden climbers
J ACK IS A JUNKIE; KIWI VINES ARE HIS CRACK. He knocked down that little Clematis to his left in the process of capturing and subduing his desired prey: the young kiwi vine that’s now half-hidden beneath the subdued cat (above). Yes, some species of kiwi are like catnip, and though Jack thinks that’s the reason to add more to the garden, I’m high on other vines that are coming into their season, from vivid Clematis tangutica to (not yet, but soon) Codonopsis lanceolata. Some favorites (both mine and Jack’s): [Read more...]
doodle by andre: perennial peer pressure
D O THE ‘ORNAMENTAL’ PLANTS HAVE A CRUEL CASTE SYSTEM like some people do; do they really notice when “weeds” move in among them or is every plant born equal? I wonder. So, apparently, does Andre Jordan the doodler; or at least he wonders what the human neighbors will think if we’ve slacked a bit, if not literally wondering what’s on the minds of the intended garden plants. What shall we tell our dear provocateur Andre this week in reply to the question he poses?
frogfight!
P EOPLE WHO VISIT SAY IT SEEMS LIKE PEACEABLE KINGDOM or at least “Animal Planet” at my place, but I am here to tell you otherwise. There’s a whole lot of fighting going on. Since my big bullfrogs departed for better digs during a heavy rain in early spring, the species called green frogs have been full of themselves, masters of the universe, and now with mating season upon us, they’re downright violent. Ever watch a frogfight? [Read more...]
9 inches of rain: please don’t take my sunshine
I SUPPOSE I SHOULD HAVE DONE AN INCANTATION of one of my favorite songs before things got to this point: 9 inches of rain in barely more than two weeks. I have a wildly eclectic collection of recordings of “You Are My Sunshine” (and thanks to a recent gift from blogger Sarah McColl, a vintage-style sign to accompany them). This 1963 Ray Charles version is one of the best, and I’m playing it loud with the speakers pointed out the window, invoking a prayer that the rain that’s been swamping parts of the Northeast and the northern Midwest will go relieve dusty conditions in places like Texas and elsewhere it can do some good. May the weather you need come your way, and soon.









