14 Views of a Fool's Garden

"But though an old man, I am but a young gardener." 

~ Thomas Jefferson

DOMESTICATED MEMBERS

Red Tulip

Narcissus assoanus

Butterfly Daffodil

MY WILD FRIENDS

Bleeding Hearts

Virginia Blue Bells

Epimedium

Celadine Poppy

Wild Violets

Snowy Hippo!

 

Chilly Chilli

 

Last Black Velvet Petunia of the Season

 

Audrey's Big Day

 Audrey, my Tree Philodendron, has been with me now for just shy of 40 years.  She spends her summers outside on my deck, and her winters in my modest sun room.  Today was the end of her summer basking.  My neighbor, Tim, has for the past few years now done the heavy lifting for me in lieu of my back surgery.

I prep her by binding her fronds so they move through doorways much easier.  She is not the only migratory plant, but she is by far the largest.  The others will come in over the next few weeks depending on the forecast.  

I cut up a stretchy garbage bag to create the ribbons I use to bind up Audrey's fronds.

Once bound, they take up much less space, and are far less likely to be damaged.

Inside the sun room, but still bound as I add a few more plants near her.

Fronds free.

Native Stink Bug!

FLORIDA PREDATORY STINK BUG

Euthyrhynchus floridanus

A surprise visitor on my deck yesterday!  This little beauty is a Florida Predatory Stink Bug--so much more attractive than those Asian invaders, AND they love to eat them!  Mother nature dealing with an evasive species with any more of our interference.  Best way to go.

 

Spidey Surprise!

 Isn't she beautiful!?

Garden Glories

My simple Garden delights me in out-sized ways!

I feel happy as the Buddha when I contemplate its glories!

 

Mary, Mary...How Does My Garden Grow?

 When I first bought my home back in 1994, my yards were devoid of life.  The ground with hard, dry dirt over pebble infused clay.  What grass there was was whispy--like the remaining hairs upon my head.  It was essentially a blank canvas, and I took to it little by little.  

In the back I established a circular pathway around a central bed.  Years of adding soil and clay busters and mulch with lots of variations of annuals and perennials.  At first the space was sunny.  Then as the trees I planted were joined by various volunteers planted by birds and squirrels (I have a couple of really beautiful Scarlet Oaks), it has morphed into mostly shade.  The transformation also affected what would and wouldn't grow and what would thrive. 

About a decade ago I did a major overhaul and added some additional raised circular beds and rechristened it "The Circles" garden.  Then last June I had major back surgery.  As a result  the whole thing--all my yards--were let to go fallow.  The aggressive invader, English Ivy, took full advantage of my physical recuperation to enter and dominate.  It was all too happy to bring along, volunteer wisteria, Fox grapes, and porcelain-berry, and worst of all, honeysuckle!  At least with the others, when you pull at a tendril, it usually pulls up intact.  Honeysuckle loves to snap off.  It's insidious.  

BEFORE I LIFTED A TROWEL...  Like discovering a lost civilization in the jungle!

Yet...

"Though an old man, I am but a young gardener." 

~ Thomas Jefferson, 20 AUG 1811

Secure in the wisdom of Jefferson, and without urgency, I am called back to my garden again with budding results.

DAY ONE

Rediscovering the brick pathway I laid in by hand 30 plus years ago.  I got about 75% of the way before the ground hornets became too curious.  I went out and bought some plants--great time of the year to find things on sale!  

DAY TWO

Hornets pacified and off terrorizing some place else, I liberated the rest of the pathway.  Pulled the invasive vines from the Circles Garden, and planted the 18 begonias (a start)

One for the most personally satisfying features is the Rock Garden.  Most of the stones are sedimentary field stones from Kentucky laced with Carboniferous Period fossils and some even had Geods.  There is also some white quarts, and some beautiful dark gray-blue stones of unidentified origins.

Another nearby project is this trio of planters: A couple exotic begonia that I bought a month ago and a pair of Bird-of-Paradise I got for 50% off.  

DAY THREE

Back with five more ginormous Begonia, a couple of Canna Lilies, a packet of white impatiens and 4 of these interesting vines Sweet Caroline Green.  I know sweet Caroline, but I've never seen them with leaves this frilly--like Palm fronds.  Finally a Pink Rio (Dipladenia).   You can see the bush-like red begonias!

In previous years, I've used Vinca to great affect; however, with the increased temperatures and more to the point, rainfall; Vinca is so susceptible to mold.  Impatiens and Choleas from India are other possibilities, but they both have been decimated by slugs in past years.  I grow both in pots successfully on my deck where I can control the presence of slugs.

I added the Dipladenia to the middle container, because it will climb up the metal obelisk.

Can you see how Palm-like the foliage of this varient of Sweet Caroline is?

Lily Pinwheel

 

Fern Pinwheel

 

Geranium

"That small motion, the white and red color, a strange fire because it meant a different thing to him.  It was not burning, it was warming. ... He hadn't known fire could look this way.  He had never thought in his life that it could give as well as take."
~ Ray Bradbury, 1920 - 2012

from Fahrenheit 451

Lily

"... more like inflamed flesh than the lucid reds of ordinary sunsets ... the glow is intense; that is what strikes everyone; it has prolonged the daylight, and optically changed the season; it bathes the whole sky, it is mistaken for the reflection of a great fire."

~ Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1884 - 1889

From writing based on the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa in August of 1883.

Spring in My Gardens

 

Snowdrops

 

Sunbathing Squirrel

 Squirrels have personalities.  Most of them have AD/HD and a few I've known seem to have OCD!  But not this one.  This one has just come to my attention this year.  The first time I noticed her was when I was in my bedroom on the second floor of my home rushing around to get to the theatre.  It was a sunny work February day, and as an inspiration as I was turning to head down stairs, I thought to put a houseplant on the windowsill next to my bed to give it some direct sunlight.  That's when I saw her stretched out on the warm outer brick ledge of the window grooming at first, then quickly switching to a full on nap.  Two-floors up and me grateful for no Hawks in sight--they do visit the neighborhood.

I've seen her since methodically snooping around, looking for morsels.  The other day she spent a good hour in my Japanese Maple nibbling on the sweet little seed buds.  Then yesterday morning I caught her napping again.  This time on the railing of my deck.  

Mostly I disdain squirrels.  They just create so much havoc in the world.  But this one?  She's captured my curiosity...and I wonder, can my heart be far behind?

Easter Resurrections!

 The only kind I personally believe it.  All from the "gardens" on my urban backyard.

Celandine Poppy

Stylophorum diphyllum

Barrenwort

Epimedium sulphirum

Ragwort

Jacobaea vulgaris

Virginia Bluebell

Mertensia virginica

Wild Violet

Viola sororia