The deer usually leave my dahlias alone,
but not this year.
Thomas A. Edison has disappeared.
He was between Snow Country and Firepot.
He was there, but now he’s not!
Damn deer!
FURIOUS FLOWER
Where is Thomas Edison?
Author: Flower Roberts
The Mural and the Trashcan
Sometimes reality photobombs your perfect pictures. This is what happened as I was trying to capture all the musicians in this mural of country music legends.
I saw the man in the white shirt enter my frame and lean in a trashcan. I waited. I thought he was barfing up beer at first, but then he moved to the next can and reached in.
I think the city is attempting to keep a balance between tourist traffic and a homeless population.
There were homeless mixed in with the crowds on the sidewalks. Many were carrying bags and folded cardboard signs under their arms. They would come in the souvenier stores to buy drinks and snacks with cash. I observed some homeless drama out the window of the hopping Luke Bryan bar one hot night.
Story will follow.
Once you see them, you can’t not see them.
FLOWER
Staging the Reality of Nashville
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.
I took pictures of what I wanted to remember. I am haunted by scenes I cannot forget.
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.
Nashville has laws to keep the homeless out of sight. No set-ups or sleeping in public spaces.
We were rarely approached by these desperate folks. They held up cardboard signs like in Portland and San Diego. Their voices scribbled with markers.
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.
I need to go through all my notes and sketches and see what rings true about Nashville.
I was last there in 2014. It has changed since then and so have I.
FLOW
Snow Country Dahlia
Snow Country has the largest bloom in my garden.
The Lavender Experiment
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.
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
2. PROVENCE: nice mound, long stalks, light purple
3. HIDCOTE: smaller mound, deep purple, chunky blooms
4. PHENOMENAL: tall stalks, survived traffic, lovely green
5. MUNSTEAD: small mound, lovely gray tint on short stalks, chunky blooms, good size for a pot
6. BRIDGET CHLOE: really tall stalks, survived traffic
7. SUPERBLUE= died
Any of these will deter deer at close range.
The herd still went behind two lavender plants to ravage this Lacecap Hydrangea. BLAH!
FLOWER
My Favorite Calla
I have several kinds of callas. My favorite is the tallest, the darkest, and has shimmering leaves.
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.
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.
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.
FLOW
My Vision Versus Reality
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.
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.
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.
It has taken decades to get this close to my vision, but I think it’ll do.
FLOW
AI Mushroom Id.
This is a first for me. I have used apps to identify plants for years.
I found this mushroom in the blueberry patch on top of the mulch.
I dissected it because the gills were covered.
The stem is very stout and fibrous.
AI says it is a wine cap mushroom.
I NEVER EAT mushrooms I find. I like my liver too much. I think AI did a good job of using the photos I provided to identify this mushroom.
If I had not uncovered the gills, would it have said it was a King Boletto?
I may try it again with another speciman and see if it comes up with the same results.
FLOWER loves her liver
Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage California
I cannot possibly do this marvelous place justice with words nor photos. It is a famous garden and former home of Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The conference center and grounds opened in 1966. It has been used by many presidents and famous leaders from all over the world. It was the site of many events of international diplomacy. Queen Elizabeth visited the center in 1983.
There is a famous bench where President Obama sat with China’s president Xi Jinping for a photo during their conference in 2013.
I have never been to such a garden. The beds were arranged in geometric patterns with only one type of plant per bed. They referred to these as ‘specimen gardens.’ I was fascinated by these because you see the same type of plant growing side-by-side with dozens of its clones, but no two are exactly identical. I had to pause and study these groups over and over again.
The brochure links to a website that describes the trial and error methods used to come up with the best cultivars for each location. It has been like a giant horticultural experiment.
The history of Sunnylands is covered in a short film. It showed how this gorgeous site was envisioned and created by the Annenbergs. The film also shared how diplomacy used to be.
I particularly loved this canal of river rock.
This place is worthy of numerous visits. It is an amazing place with a fascinating history.
FLOWER among cacti
