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

  
The last day of January is already here, and my beloved friends from the comic strip Mutts, are already began celebrating one of our February holidays, Groundhog Day, which will take place this Thursday, February the 2nd.

It's a WRAP: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!

My attractive ornamental grass, Ophipogon planiscapus, AKA Black Mondo Grass, is also very responsible, and, therefore, he is taking his role of spokes-plant and co-host to yours truly very seriously and, in fact, it was he who told me that today, January the 30th, is Bubble-Wrap Appreciation Day!

Did Mayor Yury Luzhkov tell Bloomberg about spraying the clouds?

When I went out to check on things in my urban (NYC) terrace garden, I found one of my shrubs, the Continus Coggygria AKA Smoke Bush, also known as 'Grace' (pictured above), in the throes of deep prayer, as evidenced by the upright and open position of her sweet little branches in the image seen here. 

'Grace' confided in me that she was inspired to "lift (her) arms to pray" because she had remembering hearing of Joyce Kilmer's poem, where the quote is from, in past postings here on this blog which you can find by clicking here as well as here and here.

My Continus Coggygria is not prone to prayer, but she confided in me that she felt if trees can lift their arms to pray, why couldn't shrubs? And she said that she felt the need to pray because of the lack of snowfall we have had in New York City this year, as she is very worried about global warming!

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

Just a quick note to say that the flower in the image posted above is named Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium). Meanwhile, another Tuesday is here again and, as  TLLG readers know, if it's Tuesday it must be tumblr! Please click here to go there.

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

Humpty Dumpty Honors Penguin Awareness Day

With all the "year-end review talk" going on in my urban (NYC) terrace garden, the Humpty Dumpty figurine in my indoor succulent garden (pictured above, and you might recognize his face from other entries here on TLLG) is now feeling nostalgic.