Month: June 2026

Staging the Reality of Nashville

| Flower Roberts

I have admitted staging photos in previous posts, but I have never been this guilty before. In nature photography it is taboo to augment reality. Man-made subjects do not have such rules.

Flower art at a park.

I took pictures of what I wanted to remember. I am haunted by scenes I cannot forget.

Man going through the trash. Mural behind and rooftop bar above.


I will share more of this fascinating mural in a later post.

A week in Nashville had many beautiful sights, but there was ugliness everywhere.
I did not photograph the problems of this bustling city, but I have been taking lots of notes.

Tootsies was a favorite in 2014.


Nashville has laws to keep the homeless out of sight. No set-ups or sleeping in public spaces.

This fountain had a person asleep on the edge later that night.


We were rarely approached by these desperate folks. They held up cardboard signs like in Portland and San Diego. Their voices scribbled with markers.

The best shows are on the riverboats. The performers are amazing.
Talented performers on the General Jackson

I sketched some scenes and gave each character a name based on my observations. Yes…there’s a story coming!

The sidewalks were steamy and the smelly trashcans had grates across the tops.

I am sensitive to sounds and it was difficult to find quiet spaces anywhere. I keep Loops earplugs in my purse. I used these numerous times because the noise from bars and traffic was loud.

Talent on stage at Luke Bryan

I need to go through all my notes and sketches and see what rings true about Nashville.

Nashville Music City Center had a guitar and grass on the roof.

I was last there in 2014. It has changed since then and so have I.

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The Lavender Experiment

| Flower Roberts

Deer do not like the scent of lavender. I decided to plant lavender in my flower beds to deter deer snacking. I wanted to see which lavender hybrids did best here in Zone 7.

The experimental row of lavender.

I purchased seven different varieties.
Here is the list in order of best to worst performance. All of these have survived two years of neglect (except Superblue which died). Keep in mind I only used one of each variety instead of many test plants per hybrid for more data.

1. LLOYD TRAVEN #pp24193( Lavendula x Phenomenal) great form, many flower stalks

LLOYD TRAVEN PP#24193 lavender


2. PROVENCE: nice mound, long stalks, light purple

Provence lavender


3. HIDCOTE: smaller mound, deep purple, chunky blooms

Hidcote lavender


4. PHENOMENAL: tall stalks, survived traffic, lovely green

Phenomenal lavender


5. MUNSTEAD: small mound, lovely gray tint on short stalks, chunky blooms, good size for a pot

Munstead lavender


6. BRIDGET CHLOE: really tall stalks, survived traffic

Bridget chloe lavender


7. SUPERBLUE= died

Lavender row

Any of these will deter deer at close range.

The herd still went behind two lavender plants to ravage this Lacecap Hydrangea. BLAH!

Poor edible lacecap hydrangea
Blooms out of deer range

FLOWER

My Favorite Calla

| Flower Roberts

I have several kinds of callas. My favorite is the tallest, the darkest, and has shimmering leaves.

Hot Chocolate calla


Hot Chocolate demands attention. It’s spathe is a deep burgandy.

Its spadix is the same color with white male flowers barely visible inside on its top portion.

Tiny male flowers

I dissected one to show the structure of the spathe. Male flowers are on the upper part, female flowers are the bumpy structures on the lower part.

Male flowers dried up, females are bumpy

This light pink was a gift, so I do not know its name. I find ants inside many blooms and wonder if they could be a pollinator.

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My Vision Versus Reality

| Flower Roberts

I get a picture of something in my mind and then tenaciously try to bring it to fruition. I have tried several types of vines on our high posts on the front of the deck. The poles are tall and plain.

My first fiasco was planting wisteria all along the front. I even installed wires to support the vines between posts. I spent hours on a ladder installing eye hooks and stringing wires. When the vines grew rapidly, I spent more hours on the ladder training the vines to the wires. If I was not diligent with my training and trimming the vines would grow through the railing and take over the deck. I now put wisteria on the “never ever” list with ivy and crownvetch.

I fought that wisteria for seven years waiting for its pendulent, purple blooms. Never a purple bud emerged. I ripped up the vines the eighth spring. The wires are still there.

I have planted several other annual vines to climb the posts. Those looked beautiful but had to be removed and replanted each year.

Vine growing fine without me.

My present choice is Confederate Jasmine. It has done well. I have not given it the necessary training, but it is thriving on the highest post beside a bench.

The flowers are sweet little whorls of white with a delicate scent.

Confederate jasmine

This vine is the closest to my vision so far. Confederate jasmine twines itself around anything within its reach, so I do not need to climb on a ladder each spring. I will take that as a win.

Swirls with fragrance

It has taken decades to get this close to my vision, but I think it’ll do.

Confederate jasmine: It’ll do

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