Retreating From The Heat

Posted on September 1, 2015 by pgbundil

No real gardening is happening this week. It is way too hot to spend any length of time outdoors. So I’m focusing on gardening indirectly – reading, watching films and generally pondering. Here is a sampling:

I’ve been doing a lot of travel this season and airports are becoming a rather familiar sight. And I’m rather unhappy about our New York hubs. There are hardly any sort of planned landscaping around the airports let alone nice pots of plants indoors. Given the glut of data supporting the positive effects of plants on our physical and mental healths, it would stand to reason that airports install gardens outside and within. After all, they are the very places where tensions run high, tempers flare, nervous tics develop, blood pressures soar, anxiety and panic set in and general fatigue prevails. Instead, it seems nobody told our airport powers-that-be about the enormous benefits that plants provide.

However, in Singapore, the gardens in the different terminals and the landscaping in the surrounding areas of the airport are so lovely that they are now world famous. This airport has truly taken its gardens seriously – there are vertical gardens, butterfly gardens, orchid gardens all over the place. In July, I found myself at Changi airport with a layover from midnight to 4:00 am and the only salvation I had were those gardens.

Then this past Sunday, I had to be in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport at 6:00 am. Having partied at a wedding bash the night before, I was seriously sleep deprived and a tad grumpy. But, on emerging from the taxi at the airport, my eyes saw sunflowers all along the sidewalk. Great, big, happy pots of them. How could one not smile at the sight? Put me in a better frame of mind right away. You see?

*********

I saw a movie that I think many of you would enjoy. “A Little Chaos” is one of those mostly unheard of films with an impressive cast. Kate Winslett, Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci to name three. It is a fictional story about a woman garden designer working with Le Notre at Versailles. While the story is more about the development of their relationship than the garden, the movie manages to combine period setting, life at that time, a glimpse of Versailles in the making to give the audience the slightly lofty feeling of watching something intellectual instead of just another romance.

On a hot day, sit back in a cool, comfortable room and watch this movie. A nice escape from the summer doldrums.

**********

“Gardening is one of the rewards of middle age, when one is ready for an impersonal passion, a passion that demands patience, acute awareness of a world outside oneself, and the power to keep on growing through all the times of drought, through the cold snows, toward those moments of pure joy when all failures are forgotten and the plum tree flowers.”

-May Sarton, Plant Dreaming Deep

I came across this passage and immediately took umbrage with middle age and impersonal. For one who has been gardening long before middle age and taken my gardening work, its successes and failures very personally, this certainly did not sit well. But the rest of the quote definitely nails what gardening is all about.

After more neutral minded pondering, I concede that most gardeners are not the twenty – somethings. We are in general a slightly more mature tribe. But then again, most young adults do not have the luxury of space, time or finances to garden. Age has a few perks I suppose. But the energy of youth certainly eludes.

Children might learn the joy of growing plants but as they reach independence, the immediacy of life and its quotidian demands take over. Gardening is set aside till one ‘settles down’. Only very few continue gardening in one way or another. For myself, all through college I kept plants in my room. I struck a deal with the campus gardeners – they’d look after my plants whenever I went home and I’d help with watering a specific garden the rest of the year. And in the following years, when I lived in apartments, I convinced landlords to let me cultivate a small patch outside. You can well understand my response to the part about gardening as reward for the middle-aged. I sure took that personally!
Let me know your take on this topic.

Note: Dr. Oliver Sacks passed away on August 30. He was a big hero of mine and I’d only recently written about my last meeting with him in June. I will forever cherish that time. When I’d mentioned to him that I was going to Singapore, he immediately mentioned the vertical gardens and orchids there! Please join me in honoring Dr Sacks by staying curious about everything in this world, treating all people with compassion and understanding and staying fully engaged in life.

Something to see! For the entire month of September, some of my watercolors and photographs will be on exhibit in three windows of Sotheby’s real estate office in Chappaqua ( corner of lower Greeley Ave and King Street, across from Starbucks). I hope you will stop by and take a look. I would love your feedback!
Please, I need your help in spreading the word! Thanks very much.

Vertical garden at Changi, Singapore

Orchids in Singapore airport

Sunflowers at Schiphol, Amsterdam

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This Certain Change

Posted on August 25, 2015 by pgbundil

Have you noticed? The apples have begun to blush while the fireflies are still courting. The lettuce have bolted but the asters are heavy in bud. The bees are crazy busy yet, the Monarch butterflies are regrouping to migrate. Even as we still warm our toes in the sun, the light in the afternoon hangs lower. That’s right, summer is slowly slipping away and autumn is tiptoeing in cautiously. Another week and the kids in my town are back in school – is there a surer sign that the seasons are changing places?

So for this week, enjoy the last days of August. Set aside time to simply be. Let the dew on the grass bathe the soles of your feet. Rest your eyes and listen to the song of the cardinals. Watch the lengthening shadows from the embrace of the hammock. Savor every last drop of summer.

This Certain Change

August is leaving

Summer lingers

Yet, I sense that

Fall has crept in

Settled down

in the usual places

Only, I don’t notice

Summer is still getting

her way.

I take a deep breath

inhaling a top note of autumn

Earth still stubbornly

giving up little

She’s holding on tightly

to summers warmth

So her heart

can keep beating

when winter roars.

– Shobha

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Harmonizing With Summer

Posted on August 18, 2015 by pgbundil

What sounds come to mind when you think of summer? The thrum of bees on sorties in the midday sun. The vibrato of hummingbird wings as they hover over the stand of Bergamot in bloom. The periodic crescendo of cicadas punctuating the sultry, hot hours. The early morning choir of avian throats stirring the world awake. The staccato beat of the woodpecker keeping time on the dying sugar maple. The sunset chorus of frogs by the pond. The frenetic percussion of a summer thundershower ending the heat wave. The high pitched laughter of sun-kissed children cooling off in the neighborhood pool. These are the sounds of my idyllic summer.

Sadly, it has become almost impossible to truly enjoy these seasonal melodies. Like the rustling of candies being unwrapped or the ringing of the unsilenced phone ruining the experience of going to the philharmonic or movie, our solace in our gardens is being spoiled by mowers and leaf blowers in use at any given hour of day. They drown out the natural sounds or worse, scare away the musicians all together.

The Law of Mo-Blo rules our lives all through the warm months. If you’re sitting down to an al fresco meal or settling in for a read and/or nap in the hammock, rest assured a neighbor will begin priming the mower or leaf blower. It never fails. The noise from these machines has permanently become the background sound of the season. The hallmark of summer in suburbia.

But, it needn’t be a status quo. We can do something about it. We must make the effort for the sake of our health, our hearing, the environment and our sanity.

The verdict is in. Particulate matter is produced at dangerous levels by leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and brush cutters. Pregnant women and young children must be kept away from their harm. Recent studies at the University of Pittsburgh have implicated these particulates in increasing the risk of childhood autism by as much as 50%.
The high decibel noise generated by yard equipment can damage our hearing. The people operating the machines are exposed to this noise even more so. The U.S. Surgeon General warns that “Excessive noise exposure during pregnancy can influence embryonic development”.
That the machines consume a great deal of gas and the resulting pollution of the air hardly needs reiteration.

Additionally, leaf blowing erodes soil, destroys the habitats of wildlife, stirs up pesticides, dust and fungal/bacterial spores (watch out asthmatics), reduces the water retention capacity of soil and in high temperature, causes ground level ozone formation.

I don’t need to elaborate on the repercussions of being distracted or unsettled in our work and other creative pursuits by the impact of loud sounds. And I certainly don’t need to discuss the ruined ambiance at outdoor events. I expect very little argument against the need to curtail the use of the harmful machines.

So lets get pro-active. For starters, every town should have ordinances limiting the hours of lawn equipments use. Personally, I’d like a ban on any such noise after 6:00 pm on weekdays and absolutely no weekend use altogether. This might be seen as inconvenient at first but, trust me we can get used to it. The tranquillity that will ensue will be worth the adjustment. Across the country, there are some towns that have such laws but they are too few and far between. A concerted program is in order. Every citizen ought to lobby for it.

Until such legislation is instated, neighbors could form their own pacts to be considerate and thoughtful. Come to a consensus for the betterment of all.

At a personal level, follow the three Rs – Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. Reduce the lawn area by creating more/larger flower beds, planting more trees, letting a meadow grow. Mow with the blade at a height of about four inches. Let lawn clippings stay on the lawn as they will quickly settle down to nourish the soil and keep it from drying too fast.
Rake leaves off lawns and dispose them in the compost. You can skip a trip to the gym on those days! Let leaves remain in beds as they make for a good mulch – the soil will be enriched and kept moist and weed free. Plants will require less watering too.

If you must, use electric instead of the gas powered machines. This is the lesser of the two evils. Seriously consider getting a manual powered reel lawn mower. The new models are light to use and very efficient. And so quiet! Some sweat equity and fresh air will do us all good.
If you employ a lawn service, discuss with them the need for environmentally sound measures. There are now companies that offer ‘green’ management of yards. They might charge more but are worth the expense. What you think you’re saving in money by hiring the much too common mow-blow- and go crews actually comes at great cost to all of our well being. And this includes our pets, our environment and the entire planet.

We must each play our part responsibly so we can forever dance in harmony to the pure sounds of summer.

My front lawn is quite tiny. The grass is kept at a height of 4 inches.
While it looks pristine, it is not all purely grass. Many other greens such as clover are mingled in.

The meadow in May. It gets mowed perhaps two times in the whole year – towards the very end of summer. With a push-reel mower.

Whole leaf mulch at the Singapore Botanical Gardens

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How To Get The Popular Vote

Posted on August 11, 2015 by pgbundil

I’m going to help you shine at the next soirée you attend. Not with make-up or fashion tips – you’re on your own on those counts. I’m going to share with you the sort of stuff that will make everybody wonder about your high level of curiosity and intellect. Or, they might just think you’re kinda awesomely weird. Either way, your presence will be noted and remembered. So, lets get started.
I’m always on the look out for simple yet brilliant problem solving information. Out of the box thinking excites me. You’ll see what I mean:
First up is the use of moles in archaeological digs. That’s right, the much reviled creature is being put to proper work! A museum in northern Denmark is using the velvety creatures to gather information at a site where it is thought the remains of a fort from the Middle Ages are hidden below. The contents of the mole hills left behind by the animals are analyzed so the underground locations of the buildings can be determined. Bits of pottery and such are brought up in the mix of soil. The more the content of these, the closer they are to the buildings. How about that?!!
“Moleology”can be as effective as more technical research methods. The big bonus is that it doesn’t destroy anything at the historical mounds in order to get a lot of important information.
Understandably, the Danish culture agency initially thought the application by Viborg Museum was a joke. But after realizing the idea was legitimate they approved it. Ha.
We now come to my second nugget of brilliance. Dandelions, another object of disdain in many lawn loving circles, might be the future producers of rubber. To ensure the steady supply of natural rubber for tires, manufacturers are hoping to harness flower power in a big way.
Although rubber can be manufactured in a lab, tires require a large portion of natural rubber as it is more superior in flexibility and hardiness. Natural rubber is made from the milky latex of the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis. However, this comes at a high ecological cost. Not the least is that the rubber trees in Asia are vulnerable to the same fungal diseases that decimated those in Brazil.
So there has been a need to come up with alternatives. Enter the humble dandelion. Scientists are working to improve the Central Asian strain of this weed that can supply latex sap on a large enough scale. Imagine! One day, there could be dandelion rubber farms!
My own fondness for these cheerful plants is vindicated.
Finally, there is good news from Europe in the fight against the bee-killing Asian hornets. Asian hornets ( not the European hornets) are a menace to bee hives and are spreading across Europe. They now face a natural enemy that lures them to destruction – a carnivorous North American plant, French experts say. Our own pitcher plant from Massachusetts is trapping the alien hornets but not the native wasps. Pheromone specific! Hot damn.
Each Sarracenia plant has up to 15 pitchers, and can attract as many as 50 hornets. But a typical hornet’s nest houses 4,000 insects – so the plants by themselves cannot deal with the problem. Clearly, much more research is required. A super-pitcher plant in the future? In any case, once again, Americans might have to save Europe. It is deja-vu all over again.
You see? You now have some priceless ice-breakers for your next party. Have fun.

Dandelions in my meadow. How splendid they look with the ajuga, daffodils and forget-me-nots.

Asters are huge honey-bee magnets.

Pollination in progress

Bumble bees at work in the meadow

Ladybug on pest patrol.

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Color Me True

Posted on August 4, 2015 by pgbundil

Remember the colors you liked as a young child? Bright, joyous colors that shouted out their exuberance! We dressed with abandon, matching purple socks with a magenta skirt that sported yellow polka dots. It made us feel so happy. I recall a favorite dress that screamed chartreuse and pink. And you know what? I still love that combination. Particularly in the garden. Think Euphorbia polychroma and Triumph tulips like Barcelona – acid yellow/green with fuchsia! Stunning right?

Yet, as we grow up, we permit all sorts of rules to be imposed on our sensibilities. We give in to norms and tastes that do not necessarily reflect our own. Afraid to be different and call attention to ourselves, we join the herd. Which is a shame. We need more unique voices in our midst. I’m not suggesting anarchy or that we be inconsiderate but rather, I’m calling for us all to be true to ourselves. Lets not hide behind uniformity or be bullied by arbitrary taste-makers. Instead, we can each be a distinct, exceptional piece in the social quilt of life.

If breaking out and expressing yourself in all areas of your life is a daunting thought, then start with your garden. Maybe just a single flower bed. Forget rules about how many of each type of plant, coordinating colors etc., Just go for what your heart desires. As you tend this patch, you yourself will work out the details and specifics that best appeal aesthetically. Soon, you’ll feel confident about spreading your preferences to the rest of your garden. From there, move on to your home’s interior, your clothes, jewelery, choice of reading material…. take my word, you’ll feel good.

In my recent travels, I’ve come across many gardens but the the most memorable ones were invariably those that had their own spin. Clashing colors that put a big smile on your face. Unfettered by any visible scheme, these gardens celebrated the season. They created an atmosphere of unadulterated fun. And isn’t that exactly what summer is for?

I’d love to hear about your color tastes from childhood and if you still love those hues. If yes, how do you incorporate them in your adult life?

Note: For those of you in my neck of the woods, you have the opportunity to visit a wonderful garden this Saturday August 8. Mike Bakwin’s garden is open from 10 am to 4 pm. Mike is a good friend of mine and I can personally attest to the beauty of his garden. You might even see me there! For details click here.

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Life Hacking In The Garden

Posted on July 28, 2015 by pgbundil

Every now and then, one comes upon little nuggets of wisdom that make life better. Like using plain dental floss to slice cheesecake. Puts paid to messy knives and sloppy servings. Or making lemonade/ coffee ice cubes to add to your lemonade or ice-coffee. As the cubes melt, they will not dilute the drink.

Here are some handy hints for the gardener:

Sprinkle baking soda around your tomato plants to get a sweeter yield.

Plant courgettes beneath French or runner bean tepees to save space and give shade later on.

Feed roses with Epsom salt. The same compound dissolved in a tub of cool water is also good to soak your tired feet in after a day in the garden.

Day old tulip blooms can be kept in the refrigerator for as long as a few weeks. Bring them out and place in room temperature water to wake up and open in time for your special event. Keep this in mind next spring.

On that note about chilling flowers, if you have a floral arrangement sitting pretty in your home and you are going away for the weekend, stick said flowers in the refrigerator. When you get back home, your flowers will be waiting to beautify your home once more. I usually stick vase and all in the ‘fridge.

Losing your boxwoods to blight? Ilex crenata is a reliable substitute for boxwood. It is can be just as easily clipped and shaped. Grows in a variety of soils and situations.

This last one is my favorite – I mention it often. Yet, how many of you remember?
Pour boiling hot water on all those pesky, hard-to-get-at-weeds that grow between flag stones and brick work. Do this on a day when rain is not imminent. Easy as pie. No more torn nails or unsuccessfully struggling to pull out the weeds along with roots.

Simple, sound advice easily heeded. Leaves plenty of time to enjoy the season.

Brick walkway kept weed free with the use of boiling water.

Epsom salt fed roses

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Post-Vacation Depression

Posted on July 21, 2015 by pgbundil

No matter how good a vacation I’ve had, I’m generally quite happy to be back in my corner of the world. There is truly nothing like the familiarity and comforts of home. Taking that first shower, settling into my own bed, making my coffee exactly the way I like it are reminders that I’m where I most love to be. Simple pleasures for which I’m enormously grateful. If I never went away I’d never know to appreciate how good I have it.

As much as I’m bursting to explore the garden, I usually take my time. Sometimes, I’ll delay it by as much as a day. Having first taken care of unpacking, laundry, awaiting mail, restocking the refrigerator and generally addressing matters to ensure domestic bliss, I turn my attention to the outdoors. With a degree of trepidation. While the house pretty much remains in the condition in which I left it, the garden appears to assume an alternative lifestyle. A devil may care, no holds barred attitude. If you’ve ever lived with a teenager then you know what I mean. So my hesitation to step into the garden is understandable.

Before this particular trip, I worked extra hard to get all the garden chores done. Weeding, mulching, trimming and tidying up were done with due diligence. Really. I took my leave feeling quite smug about how in-shape the place looked. How wild could it get in two weeks?

The answer is : plenty wild. All the rain that lavishly fed the garden must’ve been loaded with cloud borne super-fertilizer. Everything is out of control. The plants look like they’ve doubled in size. And the weeds! They have invaded, multiplied and conquered. I cannot recall them ever being this prolific. What on earth is going on? And I’d worked so hard to get the garden in order before going away! To absolutely no avail.

With so much to do and faced with an ongoing heat wave, I’m feeling rather disheartened. It is going to take many, many sweat drenched hours to restore some order and frankly, I’m not at all looking forward to it. I’m dreading the guaranteed bug bites and heat induced fatigue. And fully resent giving up a fair chunk of my lolling/reading time. How dare the garden mock my earlier efforts to groom it? Its enough to send me back inside and to the unfailing comfort of a pint ( or two) of ice-cream.

BUT, I refuse to throw in the trowel. I cannot let myself succumb. The garden has taught me well – to persist and never let anybody or anything stop me from going after my dreams. And I dream of a beautiful, life-affirming garden that nurtures and nourishes all who choose to be in it. So there.

Note:
The saving grace of this new jungle are the hydrangea and echinacea that are blooming with abandon. There is so much of the former that I’ve harvested arm loads to fill huge pitchers – they now adorn every room in the house. Such bounty, such bliss.

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On The Pesky Matter Of Illegal Aliens. Part I

Posted on July 8, 2014 by pgbundil

I have very strong feelings about allowing in illegal aliens. I think it is a matter of cultural integrity and maintening ones special, exclusive status. Border control must be seriously tightened and constant vigilence is in order. How else can we preserve the integrity of our land? Have I made you feel a little uncomfortable? A tad unsure about where this is going? Worry not, I’m talking about a different type of illegal alien – an unsavory assortment lumped into one abhorrent group under the banner Weeds. Have I got you on my side now?!

Anything not desired in certain parts of the garden is a weed. In my garden, what is strictly not allowed in one area is permitted to run rampant in another. I’m fickle that way. See, its a case of behavior and purpose. While a plant is well-behaved where it is controlled by not-so-perfect conditions, it can run riot elsewhere when given all that it enjoys. Case in point are the hellebores. Given an extra dose of daily sunlight and a thicker layer of mulch in the perennial beds, they do not selfseed as prolifically as they do in semi-shade. I can only vouch for this in my own garden. And it suits me fine. Providing less than perfect conditions is a way to exercise some control over plants that are, in general, well liked and welcome.

But this practical approach has not the slightest impact on true weeds such as chick weed, crab grass, pigweed, curly dock, horsetail, bindweed and so many others. Those are the ones that are not to be tolerated any where. They behave like thugs, gang members and, murderers. Some are super sneaky and go unnoticed by blending in while others grow so fiercely that they can be mistaken for a genuine stalwart of my garden. The very nerve.

Now that we’re well into summer and the horrid, humid heat is on high, the weeds are about the only group of plants that are completely unfazed. Requiring absolutely nothing from me and my numerous horticultural services, they thrive in abundance. I find this quite unfair and take it as a personal affront. After all, I permit just about anything in my ‘meadow’. (Garlic mustard and other invasives are of course forbidden). Even in my handkerchief size front lawn, I’m not going for pristine. Clover, burdock and anything that is green participate in giving me the desired verdant counterpoint to the perennial beds. Between the two areas they must make up at least half the size of my garden. I feel I’m being mighty generous and accomodating to the weeds. But no, they are greedy. They want to trample all over the flower beds, paths and any place restricted. I work so hard to discourage them. Composting and mulching to suppress their residency. Patrolling regularly and pulling them out ruthlessly (and rootfully!). It is plainly an unending chore.

Interestingly, charmers like the rambuctious and strong-willed Mysotis and Ajuga that bloom so beautifully with the daffodils in the meadow know they are not to show up elsewhere and therefore do not do so. Why can’t the weeds learn from example?

Needless to say, I’m a tad miffed. It is just not fun spending so much of the cooler hours of the day in the tiresome pursuit of ridding the cutivated areas of these cunning interlopers. But there it is. No other way around it. Rather grudgingly I admire their persistence and resilience. Someone ought to locate and isolate those specific genes and put them into the plants we love but are ever so fastidious and/or delicate. For the time being, I accept this as the price I must pay for my organic corner of Paradise.

Next week, I shall continue on the subject of weeds and dazzle you with some nuggets of handy information. Wait with bated breath!

A charming quartet in the meadow – daffodils, dandelions, ajuga and forget-me-nots.

The much maligned dandelion is made very welcome in my meadow.

Out With The Old

Posted on January 22, 2013 by pgbundil

January Snowscape

The first month of the new year is coming to a close. The newness has worn off but hopefully not the enthusiasm to do better, strive higher. I’ve been examining how easily we, as a society, assume that new is always better. Is it?

I’m not talking about experiences like that of cracking open a brand new exercise book. How many people remember the smell of new paper and the firm smoothness of that first right-hand page? I’m thinking more on the lines of products that promise to cut short your effort and time. Not new and improved but new and different. Let me explain the distinction.

Spring loaded secateurs made the task of pruning and clipping much easier. It was the same tool made better by the spring action. A simple tweak. It put no pressure on the user to relearn anything or perform the task in a different way. That is new and improved.

New and different is not so simple. Consider the lawn mower. The manual push reel mower does a good job. But it can be slow and one labors a bit in pushing it around. So, enter the power mower. Gets the job done in half the time. The gardener can now afford to take a nap in the hammock. But, not just anybody can use this mower anymore. The young tween has lost his lucrative enterprise since, using a power mower demands a more mature understanding on how to operate it and a greater degree of muscle strength to keep control of the machine. Along with that, there’s a demand for an energy source be it electric or gas, as well as a jump in noise and air pollution. Not to mention a spike in mower related visits to the ER.

I won’t elaborate further. Instead, give yourself some time to think about this topic. There might be a shift to how you approach the new. There are indeed some things that have been true godsends and there are those that one wishes had never been invented. We need to be mindful of what or which ‘new’ we embrace. I’d love to know your thoughts.

I recently saw this sign “ Try Something New, Learn From The Old”. More food for thought.

More snow

Paperwhites

Getting Started

Posted on January 14, 2013 by pgbundil

Its about now that I start yearning for something to do in the garden. The once most welcomed respite from the hard work has begun to wear thin. My fingers itch to feel the soft, friable soil as I restart the vegetable beds. I miss the green smell of spring and chatter of the returning birds. But its still very much the cold days of winter. So what is a die hard gardener to do?

For starters, a calender of the new year is purchased. One of those simple, no frills kinds with big, blank squares for each day. Referring to the calender from last year, I start filling in those white spaces with the necessary and routine garden tasks for each month. Pretty soon, it is marked up with chores galore. From starting seeds, planting, staking and mulching to weeding, pruning and deadheading, everything gets put down. By giving each aspect of gardening due time and consideration I’ve ensured that I’m starting off organized and prepared. A visual heads up of what needs doing prevents clashes with duties from other realms of life. Most of all, in step with the sugar maples, it gets the gardening sap flowing through my veins. I start actively dreaming and planning. My growing season has begun. I have stuff to do.

Next, I commence the forcing of the bulbs kept chilled since late October. Hyacinths, muscari, crocuses and miniature tulips have been occupying prime real estate in the refrigerator. Each week, for the rest of winter, I start some of these bulbs in pots and glass forcing vases. As the bulbs stir from their hibernation and push up shoots and eventually their jewel hued flowers, the days are no longer bleak and barren. The garden indoors has banished all that. I’m in good company till the garden outside is back in business. Joy.

Tell me, how do you handle the need to get through winter quickly?

P.S. While we’re talking calenders and marking down important stuff, here is something for you to put down in yours: May 25 is my garden’s 2013 Open Day through the Garden Conservancy. That is the Saturday of Memorial weekend. From 10 am to 4 pm. Put it down in bold! Rocky Hills will also be open on that day. Make a day of it. I’ll be arranging with local restaurants and businesses for special deals. Stay tuned!

Amaryllis tall and proud

Hyacinth in glass forcer

More hyacinths

Hyacinths and muscari

Early spring tulips

Visitors at my first Open Day. 2008

Murali and me at the end of that first Open Day. Tired but so happy.

Seeds of Design

by Shobha Vanchiswar

Author Archives: pgbundil

Retreating From The Heat

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This Certain Change

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Harmonizing With Summer

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How To Get The Popular Vote

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Color Me True

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Life Hacking In The Garden

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Post-Vacation Depression

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On The Pesky Matter Of Illegal Aliens. Part I

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Out With The Old

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Getting Started

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