The May Garden

“How many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it. How many slices in a bread? Depends how thin you cut it. How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live 'em. How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give 'em.”

― Shel Silverstein

These days are just packed, despite having no resturants, movie theaters or bars to visit, the boat launches mostly closed so I can't go fishing. I somehow have managed to fill about every minute of every day with something to keep me busy. Lot's of work in the garden lately, as I'm doing an extra big vegetable garden planting this year. I had noticed over the past few years it had gotten progressively smaller and smaller until it seemed to balance out the needs of the two individuals that live at illahe most of the time. But this seems like a time to have a good supply of food on hand so the planting season has been a busy one. There are flowers as well, and I finally managed a quick walk around the garden and greenhouse with the camera on a lazy sunday afternoon that alternated between sun breaks and thunderstorns. 

The Calochortus season has begun

The Rock garden has really been a lovely respite through the "social distancing days"

Allium unifolium 'Wayne Roderick' and Cammassia cusickii in the fading light.

Calochortus luteus

Townsendia's have always delighted me, I grew some in pots plunged in a sand bed this year. I really wish I had more time to do the alpines I love justice. 

The last of the Fritillaria to bloom out in the raised beds, F. biflora grayana

The Calochortus are like paintings, lovely paintings done in natures hues.

Cypella, I've been doing more subtropicals on the patio during the summer and overwintering them in an unheated shop or the greenhouse, and this one is a fun long season bloomer. 

The iris collection is expanding every year. I think the Dutch call this 'Eye of Tiger'

I have sworn that I finally identified this Iris that was growing neglected in a corner of the yard at our first house on Tolman St. in Portland as Iris ensata 'great white heron'. But the foliage is more like a bearded then a Japanese. Whatever it is I have propagated thousands of them and put them everywhere for the lovely fragrant hankerchief sized flowers. 

Iris douglasiana one of our wonderful native species that grows so well with so little care.

Looks to be a wet week ahead, as soggy sneakers were to be had after a morning walk to check the greenhouse. Good for the plants though as I don't really like to start irrigating anything if I don't have to until well into June.

Cheers,

Mark

Tritonia flabellifolia

"Conservatism is the blind and fear-filled worship of dead radicals."

Mark Twain

Blind and Fear filled really seems to be the only way to describe them, Although I would have added the "worship of  dead radicals (and living idiots)" to make it more complete. 

I have had a few Tritonia's blooming in the greenhouse for a few weeks now, along with the other South African's like Albuca, Moraea, and Gladiolus. No Ferraria's this year which is a bummer as they are on of my favorites. 

Tritonia flabefollia is on right now, with it's long tubular flower, and wonderful veining on the petals in shades of dark plum on the light pink background it really does put on a show. To me the the flowers have an almost mauve appearance. It was late last night when I got around to taking pics so they are perhaps a bit underexposed. 

A dainty little thing really but quite charming in it's own right. 

From the South Cape of Africa, in an area known to be of winter rainfall. This species seems to take to copious amounts of water. Since the kiddo is homeschooled now because of the Covid shut down, I usually have her water in the greenhouse and while she is much more knowledgeable then the average person. She still tends to pour it on thick even if they don't need it. 

My specimen has had a bit of a time standing upright, I'm guessing it's one of those species that grows up through grass and gets help from its nieghbords.

The warm weather is on it's way! Forecast says it should be in the 80's by the weekend. Seems too hot for the start of May.

Mark

May Day, May Day, May Day!

"Yeah, this one's for the workers who toil night and day

By hand and by brain to earn your pay

Who for centuries long past for no more than your bread

Have bled for your countries and counted your dead

In the factories and mills, in the shipyards and mines

We've often been told to keep up with the times

For our skills are not needed, they've streamlined the job

And with sliderule and stopwatch our pride they have robbed

We're the first ones to starve, we're the first ones to die

The first ones in line for that pie in the sky

And we're always the last when the cream is shared out

For the worker is working when the fat cat's about

And when the sky darkens and the prospect is war

Who's given a gun and then pushed to the fore

And expected to die for the land of our birth

Though we've never owned one lousy handful of earth?

We're the first ones to starve, we're the first ones to die

The first ones in line for that pie in the sky

And we're always the last when the cream is shared out

For the worker is working when the fat cat's about

And all of these things the worker has done

From tilling the fields to carrying the gun

We've been yoked to the plough since time first began

And always expected to carry the can"

The Workers Song-By the DropKick Murphy's

"And all of these things the worker has done
From tilling the fields to carrying the gun
We've been yoked to the plough since time first began
And always expected to carry the can" 

The Workers Song-By the Dropkick Murphy's

The Dropkick Murphy's

The lovely Camassia cusickii I started from seeds collected in the Wallowa Mountains about 16 years ago. Looks wonderful with the late blooming tulips.

What is May Day to you? A celebration of spring, dancing around the May Pole? The Celebration of Beltane? The somber recognition of a long and hard fight to be allowed to only work 8 hours a day? 

This ones for the workers! If ever there were a time in history when the lowest on the totem pole should be recognized for holding the whole thing up its right now. My heartfelt gratitude to the farm workers and laborers who are risking covid to get food to our table, many of them undocumented immigrants that the current administration views as trash not worthy of help in this time of need. Here is to the minimum wage worker at the grocery store risking infection so you can eat. Here is to the essential workers who kept us alive and healthy, and are making minimum wage and probably struggling to pay the rent themsleves. 

Happy International Workers Day.

Mark