Monday, June 20, 2016

Foxglove on the Heath


The wild foxglove is blooming on Hampstead Heath just as it is next to our house. Olga and I found this patch during our walk on Saturday. We had a good, long outing, which is a good thing, because yesterday I didn't take her anywhere -- we stayed home and Dave and I worked a bit in the garden. (Olga didn't seem to mind. I think she was still tired from the day before.)

I'm trying to take it easy, to cool off this hot coal behind my eye. It seemed a little better yesterday, but then I was taking aspirin so it's hard to tell.

Meanwhile, we planted the new sunflowers, and moved a few other plants that weren't growing in quite the right place. We've decided to let the slightly sunken, rectangular patch of lawn immediately beneath the rose bushes -- an area that looks like it used to be a flower bed, now replanted with grass -- go a bit wild. We're going to stop mowing it and see what happens. This solves several problems, including how to protect the ragwort, fox-and-cubs and other wildflowers that grow there naturally. It should be great for insects and critters, but I predict Mrs. Kravitz will hate it. (And she won't hesitate to tell us!)

My splint on the lupine blossom, by the way, was short-lived. On Sunday morning the flower was a collapsed, slimy mess, having been ravaged by another snail. I cut it off.

Then we came inside and watched "Witness" and "The Silence of the Lambs," neither of which I'd seen in many years. I e-mailed my dad to wish him happy Father's Day, but he's got so much on his plate health-wise that I'm not sure he's even reading his e-mail. Well, I'll see him in a couple of weeks.

It's raining again today, a light, drizzly, gray rain. Yesterday was moderately sunny, enough that I managed to do laundry and dry our sheets outside -- so much better than the dryer!

6 comments:

ellen abbott said...

love the foxglove. and just tell your nosy neighbor that it doesn't matter if she likes it or not, you like it. or you could say with a sweet smile, gee I'm sorry you feel that way because we love it. well, I'll be winging my in your direction soon.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I thought that all Americans dried their laundry in power guzzling driers. My wife loves to get the washing on the line - it smells so much fresher afterwards and wind and sunshine are free. Did your nosy neighbour have a son called Lenny by any chance? He'd have been born in 1964 I think.

Ms. Moon said...

Yorkshire Pudding is an extremely funny guy.
Remember what my daughter May says which is, "What other people think of me is none of my business."
Of course, Mrs. Kravitz will no doubt try to inform you of her opinion but you have the option of telling her to fuck off in the nicest way possible.

Sharon said...

I do love foxglove but, I had never thought of it growing wild.

jenny_o said...

I really like the idea of a wildflower corner of the yard. But then I tend to prefer wild places to begin with. A balance is good :)

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Red said...

I should move plants around rather that leave them in the same place forever. I've lived in this place since 1970.