June 21, 2004
mulleins and music
Summer is here. In my backyard that means the remontant roses are now in their second flush of bloom (Madame Alfred Carriere, hybid musk Kathleen, cherry red single-flowered Dortmund, and the graceful white climber Pax). The tall spires of the verbascums have been harvested for indoor display and have set out their secondary blooming tips.
A new verbascum - planted last year but only come to flower in this - is in the running for this summer's most spectacular flower. It is about five feet high, pyramidal in form with furry pale grey-green leaves. The bloom stalk is as thick as my wrist and bears quarter-size pale cream white flowers densely clustered in a cone at the top.
I cannot now remember its name but I know I bought it at Annie's Annuals last year. I went out to her Richmond nursery with a mission - buy every verbascum I could get my hands on which I did, the 4" pots filling the child's red wagon the nursery makes available for customers who invariably buy way more than they ever intend in the acre-lot of locally grown flora. So, I must have the plant list or the tag around somewhere....
Summer also means the hammock is back up - to Christian's complete and utter happiness. This year he has added a new companion for his backyard idylls - a ukulele. So, while tidying up the driveway border, sweeping rose petals and pulling weeds I am serenaded by "Duke of Earl" on the ukulele.
