It's Honeybee Awareness Day!

Today is National Honey Bee Day (formerly National Honey Bee Awareness Day) which is set aside to raise awareness re bees; hence my choosing to include the picture directly above of a bee who visits my indoor succulent garden.

The Dendranthema Rubellum AKA Korean Mum IS the word....

The flowers seen in the pictures (taken in my rooftop garden) atop this blog entry are a type of mum known as Mum koreana Sheffield AKA Korean Mum, Dendranthema Rubellum.

Tuesday's Truths WK 4: Some Facts Re Agastache 'Apricot Sunrise' Plants

Welcome to Tuesday's Truths week four where I will be discussing truisms re the Agastache 'Apicot Sunrise' plants. I'm long over due in introducing  you to this plant type which Juan V planted in my urban (NYC) rooftop garden earlier this summer (after I found and procured these plants from a Brooklyn nursery). I  have a few of the Agastaches planted in a box as seen in the image atop this entry.

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

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?

the NO in November

Thomas Hood, a British poet and humorist, who lived between the late 1700's and mid 1800's had this to say about November:

No sun--no moon!
No morn--no noon!
No dawn--no dusk--no proper time of day--
No sky--no earthly view--
No distance looking blue--

No road--no street--
No "t'other side the way"--
No end to any Row--
No indications where the Crescents go--

No top to any steeple--
No recognitions of familiar people--
No courtesies for showing 'em--
No knowing 'em!

No mail--no post--
No news from any foreign coast--
No park--no ring--no afternoon gentility--
No company--no nobility--
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member--
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!

Even though I am fond of November, I will concede that on some days it can feel like a month of "no's." Today, on November the Third, I'll say what has affected me the most regarding the "no's" on Hood's "list", and that is "no  bees"! 

Even though I realize that I "shoulda" anticipated their leaving, this is the first year since I have had my garden that I have had so many "visiting bees", and I was not prepared to have my "visiting bees" disappear so suddenly! 

Their absence makes me sad they went away so abruptly — without even saying goodbye!

Friday Follow-Up: bees in bonnets can be good (Follow ups on bees and SAINTS)

According to one source, when one has "a bee in their bonnet," it means that they are "being preoccupied or obsessed with an idea."

And when it comes to the "visiting bees" in my rooftop garden, I have been preoccupied, actually mesmerized, by the bees which have been feasting on my Hyssop plants. This is evident in the array of blog entries I have made on this blog regarding them, including ones that you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here. 

Additionally I authored a post related to my "visiting bees" for nybg's (New 
York Botanical Gardens) tumblr that you may refer to by clicking here and then scrolling. 

Even though there are two "visiting" bees that are "captured" in the photograph directly above, the bees which have been coming to my terrace garden are now fewer in number and they appear to be much smaller.

Friday Follow-Up: HERE'S THE BUZZ

As you may have noticed, dear reader, this past week, I have included two "extra" postings (Monday Musings on the 17th and Wednesday's Wisdom on the 19th), today (Follow Up Friday) will make it three extra postings outside of my Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (an occasional special event posting) schedule — a "plan" which I laid out in a blog entry that I made this past January that you may refer to by clicking here.

Because the next several weeks will involve an array of Holidays and special events, and because gardening takes interesting turns at this time of year, and because these topics are often what I discuss in blog entries, I've been asked to include more postings at least until the end of the calendar year.

OK, Where's the hive?

Even at this time of year — mid October — I still have bees visiting my urban terrace garden! 

This past July, as you may recall, dear reader, prior to my planting the Hyssop plants, some bees were feasting on my Echinacea plants, and if you'd like to refer to my blog entry on this "event", please click here. 

I am not sure if the bees that were here in July are the same ones that have been indulging in my Hyssop plants for the past month, or if this "current group of bees" just heard the buzz from their "comrades" on good places to "graze".

In any event, I have mentioned the visiting of these bees in previous blog entries which you may refer to by clicking here  as well as here and here and here, where you can read about them and where you may also see photographs of how much they enjoy my Hyssop plants! They still to continue to bring me joy and to amaze me, but I am bit surprised about their "addiction" to Hyssop, given that I have so many other "taste treats" in my garden including Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender), Lavandula dentata (French Lavender) and a number of other herbs such as Echinacea as well as three types of roses, but the Hyssop seems to win every time, as evidenced by the image posted below, where one of the bees is indulging in the Hyssop, neglecting the rose which is right next to it.

Not sure what Hyssop is, dear reader? You are not alone, but what I can tell you is this, according to an article (about Hyssop) that I happened upon by Barbara Lardinais, "In 'the old days' before grocery store shelves were lined with cleaning products for every conceivable need, people used nature's products. Hyssop was readily available especially in the Middle East. Because it had detergent properties, it was widely used to clean sacred places such as temples."

On the Advice of Bobby McFerrin: "BEE Happy!"

I still continue to be mesmerized by the bees that have been enjoying the Hyssop which is planted in my urban terrace garden. While this image shows a single bee, I have many bees, busy at doing what they do, and they are a thrill to behold. However, I must confess that sometimes I feel like a voyeur when I am watching them, even if it is from behind the barrier of a view-finder.

I have joked with friends that I have "religious bees" because their primary focus seems to be my Hyssop plants as evidenced in the photograph posted in the right-hand corner.

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

Cheers! Happy last Tuesday of September, a great "excuse" to have a Bees Knees, a cocktail whose recipe is from the 1920's, and can be seen pictured above in a unique tumbler. Speaking of tumblers,  I am happy to announce the latest "buzz" regarding yours truly, The Last Leaf Gardener: As of this Tuesday, and, from every Tuesday going forward, I will be posting on The New York Botanical Garden's blog which is on tumblr. At that location, just as you do here, you can read my posts, as well as view my new photographs. However, "over there" I have the ability to display my images differently, and I think, dear reader, that you will appreciate the esthetic.

Hence, from now on, every Tuesday morning, I will post a link from here, to take you to where I am located. Just remember, if it's Tuesday, it must be tumblr. The post which I am pointing you to today includes a recipe for Bees Knees. This "taste treat" was brought to my attention as a result of my being mesmorized by the bees in my urban terrace garden, pictured above enjoying the Hyssop in my garden; and, as you may recall, "my" bees have been mentioned in previous entries on this blog. These entires can be found here and here respectively.

And now, without further ado, the link to find my musings and photographs on tumblr, as well as the great cocktail recipe is here.

"Although (MY) garden is a lovely place, was it worthy of so fine a guest?'

A dragonfly came to see me — or my Sweet Autumn Clematis — in my urban (NYC) terrace garden earlier in the week, and since (A) summer is closing in on us (the season of autumn begins at five o'clock in the morning tomorrow) and (B) I live in a city, this was an unusual occurrence. 

Although the city I live in is New York City, and perhaps the creature had heard Frank Sinatra crooning, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere. It's up you New York, New York . . . "

"Busy, busy as a bee" — My Bees and Me: Canterbury Tales in my Terrace Garden

As you can see, the bees that are in all of the photographs featured within this blog post are, as the saying goes,"busy as a bee". The origin of the common simile "busy as a bee" is thought to be from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, (specifically The Merchant's Tale) written in the late 1380s.