Author Archives: Denise
School Gardens
The April 2010 issue of The Atlantic, which I grabbed for haircut reading yesterday, published letters to the editor (“Grading the Gardens”) in response to their January/February article by Caitlin Flanagan entitled ‘Cultivating Failure.” Readers of Gardenrant might remember the … Continue reading
Posted in essay
Tagged Caitlin Flanagan, Dolichos lablab, Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Garden Rant, school vegetable gardens, The Atlantic
6 Comments
July in the Front Garden
The Spanish poppies, P. ruprifagrum, are still blooming, but if I pull out the wayward stalks with their seed capsules leaning every which way, I can manage to get some photos of the other plants that live here. This narrow … Continue reading
Samphire
You’d think selecting plants based on leaves, flowers, bark, and berries would be more than enough criteria to consider, but occasionally the quest for plants takes in other, less tangible considerations, at least for me, and certain plants can edge … Continue reading
Posted in Plant Portraits
Tagged Annies Annuals, Crithmum maritimum, samphire, umbellifer
5 Comments
Weather Report
A couple days of over 90-degree heat woke the tropicals up. Tibouchina heteromalla But we’re back to overcast skies and drizzle, lovely for late July. In the Tom Waits-inspired, emotional weather report category, we’ve been frantic about a baby mockingbird, … Continue reading
Foliage Followup
The book-end to Bloom Day, the 15th of every month, is when leaves get their due, Foliage Followup, the brainchild of Pam at Digging, who’s been regaling us in words and photos with an account of the recent blogger mash-up … Continue reading
Sybarites Unite!
The cats have completely taken over the biv, as they do all the choice sitting spots. Work schedule causes summer to hurtle along into fall. I know, I’m grateful in such perilous times to have the work. But amidst this … Continue reading
Posted in Ephemera
3 Comments
July 2010 Bloom Day
I’m late, I’m late… for a very important date…(yeah, right. It’s called a job.) No time to say hello/goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late! Now scurry over to our host’s site “May Dreams Gardens, for a perusal of Carol’s … Continue reading
Plants, Get Thee Behind Me
Just wanted a quick outing, a bit of plant gawking after a week of far too much sitting. But the flesh, as usual, was weak. Too many mid-summer temptations at the nursery. The eggplant-colored beauty is Pseuderanthemum ‘Black Varnish.’ I … Continue reading
Posted in The Hortorialist
Tagged Colocasia 'Mojito' Russelia equisitiformis, Pseuderanthemum
9 Comments
Cutting Back the Agave Walk
As I’ve written before, this little walkway is often under siege by sprawlers (or gloriously festooned with plant life, depending on your point of view). When half the path disappears under plants, even I know it’s time to do some … Continue reading
Bivouaced With Gardens Illustrated
Or up in the “biv,” as we call it. I’ve never outgrown a desire for spending time in out-of-the-way spots, preferably off the ground. I spent considerable time in trees and on the roof as a kid. This particular bivouac … Continue reading