Ophipogon planiscapus to Host (or Co-Host) Year in Review!

In spite of the fact that this past Saturday I informed Ms. Apple of your Eye, "looking in the direction you are heading is far better than looking backwards", I realize that many folks, especially at the beginning of a new year, do like to look back, and I am fully aware that a number of media outlets pay homage to the old year by providing a year-end review feature, such as Reuters has done, and  whose "picks" for the highlights of 2011 may be viewed by clicking here.

Moreover, many of the 80+ things that I grow in my rooftop garden here in NYC have been imploring me to do a year-end review, where they wanted me to highlight the events that occurred within my garden in the 2011 year. 

But now that most of the things which I grow in my terrace garden have been bundled up for the winter — making them look like kids wearing poofy jackets — and they are taking their winter's season's nap (as indicated in the photograph posted above today's entry), I was hoping that they had forgotten about the "plan" we had made (a plan that I discussed in a post here on TLLG, on December 31st of 2011, which is a date when most "normal" folks do, or have done, their year in review).

As you may recall, dear reader, in our December the 31st of 2011 "plan", we (yours truly and the things I grow) decided to start our year-end review for 2011 on January 6th of 2012. However, as you may also remember, when Friday the Sixth of January arrived, all the things I grow seemed to agree, that our chosen date to begin the "review" should once again be postponed – or at least shared with paying our respects to Three Kings Day also celebrated on the Sixth of January.  

New York City's weather was much milder then, so everyone was in a good mood and quite agreeable about the postponement of our year-end review. But it has gotten much colder, and most of things I grow are all fast asleep, so, I figured I could let our plans for a year-end review slide.

Silly me for thinking the things I grow in my garden would miss a chance to appear in a year-end review! It seems that one of my Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass) triplets has appointed himself (and now has the approval of the other things that I grow) to oversee my comings and goings whilst they are sleeping, and to make sure that the year-end review for what occurred in my urban garden in 2011 happens, BEFORE the things I grow awaken for the spring season!

If you have been following this blog, you may remember that I have a set of Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass) triplets growing in my urban garden, and that they normally "reside" under the canopy of my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines), which you can see in the images below that have previously been included here on TLLG.

However, now that my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida have lost their leaves for the summer, spring and fall seasons,

the Ophipogon planiscapus have been removed from the copper rings that secure them when they are below my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida.

Moreover, since my Ophipogon planiscapus have been temporarily removed (for the winter season) from their "normal" location in the garden, they are huddled on the terrace's "floor" amongst the other things which I grow, and their specific location is indicated by the three white arrows in the aerial image at the top of today's blog entry. The one to the far left is "off camera" and the other two are on a diagonal from each other. 

It is the Ophipogon planiscapus that can be seen in the upper portion of the image, and in a close-up image below,

that won the coin toss as to which Ophipogon planiscapus would serve as the spokes-plant, and/ or advisor to yours truly for the 2011 year-end review.

Oddly enough, he also won a coin toss earlier this year regarding who should be a spokes-plant, and I must say the role comes very naturally to him, because he did an excellent job, which you can see for yourself by clicking here and here.

It is my Ophipogon planiscapus executive decision that we should start with the year in review by honoring my Phlox Subulata AKA Creeping Phlox. Although I have the Phlox Subulata in my garden for over five years, it has not been featured here on TLLG, or on nybg's tumblr, and so it is "high time", according to my Ophipogon planiscapus (and I must say I agree, for my Phlox Subulata has always added a touch of class to my garden). 

One of the reasons that my Ophipogon planiscapus chose to start the year-end review with my Phlox Subulata is that he got aquainted with her when they were being winterized for the 2010-2011 season, as seen pictured below, where two of my Ophipogon planiscapus have orange circles around their tufts — no they are not wearing halos. 

I suppose this is the reason that my spokes-plant insists that my Phlox Subulata begin her"review" story by receiving a close-up from last season's winterizing as an intro to her year in review, so without further ado, my Ophipogon planiscapus and I give you Lady Phlox Subulata! 

You, dear reader, can catch a glimpse of her snoozing for the 2010-2011 winter season (indicated by the orange arrow).

And the following pictures are ones that highlight her 2011 year-end review in my terrace garden.

Lady Phlox Subulata was one of the first things to awken from a winter slumber on April 8, 2011 as seen above. She woke from her sleep slowly,

and, twenty days later produced her first beautiful flower as indicated in the picture immediately above this text.

She continued through May to produce lovely flowers as seen below,

and these were a delight to me as was her awesome lush foliage, which remained throughout all the seasons, including the time she was tucked into bed for the 2011-2012 winter.

But I am told that what Lady Phlox Subulata enjoyed the most was the day she received her name tag (seen in the image below).

Apparently, she had been feeling left out since she had not been featured in blog posts on TLLG or nybg's tumblr, so I am glad that my Ophipogon planiscapus suggested we start our review with her, and when she awakens this coming April, I'll make every effort to feature her in my various garden themed venues such as the places I blog, my virtual stories (these include my garden themed movies) that are  on Vimeo,

In the meantime, the 2011 year in review will continue intermediately here on TLLG, as my Ophipogon planiscapus and I keep in mind that the gardening year begins in April so we still have time to give each of the things that grow here a close-up.