The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

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Tag Archives: yucca

Yuck uh, what?

Posted on September 12, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Containers .

So this happened last week.

yucca-container

Yes, that is my back deck.

And these plants weren’t purchased on a whim or on a dare. I actually came up with the concept while falling asleep the other night knowing I had these two containers begging for occupants.

The tall and upright planters were most recently occupied by two Sorbaria shrubs and were strategically located within my garden. I thought the containers and shrubs were a decent attempt at focal points since they stood out from all of the surrounding greenery.

Except they weren’t very focally or pointy.

So I removed the shrubs, planted them in the ground in more logical locations (for now at least) and the containers became vacant. That vacancy sparked many thoughts as the clock struck midnight on Monday last week and I some how settled on two yuccas framing the view from my kitchen into the backyard.

But I despise yuccas.

They are too spiky.

And too tropical.

And too dry inspiring.

And too modern.

And need never set foot anywhere near my property.

Yet even after sleeping on the concept and waking up with fresh mind and thought, I was still in favor of operation Yucca. That afternoon I found myself at the nursery carrying the two potential weapons and willingly having my wrists cut up along the way.

And I still like them in their current location.

I don’t know if I could ever describe why but I’m rolling with it. Maybe I enjoy the departure from my usual style/liking. Maybe I’m looking forward to color in fall and into winter. Who knows, but for now they’re staying.

Am I crazy? What is the over/under for how long they will reside in their current location?

 

10 Comments .
Tags: yucca .

My friend is dumb

Posted on December 15, 2011 by jmarkowski Posted in Uncategorized .
A good friend of mine, a non plant and gardening fan, said to me recently “How many pictures can you possibly take of all your plants. Aren’t you done with it all yet?” 
I responded with “No, you’re dumb, you have no soul and you don’t know anything about gardening so you have no grounds to say anything on the topic. And oh yeah, the Chicago Bears are awful and so is your grammar.”
See, a very mature response on my part. 
So this post is dedicated to you today Alex, may you some day look back and understand the absurdity of your comments. 
A few quick items today:
Love this color combo, especially this time of year when it stands out more than ever. A bonus – it is what I see every time I look out my front window:            

This Hawthorn ‘Winter King’ was only planted this spring and I already love its amazing shape and silhouette. May it survive our brutal winter winds:

And last but not least, the Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla) still keeps on keeping on and still remains one of my absolute faves in or out of bloom:

Feel free to criticize Alex all you want in the Comments.

John

15 Comments .
Tags: hawthorn, heuchera, yucca .

Did I really say that?

Posted on November 23, 2010 by jmarkowski Posted in Uncategorized .

Yes, we are coming up on that time of year.

ESPN will show their top ten plays of the year. VH1 will have their top ten craziest acts of the year committed by a former child actor who is now a wanna-be reality star. Nancy Grace will have her top ten moments of acting as judge and jury on some poor sap on her TV show. Jon Stewart could have his top ten moments of having his finger on the pulse more than our own government.

But I digress …  

It’s looking back on 2010 time and I’m ready to play too. Today, it’s ten things I still can’t believe I actually said in 2010:

  • “I can’t make it to your house for the opening weekend in the NFL, I’ll be in Dallas for the Garden Writer’s conference.”
  • “When is Oprah’s ‘Favorite Things’ going to air?”
  • “I’ll be right back, don’t let the kids know I am going to pee on the compost”
  • “I really like using this Yucca as a focal point in my front bed”
  • “I really need to focus more on SEO and use more keywords in the anchor text but not forgetting the value of backlinks.”
  • “I’ll be right back, I’m going to head out to the back deck and cut us some lettuce for our salad”
 
  • “I find Twitter very difficult to use, I don’t see myself using it very often.”
  • “I really think this is the year the Mets put it all together”
  • “I can’t imagine I’ll have the time or patience to take photos of any wildlife out in the yard.” 
 

  • “It’s a garden blog. I’m just going to dabble in it a bit and maybe take a few pictures here and there. I can’t imagine I’ll work real hard on it or obsess over it.”     
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6 Comments .
Tags: blog inspiration, yucca .

Photographic journey

Posted on July 20, 2010 by jmarkowski Posted in Uncategorized .

It is hard for me to believe how little I had photographed my garden and it’s surroundings prior to this year. I spent all my time on digging out new beds and moving plants around with reckless abandon, never stopping to enjoy it all – very task driven.

Well, I now find myself taking out the camera and wandering aimlessly, not really sure what I want to photograph, yet by the end of the sojourn (like that term, huh?), I’ve got a ton of photos to look at and it allows me to sit back and actually enjoy what the garden and the creatures who live in it have to offer.

Here is the latest collection of said shots, and while I am aware of the fact that it may be overkill, I am still too geeked up to stop.

Enjoy.       

The butterflies are in full effect and I’ve even started to attempt to identify them. Good times. 

Monarch

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

I admit to being relatively clueless when it comes to bird identification but I will work my way there soon because I have seen so many different species this year and homey needs to know what they are. Just a few shots I took on a whim.   

Letting nature take it’s course – I have been monitoring the ladybugs to make sure they are properly disposing of the aphids and so far they have been graded out as a C+. They need to get their asses in gear before I step in and take care of business. 

I have actually allowed some “weeds” to mature just to see what they really are, and in some cases, I am digging the results. I don’t know exactly what these purple flowers are, but they have remained within bounds so they can stay.  

My first year with a Yucca (loving it) and the first sign of a new rosette forming next to the plant. Sweet.  

And finally, some blooms to round it all out.

Sedum ‘Matrona’

Phlox ‘David’

Clethra ‘Ruby Spice’

Zinnia mix
10 Comments .
Tags: aphid, butterfly, monarch, phlox, sedum matrona, yucca, zinnia .

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