Remember that orchid I found in the trash in Fortune Green Park last January? Well, it's blooming -- so this is the first flower I've seen from this particular plant. Not too shabby!
Olga and I had an interesting walk yesterday morning. Not because she wandered around next to the (fenced) railroad tracks behind the housing estate -- which she does almost every time we walk -- but because I was carrying a foxglove plant at the time.
At least, I think it's a foxglove. It was growing in a recessed grate in the sidewalk where it would surely never get any bigger than this because people would keep trampling it. So I gingerly pulled it out and brought it home and stuck it in some water, and I'll move it to a pot after I finish this post.
Wasn't I just complaining about all the foxgloves I had to plant?
Yes, I know. I am insane.
Here in the Beverly Hills of West Hampstead, my celebrity neighbors are apparently up in arms about a scheme to tear down and replace a house that, frankly, I didn't even know existed. It's tucked behind the houses along our street, and not visible from the road. I've lived on this street for almost ten years and I had no clue! But I can see how its demolition and replacement would be a huge headache for people who overlook that property -- including several of the celebs. Plus it poses concerns for the nearby cricket club.
This is not the first time controversy has visited our street. About nine years ago one homeowner was forced by the council to replace the pebble dashing on the outside of her house after a renovation left a smooth (and I think nice-looking) exterior wall. I didn't know about it at the time -- we hadn't even moved in yet -- but I read about it later.
Isn't it ridiculous that I live on this street? Life is unpredictable, that's for sure.
27 comments:
I think that you may have. weed in that glass , but the orchid is beautiful, most unusual colouring.
Looked to see who your " celebrity" neighbours are and was interested to see that Emma Thompson is one of them......I finished reading " The Remains of the Day" about 20 minutes ago, and could see and hear her speaking as I read! ( I now need to watch the film again!)
Frances: It could be borage. That's the other main contender in my mind! But I'd love a borage plant too.
Rich Russians above. Testy and proud neighbours. Celebs. A council that strangely likes pebble dash. Where you live sounds pretty good to me. I will be very amused if the plant you are giving love to turns out to be a weed.
I think you need to find yourself an FA (Foxgloves Anonymous) meeting. I'm sure there must be one in your chic neighborhood.
That rescue orchid is amazing. Please rescue mine.
Some people rescue migrants in inflatable boats, others rescue maltreated dogs or rhinos or tigers threatened with extinction or flood victims... but you rescue foxgloves! I agree with your self-analysis.
That design is awful. So at odds w/the tone and type of neighborhood. I live in a historical town. The Architectural Board must approve certain things; gets some criticism but it has a purpose.
And I love Jim Carter so I'm always going to side with him...
I stand with Mr. Carson aka Jim Carter in Downton Abbey. I think the home is nice, but will stand out terribly among the neighborhood.
Hello Steve , you live in the nicest neighborhood of all I think, you guys and daughter have made yourselves comfortable. It is generally a shame when buildings are torn down. Hope to see you while here- electronic devices and passwords are giving me fits at the moment. You have a special talent for sad lost plants- you are a god to them. Linda Sue
I always enjoy hearing about your plant finds. Actually I am quite envious! I never see abandoned plants. The street I live on has older homes, and it seems a developer is keeping an eye out and when a house goes up for sale it is bought, torn down, and a larger more expensive house goes up in its place.
I wrote a long comment, including a condemnation of pebbledash and blogger ate it! I notice Jim Carter claims the proposed house is three storey, and the plans say it's one. I wonder if it's just change that's upsetting people, and the design is the last straw, despite being very green.
As the saying goes, the first step in curing a problem is admitting you have a problem!
My name is Steve and I am addicted to planting Foxgloves!
You are crazy about your flowers, Steve. But it is a sweet addiction.
I wonder if those celebrities realize they live so near the famous Steve Reed!
That rescue of a (potential) foxglove made me laugh & laugh. It's too bad you can't ship your excess to me - I love them!
I think you are the ultimate "plant whisperer!" You have a way with plants. I wish I had your green thumb!
I love your pretty rescued freckled orchid. It is lovely! And hey- rescue all the plants you want, it is harming no one and it makes you happy and it's good for the planet. So there!
Now as to the house controversy- I can see both sides but honestly, people really don't want progress, do they? Or perhaps that design is not progress at all. Change. It is change that people do not want.
You should have studied Botanical issues rather then how to handle teenagers in libraries! Seems being a Botanist would be ideal for you!
Sometimes we mind our own business and miss some controversial changes.
That beautiful blooming orchid is why you rescue all the plants you find discarded and abandoned there. You are the finest rescuer. I can hear all the plants thanking you for your caring kindness.
I'm beginning to think there are crazy neighbors on every street everywhere.
Ed's comment is true for addictions, even foxglove addictions. But sometimes, in this crazy world, I think that it has become 'the first step to solving a problem is inventing the problem'.
Olga Girl, You Are Looking Marvelous There My Girl
Cheers
That orchid is very impressive. Your gardening prowess never ceases to amaze me.
I love that you live in the Beverly Hills of London. You can keep tabs on some of my favorite performers.
Love the orchid! There are people in my development that get very upset by someone having too many weeds in the flowerbed or by an unapproved paint color. The demolition does sound like it will be noisy and chaotic--but surely for only a limited time?
That orchid is beautiful. I have better luck rescuing dogs and thankfully I don't come across as many of those as you do needy plants.
I suggested to my cousin that at their up-north association meeting they should suggest making the area a historic district as it is old enough. Then we realized a lot of people wouldn't vote for it because it would require certain specific things that they'd never go along with! That said, I'm all for saving old buildings if they're saveable.
The orchid is lovely, Mr. Green thumb.
Andrew: It wouldn't be the first time I've intentionally grown a weed!
Mitchell: Ha! I'm sure none of my neighbors would ever be addicts of any kind.
YP: I would rescue dogs if I had more space, though I can see how that could become a slippery slope of "just one more..."
Elle: It is a very weird design for this area. I think they're banking on the fact that no one can see the house from the street.
Bob: Mr Carson thanks you, I'm sure!
Linda Sue: I love our neighborhood, but it is quite funny to me that we wound up here, of all places.
Jean: Maybe when a developer buys one of the older homes you can sneak onto the property and rescue some of the soon-to-be-demolished landscaping? :)
Boud: Oh no! I thought maybe it was in spam but I just published all my spam and didn't see it. :( I'm not sure what's up with the discrepancy in the description of the house.
Ed: Ha! There are worse addictions, I suppose!
Ellen D: Ha! I usually don't mention their names specifically because I'd rather they NOT see my blog. Not that there's really any risk of that. And not that I ever say anything negative about them. At least they're all actors I like.
Bug: We'll see what grows in that pot!
Michael: Well, I have failures too, but I don't talk about them as much. :)
Ms Moon: Certainly change is a hurdle for many people. If I were Jim Carter and Imelda Staunton I'd be concerned too -- this new house would be right next to and slightly behind them, and if it really is multiple floors it could overshadow their garden.
Marcia: Funny you should say that -- I considered studying botany. But I thought all the scientific stuff might detract from my simple enjoyment of the plants.
Red: Yeah, I'm glad the newspaper wrote about this. Otherwise I'd have had no idea!
Robin: I guess it's the nature of being neighbors. People want what they want, and there are bound to be clashes.
Debby: Ha! Well, there's a lot of that, too. I'm not truly very worried about my plant addictions. :)
Padre: She says thank you!
Sharon: Actually I think it's only the Beverly Hills of West Hampstead. There are other London neighborhoods that are much swankier than hours!
Margaret: I just can't imagine being so obsessed about another person's property or choices. Unless they're Russian and renovating their apartment for six years straight. LOL
Kelly: I wish I could rescue dogs! (Well, we did rescue one!)
Debby: You're back! :) Yes, HOAs are the prime perpetrators of invented problems! I would never live in a neighborhood with an HOA. (I don't think our street has an active one now, though I believe it used to.)
Jeanie: I always thought owning a historically landmarked building would be such an honor, but apparently it can be a nightmare. When I lived in New York I often heard about building owners fighting landmarking because it imposed so many potential costs. I'm sure the same is true here.
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