The Last Leaf Gardener

Smoke Bush’s Burgundy Foliage Consoles a...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:03 -0400

Smoke Bush’s Burgundy Foliage Consoles a “lone” rain-drenched peony flower in my urban (NYC) garden! Story @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/05/where-have-all-peonies-gone.html

Whilst folks are bird watching, birds (including this lone...

Mon, 13 May 2013 07:11:00 -0400

Whilst folks are bird watching, birds (including this lone white-breasted sparrow and lone red house finch), are “watching” the foliage of the thriving kiwi vines growing my urban (NYC) garden!

After a delayed start, has spring FINALLY, FINALLY sprung in New...

Fri, 03 May 2013 07:41:00 -0400

After a delayed start, has spring FINALLY, FINALLY sprung in New York City where I live? The Black Mondo Grass growing in my urban garden weighs in with answers in a “story” on TLLG’s (me) Blogger Pages!

An informative post about this newest visitor (a rose-breasted...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:54:00 -0400

An informative post about this newest visitor (a rose-breasted grosbeak) to my urban (NYC) garden is on TLLG’s Blogger Pages!

I featured these images yesterday on TLLG’s FB Page but...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:57:00 -0400

I featured these images yesterday on TLLG’s FB Page but they were in a collage format, hence, I’m posting the images here where they can be viewed individually.

As I said on FB: “One of my mourning doves is (rightly so) feeling slighted! He/she has been preening his/her feathers ALL DAY (whilst sitting in a tree near my urban garden in the upper westside of New York City) and I didn’t give it much press even though I have come to learn that mourning doves preen their feathers with their beaks to attract a mate!

Let’s give this guy/gal a round of applause for a job of preening well done! Wish I could say I fix my hair as well as this bird arranges his/her feathers! But, I hide my hair under a cap, something this well-groomed mourning dove does not do!

WHAT AN EXCELLENT USE OF HIS/HER BEAK! Remember how birds used their beaks in The Flintstones? The birds in that cartoon were creative with their beaks (@ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/09/ya-buh-da-buh-due.html) BUT I don’t recall the “stone-age” birds styling their feathers with a beak!

Help me name Cam’s beau! Cam is the female cardinal who...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:39:00 -0400

Help me name Cam’s beau! Cam is the female cardinal who visits my urban (NYC) garden and her love interest needs a name! Story on TLLG’s Blogger Pages!

There is a one-family house (brownstone) a few buildings east of...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 07:49:00 -0400

Upper Westside Brownstone

Mr. Rabbit Oversees Succulent Garden Activity

Easter Bunny Newly Weds Uncertain of Their Future!

Pin-Stripes are the Rage with These Fashion-Minded Easter Chicks!

There is a one-family house (brownstone) a few buildings east of where I live (in New York City), that still has their Easter decorations up (which can be seen in the first image of this series) and why not? It is, after all, the time of Easter Tide, and this Sunday will be The Third Sunday of Easter!

In my succulent garden, my Easter guests are still enjoying their stay as seen in the remaining images.

As the ol’ song says, “reunited with the one I...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:24:13 -0400

As the ol’ song says, “reunited with the one I love!” Read about the escapades that Cam and her beau have in my urban (NYC) garden! Their “tales” are on TLLG’s Blogger Pages and can be accessed by clicking here and here!

“If you go to New York City, be sure to wear some flowers...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 07:05:50 -0400

“If you go to New York City, be sure to wear some flowers in your quills,” sang a hedgehog visiting my succulent garden! (This fact is included in a “story” on TLLG’s Blogger!

Tomorrow is the Octave of Easter, now known as Divine Mercy...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 07:55:00 -0400

Tomorrow is the Octave of Easter, now known as Divine Mercy Sunday, and in honor of the occasion, I’m posting these Easter images.

My memories of the Easter Sunday when the first picture in this series was taken are as faded as the photograph itself. The photo is of my sisters and me and was presumably taken by my mother, who always had a Kodak Instamatic in her hand.

The fact that I am one of three sisters has caused me to question the adage which claims “bad things happen in threes,” and it seems that the three chicks (second image in this series), as well as the bunny triplets (third image in this series), who are all visiting my succulent garden for the Easter Season, feel the same way about the adage, as stated in their other photo-ops on The Leaf Gardener’s Facebook Page.

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 07:06:00 -0400

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush,” Don Larson reportedly once said. My Kauffmaniana tulips, whose foliage is featured in this image, couldn’t agree more; they are singing even though they are full of slush and look as if they are mimicking snow-cones! Last year at this time they were in full bloom!

HAPPY SPRING! The season of spring began with the vernal...

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:57:00 -0400

HAPPY SPRING! The season of spring began with the vernal equinox about an hour and a half ago (at 7:02 A.M. EDT) in the Northern Hemisphere, and one of the figurines (pictured here) who is now visiting my succulent garden for the season, decided to use a leaf as a string instrument and ring in the season!

Talk about re-purposing! As he played his instrument, he serenaded the things which grow in my succulent garden, a garden that I have atop an armoire in my kitchen and one which is frequented by an array of visitors as evident in the following TLLG venues: BLOGGER , PINTEREST, as well as a number of entries here on tumblr.

Moreover, I’ve guest posted about this topic as I believe the ambience in my indoor succulent garden as helped my plants to thrive and so in the interest of honoring spring, I want to give a shout out to the beauty of the cacti! After all, I now have a “maestro” (seen here) to accompany me!

The month of March is traditionally associated with flying a...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:14:00 -0500

"WHEE!" (Red House Finch Uses Feeder as Launch Pad)

House Finch Flies in to Meet His Pal for Lunch!

House Finch Pays a Surprise Visit to mourning Dove!

House Finch Participates in "Fly-Over" (Unbeknownst to a Mourning Dove)!

Kiwi Vine's "DiGS" Become A Place for Bird to Take off!

House Finch Uses His Flying Skills to practice BALLET!

S-T-E-R-t-c-h-i-n-g Before Flying!

The month of March is traditionally associated with flying a kite, and the lyrics “Let’s go fly a kite … ” were sung in the “Mary Poppins” movie; but the birds which visit my urban (NYC) terrace (roof-extension) garden have a belief which is this: why go fly a kite when you can BE a kite “soaring up through the atmosphere, up where the air is clear …

AND none of the birds ever wait for the month of March to be a kite as evidenced by these images of my birds soaring up where the air is (hopefully) clear … “

It is the season of Lent and most known for fasting and...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 16:51:00 -0500

It is the season of Lent and most known for fasting and abstinence. In the past my fulfilling what I’ve given up for this period of time has been something I’ve not achieved, and it has been the same with my attempts at keeping New Years’ Resolutions (and this one of the reasons why I no longer make them which does not mean I lack habits to break or behavior that needs changing).

In terms of New Years’ Resolutions, I try to resolve to do something positive such as be more helpful at the place where I do volunteer work, rather than promise to no longer do something such as swearing or eating the “wrong” foods.

In terms of abstinence and Lent, I’ve found that a mere few hours after I have ashes on my forehead with a resolve to give up a certain food, a particular drink, or modify my behavior, I’m back to my often miserable self.

But abstinence and fasting are not the only “activities” one “can” adhere to as he/she remembers that “we are dust and dust we will return … ,” for Lent is also a time of preparation.

And it is the fact that Lent is the season of preparation which prompted some new figurines to visit my succulent garden once the Valentine’s Day ones had left for the year!

“Normally” during the forty days of Lent, I do not have whimsical figurines in my indoor succulent garden, even though I’ve felt that their presence has caused my succulents to thrive as I described in one of my guest blog posts for My Square Foot Garden.

The reason for having no figurines or extra decor in my succulent garden during this time has been my quasi-adherence to the “somber side” of Lent, a side I do respect, but a side I’ve re-evalated this year as Lent is also the Season of Preparation.

This year I decided to have my indoor succulent garden reflect the message of preparation by “allowing” “guests” to visit it who bring this message and these “folks” may be seen in the images accompanying this text.

The first image shows my “flower-girl” with her tools for preparing and nurturing a garden. As we all know, the calendar day for the first day of spring is less than one month from now; and while one may not be able to go outside into the garden to do actual gardening, one can, and probably should, prepare for the task which will eventually come. In the case of my urban (NYC) “terrace” garden, preparing the garden for winter and then getting it ready for spring have been done with great care, and I invite you to refer to my method of madness by clicking here.

The second image here is of a grand dame Lady Bug, and she represents the role ladybugs play in a garden, although I did not have many real-life ladybugs in my garden, but there’s always another season to prepare for!

The third image in this series is not particularly garden related; rather, it’s related to another outdoor activity, kite-flying, which is an activity associated with the month of March, a month that will be here in six days counting today (so prepare your kite and get it ready to fly)!

The fourth image in this series shows a bee figurine who somewhat resembles a New York City doorman, but in any event, bees are insects that know all about preparation! In bygone years in my garden, I certainly was delighted to see them in the throes of their prep work as evidenced by the number of “stories” that I wrote about them here on tumblr; as well as on Blogger; and I even featured them in one of my Virtual Stories (garden themed movies) on Vimeo which may be viewed by clicking here.

The fifth image reminds me that, whilst April Showers might bring May flowers, we have to get through the last five days of February and then thirty-one days in the month of March! Nonetheless, this fact did not prevent a new visitor (pictured here and featured on TLLG’s Facebook Page as well as a Pinterest Board) from coming to my succulent garden! The “things” which I grow here and I were especially delighted to see her clad in her yellow slicker and red rain boots! Her “attire” is truly a form of preparation!

The sixth and final image of this series features a flower-girl ready to plant bulbs! Bulbs are something I have never planted in the spring, but with the help of Juan V, bulbs for tulips, crocuses and daffodils were planted in late November as well as early December of bygone years.

It is my hope that my visiting figurines will remind me of the value in preparation re my mundane activities as well as for the big picture of life!

Tomorrow is February the First — within thirteen days of that...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:44:00 -0500

Tomorrow is February the First — within thirteen days of that time it will be Valentine’s Day — and in honor of the occasion, a number of figurines (pictured here) have come to visit a succulent garden, an indoor garden, which I have atop an armoire in my kitchenette.

Giving my succulents a festive environment is very important to me; after all they bring such joy to my life, as do the 80++ “things” which I grow in my urban (NYC) garden, a garden “housed” on a roof extension.

However, as of this posting, where the zone in which I live is in the sesaon of winter, I’m not spending too much time out there; except to replenish my feeders for Cam (a female cardinal); her male companion; and her “entourage” which consists of blue jays, common grackles, house finches (red as well as brown), mourning doves, tufted titmouses; and a bird who is either a tree swallow or a snowbird.

Therefore, to exercise my green thumb and help fulfill my need to nurture things which grow, providing an ambience for my indoor garden is essential to me and it is something I do for all the holiday seasons as well as for ordinary time.

In fact I wrote a guest blog about setting up an indoor garden and giving it flair, and if you’d like to refer to it please click here for a tab (on TLLG’s Facebook Page) that takes you to my guest blog posts. The one re indoor succulent gardens is the second one in the list so you may need to do a bit of scrolling!

Meanwhile, in terms of the valentine’s figurines pictured here, the first image features most of my guests.

The prisoner of love is off camera in that image, but he can be seen on his own in the last image in this series; however, bear in mind, he is normally quite busy wooing his gal, the lady in the polka dot dress in the lower righthand corner of the first image in this sequence.

Also missing from that first image are Lucifer and his long lost crown princess; they had hopped out of sight during the part of the photo-shoot, you know how frogs can be, and especially Lucifer, who has been featured within my Blogger entries on a number of occasions, including one which you may refer to by clicking here.

Another camera shy visitor, the one delivering a pizza (standing atop my pencil cactus in the upper right hand corner of the first image), finally agreed to a closer shot — if he could stand behind the clown as he is doing in the fifth image of this series.

The rest of the folks, Cupid, the skinny legged kids, the Queen of Hearts, the-was-my-face-red diva, and the clown all join me in wishing you a Happy February; and I encourage you to start thinking about sending a card to those near and even not so dear to you you in honor of the occasion!

I wil be creating a few cards for this “event,” and, as always, they will be cards that go beyond communcation; and you will be abe to find them within my ETSY shop, so please stay tuned!

Before I sign off, I want to thank Nancy and Steve for their unending inspiration in my decorating endeavors!

According to Holiday Insights, NATIONAL BIRD DAY was two weeks...

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 11:58:00 -0500

According to Holiday Insights, NATIONAL BIRD DAY was two weeks ago (January 5th ANNUALLY); and with my appreciation for birds I don’t know how I could’ve missed it!

But I must confess I have been preoccupied with taking care of my feathered friends (who visit my urban — NYC — garden) as well as writing about them, for I JUST completed a series of posts (SIXTEEN TOTAL) on my blog (The Last Leaf Gardner on Blogger).

The series spans posts from 1-5-13 to 1-20-13; and is a pictorial with narrative, year-end review (2012) of “events” in my garden.

As I’ve said before (to anyone who would listen), upon completion of my last entry re this series, I realized I did not do much “relaxing” in my garden and hope in the years to come that changes!

P.S. The images accompanying this post feature only a fraction of the types of birds (thirteen different varieties) who visit my garden. To see more images of my feathered friends, please visit me on Pinterest, where they are featured in a number of photo-ops within different boards, including one called Birds in my Urban Garden as well as one called “my” Birds & THEIR Feeders.

It is has been written: “Consider the birds … they...

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:31:00 -0500

It is has been written: “Consider the birds … they do not toil … .,” and, I TRULY need to take a lesson from my feathered friends!

I say this because I JUST completed a series of posts (SIXTEEN TOTAL) on my blog (The Last Leaf Gardner on Blogger).

The sixteen entry series spans posts from 1-5-13 to 1-20-13; and is a pictorial with narrative, year-end review (2012) of “events” in my urban (NYC) garden, many of which involved the antics of my visiting birds.

The cast of characters can be seen in the image above today’s tumblr entry; their identities are as follows:

Left to Right:

Row One: Snowbird, Chickadee, Common Grackle, Female House Finch

Row Two: Blue Jay, Cam (female Cardinal, Cam), Tufted Titmouse

Row Three: Mourning Dove, (Cam), Male Cardinal

Row Four: Tree Swallow, Male House Finch, Hairy Woodpecker, White Throat Sparrow

However, upon completion of my last entry re this series I realized I did not do much “relaxing” in my garden and hope in the years to come that changes! How about you, dear reader, do you relax in your garden OR “take time and smell the roses,” as “they” say? P.S. the photo-op above this entry is from a new greeting card in my Etsy shop.

As I stated on TLLG’s Facebook Page this morning,...

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 07:12:00 -0500

Star of Wonder . . .

Star of Night . . .

Star of Royal Beauty , . .

Bright;

GUIDE US TO THE PERFECT LIGHT!

As I stated on TLLG’s Facebook Page this morning, “Happy Epiphany or Twelfth Day of Christmas! Although stores are already filled with Valentine’s Day merchandise, Christmas, at least liturgically, is still being celebrated today, the twelfth day of Christmas, known as the Feast of the Epiphany.

“Some folks in my “hood” honor it with a star, such as a ‘gentleman’ who lives in the building across the street from my building does, as evidenced by the (first) image with today’s posting, where I’ve placed a circle around a star of wonder. Since my apartment does not face the street I had not noticed the star but was told about it by a neighbor who faces the apartment of the “gentleman” who hangs it in his window as an annual ritual. Evidently he has another annual ritual, which is to throw parties that “feature” the guests taking off all their clothes, a “story” I’ve discussed on TLLG’s Blogger Pages.”

And on fifth-seventh street in Manhattan, a star always hangs about at this time of year, which can be seen in the second image with today’s tumblr entry.

But re the “star of wonder,” in the window of the building near to where I live, as I wrote on FB this morning, “What a view for the apartments that face the street! And to think the people that face me only get to look at a lush garden frequented by an array of birds!”

Be that as it may, I do have a star (in fact two of them) also — one atop a Christmas tree in my garden and the other a mini-one dangling ”Charlie Brown-stye” from my Chelsea Larch! An aerial view of these (taken by Juan V) can be seen in the third image accompanying this entry. Close-ups of both of my stars can be found in the fourth and fifth images.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, which is today, someone’s...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 06:37:00 -0500

ON THE 8TH DAY OF CHRISTMAS . . .

a SNOWMAN leads GARDEN FIGURINES in SONG!

a CHRISTMAS DOLL JOINS THE FESTIVITIES!

SNOOPY STOPS BY TO HANG LIGHTS!

CAROLERS GO A WASSAILING IN TGE SUCCULENT GARDEN!

an ELF APPRECIATES THE VISIT OF A CHANUKAH CHOIR BOY

a SKEPTICAL CARDINAL STOPS BY TO CHECK ON THE CELEBRATIONS!

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, which is today, someone’s true love, somewhere, gave to them eight maids a milking; or at least this is what the figurine in the first image within the series of photographs posted with this entry told me this morning when I watered my succulent garden!

This particular figurine is one who visits my succulent garden for the Christmas season, and as anyone who follows me here on tumblr, knows, my indoor succulent garden is something I discussed on a number of occasions when I was a newbie to NYBG’s (New York Botanical Garden) tumblr pages. It is a garden which I’ve also written about on TLLG’s Blogger Pages as well as TLLG’s Facebook Page, and it is one that I wrote about in a guest blog post.

However, in my cyber-space writings, I tend to put more content “out there” that deals with my urban (NYC) garden and especially the birds which visit it, including blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, finches, mourning doves and tufted titmouses! Images of all the aforementioned topics (indoor succulent gardens, my urban garden and various birds) can be found on my Pinterest Boards and within my Flickr Galleries.

But now that I have digressed by informing you of all of this, my cow figurine is ringing the bell around her neck as a reminder for me to post pictures of the other figurines who have been visiting my indoor garden for the 2012-2013 Christmas season, which in the United States, will end this Sunday, January 6th 2013 — The Twelfth Day of Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany!

AND SO, without further ado, the images following my cow figurine feature a few of the other figurines who have been visiting my indoor garden this Christmas season!

It has been quite some time since I have been able to share...

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 14:37:00 -0500

It has been quite some time since I have been able to share anything here on tumblr or on any of my other on-line venues and I’ve missed the interaction, especially during that time period of the year which included (in alphabetical order) Boxing Day, Chanukah, Christmas, as well as Kwanza and The Winter Solstice! I certainly did not forget abut my “tumblr community” of “followers and friends” which I truly appreciate; and I hope all of you experienced this time period in a manner which filled the desires of your hearts!

However, during these past several days, my communication (apparently) was not meant to be! To paraphrase the verse: my spirit has been willing but my flesh has been weak! As it happens, my last entry here was posted just before I headed to a doctor’s appointment regarding ear pain that I have been having, and I’m quite thankful to now report that a tumor on the auditory nerve has been ruled out or the MRI and related tests would’ve detected it. But having a tumor was a concern on my part due to my Neurofibromatosis, and well meaning folks tried to cheer me up with jokes such as relating a old skit before my time in which Henny Youngman performed an old gag where the patient says, “Doctor, Doctor! I hear a ringing in my ears! Whadda I do?”

“Don’t answer it,” the Doctor tells the guy.

My symptoms did not include ringing, but the joke did make me smile as I tend to try and keep a sense of humor about these matters! For instance, when the doctor asked me if the pain impacted my hearing I responded, “Please speak up!”

Having said this, health issues are no laughing matter, and I’m extremely grateful to learn that my ears will be all right (and hopefully my eyes will too)!

Each time I walked home from various doctor’s appointments, I did so by cutting through Central Park, and as I did I recalled Woody Allen’s scene (Hannah And Her Sisters); when he was told a brain tumor had been ruled out, and his reference to rifles and shooting (in that movie) was disturbing given the tragedy in Sandy Hook which occurred about an hour after one of my last entries on TLLG’s FB Page, and the incident has caused me to allow many moments of silence for the families devastated by the mania.

But a new year is upon us, the “official” time for new beginnings! The birds which visit my urban garden (as well as the flowers, herbs, plants, shrubs, succulents, vines, and trees that grow here) and my indoor succulentsI are all eager to share our stories with you and anxious to hear yours.

Meanwhile, Happy 2013! BTW, I’d like to know what folks did to ring in the new year?

In NYC where I live, as usual hundreds of thousands of people came here to be at Times Square to watch the ball drop as they rang in a new year! As for me, I did my “usual” routine, and met friends in front of the building where I live at 11:45 PM, and headed to Central Park to see magnificent fireworks light up the sky along with the park’s “usual” street lamps as evident in the image featured here. And as was the case in bygone years, the festivities did not disappoint.

I hope, whatever you did, your celebration was meaningful and I wish you many blessings in the coming new year!