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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Juan's Breathtaking Installation of Trivets Allows Donna's Legacy

Patricia Youngquist uses words and images to tell stories about her passions. Based in New York, she currently is authoring a series of nature books on birds of the city. Now in Apple’s iBooks store @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/words-in-our-beak/id1010889086?mt=11

The blooming of my Sweet Autumn Clematis in my urban garden, is in full swing; the vine and its flowers are playfully wrapping around Juan's Installation as evidenced in the image posted above this entry.

The precious delicate flowers against the rough brick provide a legacy to Donna, the grower from Cheerful Cherry Farms (whom I posted about in an earlier post). Donna sold me the Clematis paniculata plants a couple of years prior on that hot May morning, when she wore a wool cap and winter coat. I say legacy, because a few weeks ago I went down to Union Square (USQ) to tell Donna about the growth of my Clematis paiculata, but I only saw her husband, Jim.It was unusual not to see her with him, and I suspected that something had happened to her, but I said nothing. Recently I returned to USQ again, and Donna still was not there. This time I asked Jim about her.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

The Last Saturday of Summer 2010 and the fate of Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'

Patricia Youngquist uses words and images to tell stories about her passions. Based in New York, she currently is authoring a series of nature books on birds of the city. Now in Apple’s iBooks store @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/words-in-our-beak/id1010889086?mt=11

Upright and arching, this graceful Purple Fountain Grass, Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum,' with its delicate plumes that stretch up and out is a type of ornamental grass which is often used in clusters, mass plantings or along slopes. I like it to be showcased where it can be appreciated on its own. 

As seen (in the photo above) in its placement next to my Acer palmatum, 'Shigitatsu Sawa,' the contrast of their textures and colors compliment each other. Some say when planted in clusters, the fountain grass provides privacy by creating a hedge. 

For an urban — New York City — terrace garden, I find it to do the same - even as a 'single' when planted in a beautiful container and placed on bamboo shelving which I've attached to my terrace wall to provide a shield from a voyeur neighbor whose bathroom window looks onto my terrace.



I hope to render these images into invitations, event program covers, and note-cards. Please continue to visit my web-site for details. As today is the last calendar day of summer, and my 'Rubrum' is not "winter-hearty" for the New York City temperature zone, I have to be vigilant about watching for the onset of frost, but right before that happens the purple grasses can be cut and used in flower arrangements.


FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the Words In Our Beak book series, pictured below...

MY BOOK SERIES


...whose stories are told from the point of view of Cam, a female cardinal, whose photo is on the cover of each book. Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in my rooftop urban garden in New York City. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The books include hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

Additionally,  I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Nine Eleven: A Dedication to the Memory of Lashawana Johnson and Margaret Mattic




It is a beautiful September morning, much like the September morning nine years ago when planes flew into the World Trade Center, where I had been just three weeks prior for  a job interview. The photo-id posted above was taken moments before that interview at General Telecom Inc.

It had been a brutally hot Tuesday morning, and upon my arrival at the interview, a woman who introduced herself as Margaret Mattic (the receptionist).

Another woman, Lashawana Johnson, who interviewed me was very young, and she told me how she loved coming to the World Trade Center early in the morning to shop on the ground floor for her three children before heading up to work. 

As soon as I heard the news that airplanes had flown into the towers, I imagined Lawansha was there since she loved early morning before heading up the elevator from General Telecom Inc. Lawansha had not hired me for the position, and she had let me know this by having someone from the night shift — a woman named Carmen — phone me to let me know I had not been selected for the position. 

Because this interview was only three weeks before the attack on the World Trade Center, I still had my notes on circumstances that occurred, and I still had my WTC ID, therefore, I was ultimately able to track down Carmen.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

My Beloved Karamatsu

Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in a rooftop urban garden in New York City, my story is told in the voice of Cam, a female cardinal, who visits it. Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The book includes hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.  Now in Apple’s iBooks store @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/words-in-our-beak/id1010889086?mt=11

This very sweet tree, my Japanese Larch Larix kaempferi; 'Karamatsu,'  was one of my favorite trees, given to me by a gardener, Jay, because it was a favorite of his, but he had no place to grow it and he knew I would take care of it. The tree was very small when Jay gave it to me in the fall of 2007. The winter of 2007 was the first year I used a cold-frame (discussed in a previous post), but the precious little Larix kaempferi did not need to be put inside the frame. Instead we placed it against the cold-frame to shield it from the wind.