Love Me or Leaf Me

I confess that I'm plant addicted. I readily admit that I can't pass by a nursery or garden center or even a building supply emporium or grocery store without wondering if they have a particular cultivar or a sale on plant material. I have a serious problem; ask Bob. I experience physical symptoms like sweaty palms and rolling eyes and the only relief comes from purchase. I'll buy almost any plant and give it a good home.
But today it occurred on me that it isn't always about buying the plant to plant it; I think my issue is weirder. I like to drive around with plants in the car with me. Witness the above picture.
I immediately felt better- nay, elated- when I spotted this Cytisus scoparius "Moonlight" at an Agway on the way to visit my mother. Boy, will that look good in my new garden bed and even better, it likes dry soils AND it's 60% off. I lugged my find out to the car and strapped it in and we were off.
With my new found friend and co-pilot, I somehow felt on a mission. I was showing it a good time and giving it a taste of the bigger world before it came to live in our garden. The plant gave me an oxygen-enriched environment in which to ride out a serious traffic slow-down, a sort of rolling green house. Plants pretty much stay in the same spot once you bring them home. But on the way to your house, they're quite congenial travel companions. They never contradict you or offer critiques on your driving abilities. And how often does anyone think to simply take them for a spin? Personally, I think they enjoy it.

What We Did Over the Summer Part 1

(And no, it wasn't taking a long and leisurely vacation to some fabulous seaside resort!)

Here's a picture of a hole in the side of our house. Unlike many that I have shared with you, this hole was intentional. Allow me to share the details...
Last year, we were so preoccupied with the devastatingly harsh and prolonged winter weather that we never considered that we'd have a summer, complete with hot, steamy nights. Besides, we were contemplating the construction of our chimney which would facilitate heating the house. So, ideas about how to handle the heat just seemed to consist of us moaning just how really truly HOT the bedroom became in June and July and August. We kept reiterating as to how we really should do something. Like install an air conditioner.
But that's not so simple as we have exceptionally narrow windows. Very narrow and they're all the same size, so standard air conditioning units were out of the question. (We even have a million year old air conditioner that we could have used, had the windows cooperated). We did investigate free-standing units, but they were pricey and we'd heard not very efficient. Bob and I actually spent several especially uncomfortable nights dragging blankets and sheets and sleeping bags downstairs to my studio, as it was the coolest room in the house with the door opening directly onto the garden. But who wants to buy a house and then have to sleep on the floor?
But that was last year. This year, we suffered through a few stuffy, brain-damage-inducing nights before resolving to DO SOMETHING. That something entailed calling our good friend Joe (aka Richmond) and asking whether he'd lend a hand in the air conditioner installation event. He saved our lives.

So on the fourth of July, no less, on one of the hottest days, Bob and Joe knocked a hole in the wall of our bedroom and installed an air conditioning unit that Joe had rescued from a house clean out he had worked on. Joe's always such a good sport and he's generous with time and energy. (You will remember that he and Bob built 90% of the chimney. I helped with the low end/underground part!)

It works like a charm. We have been able to perform simple tasks (like think!) when the temperatures soar and even Jules the Dog waits outside the bedroom door on hot days. Systems that heat and cool are so essential to a life worth living!

Post Party Posting

Well I am happy to report that the party Bob and I gave was a smashing, rousing success! Wonderful, well attired (matching striped togs no less!) interesting denizens of our art world (and beyond) milled and mingled on our manicured lawns, consuming red wines and white and sampling exotic dishes in plastic bowls. To a one, the reports of fun had and conversations indulged in were all raves.

This morning, I crept outside a bit later than "normal" (about 6:oo typically) and began to document the waste laid and the piles left. there were some impressive remains.  I like the aftermath of a good social function!

I also perversely enjoy the accidental marriage of the edible and the not. My studio table bore some pretty handsome mash-ups.

Several outdoor chairs bore mute testimony to the post-party tiredness that overcomes us. Bob and I (and even Jules the Dog) snuck upstairs for a well-deserved nap this afternoon.

Today's Event

In just a few hours, these chairs (and many others) will contain people- the people stylish and savvy enough to attend our End of Summer Party. It is perfect weather: dry, warm and sunny and the long weekend gives us an extra day to recover afterwards!
Friends aversion to "rsvping" is puzzling. We discussed that with our good friend Roberta at her (and Phillip's) delightful garden party of several weeks past. I inquired as to how many people were slated to attend and Roberta replied that she had no idea! This is typical and unfortunate as it makes planning problematic. Is a single bottle of beer sufficient? Or should one spring for the six pack? I am not an imbiber of beer, so this is a moot point but you get my drift. We can only take a deep breath and hope that "pot luck" means something... When I was asked how many people were attending, I posited "Somewhere between 10 and 1000". I thinks that's reasonable/
In any event, the yard looks great and I'm certain that a good time will be had by all.

A Good Excuse to Clean

Nothing like the threat of an approaching party to force the residents to do a bit of serious cleaning! I always suspect that having friends over has as much to do with the desire to remove grimy soap scum from under foot in the downstairs bathroom as is does with the desire to entertain charming and attractive acquaintances!  The pile of clothes that has escalated on the hall chair, the moldy lime wedge festering on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator... all swept away in an effort to appear wholesome and clean.

We're not THAT bad. But we do have our moments. Bob and I would rather be outdoors, weeding or schlepping firewood than vacuuming any day of the week. I did make a run for the dump today, with an embarrassing amount of "riches" in the way of garbage bag after trash bag after recyclables. What is that about godliness and cleanliness as peculiar bedfellows?

So musing on entertaining has me thinking of the other enlightening aspects of throwing (flinging? tossing?) a party. I really am fascinated with inviting the peoples that populate the different corners of our universe. We invite people we make art with, people we know through our interest in gardening, people we work with at present or in the past... people we rub shoulders with occasionally in random moments of camaraderie(that looks spelled wrong) at other people's parties. What a heady mix! And sometimes these spicy mixes don't end up well at all... but I like the fact that we cooked them up and suffer the consequences (and social indigestion).  

Additionally, we promise to have electricity (it happened at my 50th birthday!) and no snow (our infamous Open House ten days after moving in; need I say more?) But what fun! If you can't roll with the punches and invite as many people as safely fit within the confines of your yard, than don't throw a party.

I am attempting to remember what Nigella Lawson said in a (funny) interview/recipe swap recently. She advised to "Never drink more than your guests". From her description, her guests were all heavy imbibers. Me? I'll try and keep a lid on it, but maybe I'll dance.

Garden Monsters or... GardenZilla?

I've been planting Tithonia (rotundafolia for those that pay attention to such things!) for years. I therefore know what it (should) look like and this ain't it! Thinking that my saved seed might be old and not germinate reliably (as I had issues with several other saved seeds),  I purchased a brand new 2012 pack of Tithonia from a Burpee's kiosk. It germinated just fine and I carefully transplanted  the little darlibgs out into my borders this late spring.
They commenced to grow. And grow. And grow. And waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in July around my birthday, I remarked to Bob that it should have been starteing to bloom. And that the leaves didn't look quite right; instead of a velvety, matte grey-gree, they look more like that ubiquitous wild lettuce with deeply cut shiny leaves. And here it is, a full month later and still no buds.

So we'll give it an "A" for vigor, but it's dwarfing other very tall denizens of my border and looks like a jolly green giant. This is not the first time that seed has been untrue. Bob gave me seedlings of "Lemon Gem" Tagetes marigolds that turned out to be orange and more "Crackerjack" than Tagetes.
I contacted Burpee's, sending along the requisite jpegs and I received a less than satisfactory answer. I was told maybe my soil was too rich- all leaves, no flowers. Or perhaps my soil was impoverished and unimproved as that another reason for low flower set. But it missed the salient issue: this is no Tithonia that I've ever seen. The rest of my plants seen to be cowering behind this monster!

I mean, several of them are well over seven feet tall and still growing. I was envious of my friend Roberta, who's well behaved Tithonia was blooming beautifully in her splendid garden. I don't think I'll save the seeds from these behemoths... that is if they ever flower!

Strange Things in the Yard

You'd think we lived in a graveyard, as we keep unearthing oddments like jaws and teeth and femurs. Bob arranged them in a cluster at the side of one of our paths; I thought it made a charming composition. We have a couple of decomposing skunk carcasses down by Bob's studio. I'm certain they will join this pile soon. I just hope what's pictured is all animal bones!
Here's another interesting sight:

I think of them as "Bob Lumps". These are now historic lumps as he made these quite a while ago. (The moss will attest to that.) They looked nice as a lump collection; they will probably serve as bottom weights for garden structures or sculptures. Can't help but wonder why no moss grew on thet one in the middle...