Suzy Says

When we used to go Maine every summer, it was long enough ago that there will still some remnants of the grand old days when the Island was populated by Vanderbilts and Rockefellers and others of their ilk in the summer months. My parents met a gentleman who used to be a butler for the Vanderbilts, and he said that they would have party favors which involved giving each guest a miniature silver bucket and spade with which to dig out jewels from a box of white sand.

Though that sounds pretty good, which really struck me as a kid was the story of how Mrs. V tossed a priceless Oriental rug onto the lawn and told the gardener to duplicate it in flowers. In retrospect, I suspect that her maid did the tossing, but I love the image. I also love her gardening style, which would be mine if I were a V instead of a P.

I do have help, however. Last weekend, Megan turned up with a bunch of good soil in Rob’s truck, which she proceeded to shovel onto my gardening mistakes (the big pots needed more soil) and then onto a tarp she borrowed from our brother. How’s that for service? Very nearly V.

Rob came over yesterday evening and added some plants to the pink jasmine planted by the garbage bins. The idea is that the jasmine will cover up the lattice and shield my delicate eyes from the unsightly sight of the garbage cans, but apparently this will take years. In the meantime, it looks like this:

I also planted a potato vine:

by the slightly sagging trellis near the shed:

I have to get some twine to fasten it to the trees, since trees sway a lot, especially in the winter. Again with the trying to prettify things. Sometimes it feels like an uphill battle. I’m still trying to figure out a way to camouflage the trailer with Rose’s pottery stuff in it which hulks beside the house.

I bought this red bush for some color, especially in winter. Those of you in northern climes will find this next remark ridiculous, but you get kind of tired of all green, all the time. This should stay red year-round.

This hosta seems pretty happy here. I like the variegated foliage, and I think it elevates the rusted old stove from junk to garden art. At least, I hope so.

The passion flowers are in bloom, giving an outer space look to this garden of earthly delights:

This is a volunteer plant, one that planted itself here. Apparently it is an Egyptian lily, which makes me wonder how it has survived in the hard pan and gravel so long. I have been rewarding its persistence with water lately.

I rewarded the fuchsia with fertilizer this year, and it repaid me with dozens of buds and flowers. Fuchsias are the Suzys of the plant world: shade-loving and showy.

Last but not least, check out the mini carpet of wildflowers that have grown from the seeds in the birthday card Monica gave me this year. Here you see Clyde doing an inspection:

Not a priceless Oriental, but a priceless gift from a priceless friend.