Resilient Ox Tongue

 A few years ago I bought a little Gasteria gracilis.  I planted it in a little rectangular planter and surrounded it with little pebbles and stones, and made my annual Garden Zoo habitat for a family of Fennec Fox.  It was both fine with the DC summer weather and happy to over winter inside at a window with a southwest exposure.  It relied almost exclusively on natural precipitation when outside and would tolerate long stretches without any watering inside.

Native to arid regions along the coastal highlands all along South Africa's coasts from the Atlantic to the Indian Oceans, it seemed to be just as at home here in my little house in suburban DC.  It started out rather small, and took its sweet time adding a new leaf to its palmate sort of form.  It was a law care, curious little plant.

Then, late in the spring, not too long after being returned to its seasonal perch on the table on my back deck, disaster struck!  Disaster in the form of Winken, Blinken and Nod three young raccoon siblings who regularly terrorize everything on my deck!  On this morning after, I found the upper portion of the plant snapped off from the base and laying with other debris across my deck.  The little Fennec Fox figurines were likewise scattered, but all were eventually found.  

As I cleaned up the mess and pondered the remnants, I wondered what to do for the little Gasteria.   It seemed clear that I could not reconnect the upper leaves to the base.  I also thought, "Well, this sort of thing must befall Gasteria in the wild, right?"  So I set about looking up answers on the internet.  In the end I left the base alone, and simply placed the broken off piece in it's own planter where the torn bottom of the acaulescent stem was in contact with the soil and then added pebbles and stones to give at a surface featuring an inorganic covering like that one it used to have.

I am assuming, since it looks normal and healthy that it is using its plant energies to re-establish a root system.  

As to the original base, a most glorious transformation is occurring.  "Pups" (or new growth spurs) are appearing both around the base, and even more curiously, as a cluster at the site of the open wound to the stem.  Life is tenacious.

Incredible Impatiens

 I love to tell this story.  In 1984, I lived in Costa Rica.  My rented abode was half a little house, framed and sided with wooden planks on one side only--even the exterior walls.  It had two bedrooms and a large area that contained a small kitchen, and bathroom.  The toilet was in a closet, but the shower was not.  Ken, my roommate, and I made it work.

It was located in a contiguous neighborhood on the outskirts of San Jose called Curridabat.  From the main road to Cartegena, the exit to Curridabat climbed a steep hill to a city square with a cathedral.  Half way up that hill lined with little houses was a public bus garage.  And just beyond that a rather hidden driveway to the backside of a one-time shoe factory.  A 20 foot tall metal gate was only opened for truck traffic and to the side was a little metal door.  Open the door and to the right was the little house I lived in.  No one would ever know it was there, unless you knew it was there.

The other half of the house was rented by an old man who had lived there for decades.  He had a little dog named "Jogito," and a cat and he was a sweet person.  All around the house were trees he cultivated.  Papaya, Mango, Orange, Lemon, Lime, and herbs (Rosemary bushes!), and flowers.  Everywhere possibly Impatiens thrived.

Fast Forward.  I'm back in the states, it's 1985.  I'm living in central Kentucky in the same little town I went to college in.  I get a call that the Methodist Bishop of Costa Rica is moving to town to attend a local seminary in persuit of a Doctorate in Theology.  I'm asked to help them settle in.  The seminary secures a home for him and his family.  The local Methodist Lady's Society plants the front yard with gardens of flowers.  Impatiens are a new and more expensive offering at the time and learning they are native to Central America, they splurge and fill the beds with them.  

Upon arriving, the welcoming committee greets the Bishop and his family at their new home.  The Bishop's wife is enthralled by the house.  When asked to comment, she says, "Oh, everything is so beautiful!"  Then indicated the beds of expensive, exotic, Impatiens, she adds, "And once we get rid of all of these weeds, it will be perfect!"

Indeed.  Impatiens.  Weeds if you consider their veracity.  Impatiens are nothing short of amazing.  They will persevere every way, every time every chance they get.  You can damage them.  They will adapt!  They will sprout anew.  They will always survive.  Their seeds can also make it through sub-zero winters!

They are truly worthy of awe.

Welcome To The Jungle

 A rainy August Sunday--a rare gift.  My deck from the Kitchen door.  Welcome to MY jungle!  What joy.

Canna Lily Blooms

 

Asiatic Lily Returns for Encore Performance!

 I planted half a dozen of these glowing orange Asiatic Lilies in planters on my deck last year.  This is the only one to survive our atypically harsh winter of sub-freezing temps--if it had not been for the snow cover, I doubt even it would have managed.  Yet, here it is in all of its tangerine glory.  What joy!

"Circles Gardens" 2026

 Once free from Winter's schmutz, the time comes to add and create something new for the coming year.

This year, as last, I am planning on a "blanket" of Impatiens through the main area of the rock garden.

Buddha agrees.

These are fossil laden field stones form Central Kentucky.  Infamously used to build the "slave" walls that once defined so many of the fields--I actually dug these up out of the ground myself.

A side bed is filled with little 4" Terra Cotta pots plated with Petunias!

Additional planters help to define the space between the pathway and the Circles Garden path.

Ended the first day of planting with this section yet to finish.

All done for now with a total of 56 Impatiens ready to grow and thrive.

I have actually planted squash elsewhere.  I hope there's enough light to at least get something from it.  I also have ideas about areas in the backside of the circle ...  

Rediscovering My "Circles Gardens"

 When I first moved into my home in 1994, my backyard was a true blank slate.  A Deck outside of the kitchen door sitting like a platform perched on a "rock".  There were no trees.  There was no grass.  The ground was hard clay filled with small rocks left by some alluvial glacier 30,000 years ago.  My first project was to create a circle path to house a garden.  I also planted azaleas and a few trees...then a few more.  After about 10 years, trees just started popping up on their own.  Today my back yard is a true extension of the nearby woods.  Decades on annual soil enrichment has paid off by creating a rich dark loam.  I have lots of annuals, and EVERYTHING is green.  Annually I have nesting Gray Catbirds, Carolina Wrens and Cardinals, along with House Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Purple Finches, Chickadees, Robins, Blue Jays, Titmice, the occasional Nuthatch, Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker, American Star, Crows, a Red-tailed Hawk, Palliated Woodpecker, I even had a Brown spotted Bittern pay me a visit once!  No double on his way to the nearby Sligo Creek.  

Sitting on my deck has gone from roasting in the hot sun, to resting a place of shade and birdsong.  Mostly by letting nature do its thing, I have created my own little slice of paradise.  From the original pair of Canadian Hemlocks, two Redbuds and a Trio of River Birch.  I have only added a Japanese Maple and Kwanza Cherry, while mother nature has tossed in two Dogwoods, a Swamp Oak, half a dozen Green Ash, a gorgeous Scarlet Oak, several Norway Maples, and a Live Oak.  For some of these, I do have my little brigade of Squirrels to thank.  But back to that little circular path.

It was laid with flat bricks, bound on either side by more bricks that were planted deep, long end to long end to keep those laid flat in a shallow trench from sliding.  I'm sure there are better ways to have done this; however, my scheme has held up nicely over 30 years hence.  When younger, I would take care to rake the fallen leaves and prep the beds for winter.  Now, an "older gardener," I let nature close out its own affairs in the autumn and deal with my inertia at some point in the spring.  That point was this past Sunday; Mother's Day.   With no mother in sight, I liberated my Circles Garden from the dormant season's detritus.  The process involves weed whacking the hell out of the new growth and caked leaves on the bricks.  Then, leaf blowing the jetsam out across the wilds of the rest of the yard.  Finally, removing any stuck schmutz with the "jet" setting on the hose.  Start to finish including the concrete pathway about 2.5 hours.  

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Now, that the canvas is prepped, the planting of some flowers, then another year of reveling.  

Climbing Rose: Joseph Coat of Many Colors

 

Hawkweed! Glorious Springtime Guest!

 

SPRING: Kwanzan Cherry at My Bedroom Window

 

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.