one shot cropped five ways

Above is a shot I took of the Burnett Fountain at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park back at the end of July. I couldn't quite figure out the best way to crop it so I opted to go with a number of options.
In the fountain is a fabulous container of Colocasia and Acorus. The Acorus is a new experiment this year and I think it looks great at the base of the Colocasia. Usually you see the two in annual beds and container gardening but since they are water loving plants they can also stand to live in a fountain or pond, as long as the water is circulating of course. Stagnant water will rot and kill even the toughest of aquatic critters so you always have to make sure the water is flowing and fresh. Pot the plants in a soil mix that is more clay-like than what you would use for regular potting above sea level. But hey, if all you have is potting mix you can actually make that work too. If you fear that some of the soil mix will not hold then you can mulch your aquatic containers with pebbles or gravel as long as you do not bury the crown of the plant. This way the soil stays in while your plants stems and foliage continue to grow from the root system. Worse comes to worse you just have to skim your pond a little after placing your containers to remove unwanted floating peat moss or perlite. I didn't realize how easy aquatic gardening can be and yet people are always amazed and really love it, thinking you have done something so extraordinary.
The sculpture is by Bessie Potter Vonnoh. In 1924 Frances Hodgson Burnett passed away, author of The Secret Garden which was first published in 1917. After her passing, as the story goes, a committee was formed to create a memorial in her honor somewhere in the city. A place for the children of New York to be able to read a book, have an outdoor classroom, experience and fall in love with nature, the south garden was picked as the spot before the Conservatory Garden was opened to the public in September of 1937. Though the fountain is not titled as such it is loosely based on the two main characters, Dickon (above) and Mary (below). Even though the south garden is often described as the English garden within the six-acre formal garden many locals lovingly know it as the secret garden.

The tropical water lilies are grown like the Colocasia and Acorus. Potted in soil and mulched with gravel the lilies are placed in the fountain in early June and grow and bloom magnificently all summer. The only challenge is the huge crabapple tree that grows over head and adds a little more shade to the scenario every year.

Forgive me that I have been a real blog-posting slacker recently. With my wedding less than a month away and my fiancee and I uber planners there hasn't been much extra time for photos and freewrites and all that good stuff. Not to mention Hurricane Danielle is beginning to push some swells to our local surf spots so tomorrow we are leaving the technology behind to find the true knowledge. Wish us luck! cheers, AEF

Pic of the Day

Psychic readings, palm, tarot cards, and today's special, a free box fan with every purchase!
Crazy Claire Voyant, her prices are IN-SANE!!!

...and if you don't get the Crazy Eddie reference, check out this ridiculous ad campaign us New Yorkers were subject to in the 1980's, years before the real Crazy Eddie would be found guilty of major fraud.

Plant of the Week: Cynara cardunculus

Cynara cardunculus is commonly called a cardoon. Originally I learned it as an annual and fabulous textural addition to container gardens and summer annual displays. ...but recently have learned it is a sensational marginally hardy perennial to definitely consider a strong garden contender.
The large lobed leaves are usually the reason people choose cardoons. This picture doesn't entirely do justice to the tomentose (botanical for "fuzzy with tons of short wooly hairs") gray-green leaves that really stand out, both in terms of texture and size. In full sun, which is really what they must have, Cynara will grow 4' x 4' in the course of a warm summer.

this is one from Battery Park a few years ago

Some references mention that they can get to 8' x 8' but I doubt that would ever be possible around here. Usually when I have seen cardoons they are just used as a great foliage plant. But this year not only did this cardoon come back for the third year, it got bigger than ever and put up this amazing flower spike.
Native to the Meditteranean, the FLORA Gardener's Encyclopedia lists this plant as hardy in USDA zones 7-10. Over the years I have come to consider this part of NY where I am (Long Island, New York City) to be a zone 6b or 7a and I think this further supports that to be true. I am already very excited to see what happens next year. Will it come back again? Will it get taller than the 5' or so you see here? We'll see!
Plant Cynara cardunculus in full sun with regular irrigation, use surrounding plantings to protect for best chances of the plant coming back year after year. The gray green foliage contrasts really well with red foliage plants. Oh, and if you think this looks like an artichoke, or have heard people call Cynara artichoke, you are right on. Cynara scolymus (or the Scolymus group of Cynara cardunculus depending on the reference cited) is the globe artichoke that grows in zones 8-10 which we eat as a delicious veggie, the immature flower buds harvested and cooked to be paired with your best hollandaise sauce for dipping. Mmm, guess I'm hungry, that made my mouth water!

more fun with photoshop

Happy Car, 10:19am

...Never really played around much with Photoshop. But I am quickly learning how people can get sucked in. It's fun to fiddle! Years ago my amazing friend, musician, artist, original Rockaway badass Bob Turano showed me a series of Photoshop self portraits that blew my mind. I'm starting to see the light. There is more digitizing to be done.

The Long Beach Sessions (con't)

We begin with Happy Car, complete with new surfboard rack! That only took two and a half years to acquire - hahaha! So to commemorate we took advantage of the weekday off and hit Long Beach in search of surf. We knew there wouldn't be much above knee- to thigh-high waves but we were dying to get our paddle on so we hit it. The waves were rolling , the sets spaced far apart but definitely strong enough to offer some fun rides. The crowd in the water was small and chill. The tide was on it's way out and the north wind would ultimately squash the swell but it kept it clean and fun and easy for a few hours at least. After our morning session I took a few shots, as did Krissy.
This woman was awesome, going after everything determined to stand regardless of the white wash.

A little late on the get-up but hey, having fun is what it's all about.

I never get used to the monster barges in the distance. ...reminds me of my friends surfing Lake Superior waves up in Duluth, MN. Talk about mad men.

For you non-surfers out there you will notice that the nose of my surfboard is underwater while making this bottom turn. Yeah, that is a lesson in what not to do. (!) Oh well, you win some you lose some, either way it's the best feeling ever.

We are always thrilled with the return of the Long Beach sessions. I have been to Shangri-La, quite literally, but let me tell you, it's got nothing on the ocean! ;-)

"Poverty Continued..." (Bronx 2006)

"Poverty Continued..."
collage on paper
10" x 14"
aef06

In 2006 I was a full time student at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Over the months and through the seasons I would travel through rough barren neighborhoods all over the city to arrive at various oases of floral brilliance that most people didn't know existed or simply couldn't afford. The dichotomy was heavy on the senses.... Yet another reason I went in to public horticulture I suppose.

Clip of the day

Another great old piece from the collage table. ...Life Magazine, volume 23, number 26, December 29, 1947. The story of a grandmother, Lillian Winter, being acquitted of attempted murder on her 17-year-old granddaughter.

Chesterfield Kings (a step back in time)

Among the collage fodder is this great old ad for Chesterfield King cigarettes, complete with great old surf pics from the 60's. Still unsure what to do with the actual page I figured they were worth a quick scan for this Saturday summer morning. And a little shot of the Ventures to accompany. "Tastes great, smokes mild" ...funny how things have changed.

best part of my day

I was having a miserable day, dealing with miserable people, and letting them get to me which was only making me more angry. I was ready to quit it all and walk away, tell the world to go fuck itself. And then the phone rang. "Gian Carlo Feleppa calling". My brother and little miss Ea were on a Manhattan adventure and wanted to see where Uncle Alex worked. Seeing my little niece bobbing on my brother's shoulders made all that shit melt away. We walked and talked and explored the way a two-year old mind does. This little one, more grown up than all the adults I take care of on a daily basis brought a smile back to my face, just in the nick of time. We boarded the subway and began our descent down to the outer boroughs, safely away from all the lunacy. Before I got off to transfer at 59th Street Ea turned to me and said, "I love you". ...best part of my day.
playing patty-cake on the counter waiting for our afternoon snack before hitting the train

Summer Containers 2010

Every year I like to do something different with my containers out front. The first year, in 2007 a few months after we moved in, I completely underestimated the amount of sun the summer stairs would receive. That year I did simple pots of New Guinea impatiens and they fried! After a vacation out of town a local woman made a special point of knocking on our door (after church!) to tell my love how terrible our plants looked and how poorly we tended to them. Krissy evaded the woman's arrogant rant, and I was extremely thankful that she didn't mention that her man, the one responsible for said terrible pots, was in fact a professionally trained horticulturist. Hey, no matter how much training you have it still takes years to understand your site. So for 2008 I went totally tropical using plants I knew would want the sun and hotter temps. There were a lot of bright foliage plants like croton (Codiaeum variegatum pictum) and the focal point was an orange hibiscus that bloomed strong all summer long. The pots were smaller and dried out too quickly so I learned I had to increase the size of the pots. If you think about it larger pots will equal larger volume with relatively less surface area so they won't dry out on you as fast. In 2009 I had fun incorporating annuals and some sun loving houseplants together into a very poppy display. However I guess I did a little too good of a job because by the end of summer a couple nice pots full of hot orange and deep purple petunias had somehow upped and walked themselves to someone else's home. Fancy that! ...eh, thieves suck. Which brings us to this year. I went to get some new terra cotta pots for the front stoop and I guess I was excited because I ended up doubling the amount of containers I'd had in years past, going from 5 to 10. Due to the theft in '09, and based on the plants I was able to get my hands on for little or no money I opted to go back to focusing on foliage and texture for the summer season. There is a bit of everything, annual to tropical to perennial, from yellow to green to red, small to medium to large, but somehow it seems to work for me.


On the top stair planted with the annual Alternanthera that provides green to purple-red foliage is a Begonia I brought out from inside. The alternanthera will continue to grow and spill over the side of the pot in time, along with tiny white flowers soon to begin. Begonia maculata 'Wightii' is a sensational begonia with white polka-dots on the leaves. I hacked it back hard before moving it out so it is coming back slowly and looking pretty peculiar. A few begonias in the mix this summer are kids from inside and ultimately they'd be happier being more sheltered and protected but whatever, they are holding on fine and providing enough of a look. They're annuals for us here so destined for the compost pile this fall they might be. That is basil in the center, Ocimum basilicum, and so far it has been able to keep a nice low profile. On the other side the pink-silver leaves of Begonia 'Sinbad' I've always admired.
On the left side of stair four is another Sinbad begonia. That one I have had for a few years, and too cut it back hard this spring, but it always looks full and fantastic by the end of the season. The right two pots have a total of five different colored Korean chrysanthemums. They will bloom mid to late fall and I have no idea what color they will be, but their big daisy-like flower will undoubtedly be a great late season surprise. In front of the pot with only two plants I stuck another Begonia chunk, this one a rich dark foliage begonia that I can't remember the name of. Like I said, it's kind of a hodgepodge but it works.
Another of the alternanthera and the dark-leaved begonia are at the left side of the third stair. In the center is Teucrium, the medicinal herb known as germander. A tight little plant with fine texture germander will put up small spires of pink blossoms in full sun, but has yet to get going for me this year. And then on the right is the big light green badboy, Hosta plantaginea. This plant likes to get huge so kind of funny to pot it up, but the white flower spikes that are forming now are so strong and sweet and fabulous that I had to try it. The metal awning overhead and associated runoff has left a few rust stains on the leaves but I don't mind so much.
This Jasminium on the left was offered by a friend last year who couldn't figure out where to put it in her garden. Obviously the fresh, bright yellow foliage is something, so I quickly took her up on the offer. I have no idea what species or cultivar it is. The annual salvia in the center is Salvia 'Cherry Blossom' and the spikes of white and pink flowers are very ornate, though I have found they aren't lasting very long on my hot little stoop. In both of those pots the Oxalis 'Charmed Wine' I had actually written off. The dormant corms of the plant had been inside on the windowsill all winter so I potted them up with the same sort of "oh, whatever" kind of attitude. The little shot of purple definitely helps, not to mention I forever love how the foliage of oxalis retracts and closes up at night. So the big perennials on the lower right of this years display are Boltonia asteroides, the late summer blooming garden favorite. Like the hosta these plants like to get big, but I figured the experiment of seeing how they do potted up was worthwhile. I wondered if they might stay smaller with a more confined root space. Yeah, not so much, as I've already pruned them back a couple times. As the name would imply they too will have daisy-like flowers in a month or two, white with a yellow center, and very charming. Last but not least is one of my favorite cascading evergreens for containers. Juniperus procumbens 'Nana' is a creeping juniper that doesn't grow fast but can still get to a good size over many years. It'll be time to repot that one soon enough, as it too is one of the stoop veterans.
So there you have 'em, summer containers 2010. Cheers,

favorite postcard #139

A million moons ago when I was living in California between the redwoods and the shark infested seas I was given this postcard by my friend Annie. We lived in a perfect little house on a brilliant ranch, and three artists total we all fed each other, artistically, creatively, physically. A remarkable adventure west, it was not without some tough times, some serious personal and professional challenges. In a sense we were all finding ourselves. We all made it out better people and no doubt they were challenges that have made me who I am, a stronger man and a harder worker.

This postcard would live at my various collage tables for years to follow after landing back on the east coast. For clearly it is too fabulous to ever take a Sharpie or pair of scissors to. It sort of became a reminder, kind of like when you would be off to school as a kid and your mom would get those last few important phrases out before the bus gobbled you up. "...do good, ...work hard, ...make me proud!"

Back in Half Moon Bay I had no idea where Long Beach, NY was. I wouldn't for all those years. Today we just got back from Long Beach, our heaven during our time living here in the city. It's where we want to buy a house and start a family. Close to the city but on the ocean it feels like our little secret, even though we know others are catching on fast! For us it makes so much sense. It's kind of like the light at the end of the tunnel. It's like that reminder, "do good, work hard, make me proud". Accept those challenges, learn from those challenges, do what you know is right.

The next great challenge is on.

...oh and HUGE props to my friend Harry for making the move to a career in horticulture and starting his new gig tomorrow (yeah, I will take credit and say he was a pupil of mine!) and a belated MEGA shout out to my kick-ass friend Annie, who you can now call Nurse Annie. That's right. BANG!