Author: Flower Roberts

The Old, the New and a Big Red Shoe

| Flower Roberts

Lynchburg is one of those historic cities that have old buildings neighboring new ones. Renovation and restoration exist side-by-side with new construction. I believe this effort is worth the extra time it takes to make progress.

Downtown has just the right amount of energy. It is walker friendly, but very hilly.

There is a new feature named Art Alley that adds vibrant color and art to a street that is blocked to traffic.

I was impressed with the use of natural vegetation on slopes instead of struggling to artificially landscape them. Hills are hell to manage, so letting nature do it is wise. I love vines!

The city is divided into Historic Districts which can be easily navigated on foot. If the hills are too much for you, there is a walkway and park along the river and railroad tracks.

This is my second stay at the beautiful Craddock Terry Hotel which was originally a shoe factory. They have an excellent restaurant, The Shoemaker. The big windows and high, wooden ceilings make it charming.

I enjoyed wandering the streets again this visit. There is so much to pause and ponder on. I always wish I had more time there.

I was happy to be taken by car to the Diamond Hill District. I was not looking forward to hauling my Covid pounds up to that altitude. My new friends Jennifer and Mary were kindly patient during my forays out of the car to take photos. (Thanks ladies)

Cary DeVall Langhorne House

Lynchburg is doing a great job of moving forward without mowing down its history. I like that balance of respect and practicality. Careful progress is slower, but better in the long run.

I am a fan of Lynchburg. I do recommend comfortable shoes and a water bottle. Hauling around a big camera is worth the effort. There are interesting sights everywhere.

FLOW on the GO

Same Scene: Wiser Eyes

| Flower Roberts

I felt compelled to return to that mysterious Langhorne House in Lynchburg during my visit last week.

https://wordpress.com/post/floweralley.org/13332

I was hoping to see signs of improvement, but instead found evidence of further weathering and decay.

I could proceed to chastise the present owners for neglect, but I empathize with them instead.

I know what it is like to inherit property with more deficits than assets.

It takes real money, time and effort to bring an old place up to present standards.

This house on the hill calls for restoration. It has a public history that seems to demand it. But where is the money?

The private owner must not be motivated to paint and renovate.

Not enough love, loyalty and funds? Bad memories? Family disputes? No matter! There must be a lack of motivation and/or inspiration.

The lights were on. That is a sign that the wires still work and heat is a possibility.

Two empty trailers were parked out back. At least someone is using the place.

It still feels lonely. It still seems empty. It is a sad remnant of a grand past.

Sometimes the weight of the past is too heavy to heave into the present.

I get that now. The haunting emptiness, the unpleasant memories, the emotional avoidance. Those burdens are real.

I hope that someday the Cary DeVall Langhorne house will be given new life and a face lift.

The historic neighborhood is quite lovely and well-maintained. There were busy workmen and scaffolding on almost every street.

What we do with our history is up to those in the present.

Maybe four years from now I will see a fresh coat of paint and repaired steps on this lovely, historic site.

FLOW

A Fire Bowl from the Farm

| Flower Roberts

I was involved in a major production yesterday. Mr. Flower and I moved a giant iron cauldron from the farm to our fire pit area. It took a tractor with forks, a broom, a truck, a lawn mower, Crowbar, long iron bar, ropes and straps. I sent videos to both kids. They love this sort of entertainment provided by their father.

This cauldron is huge. A person could take a bath in it. I wanted to make it a fish pond, but I am pretty sure the fish would boil in the sun.

We are not sure why Papaw had this monster or if he ever used it. He did try to cook molasses once. He grew the cane himself. No one remembers much about that adventure except that Nana rode a lawn mower around in a circle to grind it since they did not have a mule.

The bowl was made by Stuart and Peterson Co. of Burlington, NJ.

There are no holes in it, but we will see what happens.

I plan on wearing a pointed hat for the occasion. Now that I have a cauldron, I might as well embrace my witchiness.

FLOW

My Flickr Photostream

| Flower Roberts

I have picked the best of my thousands of photos to put on Flickr. It’s like my blog on steroids. I have tried to name each flower in the description.

This is a work in progress. This old dog is trying a new trick.

I hope this link works. Somebody let me know. ENJOY!

FLOW

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My Three Hibiscus

| Flower Roberts

These three have been babied into blooming. They require more attention than most of my plants. I get rewarded in late August by their unbelievably beautiful blooms. These started out in the same pot last year. I named them ‘The Hibiscus Circus.’ They grew too large for their container and were separated in early spring. These are tropical, so they must come inside for winter in my Zone 7 location.

The double orange has been blooming for weeks.

It got re-potted many weeks before the other two. This one is a gorgeous color. Its symmetry is sometimes messy, but when it is balanced it resembles a pinwheel.

The pink bloomed for the first time earlier this week.

Even the back is beautiful.

The complex pistil of hibiscus is amazing.

The red burst open this morning.

Its pistil end is dusted with pollen.

I love that these three burst into bloom just as most of my other flowers are waning. What a show!

FLOW

My Wondrous Cereus

| Flower Roberts

I saw the most beautiful sight I have ever seen last night in my garden. I witnessed this wonder alone at midnight.

I consider this plant a miracle. I believe its flowers are a living link to something magic and cosmic.

My friend The Fairy(Madge) gave me this dream of a plant. I thought of her and my father last night as I sat under the stars watching these blooms quiver with energy. My daddy sometimes exclaimed “How could heaven be better than this?” I cannot imagine that, Bop.

I knew this second blooming from this plant was coming. That has never happened before. The buds turned up like pipes and started expanding two days ago.

When I saw the shape last evening, I knew this was the night. I was determined not to miss it, so I set my alarm. I could not go to sleep. I decided to go sit beside the plant in the dark and wait.

Epiphyllum oxypetalum

Its flowers were almost fully opened. They were quivering. There was no breeze. The blooms have their own energy.

The white, threadlike stamen form a tunnel through the flower.

The opalescent pistil has a strange star-shaped end.

The flowers are as big as my opened hand.

The back has finger-like sepals that splay as the bloom opens.

What wondrous, glorious blooms this “Queen of the Night” has!

Night blooming Cereus/”Queen of the Night”

How could heaven be better than this?

FLOW in the GLOW

Dahlia Disaster

| Flower Roberts

I try really hard to be a good ‘plant mama’ but I fall short each spring and summer. This year it was the dahlias that took a hit.

The dahlia ‘Nonette’ got left in the bag until I discovered it in June when I almost threw it away. It could not be revived.

The lovely ‘Kelvin Floodlight’ got a disease again this year. My overzealous treatment killed it. I will miss its giant yellow blooms.

I had two batches of ‘Thomas Edison’ dahlia. My usual potting soil messed up the mix this year. It was too wet. Many of my plants rotted including one pot of ‘Thomas Edison.’

‘Cafe Au Lait’ is spindly and floppy with no blooms. I keep propping it up, hoping for improvements. The weather has cooled so there is hope for it.

I know this row looks lovely from afar. I know how it could look. That’s my problem. Gardener’s Guilt is real!

The “glass is half empty” and the row is half empty. I am extra grateful for ‘Firepot’ and ‘Snow Country.’

They have survived the many mishaps and are happily blooming.

FLOW

What’s Eating You?

| Flower Roberts

I grow tomatillos every summer for the chipmunks. They climb up the plants and shake the fruit down. I love watching this trick. My usual supplier did not have any, so I had to grow them from seed.

Growing these plants has taken months of babying, watering and staking. I finally put most of the potted plants in the ground last weekend.

They started disappearing on Monday. It happened so fast I thought the deer had eaten them. The twigs and fruit were left, but the leaves were gone.

Evidence was examined.

The culprits had the nerve to continue eating right there in front of me.

There were numerous Tobacco Hornworms on each plant. They hang upside down to eat.

Grasping the petiole with their back legs and gripping the leaf blade with their front little legs.

They munch away with their tiny mouths.

Okay, so I planted these Tomatillos for the chipmunks and now they are being eaten by caterpillars.

I am hoping for a lovely crop of Carolina Sphinx moths this fall. I have planted a patch of Four-o’clocks just for them.

FLOW