Hortus vitae

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 it is beautiful in the garden-if one looks beyond some of summer's dying best.

there are hangers on-an overgrown stand of dahlias that did nothing last year when I thought them full of promise.

now in september they decided they live- and set out to show up their faded summer neighbors.
purple and pink exclusively.

photograph by Tim Walker

pulling up a weed here and there-more should have been done-but oh the back tires easily.

I relish even the weed pulling-there's something about hands to soil that connects me in a flash to my father. he was an outdoors man-not the hunting kind-but the nature kind.
he belonged to the breeze- whether he was walking a new sown field surveying-or simply sitting in the grass surveying his fine green fescue.

 "Laborare est Orare"

portrait of my father

the passion flower carries on-making its presence known and still it climbs up and up.

I call the one at the gate-Mrs. Delany.

Mrs. Delany's flower cutting

Passiflora incarnata "Delany"

it grows like a weed, Mrs.Delany does-as does the creeping Fig,
now grasping hold of the rough brickwork on the house. it typically dies as colder nights creep in-but who knows-the dahlias surprised. 

Dahlia "Revinio"

 Ficus pumila "Ascendere"

 (with Agave americana)

as I turn the corner -the last of morning glory.

Convolvulaceae "Kate"

the weather is turning and there will soon be colder nights and blessed cooler days.

I have plans to broaden a bed or two and add some Italian Cypress.
perhaps I'll call them Vincent & Theo.

Cupressus sempervirens "van Gogh"

"Cypresses"- VVG

brush up on your  LATIN  here


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