Fall Leaves in Summer

You would never know it is the middle of summer when you walk through the neighborhood park. With all of the extreme heat and storms, something has happened to the leaves on the trees. When walking under the shade of the trees along the path in the park it feels like fall. Everything was wet and the leaves had dropped from the branches much sooner in the year than normal. Perhaps the extreme heat shortened their life cycle and the whipping winds of the rainstorms knocked them all off. It’s been feeling more like Florida here than Virginia with temps in the high 90’s with humidities to match. We also stumbled upon an “agreeable tiger moth” caterpillar that was scurrying across the path to hide under a leaf. He was black and yellow striped and looked a bit harmless. After the deluge it is finally starting to dry out. I don’t want summer to end too soon - who would? 

Garden Sculptures in the Neighborhood

Now that the summer season is officially coming to a close with the Labor Day weekend, it seems fitting to do a retrospective review of the garden sculptures and ornaments that grabbed my attention on our daily walks over the past many weeks. In the heat of the summer in this concrete jungle, we take to the neighborhood sidewalks covered by the shade of tall buildings and large trees rather than the national mall that is totally exposed to the full sun of the day. Walking along these paths presents a very different view of the surroundings compared to the Smithsonian buildings and Capitol complex. The tastes in the gardens are personal, whimsical, and everything otherwise. The front yards are generally tiny patches of space that range from well manicured to completely unkempt. But the most thoughtful homeowners distinguish their garden from all the rest by introducing a permanent element of sorts that must represent something that is pleasing to their eyes. So as another season passes, the flowers and the plants are preparing for the fall ahead. More often than not, many of these eye catching pieces will remain in place next year. Hopefully, we'll have an opportunity to see them all again. 

What's the Idea? Flowers that Close at Night

I should read the labels a little closer. Our little patio garden needed a bit of a sprucing up. For whatever reason, the little pansies sort of shriveled away over the last few weeks, leaving things looking quite spent. So we went to Frager's in the neighborhood and looked around for something with a little punch that covered the ground. We found a really pretty yellow flowering plant, and another that was red and peach. I planted them right away and they looked just right - until the late afternoon evening arrived. All of a sudden, the blooms disappeared, which defeats the purpose of having flowers in the garden! At first I thought the blooms just didn't last long, but then realized they were playing games with us. I do recall having a different flower pulling the same trick on our Milwaukee patio. But there were so many other pots and plants around that you didn't hardly notice. Here it's another matter altogether because we notice every single flower. So to fill the gap we picked up a few dependable petunias and stuck them in. Sometimes exotic isn't always the best, but the flowers sure are pretty when they are open. 

Cucumber Art

Every year we put in at least one cucumber and two tomato plants in our tiny patio garden. It's a southern exposure so they really are in a great spot. For whatever reason, the tomatoes have not done very well for the last year or three! The cucmber vines used to get caught up in all the other flowers and vegetation. We didn't even notice some of the cucumbers until they were well over grown! So in order to avoid that, we now have a sort of trellis that we use. We take a few of the tomato stakes and then wrap string around them and inside of it all the way up to the top of the fence. Every day we look at it the plants grow another few inches. But what is most interesting are the little tendrils that just seem to find something to hang on to. And when they do, they create the most interesting shapes. Some look like tiny springs and curly Q's, some look like knots, some are just flying in the breeze until something catches it or it catches something. And the crop is already starting to grow. I can't wait! There's nothing better than a fresh cucmber right out of the garden. Thank goodness they are more predictable than tomatoes. I'm sure my husband would prefer it the other way around. In Milwaukee we had a lot more space and a lot more stuff in the garden. But here we do everything on a smaller scale and still get to appreciate, and eat, the end result!

The Myrtles of Alexandria

They come in a variety of colors, but we see mostly pink, purple and white. There is even a plantation house in Louisiana named after them that is supposedly haunted. We visited it in the daytime so we didn't find out or perhaps didn't notice?!! And they are in full bloom this time of the year and hard to ignore. The Myrtles are stunning in this southern climate. As we drove around Alexandria today for lunch and errands, it's hard to miss them...in front of houses, churches, stores ... mostly well planted in the grounds but also in large pots. They add such charm to any neighborhood and enhance most gardens in the area. We have two small trees planted in our patio garden and we keep them trimmed back to stay below the fence level. It's hard to do any damage to them as they are quite hardy and don't require any real care. I've literally broken off large stems and you'd never know it. In the spring are the cherry blossoms, and in Milwaukee we had lilacs. But at this time of year the myrtles are the center of attention. 

Smithsonian Folklife Festival - Peru

It's been a while since we took a walk on the mall. We returned from Florida two days ago and it's been raining non stop. It's great for the vegetables, but not much else. So we finally ventured out this morning to get back in to a routine. The usual summer tourist activity is well underway, with huge lines in front of the Air and Space museum. A couple weeks back we saw the construction crews putting up the guts for the upcoming Smithsonian Folklife Festival that is held every year around the Fourth of July. Usually it is closer to the Castle, but the turf restoration project has taken up a lot of green space. Usually there are three countries or cultures that are showcased, but this year there is only one - Peru. The festival is featured on the east end nearer to the Capitol, and has exhibits on either side of the mall. The center section has remained clear for the throngs of visitors who will flock to the Mall for the fireworks. We strolled through the grounds, and it was quite busy on a Sunday. Traditional sights included rope bridges, dances, music, art, textiles, colorful native costumes - and of course, food! This is one of the reasons we really like living in DC. There is always something to do. And for us, all we have to do is walk a couple of blocks to get there.