Sunday, April 26, 2009

Nightfall



from Song in Autumn

It is different at evening: damp rises
not crisp or definite like frost
but seeping into the blood and brain -
the end of enterprises.

Robert D. Fitzgerald ... from Southmost Twelve (1953 - 1962)

Monday, April 13, 2009

Snuggling up


As a child, physical pleasure accompanied the onset of a storm: the lull brought with it a smell of renewal; the pressure in the air bubbled the blood; and, even Daisy the Jersey milchcow, gamboled across the home paddock.

This afternoon, as the downpour was unleashed, my Sylvie burrowed further into the mountain of pillows on my bed, as she kept her eye on the tumult visiting her normally quiet and composed outlook.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Go forth and multiply


The Azalea "Red Wing" is a double hose-in-hose variety that is usually very hardy. I say usually, because last year I lost one of the three I had planted in my front courtyard. So the weekend before last as I readied the remaining plants for their growth prior to the July flowering season, I pruned a number of branches.

I dipped each of the maybe 8 stalks into a rooting compound and slipped them into individual holes in my gardenia bed. Lo and behold, I think there are four that are showing signs of being ready to put down roots and take on a life of their own.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

A perfumed garden


The Murraya is immensely popular as a hedging plant. However, regular and inappropriate trimming can stifle the flowering of this highly perfumed plant. Other areas might know it as Hawaiian Mock Orange or orange jessamine or Chinese Box. Its botanical name is Murraya paniculata var. ovatifoliolata.