tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69633645420228114032024-03-13T07:39:31.915-04:00The Toonmoose Garden blogThe "Toonmoose" (Townmouse) gardeners ruminations about his experiences gardening in the Potager at Penrose Bungalow, a zone seven garden in Bucks County, PA. It is "an American garden, reflecting a world of ideas," that any plant lover will enjoy. All materials, copyright, Everett H. Scott, 2014.
"Tranquilius sanctuarium olitor, inter floris."Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-59566591687645794382020-06-07T15:54:00.002-04:002020-06-07T16:09:56.272-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Dear Gardening Friends,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"> Circumstances conspired to bring me to Rochester, Minnesota, just as the 2020 gardening season was getting underway. I knew well in advance that I would be traveling, so I did some early planting in our own Bucks County PA, zone 6B garden, before we drove west. I put in some Kale, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard and Broccoli, as well as Tomatoes, Red and Green Peppers, and Blue Lake Green Beans. I added a mix of Carrots, Celery and three kinds of lettuces that are harvest-able as I write! That said, any of you who tend a plot of land, or even a windowsill, will understand my remorse at having to relinquish the comfort of watching growing things grow, for unfamiliar turf. Imagine my surprise then, when after arriving, I stumbled onto acres of gardens, just a pleasant ten minute walk away from my temporary residence on the South Fork of the Zumbro River?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"> In a municipal effort to make gardens available to the broadest possible public, the city of Rochester has tilled several acres of alluvial flood plain, creating several hundred 20 X 30 foot plots. Gardeners are responsible for supplying their own water, though there has been ample rain since I have been here. Each plot is available for a nominal $30 dollars per year. You locals can go here </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">https://www.rochestermn.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/rentals-reservations/garden-plots </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">for further information, though I suspect that the number of available plots for this year has been exhausted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"> The plots themselves represent a subset of humanity in the range of vegetables, fruits and flowers being grown. Any flora that the climate will support is under cultivation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"> Following is a photo essay documenting the variety and universality of gardens found here, just as the local population is itself, global. Some are fastidiously organized and neat, reflecting the gardener’s degree of passion/obsession. Others are more “laissez faire.” At least one of the gardens is devoted to melons, with 38 plants with varieties including Minnesota Midget, Tiger, Delicious Number 51, Petite Yellow, and Early Silver Line. Some of the gardeners are “old hands” at growing things, while some are getting their hands in the soil for the first time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">So, while the produce of our garden is being tended to by our friends, Sidney and Eddie, having these gardens close by is a visual comfort and a pleasant reminder of</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;"> the joys awaiting us at home. What's doing in your garden this season?!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Copyright 2020 Everett H. Scott. All rights reserved.</span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-38968650771668413762018-08-19T16:25:00.001-04:002018-08-19T16:25:19.007-04:00A Minutes' Worth of August!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Despite having gotten off to a late start this year, the garden is still managing to achieve beautiful passages; moments of color, shape and texture that stand out and make us glad to take notice. This slideshow contains a minutes' worth of such gardening beauty. The good news is there is still lots more to come before the season comes to an end! Enjoy!</span><br />
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-37584646357511106402018-05-22T15:01:00.000-04:002018-05-22T15:01:15.904-04:00Toonmoose Spring's Back!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dear Gardening Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> After fits and starts, signs of Spring are all around us. At least fifty shades of green have filled in the blanks between gray and brown branches left exposed by the Winter. Mother Nature has been busy with splashes of pinks, yellows and purples from her palette that are worthy of a Joan Mitchell canvas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UILUW-DIzTM/WwRnHKX6kJI/AAAAAAAABs0/ur7YZ7YaK9UyAz2RyG3p1PY8hzE0vK95ACLcBGAs/s1600/Peony%2BBuds%2B%252C%2Bto%2Bthe%2BBarn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UILUW-DIzTM/WwRnHKX6kJI/AAAAAAAABs0/ur7YZ7YaK9UyAz2RyG3p1PY8hzE0vK95ACLcBGAs/s320/Peony%2BBuds%2B%252C%2Bto%2Bthe%2BBarn.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> For the moment, it is in the North border of our garden that the results of our efforts are manifesting themselves, supplying visual interest through greenery, texture and color. It is a modern border in that it is as <i>diverse and inclusive </i>as soil and climatic conditions will allow. (<i>Resistance begins in the garden!)</i>It is some sixty feet long and varies between 3½ and 5 feet wide. The undulating forward edge of the border abuts the lawn where one anticipates rousing games of croquet in the warm summer days to come. It begins and ends - book-ended - with heirloom Peony, Festiva-Maxima. </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2zm2WgqOBgY/WwRng6mLHFI/AAAAAAAABs8/3DK9EPt8JaQTUmqOLtSf9w9F0MvaU891QCLcBGAs/s1600/Irises%2B%2528Totality%2529%2Band%2BAcquilegia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2zm2WgqOBgY/WwRng6mLHFI/AAAAAAAABs8/3DK9EPt8JaQTUmqOLtSf9w9F0MvaU891QCLcBGAs/s320/Irises%2B%2528Totality%2529%2Band%2BAcquilegia.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">These were a gift from my Aunt Freda, whose in-laws, Charles and Inez Williams first planted them over sixty years ago. In between, is a mix of dozens of annuals and perennials, that will, hopefully, provide a continually unfolding spectacle of horticultural interest, with a little something for every gardeners taste. Aspiring astronauts may be drawn to the Ligularia, “The Rocket” or the Gomphrena, “Cosmic Flare," scooped up at this years annual <a href="http://morven.org/">Morven</a> plant sale in Princeton, NJ. Some plants were installed quite intentionally, bearing in mind the artist Frederick Sommer’s diktat that “Placement is primary.” Others arrived compliments of Nature’s whim, escapees from next door. These will appear and erupt like fireworks from now until the Autum frost extinguishes them. Some of these plants were installed with how they will appear seen from the dining room window in mind. This is a different, layered experience from how one encounters the plants sequentially, strolling the length of the border from end to end; In that case, it is never the same twice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUbE3DWMMvw/WwRnxnrMzoI/AAAAAAAABtE/8qqWfEIp1qAjHuxQxWZ6EGk_O6DztIgvQCLcBGAs/s1600/Baptisia%252C%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bhouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUbE3DWMMvw/WwRnxnrMzoI/AAAAAAAABtE/8qqWfEIp1qAjHuxQxWZ6EGk_O6DztIgvQCLcBGAs/s320/Baptisia%252C%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bhouse.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Just now, the Alliums rub shoulders with the Lillys, which bump elbows with the Irises (“Totality”), knocking knees with the Acquilegia, playing footsie with the Echinacea. The Baptisia, (<i>Stop-you-in-your-tracks-gorgeous,</i>) plays Peek-a-Boo with the Poppies. The Japanese Anemones, (“Andria Atkins”) are “cheek-by-jowl” with the Kniphofia that we grew from seed. The emerging Larkspur, Cleome and Daisies threaten, “Just you wait, we’ll have our day!” All of this, while I continue to sprinkle seeds, like a chef seasoning a favorite dish; some Batchelor’s Buttons here, Cosmos there, and Zinnias, like salt, to taste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> What are you cooking up in your garden?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Copyright Everett H. Scott, all rights reserved. No part of this may be copied or reproduced without express written permission of the author.</span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-17249384024578957632017-12-31T13:23:00.001-05:002017-12-31T13:23:23.469-05:00End of 2017 Slide Show Round-up!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Dear Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard to imagine
that in just a few hours, 2017 will end, and I have scarcely written about the
garden at all this year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I console
myself with the notion that time not spent with a notebook and pen in hand, (or
at the keyboard) was devoted to putting paint to canvas on the easel, and pencil
to drawing pad. For me, the creation of Happy Hour at Lenox Saphire </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">alone
justifies the effort and time expended, and there are yet other works in the
making. While I may not have written much about it this year, I have
consistently documented the garden - with photographs! The following slide
show, (largely unedited), is comprised of a years worth of images of the
Potager at Penrose Bungalow. The photographs were made in all seasons and show
the garden in every state, from its beginnings in Springtime to its greenest
and most colorful in high summer; neatened up, and at its overgrown weediest. There
are broad views and close-ups, and while the organization of some images may
seem repeated, I suspect it is the plantings themselves that will have evolved,
making for renewed interest. While going through these photographs, I was
reminded anew of what a habitat the garden is for all manner of animal and insect
life, as well as we humans! Now, while a frigid winter has forced many of us
inside, I hope these images will entertain and remind everyone of the pleasures
to be had being outdoors in the garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Think Spring!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-78912090076269892042017-04-18T18:11:00.001-04:002017-04-18T18:11:40.983-04:00Spring on the march!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Dear
Gardening Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, we have
reached that point in the calendar called Spring, when the surrounding
landscape seems to change by the day, if not by the hour. Trees and shrubs that
for months were dormant, drab and brown, have donned a mantle of leafy, lively
green. Last nights buds are today’s blooms, in hues ranging from palest white</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to plumiest purple. And, the changes are not limited to the flora! Like clients
with long-standing reservations, birds are returning to occupy their “suites”
in the boughs, and atop porch columns! One is alerted to their presence by
their singing, which starts long before the sun comes up. The ultimate
eco-tourists, they can be seen, “twig-in-beak,” making their nests. They
prepare their own accommodations, from renewable resources found on site, in Nature.
Faced with these conditions, who among us can help but feel renewed and
rejuvenated by the increased sunlight and warmth? That said, following is a
portfolio of photographs of plants that recently emerged after a long Winter’s
slumber in this zone 6B environ.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Look, and enjoy! Better yet, get outside, soak up some vitamin D, and observe
what is growing around you! To revive a sixties expression, it is the ultimate
“Happening!”</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bInsY9yUBE/WPaNkJZp72I/AAAAAAAABbM/q8Xt70ARTR4v3FLlF-AuL6MbZWU2uWJfACEw/s1600/IMG_0757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bInsY9yUBE/WPaNkJZp72I/AAAAAAAABbM/q8Xt70ARTR4v3FLlF-AuL6MbZWU2uWJfACEw/s320/IMG_0757.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin)</td></tr>
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</o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iq0N2df8sM0/WPaNjo3VDII/AAAAAAAABbA/ZODGvTrHOYgNOAu_Dqx2TnDsgkJ2sZ4igCEw/s1600/IMG_0742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iq0N2df8sM0/WPaNjo3VDII/AAAAAAAABbA/ZODGvTrHOYgNOAu_Dqx2TnDsgkJ2sZ4igCEw/s320/IMG_0742.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trout Lily (Erythronium)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GgOgrNqZdTI/WPaNjtUyjlI/AAAAAAAABbE/rpvPg5Or0PUighh0R_a0_Aq2PAFKje4lACEw/s1600/IMG_0738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GgOgrNqZdTI/WPaNjtUyjlI/AAAAAAAABbE/rpvPg5Or0PUighh0R_a0_Aq2PAFKje4lACEw/s320/IMG_0738.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blood Root (Sanguinaria Canadensis)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6Y3sfnZsDc/WPaNji8U_PI/AAAAAAAABbI/RvMjRimHqjM00ws4hE--NB-BM1MMucbkgCEw/s1600/IMG_0729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6Y3sfnZsDc/WPaNji8U_PI/AAAAAAAABbI/RvMjRimHqjM00ws4hE--NB-BM1MMucbkgCEw/s320/IMG_0729.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hepatica (Ranunculaceae)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9LwOjIk1f70/WPaNjEw4GuI/AAAAAAAABa0/UH076yqNMxIR8UtoNYRFa-HEJO7QvAezACEw/s1600/IMG_0694.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9LwOjIk1f70/WPaNjEw4GuI/AAAAAAAABa0/UH076yqNMxIR8UtoNYRFa-HEJO7QvAezACEw/s320/IMG_0694.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peach Blossom (Prunus persica)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rjUVCQVp_dQ/WPaNjL9ck9I/AAAAAAAABa4/xVmzK6dl2SUr1Bv3E3Tevwyd5aYWu6tzQCEw/s1600/IMG_0662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rjUVCQVp_dQ/WPaNjL9ck9I/AAAAAAAABa4/xVmzK6dl2SUr1Bv3E3Tevwyd5aYWu6tzQCEw/s320/IMG_0662.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grape Hyacinth (Mascari Armeniacum)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKDrnHV_l84/WPaNjOjcQ3I/AAAAAAAABa8/T56NdqfOx_48uM4pW_kwu8nkhWAkwUIqACEw/s1600/IMG_0601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tKDrnHV_l84/WPaNjOjcQ3I/AAAAAAAABa8/T56NdqfOx_48uM4pW_kwu8nkhWAkwUIqACEw/s320/IMG_0601.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colts Foot (Tussilago farfara)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">(
All photographs copyright Everett H. Scott. All rights reserved. No image may
be used, copied or duplicated without express written permission of the
photographer.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-69701727935920838032017-03-10T16:41:00.001-05:002017-03-10T18:50:51.230-05:00Signs of Springs Approach!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rd3gIFiKaxE/WMMbZJwFYbI/AAAAAAAABSE/fw0lghWazYMfx74MjQiAu8rRwd7M1vj7ACLcB/s1600/IMG_0091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rd3gIFiKaxE/WMMbZJwFYbI/AAAAAAAABSE/fw0lghWazYMfx74MjQiAu8rRwd7M1vj7ACLcB/s320/IMG_0091.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter Aconite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dear Gardening Friends,</span></div>
<div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Okay, so it snowed four inches this morning, and is still coming down, I still say it is not too soon to ask, “What signs have you noticed that indicate Springs arrival?” Here, in zone six, there is evidence both visual and aural, that Spring is upon us, no matter what today’s weather or Punxatawney Phil, (the groundhog’s) handlers may believe. This years Vernal Equinox will grace the Northern Hemisphere at precisely 6:29 AM on Monday, March 20<sup>th</sup>. On this day, we will experience equal hours of daylight and darkness, with daylight increasing until the Summer Solstice in June. Yet, signs of Springs approach abound, no matter the days weather, if only we take time to notice. All that one needs to do to perceive them is step outside! </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0mFKyfEg7s/WMMcFS1pi2I/AAAAAAAABSQ/OcTdqiIso8M_uQ9uHVvvhjrbgQ6xiIwqQCLcB/s1600/IMG_0090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y0mFKyfEg7s/WMMcFS1pi2I/AAAAAAAABSQ/OcTdqiIso8M_uQ9uHVvvhjrbgQ6xiIwqQCLcB/s320/IMG_0090.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowdrops</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Even with Winter’s blanket of snow tucked snuggly under Nature’s (greening) chin, one can hear the approach of Spring in the chattering of the birds. There is an excitement in their singing; a strident urgency in their calls to potential mates. “Let’s get it on!,” they cheep and tweet. “I know a forked branch just perfect for building a nest in, lets get to it before all of the good spots are taken!,” they seem to be whistling. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Perfect, wedge-shaped gaggles of geese, honk their way overhead in a northerly direction. Enormous flocks of Black Birds, a thousand or more strong, sweep through in controlled chaos, reminiscent of an airborne bait-ball. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ykzmuLEC7gw/WMMccmPeX1I/AAAAAAAABSY/PaqmxTJPrD8BwtX1q5pDDMbLlsdEgy4mQCLcB/s1600/IMG_0074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ykzmuLEC7gw/WMMccmPeX1I/AAAAAAAABSY/PaqmxTJPrD8BwtX1q5pDDMbLlsdEgy4mQCLcB/s320/IMG_0074.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crocuses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Buds on shrubs that have sat tightly wrapped for months have begun to swell and pop open, a slow strip-tease that will reach its climax when their flowers are revealed. In the flower beds, Winter Aconite, Crocuses, Snowdrops, Poppies, Larkspur, Alliums, Hollyhocks, Tulips, Daffodils and Hellebores are once again making their presence known, after months of lurking incognito beneath the earths surface. Even the first leaves of Colombine have already appeared!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bs8rYXE0nlM/WMMcvkIgt_I/AAAAAAAABSc/9mxr5_xi7gUFpALq9NWPtsdJBPBVqt4yACLcB/s1600/IMG_0085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bs8rYXE0nlM/WMMcvkIgt_I/AAAAAAAABSc/9mxr5_xi7gUFpALq9NWPtsdJBPBVqt4yACLcB/s320/IMG_0085.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellebores</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the potager, Robins, Starlings, and Sparrows frolic amid the debris of last years garden. It is a bug-rich source of food for them. Meantime, a rabbit doe gives me “Stink-eye,” whenever I am so rude as to enter what she clearly thinks of as HER space! “Squatters rights,” she insists with a nervous twitch, claiming that her “mother, and her mother before her, all bore their kits here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ynoIZDj4V8/WMMc_wg7RwI/AAAAAAAABSk/lcvk-uv2ZfUNaaqKQSPIJvTfM_YMWnbyACLcB/s1600/IMG_0125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ynoIZDj4V8/WMMc_wg7RwI/AAAAAAAABSk/lcvk-uv2ZfUNaaqKQSPIJvTfM_YMWnbyACLcB/s320/IMG_0125.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rabbit Doe in the potager.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">How dare I to chase her away?! The Collards that over-wintered are “Mine!” she declares! And, who am I to argue? She can have it, at least until such time as I am willing to commit to weeding and nurturing the new seasons crops. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Happy gardening!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">(Text and photographs copyright Everett H. Scott, 2017. No part of this blog may be reproduced, copied, or referenced without specific written permission of the author/photographer. All rights reserved.)</span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-47588274216295667432016-12-31T19:02:00.000-05:002016-12-31T19:02:36.289-05:00Seasons Greetings!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ4Y952R0lg/WGhEsN-UgxI/AAAAAAAABPA/75fR-7vXn0AxDZov6nqk7USi1G6tjhNQQCLcB/s1600/IMG_8779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jQ4Y952R0lg/WGhEsN-UgxI/AAAAAAAABPA/75fR-7vXn0AxDZov6nqk7USi1G6tjhNQQCLcB/s320/IMG_8779.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ATVe-eMmxGs/WGhE8av6mOI/AAAAAAAABPE/_mfKFJSJUp4s2eA8d_-9-kBPksOdtWVJACLcB/s1600/IMG_8821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ATVe-eMmxGs/WGhE8av6mOI/AAAAAAAABPE/_mfKFJSJUp4s2eA8d_-9-kBPksOdtWVJACLcB/s320/IMG_8821.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Gardening
friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since last I wrote to
you, we have gone through one season, (Fall), and are well into the next,
(Winter). The garden is largely in a state of hibernation, though as recently
as the past month it harbored a supply of Chard and Kale as well as Carrots that
provided the first course of our Christmas dinner, Carrot soup. Bear in mind,
that while there is a temporary lull in our human use of the “potager,” it
continues to be a source of food and shelter to myriad birds, and at least one
pesky rabbit. We all need food and shelter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In November, when
working outside became impractical because of the cold temperatures, I began
looking for ways to satisfy my gardening urges while staying indoors. One of
the most fun things I did – and a huge affirmation of everything we gardeners
live for – was to go see the movie, <u>Portrait of a Garden</u>, the debut
documentary by Rosie Stapel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
the story of the restoration of the oldest “kitchen garden” in the Netherlands,
on an estate that dates back to 1630. The camera follows the owner of the
property, Daan van der Have, his mentor, the 85 year old master gardener, Jan
Freriks, and a small army of devoted assistants through a full year of
planting, pruning and harvesting. It is very inspiring for even the palest of
green thumbs, and I encourage everyone to see it, either on the large screen or
on the internet. Look for screenings online, or ask your local theater to
organize one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NS5xelmVVtM/WGhFjo7zNPI/AAAAAAAABPQ/CjV5g-oh3H4jam_TvjDT4Go8KpqLuK9UwCLcB/s1600/IMG_8976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NS5xelmVVtM/WGhFjo7zNPI/AAAAAAAABPQ/CjV5g-oh3H4jam_TvjDT4Go8KpqLuK9UwCLcB/s320/IMG_8976.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the years, I
have become accustomed to receiving the first gardening catalogues with the
first mail delivery of the New Year. That may still be true for some
catalogues. This year, however, I noticed that a number of catalogues arrived
in the days leading up to Christmas. It seems that someone in the gardening
world finally realized they were missing out on the biggest shopping season of
the year. They remedied this by sending their catalogues at just the moment
that gardening folks were ready to spend money on their hearts desire – new
seed, and all of the hope that they contain. What better to buy at Christmas
than the makings of the garden that will keep one occupied in the months to
come? In recent days, I have read that Purple Cauliflower is predicted to be
the “hot” vegetable in this years’ garden. How such desirability is determined,
I don’t know. For me, I will welcome any of the seeds I plant that honor me by
germinating and growing. This begs the question, what do you look forward to
growing in your garden in the coming year? One would do well to start planning
now. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, there are only 78
days until Spring! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W8FFGdSYtQ0/WGhFQDWOufI/AAAAAAAABPg/9BIbWU5pIpoSXPftprgx9S7kDSN1ocYdACEw/s1600/IMG_8954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W8FFGdSYtQ0/WGhFQDWOufI/AAAAAAAABPg/9BIbWU5pIpoSXPftprgx9S7kDSN1ocYdACEw/s320/IMG_8954.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lest I be
accused of getting ahead of myself, here is a recipe for Black-eyed Peas, that
African-American households have been serving for generations to ensure luck in
the New Year, which is now only a couple of hours away. Begin by soaking a 16 ounce
bag of Black-Eyed Peas overnight in water sufficient to cover them
entirely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look over the peas to
ensure that there are no “undesirables”, or small stones mixed in among them.
Once completely re-hydrated, rinse the peas in fresh water, and fill the pot
with enough water to cover the peas completely. Cover the pot and place over a
medium flame, high enough to bring the peas to a slow, low boil. While the peas
and water are heating up, roughly chop a medium to large onion and add to the
pot. Likewise, add two or three cloves of chopped garlic to the pot, along with
two or three chopped carrots and a bay leaf. Traditionally, in the south, one
would further flavor the peas by the addition of a piece of salt pork, or a ham
hock. I find that a smoked turkey leg or wing works equally well. Simmer the
peas, covered, for several hours, until the peas are tender. Take care to make
sure that they stay well covered with water. Add additional water if needed to
keep them covered. Season the peas with salt and pepper, to taste. Add pepper
flakes if desired. Serve with white rice. Have a Happy New Year!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-60099815502536682442016-07-18T14:04:00.001-04:002016-07-18T14:05:11.059-04:00High Season in the Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f-VNvPOEmG8/V40Xro3ZvQI/AAAAAAAABJw/EekyvsWHWf8cdPG1LjJhR9trlUgol_2WgCK4B/s1600/IMG_7624.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f-VNvPOEmG8/V40Xro3ZvQI/AAAAAAAABJw/EekyvsWHWf8cdPG1LjJhR9trlUgol_2WgCK4B/s320/IMG_7624.jpg" width="320" /></a> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is mid-summer and
we are in the midst of yet another heat wave. We have had occasional
thundershowers, but I have watered the garden pretty regularly, to help keep
everything growing, green and blossoming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time of year,
one delights in being able to start the day with a cup of hot coffee while
inspecting what has transpired overnight in the beds. It is best to get an
early start, since any time after 8:45AM can be too hot to endure for more than
10 minutes. What is blossoming and what is ripe? What needs dead-heading and
what should be harvested? This years planting scheme in the north bed, with
Swiss Chard, Baby Tuscan Kale and Sweet Basil forming borders in front of beds
of Tri-color beans and just as many colors of squash, seems a happy
arrangement. The chard, “Bright Lights,” has matured to have beautiful vibrant
green leaves with brightly colored stems and veining in red, white, and yellow.
It is ideal for a variety of uses, including one of our favorite breakfasts, "Oeufs Potager":<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj76WyUltys/V40YAeL29LI/AAAAAAAABJ4/KYNzSzOc0P80Gu2TNJptpQolM69dSGv7QCK4B/s1600/IMG_7545.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uj76WyUltys/V40YAeL29LI/AAAAAAAABJ4/KYNzSzOc0P80Gu2TNJptpQolM69dSGv7QCK4B/s320/IMG_7545.jpg" width="320" /></a></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Note:
A six inch cast iron pan is ideal for this, however any small sautéing pan and
a lid will do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the pan over
medium heat, add a generous tablespoon of butter to the pan. While it is melting,
go out to the garden and cut 2 or 3 leaves of Swiss Chard, including the stems.
(In the absence of a garden close by, get the freshest leaves your market or
fridge can produce.) Return to the kitchen and rinse the leaves clean, shaking
off any excess water. Fold the stems and ends of the leaves under, until the
leaves just fit into the pan. Cover with a close fitting lid. Allow the leaves
to wilt for 2 to 3 minutes. While the leaves are softening, have ready a slice
of bread and one large egg. I prefer a whole grain loaf, but ones’ preferred
bread will do. Rye works well. After about 3 minutes, turn the Swiss Chard
“nest” of leaves over, then, crack the egg onto the sautéed side of the Swiss
Chard, preferably without breaking the yolk. You may add a sprinkle of salt or
a grind of pepper at this time, if you like. Replace the lid. At the same time,
begin toasting the bread. Toasters will vary in the time required to toast a
slice of bread to ones preferred level of doneness, however, it turns out that
the time required by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my toaster</i> to
toast a slice of bread, is just the amount of time required to poach the egg to
perfection. That said, when the toast pops up, put it on a plate. Remove the
lid from the now perfectly cooked egg and Swiss Chard leaves, and place the
“nest” atop the slice of toast. Sit down with your preferred knife and fork.
Enjoy!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
recipe is one of my favorites for a satisfying summer breakfast. The
crunchiness of the toast, the silkiness of the Chard and the creaminess of the
egg all compliment each other beautifully. And, it is just enough food to power
one through a morning of weeding or painting or whatever task is at hand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise, the
Lacinato, (“Dinosaur”) Kale, and the “Couve Tronchuda” Collard Greens are
thriving, as are Carrots in a rainbow of colors. The heirloom tomato collection
(ordered from Burpee) is full of swelling fruits and blossoms, promising lots
of juicy BLT’s, and Gazpacho to come. One of the seasons’ biggest surprises is
how well the Melons are doing. The four plants, which I started from seed with
little hope of success, are sprawling all over the place and filled with bright
yellow flowers. I can’t wait to see which of the three varieties of Melons in
the packet from Renee’s Seed they are. I must say, all of Renee’s Seeds are
doing well, including the <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCbgpnn1pyA/V40YZUO_sRI/AAAAAAAABKA/FEiQqy5VUPERbGt6fxpBS_lpxTBonaPKgCK4B/s1600/IMG_7738.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vCbgpnn1pyA/V40YZUO_sRI/AAAAAAAABKA/FEiQqy5VUPERbGt6fxpBS_lpxTBonaPKgCK4B/s320/IMG_7738.jpg" width="240" /></a>Carrots, the Melons, Chard, Squash, Beans and Basil. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The seeds have thrived in the soil we
have amended with compost, and watered generously. Now, to mulch the vegetable
beds with straw, to cut down on weeds and to help retain precious moisture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RAICazUW1s8/V40YwlyKN9I/AAAAAAAABKM/niXr3eHYIAUczKX6IEF_ryLn5EqnjsURwCK4B/s1600/IMG_7779.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RAICazUW1s8/V40YwlyKN9I/AAAAAAAABKM/niXr3eHYIAUczKX6IEF_ryLn5EqnjsURwCK4B/s320/IMG_7779.jpg" width="240" /></a></span>The flower beds
continue to delight us with rich color, shapes and textures, despite the
extreme heat of midsummer. There are plants from six inches to over six feet tall,
carrying flowers in shades of purple (Larkspur), to mauve (Verbena), pink
(Echinacia) to magenta (Phlox), orange to yellow (Coreopsis) and white.
Self-seeded sunflowers have formed what we have dubbed “Sunflower Corner,”
against the back wall of the barn. These, like the Zinnias and so many other
flowers still have weeks to go before they reach their peak, but then will
carry us into the Fall with brilliant color. All of these blossoms play host to
an army of pollinators that becomes busier and more varied by the day. The
first of this years’ Monarch Butterflies has passed through; likewise Black and
Yellow Swallowtails. Bees, in a wide variety of shapes and sizes work these
blossoms on a daily basis, harvesting the pollen and nectar. All in all, it is the
best garden ever, and there is lots of growing yet to be done!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Copyright 2016 Everett H. Scott. All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reproduced without specific written permission of the author/photographer. Use without permission constitutes an agreement to pay $25,000 per day of use.</span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-21453162284727425832016-03-11T20:54:00.001-05:002016-03-11T20:54:50.150-05:00Approaching Spring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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March 1, 2016</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o42niI35g1A/VuN14RV7wsI/AAAAAAAABFA/KM46cW_f94YyRH65alJc-udrDHUx9TkGQ/s1600/Holiday%2Bgardenscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o42niI35g1A/VuN14RV7wsI/AAAAAAAABFA/KM46cW_f94YyRH65alJc-udrDHUx9TkGQ/s400/Holiday%2Bgardenscape.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Despite this having been one of the warmest Winters on record, for weeks
now, it has been too cold to spend any more time than necessary outside. Thus, the time required to walk the dog
is the longest one spends in the open air, in stark contrast to the hours spent
out of doors during the growing season. Understandably, those of us who prefer
the atmosphere of a garden, assuage our longing by creating interior
garden-scapes, or at least having some house-plants or cut flowers close at
hand.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zfx8e9VMsUU/VuN2Lyj6SoI/AAAAAAAABFI/vF5iPIG6-bcI2nBCwvzyM98NrD9gvvuIw/s1600/Ti%2Btree%2Bin%2Bblossom.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zfx8e9VMsUU/VuN2Lyj6SoI/AAAAAAAABFI/vF5iPIG6-bcI2nBCwvzyM98NrD9gvvuIw/s400/Ti%2Btree%2Bin%2Bblossom.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, the last remnants of this Winter’s one major snowstorm, that dumped
over thirty inches of snow in one fell swoop, are reluctantly melting away.
Where the snow has melted, the ground is spongy with moisture, making it easier
for the Crocuses, </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mk-c1jXn66o/VuN2l9ZY0WI/AAAAAAAABFU/TDbKYE_MYSMKVYXFDUc2kN5i5rrMvigZg/s1600/Leap%2BDay%2B2016%2BCrocuses.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mk-c1jXn66o/VuN2l9ZY0WI/AAAAAAAABFU/TDbKYE_MYSMKVYXFDUc2kN5i5rrMvigZg/s320/Leap%2BDay%2B2016%2BCrocuses.jpg" width="320" /></a>and Snow Drops, the Winter Aconite and the Daffodils to push
forth for blossoming. Encouraged by the steadily warming temperatures, the
Titmice and other local birds are trilling their most seductive songs in hopes
of finding a partner to build a nest with, staking out territory in the trees
and shrubs before they leaf out. In the basement “Limonaia,” the tender plants,
vines and shrubs that Wintered over indoors have already begun sending out
tender green shoots and leaves to greet the new season. Even our Irish Terrier,
Champion Redbranch Mystic <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Druid</b>, is getting
in on the act, responding to Nature’s subtle hints, by waking earlier than ever
to go outside, anticipating the change of clocks that occurs at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March
13. Today, he came to the bedside, whimpering to be taken out despite the fact
that it was not yet five AM and still pitch black outside! We humans have
responded to the increasing minutes of daylight by visiting the local Agway
store – no doubt, the first of many visits this season – to get an early jump
on the competition for the most desired seeds. So far, we have acquired seeds
for: </div>
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Larkspur <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sublime Blend</i>, Consolida ambigua</div>
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Larkspur, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shades of
Blue</i></div>
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Baby’s Breath, (Gypsophila) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Early Snowball</i></div>
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Canterbury Bells</div>
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Penstemon, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rocky
Mountain Blue</i>, (Penstemon strictus)</div>
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Delphinium, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantasia
Mix</i></div>
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Four O’Clocks</div>
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Cleome, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Color Fountain
Mix</i></div>
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Batchelor’s Button, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue
Boy</i>, (Centaurea cyanus)</div>
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Snapdragon, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tall
Maximum Blend</i>, (Antirrhinum majus)</div>
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Coreopsis, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Early
Sunrise</i></div>
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By way of flowers, and:</div>
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Beans, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blue Lake 274<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Lettuce, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rouge d’Hiver<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Italian Lacinato KALE, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nero
Toscano </i>(Brassica oleracea)</div>
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Beets, (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beta vulgaris</i>)</div>
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Swiss Chard, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bright
Lights</i></div>
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Carrots, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Cored Chantenay<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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These, just to get us started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meantime, yet more snow is forecast for this weekend. </div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-49606774256969913922016-01-31T11:21:00.000-05:002016-01-31T11:21:32.418-05:00Recommendations for Combating the Mid-Winter Blues!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrUMr90oYFw/Vq4wg52BEtI/AAAAAAAAA-A/b5TqXW9OM-c/s1600/Bleak%2Bmid-Winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FrUMr90oYFw/Vq4wg52BEtI/AAAAAAAAA-A/b5TqXW9OM-c/s400/Bleak%2Bmid-Winter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dear Gardening Friends,</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In bleak mid-winter, (now, in other words), it isn’t just a lack of
vitamin D, caused by insufficient sunshine, with its attendant risk of weakened
bones that one must take measures to rectify. Another seasonal debilitating
ailment, is one I refer to as a vitamin “G” (as in “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">G”</b>arden) deficiency, wherein a lack of greenery and the absence of
color, among other things, induces a sense of spiritual lethargy manifested by indifference
to ones surroundings, disdain for the political process and a weakening of ones
ability to resist bad TV. The urban dweller and the suburbanite are both equally
vulnerable to this condition. If a visit to tropical climes isn’t on ones
agenda, one might be tempted to despair. But, fear not! Effective remedies are
at hand, and accessible to every budget. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For a lucky few, from January 22cnd until the 31st, at the Park Avenue
Armory in New York, the 62cnd annual Winter Antiques Show, A Benefit for
Eastside House Settlement, is underway. There, seventy vetted dealers have
scoured the globe to present the most rare and beautiful antiques, art and
decorative furnishings one can imagine. Among them, <a href="http://www.bi-gardenantiques.com/">Barbara Israel</a> has once
again assembled an inspiring selection of garden furnishings to suit every
landscape, grand or intimate. I did hear one visitor complain as she left, that
“Years ago, it was possible for a middle-class person (like me) to actually
afford to buy something.” “Now,” she continued, “these are all museum pieces.” </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LTxhxenBF6c/Vq4w6SnqcOI/AAAAAAAAA-I/6zbUwwy-ySs/s1600/Rose%2Bdisplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LTxhxenBF6c/Vq4w6SnqcOI/AAAAAAAAA-I/6zbUwwy-ySs/s320/Rose%2Bdisplay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A favorite remedy for the Winter Blues, also sometimes referred to as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">S</b>easonal <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A</b>ffective <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">D</b>isorder, that
is so simple as to seem obvious, is a bouquet of fresh flowers. These days,
even the neighborhood grocery is likely to have a supply of flowers on
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In these parts, along
Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, we are fortunate to have vendors
whose open-air displays of flowers are by themselves, a tonic for the
neighborhood. Just to view them as one walks past has an edifying effect on
ones psyche.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For just twelve
dollars – less than the price of a packet of cigarettes, and infinitely better
for ones health – one can acquire a bouquet of twenty roses in the color of
ones choice, from pure white to the deepest red, and nearly every hue in
between. I encourage those with a slightly larger budget to visit the newest
iteration of <a href="http://www.surroundingsflowers.com/">Surroundings</a>, flowers and event planners, recently opened at 2675
Broadway at 102cnd street, on the southwest corner. There, Stephen Buchwald and
the friendly staff, monitored by canine companion Katie, the Bischon Frise, bring
their years of experience to creating delightful floral arrangements for every
occasion – or, no occasion at all. They pride themselves on having one of the
largest selections of cut flowers to be found anywhere in town, and welcome
browsers, no purchase required.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yUlTYPXJC_U/Vq4xLvJusUI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/525JN6qYhuI/s1600/Surroundings%2BBouquet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yUlTYPXJC_U/Vq4xLvJusUI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/525JN6qYhuI/s320/Surroundings%2BBouquet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is more. Chances are, if you live in the country, you already have
a birdfeeder. If not, I urge you to consider investing in one. The dividend will
be untold hours of entertainment by your local avian community - as long as you
keep the feeder filled! Especially when the ground is snow-covered, and other
sources of food are unavailable, a feeder is a lifeline to the birds, just as
their aerial acrobatics will be an endless source of fascination for you. What
is more, if they learn to associate you with food now, the birds will continue
to return in the Spring and Summer when their songs will be the soundtrack of
your landscape, and their presence can be an aid in pollination. Even urbanites
can undertake to support a birdfeeder, though you may find that the birds must
compete with other, undesirable creatures for the seed!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If there is anyone who still needs to consult a seed catalogue, here are
links to a few of the dozens of catalogues and online sites that I enjoy:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.stokeseeds.com/">www.StokeSeeds.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.territorialseed.com/">www.territorialSeed.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/">www.Johnnyseeds.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.burpee.com/">www.burpee.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.prairiemoon.com/">www.prairiemoon.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.reneesgarden.com/">www.reneesgarden.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.davesgarden.com/">www.davesgarden.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.jungseed.com%0dwww.whiteflowerfarm.com/">www.jungseed.com<o:p></o:p></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.jungseed.com%0dwww.whiteflowerfarm.com/">www.whiteflowerfarm.com<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Keep gardening!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
( All photographs copyright Everett H. Scott, 2016. All rights reserved. No image may be used or reproduced without express written permisssion from Everett H. Scott.)</div>
</div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-92122841909041533382016-01-18T10:52:00.000-05:002016-01-18T10:52:23.554-05:00What's On Your 2016 Gardening Agenda?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Gardening
Friends, what is on your gardening agenda for 2016? Although we have only just
passed the middle of January, already I can sense the increasing minutes of
sunlight that will eventually fuel the coming seasons growth. Though there is
snow and cold ahead of us, it isn’t too soon to begin planning for the coming
gardening season, however you choose to engage with it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you are
perusing the seed catalogues that have begun to arrive, in search of the
varieties of vegetables and/or flowers you want to grow? Will you select old
favorites or opt for new, untried varieties? Perhaps you are planning a visit
to some admired garden(s), that you want to experience in person, first-hand?
Will this be a “Day trip,” or are overnight accommodations required? Be mindful
of any change in growing zones, if you want to bring home ideas that you pick
up on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Santa didn’t
arrange it, perhaps you want to put getting a copy of the <a href="http://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days">Garden Conservancy’s Open Days</a> guide to public and private gardens on your “to do” list? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When not browsing through seed catalogues, I
have been enjoying reading Andrea Wulf’s engaging book, <u>Founding Gardeners, The
Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation</u>, published
by Alfred A. Knopf in 2011. She writes of the relationship that Washington,
Jefferson, Madison and (John) Adams had to their surrounding landscapes in the
newly independent United States, and the impact of that relationship on their ideas
about government and politics. Especially in this, an election year, this book has
made for particularly interesting, informative reading. Also, one of the
frequently mentioned locations in the book, <a href="http://www.bartramsgarden.org/">Bartram’s garden</a> in Philadelphia, Americas oldest botanical garden, which
supplied many of the native plants these men cultivated, is now on my list as a
“must-see” garden destination. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHbY_UoGvY4/Vp0JWOteV2I/AAAAAAAAA9k/42m-bpFX9DE/s1600/The%2Bwrapped%2Bfog%2Btree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHbY_UoGvY4/Vp0JWOteV2I/AAAAAAAAA9k/42m-bpFX9DE/s640/The%2Bwrapped%2Bfog%2Btree.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
One of our Fall
garden activities the results of which will extend into the Spring, was the
Wrapping-of-the-Fig-Tree, (a Vern’s Brown Turkey variety), now about five years
old. For the first three years of its life, it was grown in a large cast stone
pot. It was brought into the basement “Limonaia” for the Winter, where it grew
well enough, but never produced much fruit. Then, encouraged by stories of them
surviving the local (zone 7a) Winters, I un-potted it, and planted it in the
ground on the south side of the house, where I hoped that the combination of
the southern exposure and radiant heat from the bricks would help it to
survive. Last Spring, as the garden began to “green up,” we watched each day
for some indication of the fig returning to life. And we watched. And we
watched. And we watched some more. When nearly everything else had begun to
produce fresh growth, there was still no sign of life from the fig.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had about given up
on it, and was preparing to dig out the stump, when, brushing away leaves from
the very center of the tree at ground level, I finally discovered a tender new
green leaf, right at the heart of the plant! Over the course of the season, the
tree did indeed thrive, doubling in size AND producing fruit, despite having
endured one of the coldest, snowiest Winters on record. But, could we avoid
almost losing the tree again? I remember, as a child, watching over our back
fence in the Fall, as our Sicilian neighbor Charlie, would bend his fig tree
over until it was prone with the ground, then mound it over with soil and tar
paper, effectively burying the tree. It was always miraculous to me, when in
the Spring, the tree was uncovered and filled with budding green leaves. I
wondered if now, I could devise an alternative way to protect our tree?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last Fall, we decided
to take no chances this Winter, and came up with a plan for increasing the
trees protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four eight-foot metal
stakes were driven into the ground close to the tree’s roots to form a
rectangle. We opened the bottom of a thick-sided cardboard box and pulled it
over the trees stalks, down to ground level, then, using the four stakes as
support, pulled another open-bottomed box over the upper portion of the tree
stalks. We used straw as insulation, to fill in the open space between the
trees branches and the cardboard boxes. Then, we used two heavy-duty black
plastic trash bags, one with its bottom cut open so that it could be pulled down
to the ground over the stakes, to enclose the straw-filled boxes. The other
plastic bag fit over the top of the stakes and covered the exposed upper
portion of the tree, providing a wrapping for the tree. The black plastic trash
bags overlap, allowing air to circulate, but the tree is protected from the
worst of the chill winds, ice and snow. Come Spring this year, we will see if
our efforts to protect the tree are successful.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep gardening!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-6053276401751035442016-01-03T13:50:00.000-05:002016-01-03T13:57:39.325-05:00Presenting the Potager at Penrose Bungalow 2016 Calendar!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Greetings gardening friends! I hope the excitement
that accompanies the beginning of the year will be yours throughout all twelve
months. To aid in reaching this goal, once again I present the Potager at
Penrose Bungalow (2016) calendar. In it, are depicted a series of images of the
garden at Penrose Bungalow, throughout the seasons, with broad views and
close-ups, showing a range of the edible plants as well as the ornamentals that
together make for a "little slice of heaven." I hope these images will whet your appetites for digging in the dirt, no matter what you grow. Anyone interested in having their own hard copy of the calendar is
encouraged to write to me through the comments section of this blog, or at
toonmoose@gmail.com. Click on the link below to view the calendar, and give the pictures a minute to upload. Good luck with your garden this year, wherever it
is!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9UG6P0OCwVIYTFHWndJck9sM1k/view">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9UG6P0OCwVIYTFHWndJck9sM1k/view</a></div>
<br /></div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-92078719721853497922015-10-17T18:23:00.000-04:002015-10-17T18:23:07.011-04:00The last garden bouquet of the 2015 growing season,…….<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
October 17, 2015<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-34oKYjlVGaM/ViLISDhnOCI/AAAAAAAAA7M/VzO58zlSGuI/s1600/Last%2Bbouquet%2Bof%2Bthe%2B2015%2Bseason%252C%2B10%253A17%253A15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-34oKYjlVGaM/ViLISDhnOCI/AAAAAAAAA7M/VzO58zlSGuI/s320/Last%2Bbouquet%2Bof%2Bthe%2B2015%2Bseason%252C%2B10%253A17%253A15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
If the temperature plunges below 30 degrees tonight, as forecast, this will be the last fresh bouquet of the 2015 growing season. It was fun while it lasted. Time to plan for next year. It is composed of:<br />
<br />
Japanese Anemones (Andria Atkins)<br />
Buddleia<br />
Coreopsis (Moonbeam)<br />
Cosmos<br />
Gomphrey (Fireworks)<br />
Leonotus Leonurus<br />
Snapdragons<br />
Verbena Bonariensis<br />
Zinnias<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photograph copyright Everett H. Scott 2015. All rights reserved. This image may not be reproduced without express written persission of the photographer. </span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-29980237572091792982015-10-09T17:10:00.001-04:002015-10-09T17:44:15.532-04:00Appreciating the Autumn Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ebn9eP760dI/Vhgrx17sZjI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/eGAKmpH8G7w/s1600/Bees%2Bworking%2Blate%2Bblossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ebn9eP760dI/Vhgrx17sZjI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/eGAKmpH8G7w/s400/Bees%2Bworking%2Blate%2Bblossoms.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CSslQ6zk3-E/Vhgr9Cd-vdI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/YvsC5Pr6qJc/s1600/Dried%2Bseed%2Bheads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CSslQ6zk3-E/Vhgr9Cd-vdI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/YvsC5Pr6qJc/s320/Dried%2Bseed%2Bheads.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4o373jcFln4/VhgsKvp7--I/AAAAAAAAA6g/O3e_AYZc-Ys/s1600/Late%2BCherry%2BTomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4o373jcFln4/VhgsKvp7--I/AAAAAAAAA6g/O3e_AYZc-Ys/s320/Late%2BCherry%2BTomatoes.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nBEi7rD7_xM/VhgsWQJCyXI/AAAAAAAAA6o/gdoizZ6R3X8/s1600/Pears%2Bripening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nBEi7rD7_xM/VhgsWQJCyXI/AAAAAAAAA6o/gdoizZ6R3X8/s320/Pears%2Bripening.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_YnBmnyMY20/VhgsgV-1skI/AAAAAAAAA6w/rMWYWcYhf1w/s1600/Collards%2B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_YnBmnyMY20/VhgsgV-1skI/AAAAAAAAA6w/rMWYWcYhf1w/s320/Collards%2B.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi2JCBzfE4w/VhgskNn0r3I/AAAAAAAAA64/2nfWicXYDzc/s1600/Brussels%2BSprouts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gi2JCBzfE4w/VhgskNn0r3I/AAAAAAAAA64/2nfWicXYDzc/s320/Brussels%2BSprouts.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The honking of
Canadian Geese, winging their way southward, draws one’s gaze overhead. The
geese are joined by Great Blue Herons, gliding above the treetops.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> The leaves have begun
to fall. Where they still cling to the branches, they are changing color from
lush green to shades of rust, gold red and orange. Nearer the ground, feral
bees work the dwindling supply of blossoms, seeing that no grains of pollen
escape their baskets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> The same flowers that
once enchanted us with their pastel color and soft petals, have transformed
into dried brown seed-heads; a botanical interpretation of sea urchins, held
aloft on wiry stems. Entire flocks of migrating birds – Goldfinches, and
“confusing Fall Warblers” – alight in the garden to partake of the free buffet.
There is a seed shaped to accommodate every beak shape and size. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> In the potager,
Cherry tomatoes continue to form and ripen, as though unaware that their season
has passed. The last of the (Bartlett) pears has been harvested and shared with
appreciative friends. The Collard
Greens, Brussels Sprouts and other brassicas are flourishing in the cooler
weather, and will extend our edible harvest into November, at least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> That same cooler
weather alerts us to the need to find space indoors for the tender, potted
sub-tropicals whose sojourn in the open air is coming to an end – for this
year. “The ferns’ swan-song is the mosses reveille,” as a poet once said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">All text and photographs copyright Everett H. Scott, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this blog or any of its contents may be reproduced without express written permission of the author or his designated representative. </span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-59943497665158331042015-09-08T12:01:00.002-04:002015-09-08T12:05:57.242-04:00I am missing the garden something awful!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am missing the garden something awful! For weeks now, it
has been necessary for me to be here in the city, without a break, and even
though I am blessed to live on a park and have spectacular river views, I miss
being in the garden that I have helped to create. Just before coming into town,
I was working on a blog entry that was to have been all about the importance of
“ditzing about” in the garden, with no agenda other than to absorb its
atmosphere. This was motivated by a comment I received from another gardener in
reaction to a photograph I posted of tea being served in the garden. As a
gardener, in high season, she asked “How can you find time for tea?” And in
response, I thought “Now, is when it is needed most. One must make time for
tea, and to enjoy the garden, not just labor away in it.” It is O.K. to put
down one’s trowel and watch a bee scour the flowers for pollen. That said, I
miss the gardens “life-affirming green-ness.” It is the welcoming interface
between us and the Natural world. I miss its colors, and sounds and the
wildlife that it attracts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
city is such a hard, paved, </div>
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manufactured environment, with each surface one
encounters designed to withstand the imprint of millions of handprints and
footfalls. The garden on the other hand, consists of thousands of fresh tender
leaves, curling tendrils, silken flowers and blades of grass each day. These
elements cushion ones steps and stimulate ones senses. The environment
literally grows before ones eyes, and by observing it one is renewed. Our
connection to Nature’s cosmic rhythms is reinforced.<br />
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</span>Don’t get me wrong. I love the city. The talents and skills that it
attracts make for a dynamic environment where extraordinary things become
possible. It is a privilege to have access to the intellectual accomplishments
on display here, say on the 21<sup>st</sup> floor of any given building in
midtown, come rain or shine. Without leaving the neighborhood, I continue to
make fresh discoveries about buildings that I have looked at for years. And,
there is a lot of Nature, right under our urban noses, when we take the time to
sniff it out. For some things, you don’t want to be anywhere else.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, I am missing the garden. I miss
its surprises. I miss separating stalks of Echinacia to discover that a
Delphinium is asserting itself among them. I miss the feel, in my nitrile-gloved hand, of a weed relinquishing its roots’
grip on the soil. I miss having the leaves of the Collard Greens brush up
against my pants legs when I am wading through the potager. I certainly miss
eating and tasting the produce from the garden. What a far away dream it is
here, to think of a freshly dug carrot, washed clean, its creamy crispness
giving way to my bite! I miss being “in” Nature, not just looking out “at” it. </div>
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</span>City life is all about collaboration and scheduling. Once you have
managed to arrange to see – or be seen – by a highly skilled urban
professional, you don’t want to miss the appointment. This alone usually
requires several weeks. Then, when you have devised a course of action with
said professional, there is nothing to do but see it through. So, if that means
sitting tight in the city, that is what you do. Of course, there is a lot to do
in the city. There are concerts and performances for every taste. All of the
movies are playing. There are even bookstores, that endangered species. The
museums are the best. Just taking a walk down Broadway can inform one’s view of
the current world order. </div>
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</span>All I can do is think of the garden that awaits me. That there will be
tons of weeds to extract, goes without saying. Meanwhile, everything needs to
be watered: The North and South borders of mixed perennials and annuals, The potted
Farfugium, and Lemon tree. The“Deborah Gregory Memorial” Lespedeza and our
Leonotus Leonurus, all of them need a good soaking. Likewise, everything in the
potager. Lets not forget the strategically placed Pink Crepe Myrtle that has
just been introduced to the garden. We hope that it will provide additional
screening between us and our neighbors to the North. Then, what are the vines
doing? Is the Thumbergia continuing to climb up the leg of the swing? I guess
the date palm, grown from seed, is surviving the sunny dry weather safely. I
hope that I haven’t lost anything.</div>
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Country Mouse reports that the pears are ripe and falling off the tree.
These need to be gathered up, stored and cooked in every way imaginable. In the
potager, the Brussels Sprouts, Cabbages and Carrots are all thriving, as is the
Basil, the Kale, and Squashes. So, despite arriving at the last big holiday of
summer, there is yet another seasons worth of produce to nurture along, until a
chill November frost finally cuts everything down. Which reminds me, will there
be enough grapes to make jam this year?<br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city is about rapid, if not instant gratification. The garden is
about patience and imperceptible progress. Evolution. These days, as I wait to
cross the Hudson, I am challenged to summon patience, in an environment that is
celebrated for only having 45 seconds per minute. I am missing the garden
something awful! </div>
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All images and text copyright Everett H. Scott. All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be copied reproduced or used in any way without express written permission from the author.</div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-58297681182950122362015-07-09T12:33:00.002-04:002015-07-09T12:44:51.021-04:00"A Sense of Place"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our garden is young, as gardens go, just approaching ten years old. Yet, it has already begun to take on a certain ambiance and atmosphere, conveying a “sense of place,” that both comforts and energizes a visitor. Personally, I find it to be a reliable source of nurturance to my creative spirit, as well as my palate. This is due to several factors, mostly, what we have chosen to grow and where those plantings are placed. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun Gold Tomatoes, ripening</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bKnabQ8bMdU/VZ6f4JiNphI/AAAAAAAAA2s/2OSoJHKVw2E/s1600/Fresh-baked%2BCherry%2Bpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bKnabQ8bMdU/VZ6f4JiNphI/AAAAAAAAA2s/2OSoJHKVw2E/s320/Fresh-baked%2BCherry%2Bpie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh-baked Cherry pie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rYoXlCh-ayw/VZ6gGzStfpI/AAAAAAAAA20/IcHDDT_OA-Q/s1600/Urn%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBosco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rYoXlCh-ayw/VZ6gGzStfpI/AAAAAAAAA20/IcHDDT_OA-Q/s320/Urn%2Bin%2Bthe%2BBosco.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More greens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IieJGzhR2Zo/VZ6glVT0faI/AAAAAAAAA28/JWtgjyUcJ4M/s1600/Grus%2Ban%2Bteplitz%2Brose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IieJGzhR2Zo/VZ6glVT0faI/AAAAAAAAA28/JWtgjyUcJ4M/s320/Grus%2Ban%2Bteplitz%2Brose.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grus An Teplitz roses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LRQLmrq-1pw/VZ6graEsFJI/AAAAAAAAA3E/z6l92W20150/s1600/Edging%2Bstones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LRQLmrq-1pw/VZ6graEsFJI/AAAAAAAAA3E/z6l92W20150/s320/Edging%2Bstones.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scalloped edging stones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FgrcnID0Kyg/VZ6c_TuFLOI/AAAAAAAAAz4/lyh0v_0byho/s1600/Teatime%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bgarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FgrcnID0Kyg/VZ6c_TuFLOI/AAAAAAAAAz4/lyh0v_0byho/s320/Teatime%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bgarden.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teatime in the garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u1PY2tfFItc/VZ6dNOsQ6gI/AAAAAAAAA0A/qf6KwKFneYc/s1600/Bartlett%2Bpears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u1PY2tfFItc/VZ6dNOsQ6gI/AAAAAAAAA0A/qf6KwKFneYc/s320/Bartlett%2Bpears.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bartlett pears</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZAQdWx_I0A/VZ6dPXAk-RI/AAAAAAAAA0I/uWg3T8p_eoU/s1600/Sour%2BCherries%2Bon%2Bthe%2Btree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZAQdWx_I0A/VZ6dPXAk-RI/AAAAAAAAA0I/uWg3T8p_eoU/s320/Sour%2BCherries%2Bon%2Bthe%2Btree.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sour Cherries on the branch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7Bhy9GggUY/VZ6dcJBleqI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/XYCeSXG88g0/s1600/Macintosh%2Bapple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z7Bhy9GggUY/VZ6dcJBleqI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/XYCeSXG88g0/s320/Macintosh%2Bapple.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macintosh apples</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f42KkOe6kgk/VZ6dfV8stPI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/P8XdaYwKwu8/s1600/Peaches%2Bripening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f42KkOe6kgk/VZ6dfV8stPI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/P8XdaYwKwu8/s320/Peaches%2Bripening.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pipening peaches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bare in mind, we are speaking of a combination of trees, shrubs, perennials and constantly rotating annuals. In turn, the choice of plants has been determined based on a desire to have the garden reflect harmonious interaction between its human inhabitants and the Natural world, with a particular emphasis on the edible landscape here in zone seven. This year, the vegetable gardens selection of edibles ranges from Artichokes to Zucchini, thriving within its boxwood borders. Elsewhere there is an Italian-style “bosco,” or grove of fruit trees, a grape vine, evocative of one I grew up with, and a separate herb garden close to the kitchen door for seasoning our cooking. There is even a lawn suitable for games like badminton or croquet as well as simply sun-bathing. Thus, color, texture, scent and taste collaborate to produce “a little slice of Heaven,” right outside the door!<br />
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The plantings are complimented by a variety of furnishings that in tandem with the plant material help to define and refine the parameters of the garden. As I recall, the earliest of these (acquired at a flea market), is a late 19<sup>th</sup> century, American cast iron planter with large symmetrical “ears,” that now sits atop a brick plinth at the heart of the vegetable garden, like a bow on a lavish gift, or a punctuation mark. Each season, some new element seems to find its way into the mix - an urn or a teak bench in the style of Sir Edwin Luytchens, a planter or a set of cast stone lions to guard a path - each of them in its way helping to identify a passage, to draw the eye, to direct (or stop) ones steps. Thoughtfully juxtaposed, these elements augment the “bones” of the garden, remaining constant throughout the seasons, even as the plantings themselves evolve by the hour. They help to nurture an experience of serenity. The newest addition is a number of scalloped edging stones that we are using to delineate the edge of the long flower border. They look deliberate, intentional, and appropriate, (as opposed to hap-hazard) belying their origins as a neighbors unwanted cast-offs!</div>
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( All images and text copyright Everett H. Scott 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced, or copied in any form without specific written permission of Everett H. Scott, or his authorised representative.)</div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-73511829958942062812015-06-22T06:30:00.001-04:002015-06-22T06:30:37.470-04:00The Summer Solstice, 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
June 21, 2015<br />
<br />
Dear gardening friends,<br />
Last Winter, we gardeners endured cold, snowy conditions, the brutality and duration of which threatened to erase all memory of the color green from our minds eye. Today, as we celebrate the Summer Solstice, with the most hours of daylight we will experience in the Northern Hemisphere this year, I offer you a slide show of what has happened in the garden, since then, with the assurance of much more to come. Enjoy!<br />
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(All photographs copyright Everett H. Scott, 2015. All rights reserved. No image may be used without prior written permission from Everett H. Scott.)<br />
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-47650334102242736542014-11-18T20:14:00.002-05:002014-11-18T20:14:43.300-05:00Views from The Eyrie, New York Cityscapes by Everett H. Scott<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Views from The Eyrie</span><br />
Cityscapes by Everett H. Scott<br />
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</span>Thirty years ago, in November of 1984, I shared a modest one-bedroom
apartment on West 91<sup>st</sup> Street, in New York City. It was in a
building typical of the Upper West Side, pre-war but recently renovated. It
remains on the Northwest corner of 91<sup>st</sup> Street and Broadway. At the
time, there was a Twin Donut shop on the corner and a Chinese hand-laundry in
the basement. It was a sunny, South-facing apartment with windows over-looking
a row of brownstone houses across the street. In one of the brownstones,
directly opposite us, lived two of our neighbors, Michael Case, a young
mid-westerner, whose miniscule studio apartment was so small that one could
literally touch the opposite walls by simply stretching out ones arms. The
dimensions of his apartment rendered all of his activities observable. On a
lower floor lived a Latino man, employed as a doorman somewhere, but whose
passion was making and dressing dolls. From our apartment, we could observe him
hunched over his sewing machine, stitching together the voluminous satin and
lace ball gowns he devised for the pink plastic dolls on his windowsill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To insure our own privacy, we ordered
wooden Venetian blinds, and John, my roommate, became adept at making
draperies. I became practiced at temporarily “blacking out” the windows, with
fabric and plastic bags, to avoid exposing my light-sensitive photography
materials to sunlight.</div>
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</span>One morning, November 19<sup>th</sup>, I awoke and announced, to myself
as much as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>anyone else, “I need
another apartment!” Mind you, I was one half of a duo, each of whom had
burgeoning collections of furnishings, clothing and books. Then, as now, John,
my partners, favorite activity was trolling the local auction houses – Tepper
and Lubin galleries, downtown – where he found an endless variety of “objets”
from other New Yorker’s estates. I had all of the paraphernalia required to
operate a darkroom, which I attempted to maintain in our five by five foot
bathroom. It was no small wonder that I was interested in finding more space.
As anyone who has undertaken the task to find an apartment in New York – or any
place else – can attest, this is a formidable task, generally thought to
require “deep pockets,” lots of patience and “a willingness to compromise.” I
may have had two of those three.</div>
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</span>Well, after my revelation about needing more space, I went about my days’
routines, which at the time included stopping by the Artweave textile gallery on
the ground floor of 310 Riverside Drive, where my friend Ocsi Ullman was a
dealer in antique textiles, or “schmattes” as he affectionately called them.
Ocsi was something of a mentor to me, and he was plugged into a wide variety of
social circles. He always seemed to know what was going on, and where. That
afternoon was no different, and when, over a cup of tea, I casually mentioned
my interest in finding another apartment, he immediately responded, “Well, you
know, there is an apartment available in this building, on the twenty-third
floor.” And that, as they say, was that. By four PM of the same day that I lifted
my “prayer to the universe,” for an apartment, I found the apartment where the
photographs in this portfolio were taken!</div>
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Erected in 1929, The Master’s Apartments remain the tallest
apartment building on Riverside Drive. It was the brainchild of the visionary
and multi-talented Russian émigré, Nicholas Roerich, (1874 – 1947) whose
preferred activity was painting landscapes of The Himalayas. A museum devoted
to his work is located on 106<sup>th</sup> St. He designed the building with
the idea of housing artists, musicians and all manner of creative people. From
the moment I first entered my apartment, I have regarded the views it affords
me with a mixture of awe and fascination. Now, thirty years on, that sense of
awe remains undiminished. I continue to marvel at the range of weather
phenomena I can observe, often with several different kinds of weather – rain,
snow, sunshine - occurring simultaneously. If the windows of my apartment on 91<sup>st</sup>
Street offered a “micro” view of the city, the views from The Masters’ offer a
“macro” perspective, encompassing all of midtown, East to Queens, North to
Westchester and even deep into New Jersey. Inspired by these views, I have nurtured
an appreciation of urban bird-life, which I find to be somewhat analogous to
ocean-life on a reef: many smaller species represented in the shallows, i.e. at
street level, with fewer, larger species patrolling the depths, i.e. higher
airspace. Thus, the apartments name: The Eyrie - The nest of an Eagle or other
bird of prey, built in a high inaccessible place.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On 91<sup>st</sup> street, beyond the limited view from our location,
was the invisible yet perceptible “aural” landscape of city noises that floated
up to our apartment. The honking of buses, and taxis, and the voices of individual
humans, going about their business, at all hours of the day and night that
created their own imagery. Contrast this with the trills of an occasional
Nightingale, perched, singing on a parapet to proclaim his territory that float
into my un-shaded windows at The Masters. It is another world, from that which
most New Yorkers are aware of, which I am happy to share with you, as best I
can, in these pictures. They make me mindful of that old photographic enigma:
that while a photograph may last forever, it represents the most fleeting of
moments, changing even as one presses the shutter.</div>
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(Copyright Everett H. Scott 2014. All rights reserved.)</div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-35800394882251613242014-08-07T18:33:00.000-04:002014-08-07T18:33:00.369-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7NSzcaXHqAQ/U-P8ewaQ_EI/AAAAAAAAAkA/uA5DHfMf1UY/s1600/View+overlooking+the+potager+from+the+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7NSzcaXHqAQ/U-P8ewaQ_EI/AAAAAAAAAkA/uA5DHfMf1UY/s1600/View+overlooking+the+potager+from+the+house.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> August Garden Round-Up</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> Yes folks, I know this Toonmoose blog entry has been a
little while coming, but I hope it will be no less welcome for being slow in
arriving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The simple truth is, our
weather this summer, warm with timely rainfall, has made for great growth in
both the flower and vegetable beds. This, in turn, has kept us busy, busy,
busy, planting and weeding – gardening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have had the choice of “doing it,” or “writing about it,” and the “doing”
has won out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Nevermind what the
weeds have to say about this.)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sdc0qmxJeHk/U-P9SfKGm3I/AAAAAAAAAkI/rK_YUicNWkc/s1600/Zinnias,+%22Bling+Bling%22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sdc0qmxJeHk/U-P9SfKGm3I/AAAAAAAAAkI/rK_YUicNWkc/s1600/Zinnias,+%22Bling+Bling%22.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still, now that some of our crops are reaching the harvest stage, I am
happy to step back and take a break long enough to share some thoughts and
photographs of what may be our best gardening season yet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bear in mind, having had our worst
Winter in years last year, with months of unrelenting snow and ice, most of us here
in the Northeastern U.S. had forgotten what green, growing plant life looked
like! It is no surprise that one may have felt tempted to stand outside and
marvel at the approach of Spring when it finally came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sC71e_COjpc/U-P9giD4v_I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/wks6HEZzGOg/s1600/View+from+the+potager+to+the+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sC71e_COjpc/U-P9giD4v_I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/wks6HEZzGOg/s1600/View+from+the+potager+to+the+house.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our plantings this year incorporated a broad selection of ornamental and
edible plants, including (but not limited to): Cosmos, Zinnias, Snow Peas,
Lettuces, Basil, Cucumbers, Peppers (both Sweet and Hot), Swiss Chard, (Red)
Okra, Green Beans, Carrots, Zucchini, Eggplant, Beets, Butternut Squash,
Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Kale, Peas, Radishes, Turnips, Parsnips, and of
course, Tomatoes. Corn, I get from a neighbor down the road who has more room
for growing it. My abiding thanks to my friend Michele Vicat and the folks at
Renee’s Garden, through whose generosity many of the seeds we grow were
obtained. Even before the official arrival of Summer at 6:51 AM on June 21<sup>st</sup>,
each day has had its highlights, whether it was the appearance of a germinating
seedling, the first bud to blossom on a flower or the ripening of a fruit or
vegetable to an edible state. Each of these moments was thrilling. But, rather
than have me scramble for the right words to describe this, let’s let the
pictures do the talking. Enjoy the following selection of images, </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw5l2dNndJs/U-P94tkfnTI/AAAAAAAAAkY/QNCQfk4CI_k/s1600/Peppers+(Carmen).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw5l2dNndJs/U-P94tkfnTI/AAAAAAAAAkY/QNCQfk4CI_k/s1600/Peppers+(Carmen).jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgZkbGDFh8E/U-P9-eDehDI/AAAAAAAAAkg/wZ04g7zJyCw/s1600/Cucumbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wgZkbGDFh8E/U-P9-eDehDI/AAAAAAAAAkg/wZ04g7zJyCw/s1600/Cucumbers.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5k9i5RenR7U/U-P-B3OizrI/AAAAAAAAAko/EA9GQntoaJg/s1600/Baby+lettuces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5k9i5RenR7U/U-P-B3OizrI/AAAAAAAAAko/EA9GQntoaJg/s1600/Baby+lettuces.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3sucTum8f98/U-P-FatcvhI/AAAAAAAAAkw/lzU6QjlJ_6M/s1600/Swiss+Chard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3sucTum8f98/U-P-FatcvhI/AAAAAAAAAkw/lzU6QjlJ_6M/s1600/Swiss+Chard.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ITXGLCikD2s/U-P-IYRR9cI/AAAAAAAAAk4/BSr7ZrZZwaE/s1600/Basils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ITXGLCikD2s/U-P-IYRR9cI/AAAAAAAAAk4/BSr7ZrZZwaE/s1600/Basils.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WQzCPzii96w/U-P-MSgIe-I/AAAAAAAAAlA/mbXuUGWf13o/s1600/Collards+and+Carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WQzCPzii96w/U-P-MSgIe-I/AAAAAAAAAlA/mbXuUGWf13o/s1600/Collards+and+Carrots.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSqBsygqRCI/U-P-TBS6bDI/AAAAAAAAAlI/XYLdUELo2lg/s1600/Lacinato+Kale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FSqBsygqRCI/U-P-TBS6bDI/AAAAAAAAAlI/XYLdUELo2lg/s1600/Lacinato+Kale.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hvi2Egm3FHM/U-P-YNwqPfI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/oNf-NtKSm5g/s1600/Swiss+Chard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hvi2Egm3FHM/U-P-YNwqPfI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/oNf-NtKSm5g/s1600/Swiss+Chard.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfqvkjjHbyc/U-P-d2QcweI/AAAAAAAAAlY/1sYVKi45aXE/s1600/Bartlett+Pears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dfqvkjjHbyc/U-P-d2QcweI/AAAAAAAAAlY/1sYVKi45aXE/s1600/Bartlett+Pears.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">and know that
the taste of the real thing is better than the pictures look. More to come,
soon, really. Keep gardening!</span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-72655857200947958742014-06-05T13:49:00.000-04:002014-06-05T13:50:09.091-04:00A Paean to Green!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ALpVSTskmxk/U5CjMTpAM2I/AAAAAAAAAiI/gPw9eBxuOmE/s1600/Ostrich+Ferns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ALpVSTskmxk/U5CjMTpAM2I/AAAAAAAAAiI/gPw9eBxuOmE/s1600/Ostrich+Ferns.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone has a favorite season of the year. For some
people it may be Summer, for others Fall, and for a few crazies, even Winter
has its appeal! Still, for me there is something about Spring – heck, there is
LOTS about Spring – that ranks it highest in my seasonal preferences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this Winters
record-breaking stormy weather, it is no surprise that warmer weather in general
is to be welcomed. More than that, Spring embodies hope and renewal for us all,
presented in a hundred (different) shades of green. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-B6DKqLp-A/U5Cjl1C7s1I/AAAAAAAAAiQ/CNzviTOXgYY/s1600/Chionadoxa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y-B6DKqLp-A/U5Cjl1C7s1I/AAAAAAAAAiQ/CNzviTOXgYY/s1600/Chionadoxa.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Beginning in April, bleak,
colorless Winter is followed by Yellow-greens, and blue-greens, grey-greens and
even green-greens! In the Northeast, it begins around Easter, as a cloud or
mist of green, a smell as much as a color, which hovers over the still cold earth,
enshrouding the barren branches of the trees and shrubs. Gradually, it settles
down (or, does it, bubble up?), and begins to take the form of mosses, shoots
and eventually leaves.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J8wxcg4n4mc/U5CjwTpVX2I/AAAAAAAAAiY/IrKvhYzNvZc/s1600/moss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J8wxcg4n4mc/U5CjwTpVX2I/AAAAAAAAAiY/IrKvhYzNvZc/s1600/moss.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> In a months time, maybe six weeks, what has been a lifeless,
open expanse, is clothed in a variety of shimmering textures, fragrances and
colors that cascade over the landscape. In the process, we encounter Snow Drops
and Lily of the Valley, Ostrich Ferns and the first returning birds. Nature
treats us to Asparagus and Rhubarb and if we stroll slowly, we may catch the
scent trail of Lilacs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a_XQrnfxXUU/U5CkIhwemrI/AAAAAAAAAig/Gkxf4LKb_fI/s1600/Digitalis+Grandiflora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a_XQrnfxXUU/U5CkIhwemrI/AAAAAAAAAig/Gkxf4LKb_fI/s1600/Digitalis+Grandiflora.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winter drives us indoors. Spring lures us
outside, and into the garden, where we get to participate in this miracle of
rejuvenation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearing away the
debris of last season’s growth, it is thrilling to discover that the Delphinium
I nurtured from seed last year, has survived Winters onslaught. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k_SwdQCQO9U/U5CkbAsyOGI/AAAAAAAAAio/r0rTYElejqY/s1600/Delphinium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k_SwdQCQO9U/U5CkbAsyOGI/AAAAAAAAAio/r0rTYElejqY/s1600/Delphinium.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, with each degree increase in warmth,
a “weedy-green” begins to infiltrate the vegetable garden! So begins the age-old
battle between one’s wishes for an orderly, bountiful garden, and Nature’s
chaotic exuberance, which makes no distinction between the edible and the
inedible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is time to retire the
snow shovel and paint brushes that got us through the Winter; <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">“Hoes and rakes to the rescue! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Together, they extract the
weeds, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">and make the furrows for the
seeds.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Redeem
your ski cap <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">for a sun hat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The
imagination takes flight while occupied with the seemingly mundane. But, there
is nothing mundane about the flavors and the nutrition that comes out of the
garden. Nutrition, for body AND soul! So, plant on! And, don’t be afraid to
thin your seedlings!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lucky readers in the
New York area can get more gardening inspiration, when, on June 7<sup> </sup>-
8, 2014, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is presenting Garden Day at The
Cloisters, in Upper Manhattan. Members of the horticultural staff will be
available to answer questions and talks will be given throughout each day on
topics including The Medieval Garden, and Medieval Plants to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Delight the Senses. For more
information, go to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">www.metmuseum.org/cloisters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-50820853019000204182014-05-10T10:46:00.000-04:002014-05-10T10:46:39.473-04:00A taste of Blairsden!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Toonmoose takes you to Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, to visit Blairsden, the family home of C. Ledyard Blair. The house was designed and constructed in the Beaux-Arts style between 1897 and 1903 by the firm of Carrere and Hastings, with Italiante gardens designed by James Leal Greenleaf, an associate of Frederick Law Olmsted. After being inaccessible to the public for many years, in 2014 the house is the centerpiece of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgj23SghMdY&feature=youtu.be">The Mansion In May house and garden tour</a>. More than 50 designers came together to showcase their ideas and style as a benefit for The Joan and Edward Foley Pediatric Intensive Care Unit & The Autism and Child Development Center at Morristown Medical Center.</div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-48030141235506107732014-04-30T22:32:00.000-04:002014-04-30T22:56:11.128-04:00Getting Underway!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrjSNlwIle8/U2Gx8iWk06I/AAAAAAAAAg8/DGn2gl2rUg0/s1600/Mother+&+daughter+planting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RrjSNlwIle8/U2Gx8iWk06I/AAAAAAAAAg8/DGn2gl2rUg0/s1600/Mother+&+daughter+planting.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 29px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 29px;"> </span>Given the hard Winter
we experienced last year, with record- setting snowfalls and cold temperatures,
we gardeners are hardly to be faulted for doubting that Spring would ever
return. And yet, here it is, right on schedule, in all its pastel glory. After
weeks – months even – when we never saw the ground beneath Winters snowy blanket,
that blanket has now been lifted - stored in Natures closet - to expose evidence
of life, just waiting for the right combination of temperature and sunlight for
a chance to burst forth. I have
welcomed the sight with all of the enthusiasm of a NASA scientist whose search
for extraterrestrial life has been rewarded. I am not alone in my anticipation
of the emerging growing season, if attendance at this years’ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llGtNg6SLjQ">2014 Antique Garden Furniture Fair</a> at <a href="http://nybg.org/">The New York Botanical Garden</a> is any indication.
Eager gardeners turned out in droves to peruse the offerings of dealers from
across the country in pursuit of just the right bench, cast stone planter, or
sundial – the proper accent piece - to compliment ones personal growing
environment. To encourage the return of growth in my own garden, I recently
applied to the vegetable and flowerbeds, a layer of compost from one of our
favorite plants-men, <a href="http://lindenhillgardens.com/">Jerry Fritz</a>.
Now, as the snowy Winter gives way to rainy Spring, I imagine the plants roots
acting like vegetal IV tubes, absorbing Natures’ nutrients, drinking in the
building blocks of taste, texture and what the French call “terroir.” for the
new growth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of things
French, it is more appropriate than ever that we refer to our garden as a “potager”
{French for vegetable garden} as this year, many of the seeds we are growing
have come from France, compliments of our good friend, Michele when she came to
pay us a visit. From lettuce to cabbage, she brought us a variety of seeds that
includes all the vegetables one might expect to find growing in a garden in The
Dordogne, presented to us in a colorful market shopping bag. What seeds she didn’t bring us, we got compliments of <a href="http://www.reneesgarden.com/">Renee’s
Garden</a>, which in my opinion is one of the premiere sources in America for heirloom,
open-pollinated, certified organic seed. As if that weren’t too much, our
friends Anthony and Carlos also brought us seeds, from Italy and Brazil;
Calendula for the flower beds and a host of natural remedies, and Cicoria, Radiccio
di Treviso, a variety of bitter greens (only this one grows red), that has been
favored by Italians for hundreds if not thousands of years. What bounty?! Together,
these offerings give substance to our garden motto: “An American garden,
reflecting a world of ideas.”<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A32S099Z-fs/U2GxqMVmYiI/AAAAAAAAAg0/Gz3EdOE7ir0/s1600/Marketing+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A32S099Z-fs/U2GxqMVmYiI/AAAAAAAAAg0/Gz3EdOE7ir0/s1600/Marketing+bag.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
But gardening isn’t
only an activity for country life, as I was reminded recently. Coming home to
the Upper West Side of Manhattan one recent evening, I was pleased to encounter
a young mother and daughter, trowels in hand, planting Marigolds, Dusty Miller
and Begonias in a neighborhood tree-well, long after the sun had gone
down. They graciously consented to
let me photograph them, as testament to the enduring, universal, primal desire
to be connected to the Earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llGtNg6SLjQ<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 22pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-27262580194387481912014-04-28T10:59:00.001-04:002014-04-28T10:59:20.299-04:00Setting the Stage!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Gardening Friends,<br />
On Friday April 25th, through Sunday April 27th, the New York Botanical Garden in The Bronx will play host to the annual <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llGtNg6SLjQ">Antique Garden Furniture Fair</a>, bringing together dealers from all over the country, offering a vast selection of garden related furnishings. In the attached video clip, Toonmoose reporter Everett Scott offers a glimpse of these offerings, to encourage you to create your best garden environment ever. Have a look, and enjoy!</div>
Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-33476564212424413762014-01-04T17:38:00.003-05:002014-01-04T17:38:42.149-05:00Happy New (Gardening) Year!! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy New (Gardening) Year!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qzxQ0Thiko0/UsiKNcgsRNI/AAAAAAAAAco/B-h-H3QsEWE/s1600/Vase+of+flowers+(Grape+Hyacinth+and+Violet).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qzxQ0Thiko0/UsiKNcgsRNI/AAAAAAAAAco/B-h-H3QsEWE/s320/Vase+of+flowers+(Grape+Hyacinth+and+Violet).jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Photograph:
Vase of Flowers, (Homage to Morandi), copyright Everett H. Scott 2014. All
rights reserved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">From
the cover of the Potager at Penrose Bungalow 2014 calendar. Now available to
order. Please send an email for details.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dear gardening friends,</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I appreciate
that the first week of January may seem a premature moment to discuss
gardening, especially as here in the Northeast there is a six-inch blanket of
snow covering the landscape, rather like a white board that has been wiped
clean, never-mind the temperature hovering around a frosty nineteen degrees!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Still,
the arrival of the first seed catalogues, from <a href="http://www.mainepotatolady.com/">The Maine Potato Lady</a>, and <a href="http://www.burpee.com/">Burpee</a>,
reminds us that as of January 4, 2014, the first day of Spring is only 74 days
away! Just selecting the vegetables and flowers that one will attempt to grow
this year could consume a good chunk of that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of my choices are “perennial,” like Fish Peppers and
Cosmos which are always welcome in my beds. It is nice though, to introduce
something new into the mix, perhaps a native Asclepia that is preferred by the
pollinators in your area, or some leafy vegetable that can be prepared in lots
of interesting ways, like the Early Red Treviso Chicory seeds that my friend
Carlos brought me from Italy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
can imagine this raw in a salad, grilled or wilted in a little olive oil. Yum! And, the
red color will stand out, especially among the vegetables in the potager.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, it isn’t only
through tilling the soil and reaping the harvest that our garden interests
are satisfied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the exhibition
of jewels by JAR <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/jewels-by-jar">http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2013/jewels-by-jar</a>,
at The Metropolitan Museum through March 9, it was a small pair of earrings,
one a pave set carrot, the other a pave set beet, that I found to be among the
most appealing items, though the artists skill at rendering Nature in precious metal,
wood and a broad range of gems and stones was, generally, awe inspiring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Then,
when this pair of lamps showed up at a recent auction, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89YurFMJL6I/UsiMwa53GxI/AAAAAAAAAc0/u17U61MRaGo/s1600/Floral+lamps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-89YurFMJL6I/UsiMwa53GxI/AAAAAAAAAc0/u17U61MRaGo/s320/Floral+lamps.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I knew immediately that
I wanted them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These whimsical,
decorative accents from mid-twentieth century Italy, have the power to evoke
the Spring-time garden, no matter the date on the calendar or their physical
setting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> So,
whether you are reading this from the comfort of your Florida room in Palm
Beach, huddled around a radiator in St. Paul, or praying for rain in
California, take a moment to plan now for the gardening days ahead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll be glad you did!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks for
staying “Tooned.” More soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Toonmoose (Everett)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6963364542022811403.post-18586813680566488562013-09-29T11:23:00.001-04:002013-09-29T11:23:48.889-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s
play,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“This was the Summer of________.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2HQesxA4HY/UkhD9LANlsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/UqJompwt9oE/s1600/Putto+wrestling+a+dolphin+fountain,+copyright+2013,+Everett+H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2HQesxA4HY/UkhD9LANlsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/UqJompwt9oE/s320/Putto+wrestling+a+dolphin+fountain,+copyright+2013,+Everett+H.jpg" width="240" /></a></b></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the eve of our
eighth year of gardening at The Potager at Penrose Bungalow, if there is any
one important observation we have made about the garden, it is that it is never
the same two years, or even two days, in a row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New plants are introduced, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X09OI8AO0-o/UkhERj2w7qI/AAAAAAAAAZg/ooayhrR4Lws/s1600/Leonotus+Leonurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X09OI8AO0-o/UkhERj2w7qI/AAAAAAAAAZg/ooayhrR4Lws/s320/Leonotus+Leonurus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (Leonotus Leonorus)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">while other plants are relocated.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Established plantings mature and
spread, altering the profile of the landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Color and texture materialize, then migrate from one border
to another. One of the joys of a vegetable garden, is that one can vary its
plantings and their location every year, and in different seasons, guaranteeing
a rotating selection of treats for the eye and palate. It is in making note of
these changes and this evolution, that we too are changed, and grow, giving
rise to one of my favorite pastimes, namely, playing “This was the Summer of_____”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, that as of
September 23<sup>rd</sup> we have officially entered into the Fall of 2013, is
the perfect time to engage in this exercise. To play, one fills in the blank at
the end of the sentence, the point being to take note of achievements that occurred
during this year’s summer growing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I enjoy this game so much every year, perhaps because there isn’t any
competition. There are no “wrong” answers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, it is an opportunity to be conscious of, and give
thanks, for whatever notable events that have occurred, plants that were grown,
or, items that were acquired, but especially those experiences that contributed
to a “successful” gardening season, (however one chooses to define success), given
that - depending on ones’ growing zone - there is a limited “window of
opportunity” when ones’ garden can be worked in. Now I think of it, even those
of you without a garden can play, so long as your responses occur within the
period of time between the end of Spring and the onset of Fall 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In making reply, one
might offer the name of a vegetable that is enjoying special favor, like Kale,
for instance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uxYLa-wgK2Q/UkhFUo5qdTI/AAAAAAAAAZs/B1KcU0T0nmM/s1600/Lacinato+Kale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uxYLa-wgK2Q/UkhFUo5qdTI/AAAAAAAAAZs/B1KcU0T0nmM/s320/Lacinato+Kale.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;">(Whether one has
grown it, or found it with unusual frequency on restaurant menus doesn’t
matter.) But, who knows, perhaps in your garden, some other legume has stolen
the garden “limelight” this year?” Nor are answers strictly limited to plant
materials. A few summers ago it was finding a vintage metal garden table and
chairs at auction that topped our “Summer of …” list, and this year it was
acquiring the vintage “Putto wrestling a dolphin” fountain that figures prominently
in my remembrances of the seasons special finds. Not only is the fountain beautiful
in its own right, but the unifying effect it has on the garden over-all, places
it near, if not at, the top of my list of noteworthy 2013 garden events. For
our neighbors it will no doubt be the completion of a paved patio, that took
fourteen rather than four months to get done, that will no doubt qualify for
their list of the summers’ memorable achievements. Thus, the “rubrics” for
making this list are completely up to you, dear reader, to create, bearing in
mind the theme of the 2013 growing season. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also high on my list
of exciting activities for this years growing season was the inclusion of two
of my trellis designs in the exhibition, Artful Trellises, on the grounds of Morven, the historic mansion and garden in Princeton, New Jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SH1HxuDcjQc/UkhFtISbXPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/LCGiPPsnYoU/s1600/Bower+of+Beauty,+mature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SH1HxuDcjQc/UkhFtISbXPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/LCGiPPsnYoU/s320/Bower+of+Beauty,+mature.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7xhXnkTp7Q/UkhFivaU51I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/YVmOD1ugxPw/s1600/Column+of+Color,+mature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7xhXnkTp7Q/UkhFivaU51I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/YVmOD1ugxPw/s320/Column+of+Color,+mature.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It was very fulfilling to see these pieces
evolve from ideas in ones’ head, and materialize into structures, which in turn
evolved as the vines planted around them grew and matured. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The array of annual vines that were used-
Asuarina, Thumbergia and Cardiospermum (“Balloon Vine”) among others - opened
up a whole new world of gardening possibilities for me, and will be featured in
gardens to come. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, the Peach
tree didn’t produce a single edible fruit – too much rain, apparently - while the
(Bartlett) Pear has produced a bumper crop of fruit that we have transformed
into some of our favorite treats. My mouth waters just thinking of a salad constructed
of equal parts Pear and Endive, with Blue Cheese and Walnut crumbles, with
a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">spritz</i> of Balsamic vinaigrette. It is simultaneously sweet and
tangy, crunchy and smooth, crisp, creamy and nutty. Yum! This qualifies as a
taste of Heaven, by the fork-full, right here on Earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MIdb83OsgIs/UkhF2y_e6DI/AAAAAAAAAaE/Z11QJh82hIk/s1600/pear+endive+salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MIdb83OsgIs/UkhF2y_e6DI/AAAAAAAAAaE/Z11QJh82hIk/s320/pear+endive+salad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, do you have a recipe that
you enjoyed for the first time this season? Tell us about it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you grew a plant for the first
time? Put it on your list and share it with your fellow gardeners. Perhaps you
lost a tree to one of the powerful storms that have swept across the country,
allowing sunlight to reach a previously shaded area? Such a change can
permit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>entirely new varieties of
plants to thrive in an area where previously they would not have had a chance
to grow. Let us know. Maybe you visited a garden for the first time, or, had a migrating bird visit your garden for the first time? ? Add that
to your list! Any and all of these things act cumulatively, as inspiration for
gardening in seasons yet to come!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Toonmoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15422063974646536443noreply@blogger.com0