I know there are all sorts of considerations in growing tomatoes but one of our major worries is to beat the squirrels to them. Many times we watch and watch as the tomato ripens and then go out to pick it only to see a big chunk eaten away. Guess we aren’t the only ones watching. But at least this year the first tomato is perfect.
I live in a community of gardens. Most of the houses are Victorian and many have iron fences around their yards with iron gates. This spring I took pictures of many of the styles of fences—there are many more—and thought I’d share some here.
Open gate and Classic Hair Pin Fence
Asymmetrical Gate and and Maxwell Mansion’s Fence*
Strong Graphic Fence and Gate
Circular Gate and its Fence
Fence Posts
This one guards my front door under some hosta.
He looks sort of determined.
I said I’d post some of my cement turtles—Here’s one.
There is a wonderful garden in Philadelphia, Bartram’s Garden. It is listed as the Pre-revolutionary Home of John Bartram, Botanist, Naturalist, Explorer—The oldest living botanic garden in America. John Bartram (1699-1777) traveled the eastern North America from Florida to Lake Ontario, collecting plants for his garden. He identified over 200 native plants and was appointed King’s Botanist by King George III.
Saturday Jane and I attended a Botanical Illustration Meet Up at the garden. Artists, mostly botanical illustrators (which I am not—but I was welcomed) come together to draw/paint specimens from the garden. Many worked on cut samples inside where they could study their plants in a more controlled setting.
Jane and I spent most of our time outside—sketching and photographing. It was a most beautiful day, unbelievable for July in Phila. Jane worked on Franklin altamaha, a plant Bartram identified in Georgia in 1765. It now exists only under cultivation—no longer in the wild. I worked on a bed of onions with their wonderful greens twisting every which way and on Oak leaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, another of Bartram’s discoveries.
Towards the end of the session we joined the group where we worked on Bee Balm, Monarda didyma, which is reported to have been used to make tea by the colonists after the Boston Tea Party. Other supplied blossoms were Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistolosum), Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata, also collected by Bartram), Love-In-A-Mist (Nigella damascena) and Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro).
Globe Thistle in the garden—the bees were very happy
Once again, it’s been awhile. . . Yesterday I took a photograph of my little pea tripod—it’s almost done for the year—to the right is a tomato plant which re seeded itself. Below it is a little cement bunny.
I have a love/hate thing about little cement critters. There is a garden stand in Lancaster called Hoover’s which sells all sorts of cement garden things—they also sell good oatmeal/raisin cookies along with lots of plants. We always try to stop when we are in the area. They have lots and lots of cement garden things all over their parking lot. Over to the right are some tables with smaller pieces—bunnys, frogs, squirrels and . . . turtles.
First I bought a sheep and that’s the sheep I photographed every day in spring of 2007. I also have a small gnome named Monty after the movie. He exists under a holly tree, covered with ivy.
I really don’t like cement garden things—maybe a bird bath or so but little critters. . . So I hide them under bushes etc. I have this small bunny and a squirrel but I realize I’ve collected a lot of turtles—as things die down in the fall I find more and more. Perhaps I’ll post some pictures of them—and come out of my cement critter closet.