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eremurus like octopus

Written by steve warrington on . Posted in desire, gardening, plants. No Comments on eremurus like octopus

I am beginning to think that the octopus is my familiar, though I am not sure we’re supposed to enjoy our familiars as cuisine as much as I love mine.

Regardless, I like its style.  I like the cut of its jib. I like its inky defense mechanism and its stink-eyed seafloor stare. I like its sucky tentacular gelatinous reach and its super-slick swimability.

So naturally I like things that resemble the ‘pus. Exempli gratia Eremurus rhizomes. Check them:

eremurus-ruiter-cleopatra

I planted half a dozen of these bad boys when the ground thawed for a minute last week. Come spring: kapow!

Countdown to March

Written by steve warrington on . Posted in gardening. No Comments on Countdown to March

I’ve a long-term plan for the front walkway that will in two to three years time be so awesome you may be compelled to smack you mama. Here is the recipe:

smackyoumama frontwalk cocktail
300 tulipa rococo
200 tulipa black parrot
125 lilum alba
50 allium sphærocephalon
6 single white pæonia

Blend the rococo and black parrot tulip bulbs on either side closest to the walk. Next to those plant the six peonies. Behind the peonies blend the lilies and the allium.

It’ll be a nice height progression from the 12-18″ tulips to the 18-24″-ish peonies to the 24-30″ allium mixed with the 4-6′ lilies. Plus the smell of the lilies along the walk for the majority of july may compel you to kiss you auntie on the mouf. I’ll plant basil seeds among the tulips so when they die back the basil will take over. 2-3 years for the peonies and the lilies to get to a good size, but it won’t be anything to shake a stick at in the meantime.

500-tulip-bulbs

Besoaked

Written by steve warrington on . Posted in desire, farming, gardening. No Comments on Besoaked

It’s been raining nearly non-stop for the last two days, and the temperature won’t get over the mid-sixties. I’ve got dozens of tomatoes I’m dying to pick but they just sit there on the vine: plump, green, and tempting. The very picture of refusal. I spent a morning working in the garden at Good Fatherers yesterday and it was the same deal: six, seven, eight maybe hundred pounds of tomatoes weighing down three hundred plants, and we picked less than eighty pounds. I never thought I would be the one saying this, but I could really really use a really really hot sunny day. Just one.

rain-banana-leaf-warrington

Little Shop of Horrors: Garden Full to Burstin’ (not Ellen)

Written by steve warrington on . Posted in farming, food, gardening, plants. No Comments on Little Shop of Horrors: Garden Full to Burstin’ (not Ellen)

It’s mid-August and things are really heating up around the garden. I’ll pick my first ripe tomato tomorrow, I’ve got more cucumbers than I can deal with, and the pumpkins and gourd vines are threatening to swallow the house.

Despite all the shade I stupidly failed to foresee in the back yard, I did manage to get the passiflora to bloom. Unearthly as usual:

passiflora

Things are getting interesting down at the farmer’s market too. I spoke with the guy I bought my many many heirloom tomatoes from last year and he said he’d be setting up his full display next week.

I bought a couple watermelons from Tantre Farms, just because they were beautiful and caught my eye. A Tigger Melon, and another melon I don’t know the name of. Check it:

IMG_6145

and it:

watermelon

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