I spoke too soon, as for my baby grass. The rain really did give it that extra oof: Here’s a shot with the macro lens:

The magnolia has shed most of its blooms, but still people are streaming through row E to see it. There was a young jogger when I was in my garden yesterday, who came by once on his way to class and then again on his way back. He ran down the row, stood there in front of the magnolia, just looking, and then turned around and ran off in the direction he came. It’s interesting that merely looking at something can give us such pleasure (an interesting discussion of this can be found in the always insightful Elaine Scarry’s On Beauty and Being Just–which, if you’d like to buy it, feel free to go here and use my amazon link at right, or not–also the brilliant and big-hearted John Berger’s seminal Ways of Seeing is a must-read).

Anyway, here’s what’s next for the magnolia, in case you were curious:

I also wanted to post some pics of my neighbors’ plots. They are more mature than mine, and I’m getting all sorts of inspirations for mine from them. I told Eddy, whose plot is the bottom one below, that I was getting ideas for next spring from Daphne, whose gorgeous garden is the one in the center here, and he said: “I hate that! Everything with gardeners is about next year!”

I don’t know if I agree with him. I’ve got a lot to think about yet this year, but I definitely want to make a mental note about what to plant where this autumn, so that next spring I’ll have some early blooms in my garden. I mean, to keep it blooming from spring to autumn is the idea, innit?

Daphne was more philosophical. When I ran into her yesterday, she gave me some tips about planting lilies next to daffodils that she said she’d just picked up herself. She said that that was the thing she loved about gardening, that there was always something new to learn, something new to try, even if it’s too late to try it this year.

4/27/06

Categories: garden snapshots