I am a gardener that spends most of my garden time looking down at the level of my feet, peering into the depths of each flower in search of beauty, examining each leaf closely for evidence of insect damage or fungus, standing fast against the tiny advance guard of marauding weeds. I rarely take the time to glance up into the greater world and appreciate the wider views of my garden. I could probably blame my approach to gardening on my surgical training because of the similar approach when I concentrate on a surgery. In one moment, in a surgery, the world is small, the length of an incision or of a bone fragment. The work completed, I take a breath and suddenly there is a bright room, with people and beeping anesthesia machines and the clank of instruments thrown back onto the table. My innate focus on the activity at hand, however, is probably not training but is simply my nature and perhaps why I enjoy both my vocation and my hobby. Anyway, the lesson for the today is to try not to be like me.
I was struck recently, walking Bella and passing by the northeast facing "entrance" to my back patio (shown above left), that a tall pillar rose on the left and the house on the right frame an almost good vista, the fake path stones leading one's eye to the patio and the statue and steps at the other end beckoning onward. I was also struck by the fact that I know the view from top of the steps at the other end, shown to the right here, is not quite as artful, no frame to draw the eye and the satellite disk rudely imposing on the scene.
But those observations did serve to lead me into a search for other pleasing vistas in my garden and I learned once again that finding beauty is often simply a matter of one's perspective. A frontal view of this peony bed, with peonies, mockorange, and honeysuckle in full bloom is not nearly so interesting as the "long axis" view at the left, with the curved line of the bed drawing our eyes down it. It was a fabulous Spring morning, that day I took this photo.
And likewise, my lavender border, frozen back and beaten down by a harsh winter, looks like forty miles of bad road until the gardener or visitor takes a position to look along the bed, focusing on the upended limestone rock at the center. The light blues, purples, grays and greens are so soothing that I could sit and look at this picture all day long.
I need to remember to look up far more often. I live in a place where the sky and the land meet sometimes to form a fantastic view, a vista that only needs to be carefully framed to release the magic within it. Two steps to the right and several feet forward and the picture at the left, of the low clouds, distant fog and my neighbor's house, could have been an even better memory of a special early morning. We merely need to always remember to look for the beauty, frame it, and file it away, in a picture or in that collection of neural paths called a memory. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder, but it is certainly enhanced and improved by the perspective of the beholder.
Though an old gardener, I am but a young blogger. The humor and added alliteration are free.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Rural Rhythm
Among the Griffith Buck roses that I ordered and planted this year is a delightful delicate pink rose named 'Rural Rhythm'. Introduced in 1984, 'Rural Rhythm' is a cross of 'Carefree Beauty' and 'The Yeoman' and is the first of the Buck roses I've run across that incorporated David Austin's English Rose line in the breeding. I would say her appearance, however, reminds me of a more delicate 'Tiffany', the very shell pink blossoms of 'Rural Rhythm' tending to yellow at the base. The petals on this rose are, however, almost translucent when the rose fully opens, reminiscent of the English rose parent. According to Sam Kedem, the color of the flowers intensify in cool weather, so I'll be looking forward to that as Fall nears.
'Rural Rhythm' blooms in clusters of 1-5 and the flowers are full and quite large, about 4 inches in diameter. They start out in Hybrid Tea form, but quickly open to golden stamens against a light yellow center. One poster on Gardenweb.com suggested that the flowers have weak necks but I haven't yet noticed that here. On the plus side, the bloom is so light-colored that it doesn't burn in the Kansas sun, but not so light that it browns when it gets wet or fades. There is a moderate fragrance to my nose, again tending more to the English rose parent. My small bush has been blooming its head off (I counted 20 blooms at once on a bush that has yet to reach one foot in height or wide), but it is far to early for me to say anything about blackspot or winter hardiness here in Kansas. Internet references suggest that it is both hardy to Zone 4b and blackspot resistant. I did run across a really great pamphlet on hardy roses for Zone 4 from the University of Idaho Extension, which listed Rural Rhythm as having 50% winter dieback.
Beyond everything else, I simply love the name of 'Rural Rhythm'. I can't find any explanation of why Dr. Buck gave it that name, but it has everything going for it. It has alliteration, it rolls off the tongue, and it reflects the quiet nature of the rose in the garden. My rural garden.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Pink Daylily Rap
'Frosted Vintage Ruffles' |
I like pink day-lilies and I cannot lie
You other gardeners can't deny
When a bud pops open
with a pretty lacy bloom
with a pretty lacy bloom
And a pink that's over the moon
You feel young
Sung, of course, to the melody of Baby Got Back. I'm not in the habit of singing rap composed by Sir Mix-A-Lot, but I couldn't help thinking of this one in regards to my pink daylilies. I would advise older male gardeners who like my revised lyrics to make sure they sing the words rather than hum it when they are near their spouses. Most wives just don't seem to react well to spouses humming Baby Got Back in their near vicinity. Ask me how I know.
'Siloam Double Classic' |
'Jolyene Nichole'??? |
'Bubblegum Delicious' |
(returning to Baby Got Back)...
So Gardeners! (Yeah!), Gardeners! (Yeah!)
Is your daylily good and pink? (Heck yeah!)
Then you should show it (Show it!)
Show it! (Show it!)
Show off that healthy bloom!
Daylily Got Pink!
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