Dryden Beautification Brigade

the year at ellis hollowI had the distinct honor of giving a presentation at the season-end celebration of the Dryden Beautification Brigade. These volunteers do a great job planting and maintaining planters and public gardens around the village.

After viewing a slideshow of them in action, I told them that if any local government had to pay full retail for plantings like these, they’d never happen. It’s great to see the pride this group has for their community and the energy they put into their beautification efforts.

I’m not much of a public speaker. So I overwhelmed them with slides chronicling the year in my garden. Several of the brigaders asked if I’d put the presentation on line so they could go back and capture the names of plants they want to try but didn’t have a chance to jot down. So here it is, all 31 MB. So be patient. It’s a long download.

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‘Picture this’ photo contest: ‘Genius loci’ edition

OK. Time to commit. I wish that I had a whole season for this month’s ‘Picture This’ photo contest assignment. But going through the comments the prelim post where I ran through more than a dozen contenders from earlier seasons, I’m going to rely on the advice I got from Laurie:

“[Go with] the last one. You captured it with your comment ‘the gradation from human to wild’. It tells the story of your place in one shot: how it’s a safe created harbor where human stuff happens (picnicking, potting, sitting,) but it is only just barely contained inside a little fortress of tall flowering ramparts… then the outside untamed world takes over. I am sensing a first prize again.”

And yes, I am very much aware of Julie Moir Messervy’s harbor archetype.

old pix

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