gardening

Searching For Peace On Common Ground

/ Kevin / 16 Comments

The path leading to the Peace Labyrinth.

I was Googling the other day, looking for information on labyrinth gardens and I was surprised to find one practically in my backyard.  I took the short drive to visit The Common Ground, a community garden in Sayville, NY.  Its philosophy is simple: “A place where getting to know your neighbor is as easy as a walk in the park.”

Through the efforts of volunteers, grants, and donations, the park is a social-cultural haven for the  local community.  Nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood, the garden was born in the wake of September 11, 2001, when local residents wanted

The Peace Labyrinth at the Common Ground Garden in Sayville, NY.

to create something positive for the larger community.  As more and more people and local organizations became involved, and with the help of fundraising, the little-used Rotary Park became a centerpiece for all.  Today, the garden welcomes visitors to enjoy yoga, concerts, and movies.  

If the pavilion in the center of the park is its crown, then the Peace Garden Labyrinth is the jewel.  The brainchild of Marianne Fulfaro, who designed, laid out, and funded the project in memory of her parents, the labyrinth is constructed of paving stones and red gravel.  To reach it, visitors walk down a paver path that is lined with shrubs

Echinacea along the path to the Peace Labyrinth.

and flowering perrenials, all planted by volunteers under the guidance of local master gardener Nancy Angermaier.  At the labyrinth’s start is a plaque with instructions on how to walk the circuitous path.

With a history dating back thousands of years, the labyrinth is symbolic of life’s journey.  While a maze has dead ends, the labyrinth offers the traveler a neverending path.  As the journey begins, the walker is faced with twists and turns, each one bringing the individual closer to the center and then sending them further away. 

I especially liked the blue of the evergreen and the yellow of the Black-Eyed Susans.

Ultimately, the center is reached.  The goal is that through a meditative walk, a visitor will feel more calm and centered, maybe even walking away with a solution to something that has weighed heavily upon his or her mind.

 The Common Ground Park and Peace Labyrinth is a true testament of what a community park can and should be.  For more information, please visit their website.  To find a labyrinth garden in your area, check out World-Wide Labyrinth Locator.  Special thanks to Suzanne Robilotta, this year’s Common Ground president, for helping me to fill in the gaps.

 

Bloomin’ Update 7: Before & After

/ Kevin / 6 Comments

I can never tell which I enjoy looking at more: the unopened bud or the full bloom. 

There’s something very exciting about looking at an unopened flower.  There’s promise and wonder and anticipation.  It’s like staring at a gift with your name on it that’s been sitting under the Christmas tree for weeks — only you can’t shake it or pry open the wrapping paper to get a peak.  But you know in your heart, that tied up in that puckered green bundle is a treasure of pure beauty: the flower that you always wanted. 

Since it is better to give than to receive, may I present two buds and the two ensuing blooms in the mid-August garden.

Before: Teddy Bear Sunflower

 

After: Teddy Bear Sunflower

 

Before: "Vancouver" Dahlia

 

After: "Vancouver" Dahlia

                                                              

Book Review: Anthill Antics In Alabama

/ Kevin / 6 Comments

A few weeks ago, I saw an excellent review of a new book, Anthill, by E.O. Wilson.  Still, after reading the review, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get bogged down in a book about ants and an environmentalist.  That’s what I thought until the other day, when I visited my local library and saw the title on the new book shelf.  Clearly it was calling me, and I took a chance.  I’m glad that I did.

The novel traces the life of  Raff Cody, an inquisitive, eco-friendly young man living “on the Gulf Coastal Plain, on the fringe of the North American subtropics,” also known as Alabama.  Throughout his boyhood, Raff is completely enamored of an undeveloped piece of pristine Alabama land.  His commitment to his environment follows him through high school into college, then onto Harvard Law and into corporate America. 

What is truly stunning in Mr. Wilson’s first work of fiction is the care the Pulitzer Prize-winning author takes in describing and celebrating the rich biodioversity that often comes into conflict with developers.  While most of the book follows the efforts of Raff to preserve his piece of the planet while balancing his corporate responsibilities, one section can stand on its own as an impressive piece of writing.

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Angst In August

/ Kevin / 13 Comments

“What’s wrong?” 

That was the first question Joe, my partner, asked me the other day.  At first, I didn’t think anything was wrong, other than I felt a little sluggish and unmotivated to do anything.  Then I looked at the calendar.  August. 

I’m quite conflicted when it comes to the 8th month of the year.  I know it’s still summer, which I’m thrilled about, but inside I feel dread and sadness, as if the clock has begun ticking on the garden around me.   And once that thought takes hold, all other melancholic ideas start to sprout.  To put it simply, I’m summer saturated.

For starters, everything in the yard looks overgrown.  The Sunflowers can’t stretch any higher, and they are so crowded and top heavy that they are all falling over at odd slants.  The leaves on the trees are dull green.  Most of the annuals look tired.  The grass is burnt.   The Hydrangea flower heads have started to fade away.  Everything looks sloppy.  My impulse is to go out there and rip everything out of the ground and start all over again with new seedlings.  But that would be ridiculous.  As it is, the days of these plants are already numbered.

Then there is the change in shadow.  As the Earth and Sun have done their celestial dance on the way to the autumnal equinox, I have noticed that where there once was sun, there is now shade.  Just ask the Gazanias.  A week ago, they basked in hours and hours of summer sun.  Now, the shadow of the house lingers a little longer over their bed.

And let’s not forget about the quiet changes in weather.  While the days are still warm, nighttime temperatures have begun their subtle decline.  On some mornings, I can smell the faintest whisp of fall in the air. 

That is, perhaps, where most of my hostility toward August stems from: I know what’s coming.  Leaves will start to change, tropicals will have to be dug and stored for the winter, terracotta pots will need to be cleaned and packed away,  nights will become longer.  I can practically feel Light Deprivation Disorder bubbling up.

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Bloomin’ Update 6: Glad To See Ya

/ Kevin / 2 Comments

There’s a lot happening in these early days of August, and here are some photos to prove it.

Gladioli Take The Stage:

I Canna Live Without You

My favorite Canna of them all: red leaves and red flowers.

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Lily’s Grand Opening

/ Kevin / 4 Comments

"The stars are ageless, aren't they?"

Let me first begin by saying that this is not the post that I had planned — but some plants tend to be divas.  My initial idea was to give you a “Bloomin’ Update,” with a series of photos documenting the opening of a lily.  My one and only lily that hasn’t been seen in years.  To use a film reference, this lily is my very own Norma Desmond of Sunset Boulevard fame. 

This post actually began long ago, well before there was a blog.  I had planted three lilies in what I will call the perennial garden.  In fact, the perennial garden was really my first attempt at gardening, and I felt the need to fill it with as many flowers as I could order, purchase, find, borrow, root.  There was really no rhyme or reason.  Regardless, the lilies bloomed beautifully, but their perfume was overpowering.  At times, I wasn’t sure if I was smelling my yard or the funeral home that backs against the woods behind my property. 

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Moss Rose, By Any Other Name . . .

/ Kevin / 8 Comments

Unplanned Portulaca crowds out the planned Geranium.

A few posts ago, I wrote about gardening as a natural surprise party and my belief that my plants actually get together and come up with creative ways to entertain me and, well, surprise me — popping up in places where they had not been planted, blooming in different colors than were purchased or planned. But if I had to pick one plant as the organizer of all this guerilla gardening, it would have to be Moss Rose, or as I love to say, Portulaca.

It’s actually a fun name to say, like Dahlia or Liriope. Pour-tchew-lack-uh. Sometimes I think it could be the name of a Native American guide leading early explorers westward or a wife of Caesar. Maybe it’s a resort, kind of like, “We’re taking a ride up to Lake Portulaca for the weekend.” Or maybe it’s the closest I come to referring to any of my plants by its proper Latin name.

No matter what it’s called, though, Portulaca has been very, very good to me.

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Bloomin’ Update 5: Hot Colors & Cool Thoughts

/ Kevin / 8 Comments

Hot colors in the heat dome.

The newscasters and weather forecasters are having a field day with the heat wave.  They’re frying eggs on the pavement and baking cookies in cars and they have a new term, “heat dome,” to describe the blistering weather pattern.  The urgency in their voices reminds me of “The Twilight Zone” episode where the Earth is moving closer to the sun.  These are the same people, mind you, who whip up winter hysteria when snow is predicted.  It seems that no matter what Mother Nature throws at us, she’ll never make everyone happy.

I must admit, though, I am enjoying the heat dome — or as I call it, summer.  Yes, it’s hot, and yes, I’m spending lots of time quenching my thirsty plants.  For lots of reasons — too many to get into here  —  I like the warmth.  I like the casualness of the season.  And I like the time spent in the garden, because the days of the heat dome are numbered. 

In honor of this sentiment, I would like to share a few hot colors from around the yard, as well as a few cool thoughts to remind us of what was and what will come.

My reward for saving Canna corms each autumn.

The potting shed.

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Bloomin’ Update 4: Surprise!

/ Kevin / 2 Comments

Generally speaking, I don’t like surprises.  I tend to get embarrassed by the effort that people put forth, not to mention having to be the center of attention.  As a kid, I would duck under the kitchen table when my family sang “Happy Birthday” to me — a moment my family will still remind me of no matter whose birthday it happens to be.

There are, though, only two surprises that I can take.  The first is a Joe surprise, one where he plans out a day-long adventure.  I am only told to be ready to leave by a certain time, and then off we go to our destination.  I think Joe has as much fun giving me clues as I have trying to guess the destination.

The second surprise comes from my plants.  I imagine them putting their colorful heads together and coming up with creative ways to entertain me and keep me on my toes.  

A few posts ago about gardening quotes, I credited my friend and co-worker, Alisa, with this one: “Gardening is like a natural suprise party.”  Although we laughed when she uttered this about 15 years ago, I catch myself saying it over and over, sometimes weekly, sometimes daily.  It has become a mantra of sorts, something to keep me from stressing out when I spot something growing that I never planned.

If you would like to see a few pictures from this year’s surprise party, just click on the “Continue Reading” link.

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Bloomin’ Update 3: Welcome Home

/ Kevin / 10 Comments

We arrived home late last night, and the first thing I did today was to take a walk around the yard.  Joe’s mom did an excellent job at keeping things alive during our brief heatwave.  I cannot believe what popped while we were away for only a few days.  I thought I would share my findings here.

This lacecap Hydrangea impresses me each year. First, because of the violet color. Second, because of the size of the flowers.

One of my favorite easy-to-grow-from-seed flowers: Cosmos. Please excuse the shriveled one -- it's been a hot couple of days.

I'm not sure of the name of this plant, and I'm not sure if it's a curse or a blessing. It's practically invasive, spreading by means of runners. The clumps of pink flowers, however, are sweetly smelling and perfume the air, especially at night.

This is my reward for saving this Geranium each year. I actually planted this from seed several years ago, and I cannot part with the hot color.

I decided to give Sunflowers another try. According to the seed packet, this is "Italian White." Does this look white to you? Is yellow the new white in Italy?

Meet Nelly Moser. I thought I lost this Clematis over the winter after a wind storm ripped the trellis out of the ground. I put the trellis back into the ground, and "Whoa, Nelly," she returned.

I planted Morning Glory seeds around the same trellis as Nelly Moser. This is a double flowering variety.

Normally, I stick with traditional red Geraniums. This year, I started white ones from seed, and I'm glad I did. Seeing them poolside reminds me of the colors of Santorini.

Campanula ready to burst open.

Please, humor me with another Hydrangea photo. This is just outside of the front door, and began as one those Easter gift plants that was forced to bloom too early.