Entries in front garden (59)

Sunday
Jul212013

Gnats in My Coffee

As I stroll through my garden, I hold a cup of coffee, the sweet kind with additives that are purported to transport one to exotic locations. It is early morning. I am still wearing my pajamas. My husband fusses at me for walking around that way, but who is to see? I am blessed with privacy. The atmosphere is warm and laden with moisture: 100% humidity. I move slowly through the thick air, like a vacationer drifting in a tube down one of those lazy river rides, breathing in the vapors of the surrounding waters.I don't mind the mugginess of a summer morning when a view like this one in the front garden is waiting for me. Above are more midsummer views of the front garden. The shrubs with lavender blooms are a dwarf form of Crepe Myrtle.

The problem with this scenario is the coffee. What nut drinks coffee outside on such a muggy summer morning? Ice water would be more appropriate, but old habits, acquired in a cooler season, are hard to break. And there is another purpose for the coffee. It is difficult to pull weeds while carrying a mug of steaming coffee. Even with one hand free, the danger of spilling hot coffee is too great to be bending over and tugging at offenders near the ground. So the coffee is to keep me on task, which is to enjoy a morning stroll. I want to concentrate on the garden while the birds are active and before the glare of the white hot sun begins to scorch the skin and dazzle the eyes.Assorted coneflowers(echinacea) are blooming in the front garden now.Penelope Rose in the front garden bloomed lavishly earlier this year and is beginning to put out a second flush of flowers.Colorful exotics like Stromanthe 'Tricolor' bring a dash of color to the summer woodland garden.
Top is 'Limelight' Hydrangea, just coming into its summer glory. Below Limelight is Hydrangea 'Lady in Red', fading but still lovely. Its blooms, originally blue in my acid soil, have turned to rose.

The coffee doesn't work. It never does, and I don't know why I retain the silly notion that it might. A weed right there demands my attention. If I wait till later, it will be two feet tall with offsprings of thousands. So I sit my coffee down on a nearby stump. It will only take a moment to yank the weed out of the ground. An hour later I return to the coffee. A pile of weeds, long snaky vines, and clippings from a shrub lay nearby. The coffee is cold, and an assortment of tiny twigs and dead gnats are floating in it. I sigh. I didn't need to drink the stuff anyway. What I do need is a bath. It is time to start the day.

Sunday
May262013

A Little Bit of Jungle

Penelope Rose is a beautiful shrub rose which begins its bloom in May and will repeat bloom through the summer and into fall:There are many flowers blooming in the garden now, but already I sense the sweet promise of spring is gone. I only hope we can survive the onslaught of high heat, bad bugs, viruses, mildew and molds that come with summer. Will I have the energy to face the thugs that hover over me and breathe down my neck? I break into a sweat just thinking about it. Overnight, weird weeds will spring up, and if I turn my back they are likely to tap me on the shoulder, then laugh when I discover my prized plants smothered by their tendrils. 

My garden is a refuge from the wild areas that encroach all around. It was carved out of tangled overgrowth, and a little bit of jungle remains. Warm temperatures and rain promote rapid growth, and the thicket would return quickly, if I let it.

I recently discovered black spot and white flies in my vegetable garden, along with invasive bamboo shoots sprouting up through its soil, so my gloomy mood is justified. But briefly, for I am always an optimist. Mornings are still cool, and the humidity is just beginning to rise in the afternoons. The weather of the past few days has been pleasant, and the garden is looking good. Here's a quick review of my little bit of jungle:

In the gardens that surround the lawn in front of the house:

Below are some of the late spring/early summer bloomers:

Row 1: Flowers by the parking court; Anthony Waterer Spirea. Row 2: Rosa Mutabilis; Penstemon Huskers Red. Row 3: Purple verbenas; McKana Hybrid Columbine. Row 4: Calla Lily; Rosa Palustris.

Top: Amaryllis and Gazania. Bottom: Gazania; Hibiscus

Of course I love all these flowers, but my heart remains with beautiful foliage:Row 1: Red Banana plant; Chinese Fan Palm. Row 2: Hosta Francis Williams; Caladium. Row 3: Whitewater Redbud; Tropicana Canna Lily.

No plant has prettier foliage than the red banana plant, and I am happy to report that mine has returned, despite its marginal hardiness in my area. It remains my favorite plant purchase from last year:

In the top photo below you can see what is just a few steps beyond the woodland garden. Below that image are photos demonstrating what happens when a determined gardener intervenes!

Have a great week, and don't let the weeds get you down!   Deborah