Exits and Entrances Reprised from 2011 (Tuesday's Truths WK 124)

A copy of the Mutts comic strip that's posted atop this entry was in my In Box this morning causing me to recall a joke that I heard a few years ago:

Q: If an April shower brought a May flower; what did the May Flower bring? 
A: Pilgrims!

But if truth be told, imho, April showers take away May flowers and I've mentioned my observation re this occurrence in prior posts here on Blogger. Welcome to the 124th segment of my Tuesday's Truths series...

NYC has been receiving heavy rains for several days now and many of the tulips in my garden that I wrote about in this past Tuesday's blog post (where I included photographs of them) have lost their petals.

Not everyone appreciates tulips (unlike me). Tuesday's Truths WK 120

The figurine (picture above) who was intent on planting some bulbs (within my indoor succulent garden) and I were comparing notes re our experiences with flowers that are produced by them including; Muscari, crocuses and tulips. Over the years (more than ten) of maintaining my rooftop garden with the help of JV, bulbs for many varieties of the aforementioned flowers have been planted in my place.

Sylvia Plath and Tiny Tim. Even The Gold-Diggers. The Tulipas (Tulips) Speak to Everyone — yours truly included — during this Easter Tide

TULIPS

Easter, which was celebrated this past Sunday, is not just a single day, but an entire season known as the Easter Tide, which lasts fifty-days from Easter to Pentecost. Easter Tide is a time of new life, and, on this second day, I was blessed with the appearance of new life — a single white tulip (as seen in the photograph above). Its delicate petals against my thick rustic brick wall was not a contrast lost on me. 

This is just one of the nuances that makes urban gardening such a joy. 

However, I have never grown tulips in my garden before, and at the end of last season, Juan V suggested that bulbs be planted.

Just three weeks ago their leaves began to peek out from their winter-gear (as seen below)...

TULIPS

...the winter-gear (from on-line fabrics) that they had been "dressed" in this past December. From the looks of the buds in the photograph at the top of this blog entry, the lone tulip, will soon be joined by other tulips, whose colors remain a mystery to me, although the buds are providing subtle hints (tufts of magenta? pink? lilac?) as seen on the bud tips below...

TULIPS

TULIPS

...however, for me, the not knowing what color they will be is another pleasure of gardening — urban or otherwise.

Perhaps, the mystery of the tulip's color is like being pregnant, and not knowing if the baby will be a boy or a girl, but knowing it will be loved no matter what it is. But, for today, the white color of my tulip is another detail that is significant to me, as the white color of tulips is a symbol of forgiveness, and one of the Easter season's celebrations is knowing the power of forgiveness.

The Influence of Douglas William Jerrold + Mutts: A Shelter for New Born Flowers!

Douglas William Jerrold, the English dramatist and writer, is reported to have said, "He was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he would have held an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain."

I featured this quotation (as well as the Mutts comic strip that is posted atop this entry), in a 2011 post here on Blogger; where I discussed my concern for a small Japanese Larch (Larix Kaempferi) that I was growing at that time.

This comic strip came to my mind today due to the weather patterns which have been (and still are) occurring in NYC, causing me to feel the need to bring certain flowers inside my home to protect them from losing their brand new petals!

These include Elegant Lady Tulips (seen in my home in the first three images below where the latter picture features her with Hot Springs Water Lilies) as well as Monte Orange Tulips (shown in in my home in the fourth image).

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME 1

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME 1

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME 1

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOLUME 1

Here's why these flowers are currently inside my home taking shelter from my urban garden:

On Sunday, temperatures were thirty degrees lower than they had been the previous day, Saturday, April the fourteenth.

In fact it was so warm this past Saturday, Juan V suggested I de-winterize (unwrap the containers) where certain flowers were thriving, as evidenced in the following photographs.

GARDEN WINTERIZING IS DISCUSSED IN VOL 2

GARDEN WINTERIZING IS DISCUSSED IN VOL 2

As you can see the only difference in these two images is that I've added text to the latter of them to indicate the flower types who were beyond ready to shed their winter gear.

Dearest Tulip, Even you could not console Sylvia Plath . . .

TULIPS

These three wide mouthed tulips that are at the northeast portion of my urban terrace garden have just opened up, and in doing so they have brought to my attention the fact that a  white tulip that is directly across from them, in the southeast corner of my terrace garden, has posted a blog entry voicing his concerns about Sylvia Plath's poem, Tulips. 

This poem, as you may recall, was posted by yours truly a little over a week ago, and if you'd like to refer to it, please click here.

Apparently this tulip (and apparently wannabe-blogger,) who resides in a lovely bowl supported by a unique rod iron stand, and now has company because his friends have just started to open, (as seen in the photograph posted below). was a little distressed at Ms. Plath's imagery in likening the tulip's opening to "the mouth of an African cat" and was insulted that the "tulips ate her oxygen", when really all the tulips probably wanted to do, my tulip explained to me today, in earnest, was to cheer her up, make her well again.

TULIPS

I tried to tell my tulip that humans are complicated, and sometimes, when they are in despair, they want and feel the need to stay in a bad state. I let my tulip know that if I knew why this was so, I would be earning a much better wage than I am now. My tulips know I love them because I give them great care, and surround them with beautiful friends, as evidenced in the aerial photograph, which was taken by Juan V yesterday and is posted below. (The vantage point is the roof of the building where I live, which is the only way anyone can look down on my entire garden unless they live in one of the surrounding high rise buildings.)

MY ROOFTOP GARDEN

However, I did explain to the tulip that when a human is in despair, such as Sylvia Plath was, it does not matter to them whether they are cared for or not, nor does having material things matter. The only thing people in a state of depression want is what Ms. Plath stated, "I didn't want flowers, I only wanted to lie with my hands turned up and utterly empty."

"For the beauty of the earth..."

It's now Earth Day 2018 and in last evening's entry here on Blogger, I promised to post photographs of some of the "beauty of the earth" that I came upon when walking (yesterday) along the Greenway that's parallel to the Hudson River, as well as some of the beauty of the earth that I came upon when walking in Central Park.

4 days left in Celebrate Your Name Week... (and what have you done?)

OTHER TULIPS ARE FEATURED IN VOL ONE

There are four days left (including today) in this first week of March 2017. As I compose this blog entry, the temperature in NYC (where I live) is twenty-nine degrees; with a "real" feel temperature listed as twenty-six degrees! The Saturday prior to yesterday, which was February the twenty-sixth, the temperature was in the sixty degree range, this day was followed by days that found temperatures climb to the seventy degree range!

That recent warm spell in NYC caused many folks to enjoy the outdoors without having to wear winter attire! Most folks seemed eager to peel off winter jackets! People were not the only living creatures to pull off their bulky coats and heavy sweaters!

Many members of the flora community who reside in my rooftop garden, attempted to rise above their "winter wear" (consisting of bubble-wrap as well the burlap that's over it). This is the winter apparel which Juan V and I dressed them in during our last garden winterizing ritual.

The efforts of certain members of the flora community (such as The Caribbean Parrot Tulips), to break free of winter wear, can be seen in the image atop this blog entry. And I don't think their motive in doing so had anything to do with their name (indicated by the name tag seen in the photo) being associated the Caribbean!

Honoring Tiny Tim & Tulips (Thursday's Tale)

TULIPS

TULIPS

TULIPS

The four images atop this entry feature Elegant Lady Tulips that are just beginning to bloom in my urban garden, which is still in its winterized state, as evidenced in the photographs that are directly above. These images are very similar, I admit, but I chose to include all of them because I'm excited to see them come to life.

April 2018's Last Day: Was T.S. Eliot right?

As April comes to a close for the year 2018, I'm thinking about the T.S. Eliot quote that's featured in the image atop this entry. Most folks know April is a month associated with the adage, "April showers bring May flowers."

However, it's been my experince in terms of my rooftop garden that April showers TAKE AWAY May flowers, which is something I've discussed in prior entries here on Blogger, including ones which you may reference by clicking here as well as here.

These past thirty days have been trying times (weather wise) for the flora I grow here and two weeks ago, Monday, April the 16th was certainly no exception. NYC's April showers on that day were more like April's torrential downpours.

Tuesdays Thoughts: It me again, AKA "the lone white tulip" (with some thoughts on time)

TULIPS

Remember me? I'm the "lone white tulip" who wrote a blog entry (three weeks ago tomorrow), which you are welcome to review by clicking here, where I expressed my concerns about Sylvia Plath, the poetess, and of her accusing members of the Tulip family of having, "the mouths of an African lion", in her poem, Tulips. 

Tulips is a poem which Youngquist included in her April 26th post which you can reread by clicking here. My aforementioned concerns have been somewhat alleviated, because Youngquist addressed them (as she does with all of my needs) in her May 4th 2011 posting, Dearest Tulip, even you could not console Sylvia Plath, which you can read by clicking here.

Today, because my petals are starting to fall, I am keenly aware that I may be entering the last days of my life, because, as you may know, we tulips have a short life — and we are replaced by other ones in subsequent seasons.

That being the case, I want to take the opportunity to express my thoughts about what my life has been like in Youngquist's urban terrace garden — a terrace garden which is tended by her (your blogger under the title of The Last Leaf Gardener), as well as Juan V, a man she admires very much.

#ThursdayThoughts for 4-4-2019

Hoping this (the "narrative" included in the Mutts comic strip which is posted atop this entry) is not FAKE NEWS; for in the past, as far as my garden goes, Aprils showers have often taken way any possibility of May flowers;

Tuesday's Truths WK 67: Instead of talking turkey, I'm talking tulips!

Welcome to week sixty-nine of my Tuesday's Truths series. It's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so I should probably talk turkey, but since I don't eat it and know very little about it, I will talk tulips for this"episode" of Tuesday's Truths.

This past Friday, Juan V came by to help me plant tulip bulbs. One of the varieties that we planted is known as the Elegant Lady; and her bulbs can be seen in the pictures atop this entry.

Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINALLY springing? (PART THREE of FIVE) ASK THE MUSCARI FAMILY AND THE ARRAY OF TULIPS!

Cam and her soon-to be named beau are still very much in love as evidenced by the image atop today's entry, where they can be seen beating yesterday's Monday morning blues by doing you know what. Their passion for each other (as first seen and heard in another post here on Blogger) is stronger than ever and they may need to get a room!

And now, dear reader, that I've caught your attention with a "racey" romance, I'll get back to my regularly scheduled program for today, where I've been slated to bring you part three of my series (which I introduced in this past Friday's post here on Blogger) where the "things" I grow will answer the question: Is Spring of 2013 FINALLY, FINALLY springing?

In this post, my various flowers (which I have in my garden) will weigh in with me re their answers to this question. We'll begin with the opinions of my Muscari family and my various Tulips, which are (to some extent) showcased in the image seen directly above, which is an aerial view taken by Juan V after the last time that he and I worked together in my garden.

T.G.I.F! (As In Thank God It's Flowers!)

CAM, A FEMALE CARDINAL

Cam, the cardinal in the photograph directly above, can be seen gazing upon a tulip known as Firesprays, which grow in my urban (NYC) garden.

In her book, "Words In Our Beak Volume One" (pictured below)...

... Cam discusses this tulip type. She also includes information regarding the other tulip varieties that I've grown here.

Friday Follow-Up

According to Snoopy, "We know that Spring is neat when it begins to get windy," as evidenced in the Peanuts Comic Strip posted atop of this blog entry. As of this posting, the official onset of spring is still twelve days away, but the tulips in my rooftop garden apparently having gotten the memo.

"Come, Tip Toe Through the Tulips with ME" : Remembering Tiny Tim (4-12-32- 11-30 -96)

Hello, I am one of the Kaufmanniana tulips, a tulip family that was discussed here on this blog, The Last Leaf Gardener, nearly one month ago!

I'm posting this entry on behalf of Patricia Youngquist, AKA, The Last Leaf Gardener, and I can attest to the fact that her absence from cyberspace is NOT because she has been tip-toeing through the tulips, but rather it is because she has had major "mother-board" issues with her "beloved" Mac Book Pro, and therefore unable to blog here or on NYBG's (New York Botanical Gardens) tumblr (where she has appeared on a regular basis), nor has she been able to contribute to Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest, which are venues that she is active in on a consistent basis!

While my gardener, Patricia Youngquist has been dealing with Apple Care for her Mac Book Pro, other tulip famlies have been joining me in her urban (NYC) terrace garden. These tulip families include the ones from Curly Sue, Snow Parrot, Tulipa Parrot Blumex, and Tulipia Tarda.

Thursday's Tale: Certain Central Park Tulips Now Have a Georgia O'Keefe Look

This is the first year that I do not have tulips in my garden as I was not able to plant new bulbs in 2020 because of the pandemic. In general, my tulip bulbs don't winter-over well even with my diligent garden winterizing. I truly miss having them this year but memories of my tulips sustain me. I have had such amazing varieties during the many years of my having a garden. Be that as it may when it comes to not having tulips in my garden this year, I have been able to appreciate them in tree pits as well as in Central Park. The tulip seen in the photo atop this entry is one I saw there five days ago.

A Coppertina Tree Weighs in on Cinco de Mayo

COPPERTINA TREE 

Allow me to introduce myself on this day known as Cinco de Mayo, a name I like pronouncing instead of saying May 5th.

In any event, my name is Physocarpus opulifolius, however, you can call me Coppertina — just don't call me Coppertone. I am so over those suntan lotion jokes when it comes to my name.

In any event, I am posting an entry to this blog from where I usually stand, in the extreme northwest corner of the rooftop garden belonging to Patricia Youngquist, who normally writes the blog that you now are reading, which she calls The Last Leaf Gardener.

With all her focus lately on her Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony) and her Tulipa (Tulips) in her blog entries these past few days. I am ready to rename the blog, The Last Straw Gardener, if she doesn't write about me! Did you know that since this past April she wrote about the tulips six, yes six times? Count them:

ONE: May 4th 2011
TWO: May 1st 2011
THREE: April 30th 2011
FOUR: April 29th 2011
FIVE: ;April 27th 2011
SIX: April 26th 2011

Well, actually it's five times, because one of the tulips took it upon himself to post his opinion (the April 27th post) about a Sylvia Plath poem where he bemoaned her reference to tulips. How ungrateful! No poet ever wrote about a Physocarpus opulifolius. I mean the tulips are fairly newcomers to The Last Leaf Gardener's garden, and I have been here for nearly one year, and I don't recall her ever writing a post about me! But the tulips?

All those posts about them occurred in less than one month! I guess I should be used to flowers getting attention by now. After all, last year, my gardener (aka your blogger) posted about her Paeona suffruiticosa (Tree Peony) six times in six weeks, and remember, she was only posting once a week in those days, so the Paeonia suffruiticosa got all the“press”last year!

ONE: May 29th 2010
TWO: May 22nd 2010
THREE: April 24th 2010
FOUR: April 23th 2010
FIVE: April 17th 2010
SIX: April 10th 2010

So, if you'd like some images of me, I highly recommend that you contact my gardener (a.k.a. your blogger) and suggest that she render some photos of me into her unique collection of correspondence materials, or even a fine print.

Additionally, The Last Leaf Gardener has already posted about the Paeonia suffruiticosa four times this year, and she only re–opened her garden the week of April 13th, so it has not even been a month and the peony already has four posts!

ONE: May 3rd 2011
TWO:May 1st 2011
THREE: April 16th 2011
FOUR: April 13th 2011

What about featuring me? After all, with my coppery–orange foliage, I provide a beautiful contrast (if I do say so myself) to the H.F. Young Clematis, whose leaves you can see to my left in the photograph posted above this blog entry, and if you look closely, you might even see the many, many buds that are about to burst into gorgeous purple flowers, which of course, The Last Leaf Gardener blogged about last year without mentioning my name.

I guess I shouldn't take it so personally, after all The Last Leaf Gardener hasn't posted much (if anything) about the little guy to my right (in the photograph at the top of this blog entry), who goes by the name Acer shirasawanum (Autumn Moon) and whom I've nicknamed Limey because of his leaves.

For your information, dear reader, that purple color that you see in front of his container is basil and it smells SO good. And speaking of containers, I can't feel left out when it comes to where she houses me. I have pretty nice digs, eh?

Actually I just got them earlier this week when Juan V did some repotting, and I love 'em! I used to be in terra–cotta, and that's nice too, but my rim cracked (at the end of my growing season last year) while I was being moved out of the corner by Juan V and Patricia, which they did because they wanted to protect me from the harsh winter elements.

I was safely wrapped — like everything else in this garden — for the winter by The Last Leaf Gardener and Juan V before this past winter's onset as you may know from the blog entry discussing urban garden winterizing.

Since I'm not on Facebook (yet), you can check out my photos, both in my former terra–cotta home and also what I looked like in my winer gear when I was just before I was unwrapped for the spring.

However, since I'm in a New York terrace garden, I'm really lovin' my new“Viducci”home, especially since my garden comrades already have Viduccis!

The Autumn Clematis (which is on a diagonal from me so I get to stare at it) got its Viducci two years ago, while the Actinida kolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vines) got their Viducci last spring, and the Continus Coggygria (Smoke Bush, Grace) got her Viducci last fall. These can all be seen in the photographs posted below which were taken this past autumn.

FLORA GROUPING IN MY ROOFTOP GARDEN

YELLOW IS THE FALL LOOK FOR KIWI WINES

SMOKE BUSH AND ORNAMENTAL RASPBERRY

Moreover, the Sweet Autumn Clematis is going to be featured with the Actinida lolomikta and Actimida (Kiwi Vine) in a YouTube movie about the life in an urban garden from the Kiwi's point of view, as mentioned in a previous post.

And an image of the Continus Coggygria (Smokey Bush, Grace) has been rendered into a greeting card has been the subject of a number of blog posts including this one, this one, and this one.

Hopefully, I'll "join the ranks”and be featured in The Last Leaf Gardener's line of invitations, event program covers, greeting cards, or movies, but for now, dear reader, thanks for hearing me out. I guess my new container has given me the confidence to boast and post on my own behalf. It's black color is pretty elegant, don't you think? (You probably have heard how New Yorkers love the color black, and I gotta say, as a Coppertina who has seen it all, so do I.)

And, before I leave you, let me wish you, once again, a Happy Cinco de Mayo, a great excuse I've heard for having a Margarita. My gardener had this to say about a grapefruit/cilantro variety that is pictured below (and available at Santa Fe restaurant in NYC):

“What EVEN Jimmy Buffet (when he was wasted again in Margaritaville) may not have known is, while having“booze in the blender,” may render a“frozen concoction”that helped him“hang on,”having a Grapefruit (yes, I said grapefruit) Margarita at Santa Fe (a restaurant serving southwestern cuisine in the Upper West Side of New York City, just off Columbus Avenue on 71st Street), you will be doing more for yourself than just 'hangin on.' This is without a doubt the best margarita in New York, and deserving of a nod from The Daily News' Best of New York. The grapefruit Margarita (pictured above) is refreshing, with just the right potency, and it was“designed by bartender extraordinaire, Alex (pictured below) . . .

. . . who gives all the credit to a bar he came upon by chance by traveling to Pennsylvania of all places. What makes it better than the booze-in–the–blender Margaritas? Well, first of all, no blender — just wonderful ingredients that include fresh white grapefruit, agave, guava nectar, fresh lime juice, cilantro infused tequila and of curse the mixology skills and secrets of Ales. The grapefruit margarita can be had at Santa Fe, located at 73 West 71st Street, a fun bar and superb restaurant serving southwestern cuisine. Open Sun–Thurs from 11:30AM–11:00PM and Fri–Sat from 11:30AM–12:00AM. Credit Cards accepted. 212.724.0822.”

Now dear reader, I'm signing off, but do feel free to put in a good word for me, the Coppertina, when you next contact The Last Leaf Gardener, and do enjoy your Cinco de Mayo, whether you are puttering in your garden, toasting with a Margarita, or just going about your day.

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.

It's the pits!

In the photo directly above, a few daffodils are catching some shade from the sun's rays by being within a sturdy, masterfully crafted tree pit. CURBED reporter Diana Budds calls these structures "micro-Edens," but the city's parks department calls them "tree pits."

My "Shakespearean" Urban Terrace Garden Flowers: "They have their exits and their entrances . . . "

It's May 31st which means this "merry merry month" of May (as I referred to it just thirty days ago) is coming to a close, and so are my tulips,