Ithaca Garden in early July

The season seems to be rushing and everything is in bloom early.  It takes daily watering to keep all the plants from parching, both those in the ground and those in planters.  I have varied the heights and textures to keep interest throughout the gardens.

Right now, everything has been mulched, which adds some parameters to the garden and should help with the water retention.

The garden right behind the house used to be a swimming pool but was converted into a garden in 1980, using soil from the pond.  Another berm in the yard was formed from the second pond dig in 1991.  Additional soil was also brought in for supplementation.

The berm behind the pond was from the third excavation only 7 years ago. While digging out the cattails, the contractor found some wonderful large stones that have become sculptures and part of the berm. Each garden has its own character and makes for a very enjoyable space in the summer.

Patio and picnic table in front of greenhouse

Part of "pool" garden

Part of "pool" garden

Walkway in "pool" gaarden and plants on deck

Cluster of plants near patio

Cluster of plants heading to the back garden

Garden on back hill behind "Pool" garden

Berm garden

Berm garden

Berm garden

Petunia pole

Echinacea overlooking lotus pond

Day lilies in herb garden

Lotus pond and back berm

Back berm

Lotus

Looking at house from the herb garden

Herb garden

Path back to the house

"Daffy-down-dilly"

As I sat on the ground taking macro images of some newly emerging daffodils, the phrase "Daffy-down-Dilly" came to mind. There was something in childhood there and I found the rhyme and the author. Thanks to the internet!

"The catchy name 'Daffy-down-dilly' originates from the novel Little Daffydowndilly which was written by the acclaimed American author Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 - 1864). Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts. "

Daffy-down-Dilly

Has come to town

With a yellow petticoat

And a pretty green gown

Daffy-down-Dilly

Here are some photos of the full flowers and some macro shots of the flowers in my Ithaca garden.  I purchased a new tripod to help with these and am enjoying the ability to capture macro shots in focus.

This is what the back yard looks like in March, with the pond covered with floating lotus pods

October in my yard

Ithaca varies from nasty rainy days to luscious warm ones. Today was one of the latter.  After driving to Aurora and back, with glorious colors on each side of the car, I decided to spend some time with the camera in my yard.

There are pictures here of the ever present lotus leaves that are changing rapidly from their robustness to somewhat somber, waiting for decomposition and a new spring.  I love the  back lighting and venation that shows here.

The grasses are majestic centerpieces of some of the perennial gardens.  Their tassels glow in the sun.

Look up and the oak leaves sparkle in the sun.  Many have fallen, but the brightest ones are still vibrant at the top.

The seeds of the Bears Claw are bursting, ready to be planted.

Then there is the vining fall clematis that has very fuzzy flowers, with total translucency.

What surprised me most was to find some forsythia in bloom.  I have no idea what caused that.

Lastly, there are some colored leaves dotting the azalea.  I just noticed that the computer placed the pictures in the reverse order. Ah, something else to learn about.

Enjoy.

Ithaca Spring Flowers

The sun comes to Ithaca only infrequently this spring.  When it does, I dash outside with camera and tripod to capture some of the beauty of the emerging flowers. There is a significant difference between bloom time in the heart of the city and at my home on the hill.  When I photographed these plants pictured here, it was a bit windy.  Wind and macro photography do not work! To save the day, I shot some of the pictures with the sports setting on my Canon Rebel and was able to obtain better focus than in the other settings.


The Center of the Magnolia was taken near BJM elementary school, the Flowering Cherry trees were near Bangs Funeral Home on Green Street, the Magnolias were in front of the Court House on Court Street, and the Tulips were in front of Temple Beth-El on Court Street.