Oh yeah, summer has arrived.

You could smell it and feel it in the thick humid air.

It felt therapeutic and everything was “A OK”.

Without further ado, I give you the weekend in photos:     

One last peony photo, I promise. They are actually on their way out with all the blooms dropping to the ground. Until next year my dears … and thank you again for another incredible display this year. You never disappoint.   

The Sedum ‘Red Carpet’ are blooming and to be honest, I didn’t expect any blooms. They caught me off guard this morning and that isn’t easy to do. Time to update in the plant database – “expect red blooms in late Spring”.  

I now give you the full life cycle of the Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’. You’ve seen the foliage, the buds forming and now an actual bloom. Actually wait, I’ll have to show you a photo of the berries later in the season. Aren’t you just so lucky?

Like a steam train spotted in the distance, here come the Daylily ‘Happy Returns’ blooms. It is like the calm before the storm right now. Within the next week, it will be a bloom-a-palooza and I will deadhead these relentlessly. I am sort of OCD with the deadheading part knowing it will help with future blooms.    

I know, boring, a Purple Coneflower bloom, well move on to the next photo quickly if you are so inclined; I can’t get enough.  

I do not know what type of annual flower I’ve got here. I made the mistake of buying these without a label on them. But, I have discovered how cool these blooms unfold – the purple petals slowly open to display the white daisy-like flower – man I am a fascinating person, huh? 

One week later, and the zinnia seeds I sowed with the kids are emerging at a rapid pace. I am so psyched to check out these ‘Green Envy’.

Meet enemy #1. The rabbits are everywhere and they are on a mission to piss me off. I have seen enough signs of their cute little nibling and I don’t like it. Yes they are cute, just from a distance.
   

What a cool ass stone can do to a planting.

Summer time = fresh brewed ice tea – there is nothing better other than ….

Strawberry goat cheese bruschetta. I can’t say enough about these – the perfect combination and with fresh thyme they are off the chizzain. The strawberries just pop when you eat them and the melted goat cheese – I now need a cold shower.

After gardening, baseball may be my next biggest obsession. I threw pop-ups to my son all weekend and it was like watching myself as a child. I actually started writing for a New York Mets fan site this past week. Now I have to find a way to bring the two worlds together – any suggestions?    

Relaxation on the deck – do you like my toe nail color?

My wife’s birthday was on Monday and (prepare to praise me heavily) I bought her tickets to see Bon Jovi (on the floor, about twenty rows from the stage) at the newly christened Giants Stadium. When I tell you she is a fan – she is a HUGE FRIGGIN fan). Her sentences now end with Bon Jovi lyrics – it’s a sight to see. If I were to allow my wife to run off with one man it would be Jon Bon Jovi – I would understand.    

One last photo just to prove how hot it was today. The hydrangeas were all drooping and in need of shade. Hang in there little guy!

Hope you had a great weekend and remembered what we were truly celebrating.

Enjoy. 

I am a gardening loner.

Just me hanging with my plants is all I need. My happy place.

I can get lost for hours if left to my own devices, and it never gets dull or tiring. It is like a form of meditation where nothing else exists.

If it were possible, I would perform yoga in the garden among the plants, but then I would truly qualify as “creepy guy” (although it would be funny as hell to watch).

Lately, though, I have paid closer attention to the need to get kids involved with gardening and the great outdoors knowing it will have a profound influence on them. In the past, my first reaction was to nod my head in approval only to quietly say to myself  “No thanks, they’ll just complain and eventually make their way to the swings.” or  “I know they’ll run for the hills at the first sign of any insect”. I resisted allowing them into my domain where they could only screw it all up.

Well, I have accepted that I can have it both ways – ONG time and ONG time with the little ones. The kids may only hang for a short period of time, and it may seem like they were unaffected by our interactions, but I have recently witnessed two events that refute that notion.      

First, a few photos with me and the kids and our recent project:               

We planted a bunch of annual seeds in containers (mostly Zinnias) and planted a few tomato, basil and pepper plants in containers as well. They dug the dirt, planted the seeds and watered  – not always in that order however.

The kids lasted about twenty minutes, with my daughter a bit more interested and involved. She especially took to planting the actual seeds. They did make their way to the playground eventually, but I felt like I made the effort to really make them a part of the process. Kudos to me.

Now on to the two recent events I mentioned earlier:

Story #1 – Early last evening, I was out on the back deck moving containers around like a frickin mad scientist trying to find that “right look”. I felt like I was on the “Price is Right” where I would complete an arrangement, pull a lever and then see if I won (the show is so in my blood from days off from school when I was younger – and I still take issue with the Showcase Showdown rules … but that is for another day … I digress). As I was moving a container with newly sprouted Zinnia leaves I completely dropped it and everything fell out of the pot. Like a mature adult, I kicked the pot and cursed like a mutha f’er. What I didn’t realize, was that my daughter was watching out the back door and she ran away crying. I assumed she didn’t like seeing her Dad act like such a baffoon, so I ran in to apologize and calm her down. Well, the adult meltdown apparently meant nothing to her as she told my wife through her tears that “Daddy ruined the seeds.” Wow, we are making some big time progress here!

Story #2 – While waiting for the school bus this morning, my son spotted a weed that had sprouted a daisy like bloom. He immediately yanked it and asked me to put it in water for Mom. Now he has done this before so it wasn’t a complete shock. What was shocking and I swear on … something … he actually told me to remove the leaves from the bottom of the flower before putting it in water. Are you kidding me? Next he’ll tell me how to cut a rose stem on an angle so it will then grow outward.

My wife loves to get the kids involved when she bakes and she has experienced the same thing I discussed above. It may seem like a futile task and it may seem like they could care less but dammit if they don’t surprise you with what they have retained.

Note to self – keep educating and opening their eyes to new things. 

I thought about saving the photos below for a Wordless Wednesday post and then thought, “Screw that, I’ll do it now.” I’ll worry about Wednesday when it’s Wednesday. Maybe I’ll even skip on the wordless aspect and try one of the following:

Wacky Wednesday – Lord knows I could come up with some good stuff for this
Warrant Wednesday – a chance to incorporate plants and 80’s hair metal … hmmmmm
Wobbly Wednesday – take a bunch of photos after a drinking binge
Witless Wednesday – just the facts; cut and dry
Want it Wednesday – photos of all plants I do not have but deeply desire

I’ll have to mull these over and surprise you all. Feel free to offer up your own suggestions. I am up for the task. Until then:  
 

Yesterday marked my first official jump into the garden makeover realm. I’ve helped out friends and family before, but that was more “advice” than anything else. This makeover was on a small scale but enough that it required full planning and a full day’s work.

Here’s the rub – it was for a very tough client who I know from past experience can be very demanding and rule with an iron fist. This client is rough around the edges and we’ve had a number of issues in the past. If this job fails, it will haunt me for years to come. This client is … my parents … and it is at the home I grew up in. Alright so maybe I built some false drama, but if this “job” is done wrong it will make for awkward family dinners for years to come; not to mention a big hit to my inheritance.           

Some quick background on the “project” (like making it sound professional):

• Scope – Garden bed wrapping around the front of a 1950’s Cape Cod. All existing plants have been pulled  from the bed due to overgrowth and general “blah-ness”.   
• Zone – Northern NJ – zone 6
• Exposure – partial sun
• Soil – rich and loamy like I’ve never seen before (beyond jealous)
• Budget – there is no budget – we’re talking carte blanche here
• Time frame – one day 
• Client is looking to move within 2 years (side note: due to retirement and to be closer to their children/grandchildren down my way)

ONG was on the road by 6:00 AM Sunday and at the site by 7:15. After downing a bagel (and after New York City, there is no better place to get a bagel – it’s the water, seriously, google it and you’ll see) we surveyed the yard for measurements and potential transplants.    

So here are the “before” photos:

Here were my thoughts upon inspection:

• Railroad ties are to be removed 
• Bed shape needs to be more of a swooping (technical term) curve along the front
• Need a few large evergreens to anchor it all
• Need color and varying textures/leaf shape/color
• Low maintenance (not that my p’s couldn’t handle it – they are in incredible shape at their age)

We headed out to the nursery right at opening and filled up three carts in no time. I gave my parents the low down on each and every tree, shrub or perennial we passed by and I think, just maybe, I impressed them a little. When I am in that mode, I have a definite jump in my step and I feel like this is what I am supposed to do. I’m not quite sure if that means landscape design, horticulture, nursery owner or maybe goofy home gardener who writes too much about it in his blog. Either way, we found each other and it feels real good.

Well, I now give you the results. While they may not be overwhelmingly breath-taking, I think we were all very happy by the end of the day. Either that or my parents didn’t want to knock me off my pedestal. Here they are:

Here you can see the curve in the bed line. We lined the front with a mix of Heuchera and variegated Liriope. I tried to sell them on the Blackout Heucheras, but no dice. The Hosta was a transplant from the backyard. to the right are three Ilex ‘Compacta’.
     

The three taller shrubs are Baptisia Twilite ‘Prairie Blues’ that have real interesting blooms and great leaf shape.
   

A view as the bed wraps around the front. Those are Salvia ‘May Night’. Behind these is an Ilex ‘Blue Prince’ that we dished out some major cash for but it really anchors that area.
 

Three Knockout roses in front of three Boxwoods. The addition of the birdbath made all the difference adding hardscape and more height to the area.

 

My Dad and I at the conclusion of the day. Dirty, sweaty and feeling good about things. You can also see we added another Ilex ‘Blue Prince’ in the background to mirror the other one.

Now, today’s job is a start and I hope to tackle my sister’s yard next. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the day and most importantly, enjoyed the quality time with my parents. I won’t forget the day and know I will look back fondly on it for many years to come. It feels good to give back after everything they’ve done for me my entire life.

Love you Mick and John 

Ciao   

“If you’ve got the time we’ve got the beer”

Quick, name the beer commercial … tick tick … Jeopardy theme playing … tick tick … give up? That would be Miller High Life. See the 1979 commercial here. This commercial just makes me feel good for some reason.

Anyway, I definitely have the beer (garage is stocked with Sierra Nevada, Magic Hat and Sam Adams) but the “time” is a different story.

Let me preface first by saying, I wouldn’t change a thing in my life right now. A beautiful wife/best friend/ partner in crime, two fantastic and healthy children, best dog known to man and a kick ass house/property out in the country in small town NJ (yes that is possible you haters). But …. time for personal enjoyments (i.e. gardening) is extremely limited. You know that going in so it’s hard to really complain – it’s just reality.

Now I know I tend to lean a tad bit negative (maybe cynical is a better term) but this post is now going to switch paths and go all positive on your ass.

This morning the alarm went off at 5:45 AM and rather than spoon my wife and force her to stay in bed until 6:30 AM, I immediately got up, put on the appropriate gear (which looked very criminal-like this morning – black hoodie and black Adidas pants) and headed outside. I was determined to get in a good 45 minutes of gardening tasks before our morning truly started.

To add to the drama, there was a steady rain and it was in the high 40’s. Did that impede me at all? Can I get a “hell no”? It may not seem like much but I:

• Planted a recently purchased Yucca (where have you been all my life you structural minx?).

• Removed and discarded two Ilex Glabra, along the front foundation, that redefine the term “leggy”.

• Trekked through the mud and determined my new layout where the Ilex were located (lots of shrubs in pots moved around until I found the right look). 

I set foot back in the house at 6:29 AM and felt INVIGORATED (my absolute favorite term right now). It’s amazing how much can get done in a short period of time. I am super determined to do this same thing every morning. It will be tough – my wife and I are night owls and usually are not asleep until around midnight each night (me a little later after watching P Allen Smith re-reruns) but I can’t pass up this new found “time”. I’ll let you all know how successful I am as the days pass.

So crack me open a cold Miller my beer swilling buddies … cause I now have the time and I got the beer.

Cheers!