The only garden I’ve ever had was a 250 square foot terrace atop a 10 story high building, situated at the northernmost tip of Manhattan island. Gardening was all done in pots and planters. I took a great class in “Terrace Gardening” at the New York Botanical Society – a highly specific course, and, I imagine, not offered in very many places, to help me to understand the special conditions presented by this type of location, and to lovingly “grow my garden”.
Please don’t misunderstand, it’s not as if I grew up in an “asphalt jungle” – I grew up in suburbia, and we had a yard with a willow tree, lilacs, a few rose bushes and pansies, but it was my mother’s. I am eternally grateful to her for instilling a love of beauty and nature in me, since it gives me endless joy and happiness.
As the artist, David Hockney, said when asked about his inspiration for art and beauty, “Nature NEVER lets you down.”.
So, when I was unknowingly volunteered to write a gardening diary, I thought, hmmm… I’ll do one on terrace gardening (for a fairly limited audience), but after reading Sybil’s wonderful diary last week, I became inspired to do a diary on probably the most magnificent garden I have ever seen.
For any of you who have been fortunate enough to have visited Monet’s garden at Giverny, you will know what I mean when I say, that while it’s beauty is magnificent and uplifting, it’s also so mind-boggling it can practically move one to tears. The arbors, flooded with flowers, and the ponds filled with water lilies, and those both detailed and mysterious reflections of weeping willow trees, all just take your breath away – over and over again.
Who doesn’t love the famous “water lily paintings” – now major icons of art. But there have been others of Monet’s work that I had previously thought a bit garish and overdone, after visiting Giverny, I’ve had to eat my words.
Monet became obsessed with his garden – and thank goodness he did. On this Saturday morning I hope you enjoy some humble snapshots and a sprinkling of his painted images accompanying them. Imagine waking
up to this garden every Saturday, Sunday, Monday ……
Welcome to Giverny
Monet’s home
my picture of the Japanese Bridge
Monet’s painting – spring/summer in the autumn
magnificent willows and the famous lily pond
lots of pansies in the garden!
At noon, we open a bottle of wine, some cheese some bread . . . . what a fabulous afternoon!
Lovely, thanks.
I know what you mean about first thinking paintings are garish and then having to eat words. I thought that about certain painters of the American West–until I actually saw those sunsets.
The good news and the bad news from my garden this week:
The good. . .I started composting for the first time ever! I have one of those plastic tumblers. If anybody has composting secrets, I’d love to hear them.
The bad. . I planted cosmo by seed this year and have hovered over the two plants that resulted, cheering every inch of growth. Last week the bigger one got its first flower. Yesterday something ate the plant almost to the ground! I hope some rabbit is happy with its juicy salad, grump, grump.
I hope you’ll do that terrace gardening diary some day, curly. When I’m in NYC I love looking out over the rooftops and seeing that high world of greenery.
Poor Kansas! So much love and nurturing, only to be gobbled up by some random, but probably very happy, little creature. That’s one of the benefits of terrace gardening – no errant critters to snack on your hard work!
Cosmos are preetty – if you want something lacey, but hardy one of my favorites is Coreopsis:
They multiply like crazy. Either more pretty flowers for you or fodder for the creatures!
Ooo, pretty. Coreopsis is a good idea and I don’t have any of that yet.
Maybe next year I’ll plant my cosmo on my suburban roof!
“suburban roof gardening” – that’s a new one on me. You’ll need a pretty sophisticated remote watering system for that.
lol. I think that’s called “rain.”
sorry hon, (ah! here’s where my quirky class info comes in handy) on a rooftop temperatures can be 10-15° higher than on the ground and really dries the soil and plants out – not to mention the intense amount of sun they may get all day.
You’d have to have a successful raindance twice a day for that spot.
I kinda like the idea of rain dancing twice a day. My, my, what will the neighbors think?
Hey Kansas – you’re kind a cooky! Maybe you could give Janet Strange (see below) a few raindance pointers.
I find this site pretty helpful. You need to make sure you have a good mix of greens (grass cuttings), browns (dirt, manure), and other (kitchen veggie scraps, coffee grounds, newspaper). Also make sure your compost stays moist, not soaking and not dry.
I have a composter that doesn’t tumble, but my next one will. Much easier to turn the compost over to get air.
See, now I already learned something here at BooTrib and it’s only 8:11 in the morning! I knew about the green and brown but not about the amount of moisture. That is truly helpful. Thanks for that and the good site.
Good morning.
Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures and Monet’s works.
I never got out to Giverny when I was in France, but I did see the Waterlillies paintings in person. Someday I’ll get to Giverny.
My veggie garden is doing well. We picked our first cucumber of the season. And it was good. Hopefully we’ll get some more soon.
The tomato plants have taken off and we should be having ripe fruit in a couple of weeks.
Hope you all have a good 4th of July and get to relax this weekend.
Went to the garden this AM and snapped some pics (click for larger image):
Squash plants:
Squash flower:
First batch of tomatoes:
Sunflower in progress:
umm, yum – I’m so jealous! I can’t grow those beautiful
veggies in my urban window box. Can you send me some????
If they would survive transit, I’d be happy to. I always grow way more than me and my SO can eat. I end up canning most of the tomatoes to eat during the winter. And we make enough zucchini bread to feed a small army. I’d be happy to share.
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Isn’t she a beauty – St. Louis 1904 World’s Fairest – celebrating the Louisiana Purchase.
Flower Girl of Tyrolean Alps
Souvenir German Tyrolean Alps
Having lived in the St. Louis area for some years, I couldn’t resist when I stumbled on this site, actually looking for a tiny flower in the real Alps!
Alps View from Hotel Edelweiss – enlarged
Jungfrau Images
USA WELCOME: Make Yourself Known @BooMan Tribune and add some cheers!
I’ve lived in Switzerland – not too much compares with
some of those views! Thanks for the pics.
I’m glad I suggested this to Diane a few weeks ago.
And truth is – you were a great sport – it hardly took any convincing at all.
Great first diary.
Couldn’t have done it without you, babe (in more ways than one) – thanks for the patient help!
I’ve been posting pics of my veggie garden over at Frankenoid’s since we first tilled what had been lawn for 20+ years. Thought I’d share over here too. Thanks, curly, (and diane101) for giving us a place to garden blog at BooTrib.
Still picking tomatoes every day:
Last weekend, we had tomatoes everywhere:
Just in from the garden, on the windowsill, in the fridge
And in the freezer. That’s what I’ve been doing with the abundance. This year’s winner – the Donas. We’re hitting 100° in the daytime now (and no rain for a while), and upper 70’s lows – and they’re still setting fruit! Excellent flavor. too. And of course the Sweet 100’s love the heat. Cherokee Purples are all done. A few Jubilees left, Better Boys have green ones yet to ripen, but not setting fruit anymore. We’re winding down on the tomatoes. Starting to think about the fall garden.
And cukes! Been pickling every weekend (well, except DemFest weekend). Have a whole cabinet-full now.
Where am I going to put this weekend’s batch? And anyone have any good eggplant recipes?
The garden at Giverny was a high point of the trip my daughter and I took to France when she was 12. I have pictures of her in the garden still in braces. Wish I could post some of ours – but they’re pre-digital camera era, and I’d have to scan them first. Maybe next weekend. For now, thanks for the memories, curly.
Really wish I could stay and chat, but I have to run down to San Marcos here shortly to do some Practical Stuff. And see my daughter – who just turned 25!!! Good grief, where does the time go? All you parents of young children – it’s true, what all of us older folks say. They grow up so fast. Treasure every moment. Though I’m discovering that grown up kids are just as wonderful as little ones.
See you guys later!
Those tomato pics were NOT side-by-side when I previewed. I did preview, really I did. Mea culpa.
Those tomatoes are gorgeous! This is torture. I want tomato plants too. You can taste those just by seeing the pictures.
I had tomato plants on my terrace, the best though were the cherry tomatoes – so sweet. I used to love to grow basil with the tomatoes too. Then off to the Italian deli for some fresh mozzarella – slice it up, layer with tomatoes, drizzle the “good stuff” olive oil, sprinkle basil and….what could be more perfect.
Happy Birthday to your daughter!!!
I am tortured too, see my comment below…I do have basil growing, one plant in container, just yesterday I picked off a couple of the flowering stems and put in water by my computer so that I have the wonderful scent of basil all day long and soon I will make a basil pesto to pour over pasta, a wonderful meal on a hot summer day.
In a day or two my three (lonely) lg. tomatoes will be ripe, I am only hoping I get them before another creature does, which happened to me on every single tomato last year. The day of perfect ripeness and picking they were covered with holes and teeth marks…
Oh and curly when you are having your wine and cheese today, try spreading a good olive oil on your bread, it is delish. Of course if I am invited I will bring some calamata olives, my favorite and a perfect accompaniment to partner to french bread slathered with olive oil.
Bon appitite!!!!! sp. may be wrong in any number of words above, so forgive..
Get those olives and come on over!
Diane,
Have you tried throwing some bird netting over your tomatoes to keep them from being eaten by other creatures? I throw it over my blackberry bush and it works pretty well. I’ve had no problem with birds getting at the tomatoes, but the bird netting will make it difficult for other creatures to get at things.
Janet the Tomato Torture Woman! Everywhere I go, she follows me and flashes tomato pictures!
Here in Delaware, they’ll ripen in late July/early August and go through till the first frost. How long do the tomatoes produce in Texas?
Really, it’s my revenge on folks like oui and those Washingtonians who post pictures of places that are not 100 degrees right now. Grass is turning brown, plants are drooping in the heat. By 8am it’s too hot to work outdoors. Or play, even. Except for swimming, of course, and even that I don’t do til late in the day, because I’m so fair-skinned and burn in no time.
Around here, we plant tomatoes in the first or second week of March. By now, most have stopped setting fruit because it’s too hot. The plants are stressed from the heat, even when watered and the bugs are getting vicious, especially spider mites. My squash are long gone, victims of squash vine borers and powdery mildew. So I’ll be digging up the pathetic remains of the tomato plants later this month and hauling them off to the compost pile.
Many Southerners plant a second round of tomatoes in August for the fall, but my experience has been that when it finally cools down enough for them to set fruit, there’s not enough time for them to ripen before the first freeze – usually in late November. Hence the old Southern tradition of fried green tomatoes – it’s what you do with those green ones you’ve been looking at longingly when you realize that if you don’t just go ahead and pick them, they’re going to freeze tonight.
Your comment above has softened the blow of the beautiful pics of your garden, now I don’t feel so bad about the state of mine…I have just started my second set of tomato plants and we rarely get frost so all things willing I will have some more tomatos in the fall.
Hi Curly and everyone, I just got up and read this and other diaries and this is the first one I am commenting on…
Beautiful diary Curly, I knew you would do a lovely diary..and you did!!!!Bravo and a big round of applause for you!!!!and hugs>>>>>
I have some complaints about my garden again this week, and after seeing Janet S. pics. above I am even more despressed.
My two tomato plants actually growing in the ground have after 3 months of growing produced 3 tomatoes that will be ready in a few days and about 4 other tiny ones. My yellow pear tomato growing in containers have been beset from the beginning with various things, the latest of which is some critter, a squirrel I think that love to eat new tom. shoots to the ground after they get to about 8 inches…It is also now climbing the tomato vine to pick off ripe ones and drops the whole clusters to the container below..
My peppers have been dismal, my strawberries disappointing, oh I could go on and on..
I am not giving up tho and this week I have planted a whole new crop of tomatos and peppers and other things and I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Happy gardening everyone and I do still love my garden and all my plants even the ones who have betrayed me..
Look, I know it’s not organic or PC – but have you tried Miracle Grow (do I sound like Peter Strauss on the commercial???) I used to put it in water and pour some into the hole before placing the plant in, and then water once a week with it. Would also add a little bone meal and packaged cow manure to the soil mix. Plants in containers need shredded bark or mulch on top to hold in moisture and nutrients since their roots can’t go deep.
What do you think? Where are those olives?
Oh yes, that is my friend, I have both pellets and dry..I should think of mulch , for some of my containers and will try to gather something for that today…
I rarely get to any store with garden supplies so I have to use what I have which isn’t much, no bone meal here, but a bag of iron pellets which I may have used too much of.
I also have this watering prob. never can decide too much or too little….
Olives and I on our way…open the bottle, let it breathe, I’ll be there shortly, my broom is a little slow starting today…
There is no too much for tomatoes. They’re water hogs. And gross feeders.
We use fish emulsion, which seems to lead to more fruit and less foliage. And the smell only lasts a few hours.
It’s 12:00 – and I thought I would add some afternoon gardening inspiration from Giverny . . . .
arbors behind the house at the beginning of the garden
reflections in the pond
Oh Curly, I just love what you did today and love Monet as well. Thanks and kodos to you.
Hi Brenda – just got in from Central Park. We’re finally having such a beautiful day, I have to go back out for more.
So glad you enjoyed the pictures – it’s great fun to share them with like-minded enthusiasts.
Wonderful diary, thank you. I’ve lately been reading a gorgeous coffee-table book on France, with a couple of pictures of Giverny, and just yesterday took out of the library a set of French language tapes. Surprised at how much I remember. Clearly, the urge to travel is surfacing again.
When I lived in New York, I did fire-escape gardening. Never lucky enough for a “real” terrace. Now, some more container gardening, but no digital camera for pix, sorry. After the early flowers and the daisies (which, removed from lousy soil and the competition of other weeds, exploded as if on steroids), I’m mostly planting herbs and lettuces and one brave tomato plant this year (to see if I can grow a Brandywine in a bucket!).
Guess what? I just borrowed my son’s girlfirend’s dig. camera and took a bunch of shots of my plants…But the problem is I do not have the program to upload them to my computer, and she is gone for the day…
Any hints if I could find the program on internet, I have been looking but cannot find the right one. It is a kodak easyshare cx6200.
As soon as I do get them on computer I will be posting..
Diane,
You should find what you need here.
Hey Diane – Now we’re waiting for pictures AND olives!
Yes I think it will have to be tomorrow as even the link given above messed up because I have an account but can’t rem. screen name, blal, blal and so one and now I am just going to wait till my son returns and he can do it on his computer and send to me…So tomorrow I sould have then in my Foggy Bottom diary…with olives too!!!!!
What a coincidence. I borrowed my daughter’s digital camera today – luckily, we remembered the disk with the software. And I was able to do it (with tech assistance from my 15 yo daughter). Hope you find the solution soon!
Here are the asklets only 45 minutes ago.
Such beautiful children! And they look so well behaved…..