Now that it really is fall, no denying it, it’s time for last looks at some tropical lushness. How about a return visit to the amazing grounds of the Smithsonian Institution?
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Susan Harris's blog about eco-friendly and urban gardening, plus the adventures of a DC-based garden writer, coach and occasional rabble-rowser.
From the monthly archives:
September 2005
If you respond to animals in a completely sappy, anthropomorphic way – like I do – it’s hard to see them in captivity. Thankfully, these days zoos provide kinder habitats for the animals, and it’s not so heartbreaking to see them. My sister and I had a terrific visit to the National Zoo yesterday and were at least as delighted as the kids.
The zoo’s undisputed megastar right now wasn’t available for viewing, but he’s right here on the Web and we can watch him 24/7. Of course I’m talking about our 11-week-old panda boy, not yet named but well known to the entire metro populace. Check him out on the fabulous Pandacam, but you’re warned: If he and his mom and awake and doing anything, you won’t be able to stop watching.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Merry Olde England has always had a lot to teach us about gardening, and their newest, hottest instructor is a cute young thing named Matt James. At 10 a.m. Sundays, Matt takes the scruffiest-looking trash heaps of back yards he can find in ugly English cities and turns them into works of art. And not the same colorful, naturalistic border gardens we see in our gardening magazines but high concept works of modern design. More than any other garden make-over show, this one creates the sense that a miracle is taking place – and in a mere half hour, no less. Like the Chelsea Garden Show that showcases much more innovative gardens than anything in this country, HGTV’s newest import inspires, big-time.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I’ve decided to start my rants with a pretty picture to soften up my readers, and this one is fresh off the old digital. It’s a lovely blue plumbago, the airy foliage of amsonia (lower left), cross vine foliage, and some mostly spent butterfly bush flowers.
Now for the rant, which is about some folks I know who say, when asked if they’ve checked out this blog, "Oh, I never read blogs." So I ask you, blog-readers all, why do some people feel such aversion? I liken it to people who dismiss all of television – including public TV, HBO and the Daily Show, for crissakes. I say yeah, most people would be bored by most blogs, but if something important is happening on them (the major political ones) or someone you know is expressing herself through one, isn’t it worth a look? And as blogs become a more entrenched part of our culture, do you think some of these stalwarts will come around?
So now to praise the (sometimes) mighty blog. After a bit of writing for print and for static websites, I’m totally enamored of this medium. I love the cumulative nature of it, especially when you can file posts away in categories for future reference. I love the comments and the community that they foster. It’s also a great place to display photos. And the experience of posting daily, or trying to, means that the photography, the writing and the posting all become parts of your everyday life, so you’re stretching those little muscles daily. Not to mention just thinking of something to say. And say you?
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
These asters started their life in my garden as the 8-inch cultivar "Purple Mound," but their offspring were all 3 feet tall. Then the next generation took a new tack and appeared in the usual purple and a new color, this lovely pink. If this is their way of telling me I’m not in charge, I get it. In fact, I can always count on my garden to make me feel insignificant.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Just one more thing about lespedezas. There’s one in this photo just starting to emerge in front of the azalea, still short enough not to block my view of the azalea when it’s blooming. Now I bet you all know what happens to the azalea next – it holds onto its ugly dead flowers for a good 6 weeks before finally dropping then, after which it just looks boring the rest of the year. But here’s a solution. The lower photo shows the same spot in September with the lespesdeza now tall and blooming in front of it. I love this plant combo.
Now I don’t know about where you live but here in the Azalea Belt, my occasional dissing of azaleas doesn’t win me any friends. My town’s nickname is "Azalea City" – oh, dear. Many residents have nothing but azaleas, even in full sun. So I’m constantly pushing alternative shrubs (or companions to azaleas) like pieris, nandina and leucothoe – my favorite shrubs for the shade. For sunny spots I suggest a combination of evergreens and such flowering beauties as spirea, weigela, and small viburnums. Come on, people, let’s at least diversify.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
