Out of season
Is Labor day really the end of Summer... and other equinoctial thoughts.
As I began writing this I must confess that I came inside around 3pm after working outdoors all day, watering, watering, pulling poison ivy, watering and a wee bit of harvesting before needing to come inside and cool off.
Today the high was 83 degrees but the sun was blazing and it felt more like 90, with a dew point feeling like 75 with no prediction of rain. Tomorrow is predicting temperatures closer to 87 degrees, which weirdly I am looking forward to because it will be my excuse to come inside early and allow me to finish this newsletter. And I better have it finished by then, because the temperatures drop 13 degrees the following day and then there really is no excuse for not working since there is still so much to do out in the gardens. (Post script: I did not have this finished dear reader!)
I actually embrace the idea of Labor Day weekend signaling the end of Summer. Iām down for 3-minutes less light (for now), which makes my actual work day begin to shorten (we will be revisiting this idea in another 6 weeks I assure you). No more trying to eek out finishing an area, or a project half-way done while it is still light out!! I mean every real gardener knows that a garden is never ādoneā. However shorter days mean soon enough I will have more time for my other passion- my studio time, which I will begin to dig into a bit before and after my garden work day. For all you equinoctials out there who firmly hang on to the idea that Fall starts on September 22nd, I get that too. Is there a term for those of us who want both?
However come mid-October as the sun is setting shortly after 6pm and the days become definitively sweater-weather, the rhythms are once again changing for us gardeners. Cooler days reinforce a sense that we still canāt keep up with things, but in a different way. Harvests canāt be reaped quick enough- like an overabundance of a Persimmon tree dropping fruit, or non-hardy plants like ginger dug up and brought inside. Processing these food items becomes the next passion. After all isnāt this the main reason for growing your own stuff?
For now, as the end of August looms closer the gardens are still blooming and carrying on with all sorts of eye-candy, some I seem not to remember until they arrive, like the Red Spider Lily. A member of the amaryllis family, (Amaryllidaceae), it is also called āSurprise Lilyā because it flowers first, with no hint of foliage to warn you its on its way up! Endemic to China, Japan, Korea and Nepal they are considered naturalized now in the Southern parts of the United States. These are triploid forms, meaning they are sterile and only reproduce vegetatively via bulbs. There is a Lycoris radiata, known as L. radiata var. pumila, which occurs only in China. It is a diploid, and is able to reproduce by seed. If you are growing this please let me know. I will bother you for seed.
There are some annuals which take forever to get ignited by the waves of hot days and are just finally taking off and blooming incessantly like the Butterfly Pea, also known as Asian pigeonwings. A big thank you to
for introducing me to this important and beautiful vining annual that is in the Pea family (Fabaceae). Butterfly Pea flowers are said to regulate blood sugar and imparts a blue coloring when a tea is made from its flowers (but sadly no flavor). It gets its epitaph because it is endemic and native to the Indonesian island of Ternate.There is a native Clitoria (C. mariana) that can be found in the Southeastern range of the US in dry and rocky wooded areas. The twining native vine has lighter, more lilac colored flowers. Let me know if you have seen this native I will bother you for seed. I am going to bypass the apparent connotation of the plants scientific name since you dear reader already see the obvious.
Then there are some annuals (for us up North at least) like Popcorn Cassia, Senna didymobotrya which needs all that summer heat to get growing and will continue to flower through the cooler temperatures.
From tropical central and eastern Africa it is commonly seen in disturbed areas. It is a member of the Pea family (Fabaceae), and plants in this family have the ability to improve the soil and is often used as a cover crop. It is also grown as an ornamental plant world-wide just because of its sheer beauty. Its interestingly shaped leaves when rubbed have a scent that is liken to the smell of fake-buttered popcorn, hence it is often sold in nurseries and plant stores as the āPopcorn Plantā. The flowers in each inflorescence open at the bottom first and open sequentially up the raceme.
And a shoutout to a workhorse of the perennial herbaceous wildflower native plant called Giant Ironweed, its common name referencing the toughness of its stem.
A member of the the Sunflower family (Asteraceae), its 'flowers' are a composite of many flowers. The flat-headed panicle (flowerhead) can have 10-30 florets with hues of lavender, magenta, or deep purple. There are no ray florets present only petals which are shaped like flared tubes. Each tube is 5 petals fused together at the bottom and separate at the top. Each flower has a pistil (female part) and stamens (male part). It is native from New York to Missouri, south to Georgia and Louisiana and can be a great garden plant with the understanding that it can be aggressive and overtake other perennials in time.
I often say my life is merging because of my passion for plants and how I incorporate that in both my horticultural life and my artistic life. For those of you who want to know more about my time outside the garden check this outā¦
For all you gardeners out there what do you look forward to with shorter days in the near future? Hereās a short read from 2022 by the writer Margaret Renkl that addresses the passage of time and how we fill it.
SAVE THE DATES!
9/1 - A Guided Garden Tour - 2pm-4pm - $20 - reserve here. Join Allyson co- founder of the arboretum to learn about some of her very favorite plants as you walk around the gardens together.
9/22 - Cordage and Three Dimensional Nets from Plant Fibers with Renee Baumann of Renee Makes - Cordage from Local Plants: Sunday Sept. 22nd 9:30am-3:30pm (1 hr lunch break)Ā This two-part class will introduce the foundational skills for making cordage from common local plant fibers and then turning that cordage into three dimensional nets. In the first session, we will hand-process someĀ plant fibersĀ (such as iris, daylily, stinging nettle, burdock, grapevine and cattail), and practice techniques for turning them into cordage. Expect to walk away with your own coils of handmade cordage and the skills to make functional and beautiful cordage from the plants nearby. Sign up here.
9/29 - In the second session of this class with Renee Baumann of Renee Makes, we will be learning how to turn cordage into three dimensional nets. Making a rounded bag-type or hammock-type net, and learning to use a net needle and gauge. Sign up here
10/19 - The Garden Conservancy & Hortus Arboretum present, Digging Deeper: Fruiting Plants From Around the World for your Garden. 11am - 1pm. Prepare to get inspired (and hungry) as Allyson & Scott take you around the arboretum while learning to surround your home and grace your table with rare and beautiful fruits, and nuts. Trialing plants from around the globe, their goal is to create a āliving textbookā of plant life, particularly edibles, that can be grown in New Yorkās Hudson Valley. Buy tickets here.
The Fall Artist Residency application process is open through September 1st to all visual artists working in nature This Fall Residency opportunity is from October 21st to October 28th. For more information and to apply click here.
Sha Luo the 2024 Summer Art Resident will be the juror for the Fall Residency.
So TICK season will be ramping up again as the temperatures cool. I saw a fascinating (and hopeful) post on Instagram about a vaccine in the worksā¦
I am sharing this information as a friendly reminder that although Tick season is something to be aware about, this by no means should stop you from getting outside and enjoying nature. You just have to be thoughtful and responsible. Some folks like to use a spray that contains Pyrethrins, a chemical found in some chrysanthemum flowers. There are even clothes that have already been ādippedā in that pesticide and can be worn & washed for a long time while still remaining effective.
Personally my tactic has always been that once Iāve come indoors for the day I take off ALL the clothes and put them directly into the laundry to be washed. If that is something you cannot do, then keeping them in a pile isolated from other clothes until you can wash them is the way to go. Itās always a smart idea to shower as well which is a good time to inspect yourself for any ticks that may be crawling around.
Hereās a list of ticks that are found within the US and somewhat beyond.
Since I like to end the newsletters on an upbeat note and because Iāve mentioned chrysanthemum flowers hereās a photo of my first time growing these beauties, as well as an artwork that I made pulling apart the individual petals from the flowers.
Thanks for reading along and see you in the garden!