Art-making can be a really in-your-head kind of thing . . . and that's part of why I have been so happy for the last few weeks of sunny days. It's gotten me out of the studio and into the yard. As Michael5000 so eloquently pointed out in his recent Portland gardening post, not doing anything with the yard means that things will get completely out of control - not that they will die. Getting out there after months of rain, I discovered that my yard had been invaded by some kind of sticky-burr-crawling-vine thing and several kinds of weird grasses, along with the usual blackberries and ivy. Nice plants, I'm sure, but lets face it - they can be bullies.
Of course, there were also these big white puffy flowers:
Which are sitting in a vase outside because they also happen to be covered in ANTS! ack.
But it does get me out of my head a little bit, back into my body - and sneezing. Lots and lots of sneezing. And swinging. My friend Michael was able to reinforce the crazy wonderful play structure in my back yard so that it will hold a %$! pound adult, and I stained it the same color as the deck, and voila. Swinging heaven.
I've also planted tomatoes and calla lilies and a few sedums and chard. Not all in the same place, but all with sneezes. I can deal with the sneezes.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
In the Garden
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4 comments:
Ooh, what an artful composition of the puffy white flowers picture. I feel like I'm looking through a gothic window! At garden gloves!
ooo, i'm so envious about your swingset! but the puffy flowers are sweet, too (too bad about the ants, though :P).
Your puffy white flowers are peonies and the ants are necessary to eat the coating on the bud so they can bloom. If you want to bring them inside, dunk the bloom in water...the ants will float off and you can enjoy. They are a perennial and while it looks like it dies in the winter..it will be back.
L8EBugs - tried to find your e-mail to reply, but couldn't! Thank you so much for letting me know about the ants - I was guessing the flowers were peonies, but had no idea that the ants were so helpful in the process . . . the folks who owned the house before I did had some cool landscaping, and I'm doing my best not to totally destroy it! I can grow houseplants and vegetables, and am now beginning a my foray into actual ornamental yard plants . . . can you tell me how much to trim them back in the fall, if at all?!
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