Monday Musings

The whimsical character seen in the first image may be familiar to those who have followed my cyber-venues. She has been visiting my succulent garden (as well as my armoire) clad in her butterfly Halloween costume for a few years during the season for this holiday. If you'd like to read what I said about her in bygone times, when I wrote for Hometalk, please click here

A real butterfly seen in the next five pictures is one that I happened to see when I was in Central Park yesterday. The lovey insect was alighting on flowers near the 72nd Stret entrance to Central Park. It was a lovely site to behold, especially since I have not seen a butterfly in my rooftop garden for quite sometime!

But I still recall how thrilled I was when I saw a butterfly alight on my Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina Tree) that was growing at my urban garden!

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-H-1 (Oct 1st — Oct 10th 2012)

Today's entry here on Blogger is part two-H-1 of a series of posts pertaining to a year-end review for special occurrences in my urban garden for the year 2012 (the schedule for this series is described in part one as well as part two-A of this topic) and, because October 2012 was the month Hurricane Sandy hit the area near to where I live, my garden went through another upheaval, so I will be posting the review for October in three parts.

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-G-1 (Sept. 1st — Sept. 11th 2012)

Today's entry here on Blogger is part two-G-1 of a series of posts pertaining to a year-end review for special occurrences in my rooftop garden for the year 2012 (the schedule for this series is described in part one as well as part two-A of this topic) and, because September 2012 was the month when my garden went through so much upheaval, I will be posting the review for that month in three parts.

In today's entry I will be reviewing events that took place in the month of September during the time period of September 1st through September 11th for the year 2012. Tomorrow's (January 14th 2012) will deal with the events from September 12th — September 19th 2012, and on Tuesday, January the fifteenth of 2012, I will conclude September 2012's review!

So without further ado, I begin my September 1st — September 11th 2012 review and much to my delight, the month began with the return of my "lone" visiting cardinal, Cam. Her motive in visiting seemed to check out what I had to eat, as you might surmise from the images posted above. However, Cam also checked out yours truly as seen in the image below.

Cam would prove to be most delightful to photograph as evidenced by the number of images on two of my Pinterest Boards which you may view by clicking here as well as here.  Moreover, I've posted "stories" about her in a number of entries here on Blogger and within my tumblr pages. Additionally, Cam has become a "regular" on TLLG's Facebook Page.

However, Cam was not the only one who returned to my garden for some food in September of 2012, for September also saw a "lone" visiting bee - the first bee to visit my garden in the 2012 gardening season, who also came to nosh! This was a welcome surprise for me as I had enjoyed watching bees munching on my Echinacea as well as Hyssop in bygone years.

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-F (August 2012)

Today's entry here on Blogger is part two-F of a series of posts pertaining to a year-end review for special occurrences in my urban garden for the year 2012 (the schedule for this series is described in part one as well as part two-A of this topic) and in today's entry I will be reviewing the month of August for the year 2012.

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-B (April 2012)

Under "normal" circumstances, regarding this blog, Tuesday's posts are "reserved" for "directing" readers to my posts on tumblr, in other words, usually, if it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr! However, if you have been reading my entries on Blogger these past few days, you will recall that today has been "reserved" for part two-B of my 2012-2013 year in review (re events that occurred in my garden) as I stated in describing my schedule re part one and part two-A of this series of "review" posts.

Today's series begins with the events in my garden for April of 2012, April, the month T.S. Eliot referred to as "the cruelest month," saying, "April is the cruelest month . . . winter kept us warm, Covering earth in forgetful snow, feeding a little life with dried tubers . . . ". 

Monday's (Garden) Madness! GRRRRR and GREAT

According to Holiday Insights, today, August 20th, is National Radio Day, and besides the fact that I enjoy listening to the radio as opposed to watching television (I've not had a TV since the 1980's), I want to honor this "holiday" by once again thanking radio announcers who have interviewed me about how my eye conditions have affected my work as a photo-artist. (My only other involvement with media associated with radio was as a film extra in Woody Allen's Radio Days.)

H.F. Clematis Flower Teams Up With 'Mindia'

As one of the many, many purple flowers (seen here — without my other H.F. comrades — in the left portion of the image above this blog entry, an image you may recognize from Youngquist's post on nybg — New York Botanical Gardens' tumblr) that belong to the H.F. Young Clematis Family, a vine which grows in Youngquist's (your blogger) urban (NYC) garden, I am thrilled to be here today to assist in authoring this post on TLLG.

"The groundhog is like most other prophets; it delivers its prediction and disappears."

If, dear reader, you are familiar with the Bill Vaughn quote,"The groundhog is like most other prophets; it delivers its prediction and disappears," (which is "serving" as the title for today's blog entry), you may find yourself wondering if yours truly is like the groundhog, as I have "disappeared" from being "on the air" here on TLLG since February 2nd 2012 (Groundhog Day), which was the last time I posted here, letting you know that the things that I grow in my rooftop garden were poking their heads out of their winter gear to see what the groundhog had to say.

Snow Day

Today, January the Twenty-First, NYC (where I live) had the first snowfall for the year of 2012. In fact, we had no snow in December of 2011, and the snow for November of 2011, was a "residual" from our Halloween 2011 snowstorm.

One of my ornamental grasses, Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass) triplets, pictured here, and who, as you know if you follow this blog, recently won a coin toss in my urban (NYC) terrace garden in which the prize was being the solo host and or co-host with yours truly to a number of year-end review segments (details available by clicking here and here), was so thrilled by nature's gift topping its black tufts and the brilliant green blades of his friend, Mr. Blue Shag (pictured below),

as well as the squiggly blades of his playmate, Ms. Juncus effsus (Unicorn Soft Rush), 

that he declared it a snow day for a year in review segment (ie he and I are not doing one today).

But he hopes, as do I, that you have enjoyed the ones we have done so far here on TLLG's blog for my Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina) and for my Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium), and my Phlox Subulata, as well as the segments in movie format we have done for my Echinacea (which is called Echinacea Elaborates and was posted on nybg's – New York Botanical Gardens –  tumblr and my Hyssop with its visiting bees, whose movie was featured on TLLG's Facebook Page. 

However for those of you who "don't do FB", you can view the Hyssop's movie on Vimeo by clicking here.

Meanwhile, the Ophipogon planiscapus spokes plant and I are in the throes of creating other movies, which we like to call Virtual Stories; so stay tuned.

P.S. For those of you who are not familiar with Blue Shag or Juncus effsus look like without snow, see images below.

Blue Shag

Juncus effsus

Friggatrtishtkaiedekaphobia: One of my Larix Kaempferi's Demons!

Today is the first Friday of 2012 in Ordinary Time, as well as the second Friday of the new year, and it happens to be Friday the Thirteenth, a day when some folks suffer from Friggatrtishtkaiedekaphobia.

We Three Lemon-Limes join Three Kings Bringing Peace to one Physocarpus opulifolius

Today is the first Friday of the New Year, which means it is a day the things (80+) which I grow in my urban (NYC) terrace garden, and I, "earmarked" for part of the 2011 year-end-review. As you may recall, this will occur over a number of Friday Follow-Up posts in January, and these posts will cover the brief "highlights" of the "activities" that occurred in my garden last year. What the things which I grow in my garden, and I, did not realize — when we agreed on today's date to begin our review — was that today is also the Feast of the Three Kings. This is an "event" that I wrote about last year on TLLG in a post that you may refer to by clicking here.

However, because I wrote about The Three Kings on TLLG last year (where I included an image similar to the one at the top of today's blog entry), and because I have recently shared information about celebrations regarding this feast day on both nybg's (New York Botanical Gardens) tumblr as well as TLLG's Facebook Page, we have concluded that the Three Kings would not mind sharing the limelight today in regard to the scheduled year-end review.

Be that as it may, the question raised by my Lemon-Lime Cypress triplets — who, given their name, know a thing or two about limelight — and who can be seen in the second image above today's blog entry (more on this later***), was this: while the Three Kings might not mind sharing the limelight with the things that I grow, would the things that I grow be willing to share the limelight with the Three Kings? In particular would my Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina) have problems doing this?

Remembering Hitchcock's Rear Window

Image Credit  for Rear Window Poster is Here

Nearly fifty-eight years ago in the month of September,  the famous Alfred Hitchcock film, Rear Window, was released. The film's movie poster can be seen at the top of today's blog entry in an image credited with Wiki. Wiki's intro to the film's plot is this, "after breaking his leg during a dangerous assignment, professional photographer L.B. "Jeff' Jefferies (James Stewart) is confined in his Greenwich Village apartment, using a wheelchair as he recuperates. His rear window looks onto a small courtyard and several other apartments. During a summer heat wave, he passes the time by watching his neighbors, who keep their windows open to stay cool . . . " 

Like "Jeff", I have a rear window in New York City, and like "Jeff", my window faces a small courtyard and several other apartments. The apartments that I face are in a high-rise building directly north of where I live, and the rear windows of that building are in close proximity to my rooftop garden, as seen in the image below which shows a partial view of my garden as it looked this past September. I have included it here to give you a perspective.

During the growing season my garden is always lush and thriving, so I rarely think about what my neighbors are doing behind their rear windows. Aside from the fact that what they are doing is not my business, I don't have the time or inclination to think about it, as my work and my gardening are extremely time consuming. Moreover, I have very poor eye-sight and would not be able to see what they are doing even if I wanted to.

"If it's Tuesday, it must be . . ." tumblr. Week Eleven

As you know, one of my missions as The Last Leaf Gardener is to give the things I grow a voice, and I often do this by giving them the opportunity to author their own entries on TLLG. 

A few (there are many instances throughout TLLG) examples of this are entries which have been written by my Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina), as well as by my Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflowers), my Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass), and one of my roses.

And, as you undoubedy recall, I also permit some of the objects in my terrace garden as well as some of the figurines which "live" in my indoor succulent garden to express their point of view. If you'd like to refer to the most recent blog posts on TLLG where this occurred, you may click here for the viewpoint of a terrace garden object, and here for the thoughts of Lucifer, one of my succulent garden figurines). 

But I digress. Today is all about the ram (pictured above) who is visiting my succulent garden for the holidays. He has inspired me to remind you of a passage from E.B. White's Charlotte's Web  (White is a TLLG fave please click here to see related posts.)

The ram, is a significant character in Charlotte's Web, because he is the one who tells Wilbur (the protagonist who is a lovable pig) that he is going to be killed and eaten after Christmas; this "conversation" prompted the friendship between Wilbur the pig, and Charlotte the spider. However, my little ram is not so malicious or mean spirited as the ram in White's story, and he wanted me to share a passage with you that is from Charlotte's Web.

"If it's Tuesday, it must be . . ." tumblr. Week Eight

Today is November the Fifteenth, meaning we have already come to the midpoint in the month of November for the year 2011. November, a month known to be a months of "no's" for the humorist/poet Thomas Hood — which I discussed at the onset of the month in a blog entry on TLLG titled, "the No in November", which you may read by clicking here — has been a month of "yeses" in terms of the colors in my urban (New York City) garden.

My Physocarpus opulifolius Poses a Question for TLLG Blog Readers

The comic strip posted above today's blog entry, as you may recognize, dear reader, is from Blondie. For, as you may recall, various "segments" of Blondie have appeared within this blog in previous posts that you may refer to by clicking here as well here and here. Meanwhile, the strip posted at the top of today's entry was at the suggestion of my Physocarpus opulifolius AKA Coppertina Tree.

Today's the last Saturday of October 2011! Question: Will it be Halloween's Last Stand?

If you have been following my blog, then you are probably aware that some of the things which I grow in my urban (New York City) terrace garden have taken it upon themselves to express their thoughts and opinions by authoring blog entries and posting them within this blog.

This "hoopla" — which has caused one of the Halloween pumpkins that I currently have in my garden to be overcome with laughter as seen in the image to in the upper lefthand corner —  all started in April of 2010, when my blog was only a little over four months old, and one of the flowers from my Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony), posted a photograph of herself with a short narrative. (If you would like to refer to this, please click here.)

As time passed, word got out among the plants, vines, flowers, herbs, trees and shrubs — which totaled a little over eighty when I last took a census — that the flower from my Paeonia suffruiticosa had done this, and many of the things which I grow began authoring entries on my blog. (This fact has  caused another one of the Halloween pumpkins that I currently have in my garden to also be overcome with laughter as seen in the image at the right.)

Salve! Mihi nomen est _______________________ (OR The Name Tag Project Part One)

Salve! Mihi nomen est__________

OR

You may have surmised, dear reader, that a few of the things which I grow in my urban terrace garden like to express their thoughts, since some of them have taken it upon themselves to author posts for this blog. As you may remember, this started back in April of 2010 when my Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony) took to the keyboard and made a short blog entry which  you may refer to by clicking here.

Then, as you may recall, this past April of 2011 — almost a year to the day of my Paeonia suffruitcosa's flower's post — one of my tulips posted entries about Sylvia Plath, when it thought her poetry was insulting and hurtful. You may review how the tulip weighed in on Ms. Plath's poetry by clicking here and here. 

And your memory is serving you well if you are thinking that not to be outdone by my poetry analyzing tulip, my Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina), Rose, and my Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflowers) all put in their two cents about urban garden life in posts that you may find by clicking here and here as well as here respectively.

The latest one to join the cyber-world was my Echinacea Plant.

At this time, all of the herbs, plants, flowers, vines, shrubs and trees, which grow in my terrace garden have gotten together and informed me that life in my urban terrace garden has become a real social networking opportunity that is being hampered by the fact that it is difficult to remember everyone's name what with over eighty different things making their home in my garden.

They are imploring me to finish the name tags that I started a while ago. You may recall, dear reader, that in a previous post which you can read by clicking here, I stressed the importance of calling all things by the name that they wish to be called. In any event, the tags which I got for my plants are copper, as seen in the photograph of my "tagged" Juncus effsus (Unicorn Soft Rush) plant posted at the top of this blog entry after the screenshot image of your average name tag for people to wear at events which are not so attractive, but the copper name tags are very attractive and unique, which I am sure the things that I grow in my garden will appreciate since they have such high standards even though they watch television and get their inspiration from Bud Light commercials!

New Arrivals: The Coccinellidae novemnotatas aka THE LADYBUGS

Last week, at this very time, I was preparing for a hurricane who has ben named Hurricane Irene, which I discussed in this past Saturday's post, and in the conclusion of that entry, I reported that, in regards to Irene, I'd return to blogging with "hopefully little damage to report."

Thankfully, that was the case, as I've already indicated earlier this week. I am very grateful to God — though I don't express it nearly as much as I should. In fact, since I sleep on a foam pad — which is directly atop of my floor, I often don't kneel when I say prayers before going to sleep, although I did (as is the standard) kneel at mass yesterday, with thanksgiving that, in terms of Irene, I was unscathed; especially given the damage which Hurricane Irene did cause for many people, including those who live  on or near the Jersey Shore, a place, where I took the photograph (posted above) in late July, of a shore town's resident's garden fence with the affirmation, God Answers Knee-Mail. 

Since the place where I took this photograph is very near the ocean, I hope the folks who own the property as well as their surrounding neighbors did not sustain too much damage, but, whatever the case turned out to be, I am fairly certain they relied on their knee-mail to God to see them through the situation.

And speaking of God; are you, dear reader, familiar with the adage, If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans" ?

Well, what has happened, dear reader, is that I've recently discovered this very same  thing that happens with a muse. If you want to amuse your muse, tell him/her what you intend to write about. 

For as you may recall, dear reader, last Saturday I confessed that I had planed to write about my "journey towards elegant garden lighting", but my preparation for Irene took precedence. I did promise to return to my garden lighting epiphany today, but I admit that (because I have now been writing this entry in my head for over a week) my insights do not seem as poignant as they did last week, and I am tempted to renege on my promise; not out of an unwillingness to fulfill a task — but out of a bit of pride — that I may not sound as prolific in cyberspace as I do in my head, when it comes to the insights which I thought the new lighting system in my urban garden had taught me.

ek-in-AY-see-uh's the name . . .

"Ek-in- AY-see-uh", my lovely and playful coneflowers (shown above), said, after the herbs, vines, plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees which I grow in my urban terrace garden wondered how the new arrivals pronounced their name. These new-comers to my terrace garden snuggled easily into their new home; however, their entrance was bittersweet. 

The Echinacea plants were a gift from a dear friend, who gave them to me as a form of consolation, because my Honeysuckle Vine, a vine which I have discussed in a number of posts, including ones which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here  and here, was attacked by mildew; possibly caused by an exhaust fan that was put in the window of someone who lives in the building directly west of me. 

There is no space in between the buildings, so it is likely that the recently installed fan blew fumes onto my Honeysuckle Vine, which was vulnerable to such an appliance. Hence, there was no way to protect my sweet Honeysuckle Vine —  such is one of the tribulations of maintaining an urban garden, where things grow in containers, making them very susceptible to the consequences of man-made things. 

In any event, the Honeysuckle Vine had to be pulled down immediately because, as any gardener knows, mildew, such as the variety that attacked my vine, would spread quickly and destroy other things that I grow in my garden. 

A Helichrysum bracteatum's (Strawflower's) Sensibility

STRAWFLOWER

The image posted above is of me, a lone strawflower, with a pesky ant making itself at home on one of my petals now that he has no flowers from Youngquist's Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony) to bother. You may recall Youngquist blogged about these pesky ants in a previous blog entry which you may refer to by clicking here.

Now, dear reader (as I've heard Youngquist call you), if you have been following this blog you know that, on occasion, the things that grow in Youngquist's urban terrace garden take it upon themselves to weigh in by posting on this blog including her Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony), Tulips, and her Physocarpus opulifolius (Coppertina Tree).

With the knowledge that the things that grow in Youngquist's terrace garden have been posting on this blog, my comrades (my fellow strawflowers who live in a clay pot — which means we need to be watered often —  with me as you can see from the image posted below) took turns, and we drew straws (if you will excuse the pun) to see which one of us would get to write today's blog entry, and I picked the winning straw! (And its not because I look like E.T. in this picture either!)

STRAWFLOWERS

We strawflower are members of the daisy family (but please don't hold that against us), and our Latin name is Helichrysum bracteatum. The flowers that we produce have a papery, straw-like texture, which is why you humans refer to us as strawflowers.