floating garden

this floating garden inspired by traditional japanese art themes will no longer be just a fantasy once vertilignes manufactures it. 

fall foliage

more fall color from another maple...we are still not in full effect foliage-wise, but the strong storms that blew through earlier today made it seem like fall. now leaves are swirling through the air...mounding on the ground...and beginning to change from green to awesome. one weird note: it's 76°!

sugar, sugar maple

hands down: my favorite shade tree for autumn color is the sugar maple...at the first hint of fall, the sugar maple's leaves go from chartreuse green to golden yellow... depending on weather, rainfall, blah, blah, blah...the large leaves may gyrate through various gradations of red, hot pink and orange: 

it can be stunning, especially when the autumnal sun illuminates them like so many stained glass windows in an outdoor cathedral... the thing about the sugar maple is, you have to be fast to catch the color wheel transformations: the tree can do its thing in like, 48 hours and then drop everything to the ground. i feel fortunate i was able to see this old specimen while walking the dog, because its gone now!

flower power

my first sunflower of the season is a volunteer.

rose garden

i have about 10 rose plants left in my garden...i used to have over 50, but when they built the house next door, more than 40 of my lovely plants were bull-dozed without warning: one of them was a huge heirloom that my 90-year old neighbor said had been planted back in the 20's! i cant remember the names of the various varieties i still have- or maybe i never knew them- but i love each and every one of them! i trace my affection for roses back to my roots in berkeley where i played in the rose garden almost everyday.

first strawberries

I picked -and subsequently ate- my first home grown strawberries of the season! yeah, I know: there are only four, but they were delicious! looking forward to more...

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please stop and smell the flowers

may flowers are delightful...

it seems like winter was so long ago.

how to grow potatoes

today my potato planting bags arrived and i couldnt be happier! i started planting potatoes about four years ago on valentine's day: the first year was awesome! the second year was good at first, then we got 11" of rain followed by drought and the potatoes were done; last year, potato beetles ate them to the quick...this year, i didnt plant early because we had a ton of rain, snow and freezing temperatures that persisted through march followed by a super hot and dry april. i decided to go with the bags this year because of the beetles and the fact that i dont have enough space to rotate the crops. i have a plot in an open field that was infested last year and yield nothing: other gardeners are currently planting potatoes there equalling more bugs. i also have a shady garden at the beach house with super poor soil and a garden in maryland that is going to be eliminated due to impending construction. so, the portable bags seem like the answer over the more permanent potato box! i bought four bags, each one will yield 13+ pounds of potatoes... i am going to consecutively plant them on my deck every few weeks: you start with 4" of soil; add 3-5 potato seeds; cover with 4" of soil; with each 8" of vine that grows, cover with 4" of soil; repeat until the bag is full. so easy and delicious!

wonderful wisteria

this is the time of year wisteria is in it's full glory...and i love it! these beautiful blooms are from a neglected neighborhood american wisteria vine that is rambling up a metal telephone pole support. they can get rather large and need sturdy support: the largest wisteria in the world measures over an acre(!) and weighs over 250 tons (how do they know that?), so you better have sharp shears if you want one! i love the lavender-to-blue color.

pansies and violas

today was 60-something degrees and it made me want to plant some flowers-but i know that's wrong! we are in early march, and freezing temperatures can hit at any time during the next month here in the mid-atlantic region. so, what to do when you want to see some green with a punch of color? plant violas and pansies! these hardy little beauties sneer at frost and smile through snow.

they often re-seed themselves, also.

gardens and crafts

i love this garden sphere...and i think i have a bowling ball some where over there in the weeds! i discovered this great diy project on instructables and found out the instructor has an etsy shop of beautiful things. go buy something from gardens and crafts,

they definately rock!

coolest tree house ever!

this is the coolest tree house i have ever seen! well, it actually looks more like a tree-top house, since it stands on it's own legs: whatever, it is fantastic! designed by the creative people at baumraum and seen on the contemporist. so great!

culinary arts festival at the botanic gardens

the united states botanical garden is celebrating the relationship of plants, food and culture today at their culinary arts festival. no reservations are required to enjoy edible demos, delicious tastings and the beauty of a series of highly stylized garden rooms. the botanic gardens are awesome anyway, so head over there 10-3 today and enjoy!

moon and stars watermelon.

a picked this beautiful watermelon from my ill-fated vegetable garden: sweet! this is an heirloom variety (read: "with seeds") called 'moon and stars'. last week, there were two! im not pointing fingers or anything because the bed does look abandoned:(. no worries: there are babies! here is tip from the locals: sit developing squash, pumpkins, melons, etc. on upside down aluminum pie tins to prevent moisture and/or insect damage. none here, though!

sunflower in the summertime

sunflowers in my front yard reseeded from last year's batch. totally summer!

i ♥ san francisco geraniums

geraniums blooming big-time in the city: fantastic shot from my dad's iphone of their amazing flower boxes on the roof top deck.

dandelions: the new arugula?

i just read this article in the wall street journal about the unbelievable increase in sales of dandelions and other weed-type plants. i have been saying for years "i should eat these.." but never have other than a bite in the yard. i keep seeing them at whole foods, but...maybe next year: they are apparently too bitter once the flower has bloomed. in the "comments" after the article russ cohen passes on interesting info about dandelions and other wild edibles: he is the author of a book entitled "Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten". oh, by the way: i took the photo above with my iphone and used the color splash app (on the phone!) to manipulate the image.

keyhole gardening

i had never heard of a keyhole garden before stumbling upon the awesome site organicgarden.org.uk. a keyhole garden is a raised bed garden design developed by the send-a-cow organization to teach african children to grow food all year round for their families in a small space. it is a fantastic concept!