Flower Show

Bloom City




Front garden asters and max sunflowers -unfortunately cut in bulk by a greedy admirer.

The self-seeded borage.

Now that the heat of summer has passed, the path's alyssum looks good as new.

New Dawn's hips finally orange.

Side yard max sunflowers.

Eupatorium and aster together.

Honey bees hot for 'Alma Potschke.'

Asclepias tuberosa seeds.

The garden has been colonized by Snakeroot, formerly Eupatorium rugosum, now Ageratina altissima.

The under-appreciated individual flowers of Sedum.

The other asters -these more pointy-petaled and later blooming.

The gerbera daisy blooming in its pot.

White Gaura still gliding through the air.

Monkshood, Aconitum napellus (probably).

A look under the hood.

The unstoppable 'Sheffield's are now in bloom.

Other plants are still in bloom -the goldenrod, the phlox, the lily turf, the shrub rose, the honeysuckle, and even 'New Dawn.' It could be said the front garden has matured, and with it I have become aware of the movement of time, the passing of years, its inherent clockwork. It is both designed to take less of my time and I have less time for it. Yet I am comforted by the appreciation of so many passers-by, lending their presence -a certain kind of care all its own.


Philadelphia Flower Show

I won two tickets to the Philadelphia Flower Show from the NYC garden blog called Garden Bytes From The Big Apple! The blog authors, Ellen Spector Platt and Ellen Zachos have great knowledge of houseplants and container gardening among other things, and they give away prizes!

I've never been to the Philly Flower Power Hour, or to anything remotely like a flower or garden show. I do know that its the top dog in the U.S. of gardening A. because it is so often mentioned in the gardening press. I have imaginings of something part Disney, part Automobile Show, part Rodale Institute, part Botanical Conservatory, and hopefully not part Funerary Display.

The one down side: getting there. A quick review of Amtrak says $180 round trip for two to Philly. $180!!! No wonder people drive. Mass transit should be cheaper than driving. That should be its priority selling point -Uh, we're cheaper than driving. I'll probably take Greyhound, at about 60 bucks for two, roundtrip. Cool, okay -reasonable enough, bus -well
I must submit to mass transit, I don't have a car.