Skip to main content

Four O'Clocks

My father always planted these when I was growing up, and he recently mentioned that they used to grow outside the buildings he grew up in in the city. It was a traditional city neighborhood, and his cousins and aunts all lived in the same block. So happy to have these cheery summer blooms here at my home now too. I showed them to my nieces last month in the early afternoon, and all on their own they shouted, "let's go check them" at four o'clock. Apparently it is not the time that drives their late-day opening, it is the drop in temperature. I took the first picture tonight in the rain - about 7:00 pm. The others were taken in the early morning 3 days ago.





Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. SissyAugust 14, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    oooo boy, those were so invasive for me! They grew out of giant tubers that took me a long time and 2 shovels to remove!
    I love your sentiment about the 'old neighborhood'. I am always looking for plants with a story!

    ReplyDelete
  2. SherryAugust 14, 2011 at 4:00 PM

    Wow, that sounds like a major job. These are definitely going to overtake the bed they are in. Maybe next year I'll try to prune them some. Plants really do have a way of becoming stories, and members of our families.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hope of Spring

Growing up I loved the 4 or 5 Hyacinths that grew under my parents bedroom each Spring. Their beauty so unexpected, and the scent, heavenly. As an adult I've always stopped to smell them whenever I see them each Spring, whether in someone else's garden, or at the grocery store. One Spring I was particularly sad. I bought a Hyacinth and placed it next to my bed, so I could smell it as I fell asleep and first thing when I woke up. A wonderful way to heal. Now that I have my own garden, I can plant my own Hyacinths. I had what I didn't know were overly-ambitious plans for both Tulips and Hyacinths - Tulips lining most of the front beds and Hyacinths lining the back patio. Once I calculated the cost of all, I realized I need to do this slowly, a bit each year. Of course the Hyacinths must be first. I am so excited about the colors I chose - slightly non-traditional. I ordered four colors from John Scheepers. They are: Hyacinthus orientalis L'Innocence  (white) Hyacinthu...
12 comments
Read more

Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Cornell University's Great Backyard Bird Count is happening now! They collect data on bird species and their whereabouts from all over the country at this time each year, and you can help. It's easy to participate - just look out your window for 15 minutes each day, today through Monday, and fill out a form on their website noting what species you saw and how many. Here are some notes from their FAQ: How is the information from the GBBC used? Bird populations are constantly changing. No single scientist or team of scientists could hope to keep track of the complicated patterns of movement of so many species over an entire continent. The information from GBBC participants becomes even more valuable as scientists try to learn how birds are affected by environmental changes. The information you send in can provide the first sign that individual species may be increasing or declining from year to year. It shows how a species’ range expands or shrinks over time. A big change,...
10 comments
Read more

Mary's Toad Lilies

All summer the rock garden was full of Lily stalks that didn't bloom. I knew they were some kind of Lily due to the leaf structure. There must be 30-40 stalks. I've looked at them carefully numerous times, and last time I examined them I thought maybe Cala lilies, that would bloom later in the summer. Didn't happen. I saw some budding on them a few weeks ago, and then forgot about them being so busy the last few weeks. It's been raining all day here, and I saw that the bird feeder we had wedged between some of the rocks in the rock garden fell. It's not a permanent solution, and it fell once before. We're going to have cement it or use a base pole to secure it for Spring. I went out to pick it up, and was greeted by lots and lots of blooming Toad Lilies! What a surprise. These inherited gardens keep constantly surprising me. I've been through a full year's cycle now, and thought I'd seen everything. I don't remember these last year at this time. ...
13 comments
Read more