Since reading Amy Stewart's book, Flower Confidential, I have been enjoying cut flowers again after more or less avoiding them for years so as not to support the heavy pesticide use on these crops. Twice lately I have splurged on beautiful roses from a stand at the Union Square Farmers Market. They're irresistible and what a treat!
This color, called 'Champagne,' perfectly matched some small, elegant vases we received as a wedding gift.
Tulips and Hyacinth from earlier in the year.
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Outside New York, the Williamsburg nursery I mentioned last summer, sadly appears to have closed.
That was quick. I'm sorry to see them go.
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I found lots of great old postcards at various used bookstores.
This is the garden of my friends Bob and Carolyn.
And the lovely nursery across the street from them.
Below, this Blackjack oak in my mother's yard has rotted away on one whole side. It's almost completely hollow, but manages to survive.
Mother and I outside our family's favorite Tex-Mex joint, Herrera's.
My brother Rand carefully drew all these beautiful Spirograph designs on index cards years ago and they still hang in a closet in my mom's house.
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This is one of the last little independent nurseries left in my home town. I bought plants there for my mother and for Brandon's mother. I somehow forgot to photograph my mom's plants.
Brandon taking a bite of his birthday cake and checking out his Granny's lovely fig tree.
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This is my friend Johnette's son Micah knocking over one of her plants.
My Dad at his place south of Ft.Worth. The pond is full this year due to heavy rains this year. He and I planted this pine tree together in 1993 when it was a scrawy, pathetic little throw-away that I rescued from the nursery where I worked. Now it's full and beautiful.
He restored this '73 Jaguar back in the 80s and we got to take it out for a spin.
Brandon's great aunt Bonnie lost an old tree in a recent storm. His cousin Sherrie gave us a piece of this cholla cactus.
More items unrelated to gardening... We visited the Kwik-E-Mart on the day of The Simpsons movie premier.
Mmmmmm squishy.
Brandon's mom and step-niece at the Ft. Worth Museum and my friend Natalie's beautiful twin daughters Sidney and Madeleine.
Birthday margaritas!
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The great bookstore owned by Larry McMurtry, Booked Up. We make a pilgrimage there each time we're in Texas.
I found this interesting set of small format books on South African plants.
3 generations of Kennedys. Brandon with his grandfather, Weldon and father Kent.
Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)
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Walked over to a new nursery yesterday IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD called Outside NY.
Most gardeners get enthusiastic at the prospect of a new nursery to peruse, but in the NYC area where your options are more or less limited to bodegas and mail-order it's downright wonderful. The plants there were interesting and the staff was friendly, but I was most excited about bagged compost, mulch and fertilizer near enough that I can inexpensively use a car service to lug it home.
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If you haven't already done so - please begin boycotting products made by Scotts.
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