One day

By mid-May, the spiderwort is already past its prime.  Each rich purple flower lasts only until the evening, and the following day is replaced by another within the same cluster.  After a month, the clutch burns out to a nutty brown crisp on a tall green stem.

These gold ones in containers near the street are called "Sweet Kate."

By late May, the daylilies are at their peak.  Like the spiderwort, each orange flower lasts only a day.  Breeders have created thousands of varieties in luscious combinations of reds and yellows, but the common orange variety was among the first species in my garden, purchased as a groundcover for a patch of bare sandy soil in the backyard. 

Years later I transplanted them to a sunnier spot near the street.  The orange flowers glow in the hot sunlight of late spring, exceeding all expectations for beauty.  A photo cannot do justice to the rich gold tones that radiate from each blossom at midday.

I went to a library conference last week.   I was among the first members of the organization in the mid-80's and in the early years, I was intimidated by my older distinguished colleagues.  As the years passed, I participated more fully and came to respect and enjoy my contemporaries.  Last week, I looked around the tiered classroom and realized that I am now among the elders.

A common daylily blooming for a day in the late afternoon sun.

The Successful Gardener Guide North Carolina

A voice on the telephone asked me to review a new book on my blog.  I agreed immediately and a few weeks later, the book The Successful Gardener Guide North Carolina arrived in my mailbox. 

This book is a compilation of articles selected from the newsletter, the Extension's Successful Gardener.  I am always happy to find a free copy of this newsletter at plant nurseries and garden centers.

Edited by Leah Chester-Davis and Toby Bost, this book is divided into six chapters, each covering a different topic centered around gardening in North Carolina, including top plant choices, environmental garden practices, and a calendar of garden tasks by season. 

Paging through the book, I was among cherished friends, with articles written by gardeners and horticulturists who have appeared on the Almanac Gardener TV show, in Carolina Gardener magazine and in the weekend editions of the Durham and Raleigh newspapers.  The articles are well chosen and well written, and would be of interest to novice and experienced gardeners alike. My favorite section was the "Enviro-Tips" chapter with many articles about sustainable water and pesticide practices. Some articles throughout the book contain  URLs to websites for readers who want more information. 

While I love the content of this book, this work is made for browsing, but the layout does not encourage that practice.  The articles follow each other continuously, as in an encyclopedia. The content would be better displayed with the title at the top of each page, magazine-style.

The book contains a generous number of full color photographs, at least one per article.  Most of the photos are clear, beautiful and well-selected, typically 2.5x3.5.  This is size is perfect for highlighting a particular plant but for showing a landscape, the photo must be closely cropped.  The 2.5x3.5 photo that leads into the article "Front-Yard Gardens Maximize Space" made my wish to see the whole front yard almost palpable.  Two pages following is a stunning photo of a fall garden, cropped to a tight 2x3 inches.

Maybe I am picking.  Overall, this is a well written work that leaves the reader yearning for more.