Laughing Ravens

  It would be easy to say that it is too cold to be gardening. It snowed a few days ago. Enough to cover the ground and stick overnight. The ground however, has seen enough warm sun that it is thawed once again. As plants start to come up, I like to take stock of what's survived, what has done well, and what has thrived.  "Taking stock" is a great expression. It implies that you can formulate a plan by becoming aware of the big picture. By thinking carefully, one might gain insight into the decision that needs to be made. Hmmm. Yeah, I'd say that works.   It is easy enough this time of year to keep my hands jammed into my coat pockets and my collar turned up against the chill wet winds. With the slightest warm breeze, the coat is traded for a fleece that I dont mind getting covered in dirt. As soon as the ground is thawed enough to stick a spade in the ground, it is time to start planning where to move plants, who to divide and what can I learn from last year's ef...

'Mardi Gras Mambo' ( Joseph Musacchia , R. 2013) Seedling 08-10-01. LA, 36 (91 cm), Early to midseason bloom. Dark purple self; orange-gold spear signal; slight recurve. 'Red Velvet Elvis' X 'Hush Money' . Purple in the garden isnt hard to come by. Sometimes it leans towards red, other times more towards blue. Purple, when rich and pure, can become almost black in its purple-ness. In the garden setting, against green sword-like leaves, the purple of the Louisiana iris 'Mardi Gras Mambo' can almost appear like ink, until the bright yellow signal in the throat pops right out. That contrast in color   Perennial lupine  When set against the wine pink flowers of the weigela behind it, the perennial lupine's purple comes through as a soft purple. The bi-color of the pea flowers keeps it interesting! I have spent so many late afternoons in the early summer, trying to capture macro photographs of lupine flowers. The many shades of purple is simply enchan...

  When I headed north for my first year of college, I had no idea what lay in store for me. Coming from Miami, I had a very "tropical" understanding of plants. What in the north grew indoors as houseplants, I had known to grow outdoors in my yard. I had never known deciduous trees or perennial plants. I had never experienced spring bulbs. It was a wholly new way to see plants!   On my first trip to mid-coast Maine, back in the late 80's,  I happened to be driving the backroads during the lupine bloom. I was surprised to the extreme. I had never seen wildflowers bloom in such profusion. And before anyone asks, no... I had never read about Miss Rumphius either. That would come that summer, courtesy of my farm boss. (That's another story altogether.) Driving around and stopping to gawk at these fields of wild lupines filled me with a new love. Fields filled with blue and purple, from treeline all the way to the road. I was smitten! Imagine my surprise when I returned a ...