Friday, June 18, 2010

An evening in the yard


Here is proof that my cherry tree has borne fruit. I have eaten two of the four so far. This one is slated for tomorrow. You can tell that my cherry tree is not faring well. The leaves are crisping and falling. All the other fruit trees are lush and green.


I mostly give you close-ups - cropping out dead and dying stuff, focusing on flowers for drama. Tonight I am sharing a couple of larger views. This is a portion of the south wall that was planted later in the spring and has recently been partially replanted.


This is a view standing near the cherry tree and looking toward the grapevine. Yes, that black plastic tub holds a new rose bush. More on that momentarily.


Last year I sowed cosmos seeds everywhere and they sprung up with a vengeance, choking out other plants. This year I have some volunteers and this is the first to bloom.


White petunia and artemisia. I love the gray leaves of the artemisia.


A penstemon just about to bud.


The tomato harvest has begun on this bush.


This is a Methley plum. Much riper than the one I showed here recently, though only a few days later. It will be ready for eating soon.

Now, we all know I should step away from the rose aisle in garden centers, but allow me to tell you a story.

In my first gardening season in Albuquerque (spring to autumn 2007) the pride and joy of all my roses was a Tournament of Roses bush with its stunning pink on pink blooms. It gave me incredible joy to see it day after day. It did very little the following year and by 2009 was basically a sickly looking non-producer. When I replanted roses this year it was among those ripped up and thrown out to make way for something in healthier shape.

Tonight on the way home I saw a Tournament of Roses bush at Home Depot. There is no way I could pass it by, even though I had to find a new spot to plant it. Well, it is planted between the crookneck squash, the Methley plum, and the nearer Circus rose.

This is why I could not say no:


And that is this evening's garden tour. I had other chores on my to-do list but planting and watering (which I did not begin until around 7) took me up to nightfall. I will see how many items on my long to-do list for this weekend are accomplished. I suspect paying the gas bill will be the last accomplishment this evening (unless you count reading chapter 6 of Mark's Gospel out loud in Italian to the kids).

What can I say? When one has a priest for a daddy one gets the strangest bedtime stories.

--the BB

3 comments:

Jane R said...

:-) I am going to go say Compline from the Big Fat Saint Helena Breviary and read scripture to the cat in Spanish. Because tomorrow I am going to El Buen Pastor, Durham (first Episcopal congregation in the diocese, started in 1998 - there are others now) in the afternoon for una celebracion. Your roses are gorgeous and so is that plum!

Word verif: banterap. Sounds like banter with a burp. Or maybe it's an app that produces banter, for shy cybergeeks who don't know how to make small talk.

Paul said...

Ya leí que irás al Buen Pastor mañana. ¡Qué fantástico! Celebrate up a storm, darlin'.

Need to get myself one a them OSH breviaries.

Ellie Finlay said...

You have the most amazing green thumb, Paul.

I love the pictures of your garden (that rose is something else). They really are great for lifting my mood!