Random Good Things

Behind the house right now we have  such a nice mix going on: (back to front) cotoneaster franchetii, Queen Elizabeth rose, calamagrostis brachytricha, tall pass-along purple asters, yellow rudbeckia, and Lemon Queen sunflower (front left).

Seed pods of southern magnolia

Erodiums, double and single.  They are in pots because they are tender and have to join the inside crowd for the winter.

Lablab beans on the trellis in front of the house.  At least they were happy with the heat.

Random Summer Bits

Like the bees on the magnolia flowers, we've been busy.

I took the kids to the Cloisters in upper Manhattan.  It was their first visit (I know, what took me so long?) and I was excited to show them my favorite museum.  Plants and medieval art and architecture...what could be better? Maybe tacos....?

We took a few days vacation and drove up to see friends in Vermont.  Above is photo from the top of Mount Greylock in North Adams, MA.  We drove to the top to show the kids the (imaginary) location of the American version of Hogwarts.  We spent the day at MassMOCA, another great museum.

Quarry near Dorset, VT.  

I stopped by the side of the road while I was cycling near Pawlet, VT for this photo.  This Iowa boy was so happy to see and smell cows again.

One of eight pizzas I made for dinner with our friends.  This one is local Vermont cheese, tomatoes, garlic scape pesto, grilled new onions, bacon and an egg.  

My garden at work survived nearly three weeks without substantial rain.  There's no water nearby so whatever lives, I plant more of the next year.

This opuntia at work could care less about being dry.

Our front yard is doing its English Border Thing.  I went for interesting color and texture in choosing the plants for the flower boxes this year and kind of regret that they're not more showy right now.  Lablab beans will soon cover the trellis by the door. Yes, I planted the hellstrip too.  Couldn't stand mowing ANYTHING out front.

I have lots of empty troughs for sale for the first time in awhile..

...even curvy ones.

And it's cherry season!

Merry Too Warm Christmas

Winter began warm this week here in the Northeast.  The lawn is still green.  Some of the annuals are still blooming in the flower boxes that I deinstalled from the front of the house in order to make room for Christmas decorations.  I noticed today that the gorgeous mauve hellebore in the front yard is blooming, right under our huge, lit wooden snowflake decoration.  I did a 23-mile bike ride yesterday morning after the gifts were unwrapped, and had one of my best times of the year.  It's a bizarre wet, and warm weather pattern that we're in.

On the bright side, the winter jasmine has bloomed all at once, instead of winking on and off.  It's a dose of pure yellow sunshine even on these cloudy, short days.

This annual mallow in the garden I planted near the loading dock at work is a dead man walking.  It should have been struck down by cold and snow by now, but it's blooming its beautiful head off.

The Gauntlet

I'm that guy on our street.  The guy with the front yard garden that's hanging over the sidewalk.  Passers-by have to do the limbo to avoid being scratched by the overhanging sunflowers.

I don't know what possessed me this spring.  I was sowing annual seeds in the front yard in May and I thought, "Oh, sunflowers would be nice here until the zinnias take over."  I was thinking demure 4' sunflowers with a single head, for some reason.

 What I got where 8' multi-branched monsters.  The edge of the front garden is lined with them like some sort of living fence, alive with bees and goldfinches.

Slightly embarrassed by their size and vigor, I keep waiting for them to finish so that I can pull them out.

They have other plans, and keep budding up on side shoots.  I think that they're in for the long haul.  

Sorry neighbors.