Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINALLY springing? (PART FIVE of FIVE) ASK THE PLANTS, ORNAMENTAL GRASSES and a few FLOWERS!

MAC, A MALE CARDINAL

April showers woke-up Ajuga flowers! These are the light purple ones seen here where they "live" with my Crocuses in the "home" of my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines). They are all thrilled to have Cam's beau alight on their "home," especially this morning when the crocuses and ajuga are scheduled to be some of the "things" featured in today's post: part five of my series (which I introduced this past Friday on Blogger) where the things I grow are assisting me in answering the question: Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINLLY springing?

Both the ajuga and the crocuses share the "limelight" today with my plants (Farfugium japonicum AKA 'Cristata', Creeping Jenny, and my Pyracantha coccinea AKA Orange Charmer Firethorn), as well as my ornamental grasses (The Hakanechola Macra Twins AKA Japanese Forest Grass All Gold and my Ophipogon planiscapus Triplets AKA Black Mondo Grass).

Singing in the Rain: The Flowers are Singing Praises for April's Showers (ahem, April's Downpours)

Tomorrow marks the end of the thirty days of this "so-called" cruelest month of April (alluded to in a previous post that can be seen by going here), and, it has been a cold and rainy one in New York City, where I live and have an urban garden on my terrace. 

Thankfully, with the help of April's rain, my flowers are singing; a sentiment appreciated and expressed by Mutts (in the comic strip posted above this blog entry). If you listen closely, the songs of the flowers might even be heard by you, dear reader, as you view my garden photos below:

TULIPS

As you can see, my white tulip (that I discussed in a blog entry this past Tuesday), has been joined by a friend, clothed in purple. I did not guess the color properly from looking at their tips (as you my recall from that post which you may click here to read if you'd like to refresh your memory or just to take a second look at the tulip's tips before they opened), but I am overjoyed by its magnificent presence.

Follow-Up Friday: Christmas Card Day

Due to a number of circumstances, the last time that I was able to post an entry here on Blogger was December 8th 2016 and I'm glad to be back! In any event, last Friday, December the 9th, was a holiday known as Christmas Card Day and I'm sorry to be telling you about it one week after the occurrence! But since Christmas is ten days from now, it is certainly not too late to do something about Christmas cards!

Mother's Day 2012

I have done volunteer work nearly every Sunday since 2003 (or has it been since 2002) at an assisted living center, a fact I've mentioned a few times here on TLLG (including a post which you may refer to by clicking here), and since today is Mother's Day, all the residents of The Home wished me a Happy Mother's Day today, knowing I am not a mother of any children, although sometimes growing up I felt like a mother to my own mother, as you may recall in one of my past  blog entries here on TLLG — which you may refer to by clicking here. 

On my way home, I ran into a young woman who asked me, "Are you a mother?" 

For my Ajuga & Her "unacknowledged" Friends

The other day, these two mourning doves, sitting atop the container that "houses" my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines), were having a heart to heart convo. They were discussing how they felt about the fact that unlike "some birds" that visit my garden, they do not have a baseball team named for them!

On Not Being "Eye-Candy" for Halloween

If you have followed this blog, then you have probably surmised from a number of my previous blog posts which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here, I am a MUTTS (the name of this comic strip) fan, and I highly encourage you to follow it regularly. If it is not available in your local newspaper, you can always catch it by clicking here.

Like a few of Mutt's characters, Earl and Mooch, a couple of the things which I grow in my urban (New York City) terrace garden, have been noticing happy faced Halloween pumpkins, and they too have been wondering, What's so funny? For example take my Rose, Tropaelum majus (Nasturtium), Hakanechola Macra (Japanese Forest Grass All Gold), and my Strawberry plants, all in close proximity of the Halloween pumpkins that are currently in my garden as seen in the photograph posted below:

One of them (ahem) my yellow rose, became disgruntled the other day when she realized that the New York Botanical Gardens  (NYBG) had posted a photograph of a pink rose with raindrop kissed petals and labeled it as one of their selections for "Morning Eye Candy" and she took it upon herself to post her response on their blog! (Please click here to read it, although you may have to scroll a bit, but you'll recognize her picture immediately as it looks very much like the one of her which is posted below):

In any event, my feisty yellow rose (who also posted on my blog this past May in an entry that you may refer to by clicking here), was taken aback that other roses have been referred to as "Morning Eye Candy" by NYBG, AND, that is why my pumpkins are laughing. 

If  there's one thing pumpkins know about (because of their presence at Halloween), it's candy, and evidently they do not perceive the term "Eye Candy" to be complimentary. But then my pumpkins are vey well read,and so they laughed and laughed when they told my yellow rose the definition of "Eye Candy"; and I'll quote what they told her (and you can check their source by clicking here) as I was nosey and eavesdropped.

Honoring the Season of Feasts with Hakonechola Macra (Japanese Forest Grass)

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, a season that began on November 28th 2010.  Dennis Bratcher writes,"the fourth candle of the advent wreath is lit on this day and the light of these candles reminds Christian believers that Jesus is the light of the world — the light that comes into the darkness of people's lives to bring newness, life and hope. It also reminds people that they are called to bring light into the world, and to reflect this grace to others. The progression in the lighting of the Advent candles symbolizes the aspects of waiting, as the candles are lit during the four week period, it also symbolizes the darkness of fear and hopelessness receding as more and more light is shed into the world." Even though I have done volunteer work by bringing Holy Communion to the homebound every Sunday, as well as special feast days, for the past five years, I confess I still struggle with having the faith Bratcher describes.

"another year over AND a new one just begun . . . " PART TWO-G-2 (Sept. 12th — Sept. 20th 2012)

Today's entry here on Blogger is part two-G-2 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 September 2012 was the month when my garden went through so much upheaval, I will be posting the review for that month in two parts. The first part of September (September 1st — September 11th) was discussed in yesterday's post.

In today's entry I will be reviewing events that took place in the month of September during the time period of September 12th through September 20th for the year 2012, and I will begin by referencing the photograph above which illustrates the fact that in spite of the various losses in my garden, my bling wearing (ankle bracelet or a branding bracelet) house finch was continuing to come back to my garden.

Monday Morning Musings #1: Challenging the adage "bad things happen in threes"

My Ajuga plant (seen in the photograph posted above) located in the northwest corner of my urban terrace garden has just given birth to triplets bearing a spectacular color somewhere in between purple and blue, a color that puts RGB charts to shame.

From the looks of things, my Ajuga will be giving birth again soon, but I wanted to capture her first three arrivals of the season, and to challenge the statement that bad things happen in threes, both with the subjects of the photograph posted above, and with all the subsequent ones in today's blog entry.

Exhibit "A", my Basil Triplets (pictured below), which I had in my terrace garden in 2007; not only did they provide a nice scent to my outdoor haven, but they were an asset to my Blue Coat Gin and Q Tonic cocktails infused with Basil. 

Moreover, they looked great in a container created from an abandoned fireplace accessory, and, most importantly, they provided somewhat of a "hedge", giving me some privacy from my neighbors who live to the west of me, and who have put up white aluminum siding over their exterior brick wall; I guess they missed the suburbs.

In any event the "hedge"that this trio of basils provided, inspired last season's "hedge" created by a Passiflora (Passion Vine), seen in full force in the photograph below:

Exhibit "B", is actually my first "hedge", created when I first began gardening towards the end of the 1990's. 

It was a" hedge" that consisted of three wooden window boxes (sitting on top of bamboo shelving) that I filled with different annuals as the season dictated.

This "hedge" was built out of a necessity to provide privacy from a neighbor, whose bathroom window is just to the left of the gutter in the photograph posted above, and who insisted on exposing himself whenever I had guests in the garden. I was a "baby"gardener then, and, therefore, into the instant gratification annuals bring, instead of appreciating the joy in "watching grass grow', as I do now, which is a concept I discussed this past April which you can read by clicking here.

And speaking of grass, I give you Exhibit "C", in this case of mine designed to prove that things that happen in three are not necessarily bad, as seen here in the photographs below of my Ophipogon planiscapus (Black Mondo Grass) triplets,which looked lovely in my abandoned fireplace accessory (prior to moving out to give way to the Passiflora),

but, look even more spectacular in their other location on the opposite side of my terrace garden, where they are supported by a copper wire that's been tied lovingly around their containers to secure them to the railing that surrounds my terrace garden, and where they have been thriving under my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines), as seen in the selection of photographs posted below, which are a close-up as well as a long shot of my Ophipogon planiscapus taken a few days ago and this past fall respectively.

Exhibit "D" in my case to dispel the-bad-things-happen-in-threes adage are these Echinacea Triplets posted below, that I grew a few years ago when I replaced my "window box hedge" of annuals with the fun-looking Echinacea triplets, that would become an inspiration for a petite wrap around greeting card* that I created.

Exhibit "E" features the triplets known as Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary), seen below,

the herb of remembrance, as well as the herb which represents friendship (as you may recall from a previous blog post which may reread by clicking here), and the herb that looks great in color, and black and white (due to its unique texture) as seen below.

Exhibit "F" (below) features Japanese Painted Fern triplets, who resided in my terrace garden a few years ago.

And lastly, but not least, in my challenging the adage, Bad things happen is threes, I offer you Exhibit G, as in G for girls, and in this case, the girls being my sisters and me seen in the photograph below with our grandfather,

who clearly did not seem to believe that bad things happened in threes, and who, as you may recall is where I most likely received my inclination to garden (as I indicated in one of my first blog entries, which you may refer to by clicking here).

And with that, dear reader, I rest my case in my challenge of the adage bad things happen in threes.

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.

"another year over AND a new one just begun ." PART TWO-G-3 (Sept. 21st — Sept. 30th 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-G-3 of my 2012-2013 year in review (re events that occurred in my garden) as I stated in describing my schedule in part one and in parts two-G1 as well as in part two-G2 of this series of "review" posts.

Today's series concludes the events in my garden for September 21st through September 30th of 2012, and I'll begin where I left off in yesterday's post, which was with the image posted above atop today's blog entry, minus the circles which have been superimposed on this photograph.

The First Day of Fall in 2012: It is the "BEST of TIMES" (AND) it is the "WORST of TIMES . . . "

September 2011

Second Tuesday in September 2012

Third Thursday in September 2012

Today, September 22nd 2012, is "offically" the first day of autumn; and I'm spending it in the throes of the upheaval in my rooftop garden (located in NYC) an upheaval that has interrupted my life, as well as the lives of the 80+ things which I grow here, and the lives of the occasional bee, loner cardinal (who I've now named Cam), and Cam's entourage of House finches, Mourning doves and House sparrows.

The disruption has thrown my Blogger posting schedule off a bit; and I apologize if you visited me here on days I've agreed to post only to find nothing new; but, as you read along, I'm sure you will realize why this occurred, for, as you know, under most circumstances I keep a schedule I've committed to!

Be that as it may, you my recall that in my last entry here on Blogger, which was Friday, September the Fourteenth, I posted an entry where I discussed a few of the things which I had lost in my garden due to their dying or their need to be relocated.

"There is no blue without yellow and orange." Insights & Controversy Regarding the Color Yellow PART ONE

Today has the unusual "feature" in having the date of 11-11-11 and in honor of that, today's posting will not be my new "feature" of having Friday being Follow-Up Friday (mentioned here), but instead I have three parts (one for each eleven). Part One is being published at 11:11 AM, Part Two is being published at 1:11 PM, and Part Three at 11:11 PM.

The setting or scene for this three-parter is evident in the image posted above, which is an aerial (partial) view of my rooftop garden (in NYC) and it is what is featured in the image at the top of part one of today's blog entry. 

This image was recently posted on both facebook and nybg's (New York Botantical Garden) tumblr, and it was taken by Juan V this past Tuesday. To the right of his photograph, you can see my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida AKA Kiwi Vines, and in the lower lefthand corner of the picture, you can see my ornamental grass known as Hakanechola Macra AKA Japanese Forest Grass All Gold. They are the protagonists in this three part blog entry for this And now, "11, 12, 13" weekend. And now, without furthur ado, I give you PART ONE:

"There is no blue without yellow and orange." Insights & Controversy Regarding the Color Yellow PART TWO

And now . . . continued from 
Part One RE: 11:11 AM's  post:

Neither my Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (kiwi vines) or my ornamental grass which is a Hakanechola Macra variety (AKA Japanese Forest Grass All Gold) seemed to be this upset last year when this color change occurred and, therefore, their mood was a bit of a mystery to me. It was not until one of my still thriving yellow Tropaelum majus (seen below but nearly off camera to the left of its "family" in a group shot which was taken this past Thursday in my rooftop garden) and following  this are a few images of a lone Tropaelum majus flower.

According to my Tropaelum majus — who gets its "common" name, Nasturtium, from the references to "nose-twister" and "nose-tweaker" (hence no surprise that it's nosey) — it seems, that has it come to the attention of my Actinida kolomikta, Actimida and Hakanechola Macra that the painter Edgar Degas, once said, "What a horrible thing yellow is"!

My Tropaelum majus believes it was my Actinida kolomikta, Actimida and Hakanechola Macra's hearing Degas's opinons regarding the color yellow was devastating for them. I think highly of my Tropaelum majus, [as evidenced by the what I have posted about it on TLLG as well as nybg's (New York Botanical Garden) tumblr (which you may refer to by clicking here).

Evidently, not only did my Actinida kolomikta, Actimida and Hakanechola Macra concur on their admiration for Degas' paintings, but, they were in awe of his statue,  Little Dancer of Fourteen Years.  (Stay tuned for PART TWO AND THREE).

"But I was thinking of a plan to dye one's whiskers green . . .

. . . And always use so dark a fan

That they could not be seen . . ,"

The flowers on my Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender), an herb which grows in my urban (New York City) terrace garden, have turned a brilliant indigo, as evidenced in the photograph above today's blog entry. My English Lavender is so pleased by this brilliant color that it seemed he wanted to befriend one of the grasses in my garden, and so he stretched his arms waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out so they nearly touched the delicate flowers that are still growing on my exquisite Hakanechola Macra AKA Japanese Forest Grass All Gold, which is the ornamental grass featured in the right hand corner of the image posted above. As my normally mild mannered Lavandula angustifolia tried to touch the tips of my Hakanechola Macra, I heard him recite, "But I was thinking of a plan to dye one's whiskers green. And always use so dark a fan That they could not be seen."

What a DIFFERENCE a week makes!

The image atop this entry is from the Facebook Page for Gowanus Nursery in Brooklyn. It is one of the places where I have gotten some of the flora that grows in my rooftop garden, which is something I mentioned in a post that I published here on Blogger on March 22nd, 2017.

My visiting American robin is honored to learn that his bird type is the one whose been chosen to be part of their announcement. And, I'm honored that an American robin still visits me,

and even did so during snowy times,

as evidenced in a number of my entries here on Blogger.

In any event in the aforementioned entry re Gowanus Nursery, I discuss the fact that they had to delay their opening on two occasions because of wintery conditions; and I also stated that I had to postpone my garden de-winterizing two times for  the same reason.

"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.

"YA-BUH-DA-BUH-DUE"

Because I have missed a couple of days of posting re my garden upheaval, I thought I'd post today even though it's not one of my scheduled days, and besides, today is an important day in United States history, as forty-two years ago today, the first episode of The Flintstones, a cartoon series, aired on television, making the phrase "YaBaDaBaDo" popular (the word is pronounced as it is spelled in the title of today's blog entry).

I cannot take credit for remembering the significance of today; as it is Cam (a cardinal who regularly visits my terrace garden) who reminded me of this fact. 

It came up in a conversation I had with her when I was discussing my sequel to one of my garden themed Virtual Stories (mini movies and flip books) within my You Tube Library. 

The one Cam and I were discussing is titled Words in my Beak (Book One), and it featured her exclusively. I was letting Cam know that in the sequel I may include the other birds (Cam's entourage) which also visit here. At this time the birds who come to my garden to nosh include Cam's child, as well as her significant other, house finches, mourning doves, and blue jays.

Cam was apprehensive about sharing the spotlight and pointed out to me that the book's title is "my beak" and not a plural pronoun! Cam explained that her beak is very versatile, and, she told me that one of her ancestor's beaks was the basis for the way birds' beaks were used in The Flintstones! Then Cam referred me to the following video on You Tube!



I had forgotten that in this cartoon series a tip of a bird's beak was "used" as needle for a record player (a turtle); and that its beak followed the groove of the record. Cam glowed with pride for her bygone ancestor whose beak inspired the Flintstones' record player needle. And, in fact, Cam had been gesturing so much as she related the story that she nearly lost her balance (as seen in the image below) from atop the rim of my 'Tamukeyama' (Japanese Red Maple)'s container, a place where Cam loves to perch.

She seems to gravitate towards that vantage point as it gives her a bird's eye view (excuse the pun) into the apartment of the building directly east of me. If it were me, I would not choose that view, as I don't care for television; and, besides, the woman who lives there is constantly using her window sill as an ash tray, as seen in the images below.

Cam is much more tolerant of cigarette smoke than I am; my father had a horrific death due to a bout with emphysema, brought on by his nearly two pack a day Pall Mall habit. Part of his dying words were, "When I die, the cost of cigarettes will sky rocket as the tobacco company will miss my revenue."

3 Weeks in the 2017 Season for my Crocuses (among other things)

Today, March the 19th, is the eve of the onset of the Spring season for 2017. March the 19th is also the day many observe The Feast of Saint Joseph. I have a small statue of him on a shelf above my desk.

It can be seen in the picture atop this entry in the company of Saint Francis and Saint Jude, who are standing to his right (or lefthand side of the image).

ONE YEAR LATER! Whatever happened to my name tag project?

Salve! Mihi nomen est__________

OR

For those of you who pay attention to detail, you may recognize the first image at the top of today's blog entry, as it was one I used at the top of an entry which I posted here on Blogger one year ago today, when I first introduced what has come to be known as The Name Tag Project, and, if you want to refer to that particular post, please click here.

The second image is of one of my "visiting" house finches sitting a top of the name tag I made for my Rubus calycinoides (Ornamental Raspberry). This bird was not only reminding me to fill her feeder; but she seemed to know I've had so many false starts getting my name tag project underway, and was offering to tweet about it for me once I complete it! So, with an offer such as hers, I am returning to my name tag project to post this update regarding it on the "year's anniversary" of my having announced it.

Before I continue with the specifics of The Name Tag Project as it relates to giving voice to the things which live in a garden, let me digress by sharing with you a few (short-short) back stories on my feelings regarding names.

In cyber-space, I'm known as The Last Leaf Gardener, and if you want to read how I came upon that name, please click here.

However, in "real" life, my name is Patricia Youngquist. I'm not thrilled with the name Patricia these days because too many people have it. Youngquist is OK , as it's a Swedish name, which comes from a plant that can survive under any condition. (Although I've put this "fact" to the test far too many times and have often wished the translation was ability to have a more cushy life.)

As for growing up, my surname being at the end of the alphabet was somewhat of a hazard because I was (and am still) legally blind and could not see the blackboard when teachers seated their classrooms in alphabetical order. In those days I was called "Patti," Patti with a "ti;" and not Patty with a "ty" like Peppermint Patty and Patty Duke, who were "icons" in my childhood. At that point I went through my "Pat" phase, but I still was unsure how it felt, so I would (cringe, cringe) sign my name "Pat (ti optional)."