Saturday, December 30, 2017

A Deep Freeze

It's polar vortex time. Starting Sunday, a week of highs at or below freezing is coming up. Single digits will mingle in. Snow, not so much.

















Gardey don't do those temperatures. A few minor items might get tended to if the wind's not blowing, but not much. It's a good time for taxes. Ick.




















The Under Garden will get me through.




















There is a quite real and most unique winter garden now. It may not be Maui, but after ten years I have a garden that works 365 days a year.


















And it works quite well.


Wednesday, December 27, 2017

How Should I Prune Them

Left alone, the two Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Mop' planted below the front porch will grow into small, to 15 feet, conical evergreen trees.




















I don't want that, never did, while knowing full well that is what they do when I planted them there. I wanted the color and evergreen of them.




















Pruning them in some fashion was anticipated. After six years of slow growing, the time to begin training them has come. But into what?




















They are an element of color in the living painting of the bigger picture of the winter Under Garden. I have been to Pearl Fryar's garden. I'm willing and able to go that far.




















I have found only one possible clue. Otherwise, I am stumped. What could I train them into? I need a shape, a form. I need a notion to ponder. I'm even willing to consider bondage.




















We have entered a deep freeze that is scheduled to last for the next week. I don't see any snow coming with it, but it will be well below my minimum operating temperature. My activities will be limited. Those two 'Gold Mops' will be calling for a plan from me while I sit frozen without a notion.


Friday, December 22, 2017

Mele Kalikimaka

Listen.
For the bird's wing




















Listen.




















Mele Kalikimaka they said




















It came with me to Ku'ulei 'Aina.




















Where a new garden of bright colors would become.




















The land gave me rocks.




















And they were moved.




















To become something new




















From the far away past ........... Listen.


Wednesday, December 20, 2017

The Winter of Monet

It rained all day. December has been generous with a great number of days for sitting still. My body has earned it, testing the waters of decrepitude.




















I never tire of the view and time to ponder.




















The Under Garden is.




















And it is all a blur. The Under Garden was turning Monet. My self diagnosis was confirmed. I have two kinds of senile cataracts. Senile? The left eye is bad. I am in the system now for new eyeballs by spring.




















I have not had much of an idea at all what the pictures on this blog clearly look like for the last year. Nobody complained so I kept at it.




















I've been living inside a painting with Monet's eyes under unknown influences.




















Once just notions that bubbled up from the subconscious have taken concrete and growing form. There was no big picture. A line took me for a walk. The big picture made itself visible. Who knew?




















This will have to be remembered as the winter of Monet, though my line took a slightly different turn.


Monday, December 18, 2017

Snow Day #9

This has been a snow of exceptional duration. That has not happened in quite some time.




















The shortest days of the year, clouds and cold temps conspired. Let's do winter




















So it was for ten days. Winter. And this is my daily view, changing incrementally.




















Then it was over in the night. No Snow Day #1




















And this is my daily view. The garden was still there.


Friday, December 15, 2017

The Shortest Bloom Day Of The Year

There has been a severe lack of melt all week. It's like it's winter or something. The official start is a week away. What does this mean for the winter ahead? I'm going to find out that is for sure.

I did manage to scratch two gardens with nice southern exposure off the year end list today. Tomorrow I am going for a third. Other gardens are still buried in snow. The melting this week has been pitiful.




















It's cold out there. This will have to be the shortest Bloom Day of the year ....... unless the snowdrops are late. I do have a big fat bud for Bloom Day. Not that kind, an orchid.




















This orchid has been one of the best ever purchases from the discard rack. The bloom stems have kept growing and reblooming for several years now. I'll have an orchid for Christmas.




















Carol, our Bloom Day hostess at May Dreams Gardens will have many more flower viewing options available if you go visit.

I have snow that won't melt.


Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Snow Day #6

The wind calmed down. The sun came out. The temperature rose above freezing. It was a fine day to layer up and go outside.




















I went next door to empty a bucket of furnace water.




















There was not a whole lot of visible melt going on.




















Perhaps it is melting from the bottom up.




















I reorganized the clothes dresser from the way the cats had done it. My way is better.




















I will go look for some melt tomorrow. I still have nine gardens on my list for a final visit before winter sets in. That is not as far behind as it sounds. It's just a matter of getting the last few items standing. I just need this bit of winter to end.

Two will be visited all winter as weather permits. That's another story.




















The wild cultivated gardens are fine without me. I can wait for more crushing snows and blasting winds to knock down as much as it can before I have to worry about cutting things down. And then only as weather permits.

What kind of winter will it be? The house is clean. What's next on the list?


Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Snow Day #5

I never got past the front porch. There was a ferocious wind chilly roaring out there.




















Another unstoppable tsunami of cold air rolled in. It was more wind than snow.




















The books were done and tabulated to the current date in preparation for closing them out for another gardening season.




















I have been a peasant gardener for the well to do for thirty years now. That is a long time to be working solely outside.




















If you could have seen me fidgeting while punching in long columns of numbers into a calculator, my choice to spend my working life outside in the dirt makes sense.




















I have been making healthy gardens for thirty years now. That deserves a good five or six day snow nap.