Summer and Summer's End

What a lovely summer it has been: unusually cool, with just enough rain, no tomato blight and no need for much air conditioning. Here is the gorgeous, traffic-stopping trellis/sculpture created by David upon which the David Austin roses will peg.

I'll indulge in a little further vanity and show two flowering triumphs: The night blooming cereus photographed on August 1 at 9:26 p.m. This broad-leaved epiphyllum is a particularly well-known species of a Central American cacti. It bears large, strongly fragrant flowers that bloom for a single night only. That dramatic flowering makes up for the otherwise floppy, sloppy habit of the plant during the rest of the year. I've had mine now for about 15 years and for the first ten years it did not bloom. Now it blooms each summer on my porch anywhere from July to September depending on when I drag it out of the house. This propagates easily but I've found few takers in my time.

And, finally, the autumn flowering clematis which has perfumed my porch and sometimes the entire front yard for the past two weeks. Quite an invasive fellow unless one prunes hard the attractive seed heads which follow the flowers. I have not been an assiduous pruner.
























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A Community who Reads

I was quick enough to get this shot across the street from my porch on Saturday, August 15, 2009.

Garlic

Today is Bastille Day and the time of year to harvest garlic. I think we planted four varieties this year--all hardneck: Music, Chesnok Red, Chrysalis Purple, and Yugoslavian. Here is a picture of the Chesnok Red--I think. There may have been a 5th variety whose sign has disappeared. In any case I dug 48 bulbs--about 1/5 of the planting. Now to clean them off a bit and let them cure for several weeks in a cool, dry, shady place.

It's Gone To The Birds....

The American Goldfinch is moving though our area and will follow the dandelion bloom north. They should be around until the middle of May. I have been feeding sunflower chips at my feeders and they love these. They also like safflower seed and thistle.

Winter Respite and Spring Hope

The bees were flying this past week when the temperatures reached as high as 59 degrees. Although the bees are located in my yard and not in the community garden proper, they are still an integral part of the garden. These bees pollinate our garden plants along with flora all around the neighborhood up to about a two-mile radius. Folks in the community help with bee care and maintenance and share in the honey crop. This year we harvested 13 pints from two hives, which was more than last year when we harvested none. We left plenty of honey for the winter stores. All the bees do in winter is gather into a ball inside the hive, eat the stored honey, and beat their wings to keep the hive warm. Temperatures reach as high as 90 degrees inside the winter hive. Talk about cabin fever!

It is always a pleasure to know the hives are still viable in the depths of winter. One way to check on hive life is to stand next to the hive on a quiet day and rap sharply on the hive body. One should hear the responding startled hum and buzz of the disturbed colony. I've never had much luck with that method. I either have poor hearing or it isn't quiet enough in the yard. And the bees aren't coming out to answer your knock when the weather is cold.

When winter temperatures reach 45 to 50 degrees bees come out for cleansing flights. That means they void waste that they've stored in their tiny bodies during the cold days and nights. Bees have to "hold it" until the temperatures are warm enough for them to venture outside. You can see the evidence of flight in the yellow smears on the white hives. I sat and watched their activity on a couple of those warm days. I also observed another bee housekeeping activity: bees carrying out their dead brothers and sisters--mostly sisters, since most drones had been kicked out in the fall--who had died inside the hives since winter began. We still have a few weeks to go, for in mid-February when the right amount of day lengthening has occurred the queen--if she is still alive--will begin laying eggs who will start hatching in time to begin gathering the earliest pollen from budding and flowering spring trees and plants.

It was fun to notice that although the two hives are only about eight feet apart bees emerged first from the hive that was angled closest to the sun's rays. Only when the sun beamed squarely on hive #2 did the bees emerge to join the already active hive #1.

Bees in flight during a winter warm spell is a very fine thing.

Breakfast on Mary

Once upon a time in a garden far far away a girl who had never gardened before grew a sweet succulent melon. The melon was like ambrosia! Thank you Mary.

Pasta Alla Cecca

Ok, I don't really know what this is called but it's damn good and stupid simple to make.I had this for the first time on Sandra's front porch last summer and it's been a summer staple ever since. This is only good with fresh garden tomatoes so get on it. In a large bowl cut up several big juicy garden tomatoes and add salt, pepper, basil, garlic (3-4 cloves if you feel daring and I always do), then pour enough of a good quality  olive oil to cover mix. Cover with a plastic wrap and let sit on the counter all day, or at least a few hours (this really lets the flavors meld). Make your pasta, drain and pour the tomato goodness over the warm pasta. You can sprinkle with Romano cheese if you want (and I usually do). This is also great piled high on a toasted slice of LeQuartier bread. Make sure you wear a bib. To me this is the quintessential summer dish.