Good Saint Anne, July's Rain IS your Dowry . . .

Today, July 26th in the Western Calendar is the feast day of Saint Anne (her feast day is July 27th in the Eastern Calendar), a feast day that she shares with her husband Joachim. The image posted above today's blog entry is a screen shot of a pencil sketch of the beloved saint, titled Saint Anne after Leonardo Da Vinici , by an artist who calls herself Trish. (For information on this image or to view other works by the artist, please click here).


Saint Anne is the mother of the Virgin Mary, and grandmother of Jesus Christ, according to Christian religions; however, her name is not mentioned in the canonical gospels. Among other things, Saint Anne is the patron saint of "childless couples", giving them "special aid in obtaining children", and, perhaps, she was instrumental in my sister and her husband's successful adoption of two Russian children, whose voices I "showcased" in a blog entry that I made about the use of "voice cards", which I made this past January (that you may hear by clicking on this link). Their adoption came through after much bureaucracy and heartbreak, which were both preceded by several futile years of unsuccessful in-vitro fertilization treatments.
My knowledge of Saint Anne is not nearly what it should be, given that Bella, the woman whom I have done volunteer work with for nearly eight years, had a sister whom was named for Saint Anne. Bella's sister died nearly eight years ago after a battle with pancreatic cancer, but for many years prior to her death, she did the volunteer work which I now do.

However, even though I do not know as much about Saint Anne as I should, I am aware that prayers seeking her intercession often begin with the salutation, "Good Saint Anne . . . ";  and I have also been (on a few occasions all of which were quite some time ago) to The Shrine of Saint Anne, located inside a Catholic church known as St. Jean Baptiste Church , which is on the Upper East-Side of New York City. In the month of July, every year — for the past 119 years — beginning on the Sunday of the week prior to Saint Anne's feast day, folks come  to St. Jean's, "in the fervor of their prayer", from all over the world to participate in a novena dedicated to Saint Anne. This year's novena to Saint Anne, began on July 17th 2011, and it will end this evening, after many events throughout this day. The schedule for these can be found in the aforementioned link associated with St. Jean Baptiste Church.


I have recently read that Saint Anne, because, she is associated with fertility, has had her patronage extended to soil, and I was surprised to see the number of places on-line that offer Saint Anne soil, as well as Saint Anne soil treatments, although I have never seen these products in any of New York City's urban gardening centers — including ones located in the famed flower district. However, as an urban gardener, my learning of Saint Anne's "relationship" to soil, is of interest to me. Soil, as you can imagine, dear reader, is of critical importance in any garden, but it is especially important in a container garden, such as the type of garden owned and tended to by yours truly. Basic garden soil compacts really hard; therefore, water does not get through the roots properly. Since potting mix is compact, water penetrates more easily, which is crucial to me, for, as you may recall from previous posts (including one which you may read by clicking here), I water my garden by hand.


In any event, all bags of soil are cumbersome and heavy. Consequently, getting soil to my home via the New York City buses or subways (or often on foot), is no mean feat, and it is one similar to how I've described my bringing various containers, as well as my herbs, vines, plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees, into my garden, in a blog entry that I made this past June, which you may refer to by clicking here. As I have done with both the things I grow in my garden, and the containers in which I place them, each bag of the soil I use is carried by yours truly up seventy stairs to my studio apartment where I have my terrace garden. Therefore, by my having filled over sixty-containers with potting soil, you can imagine that I got quite a work-out, but I am by no means complaining; what I glean from my herbs, vines, plants, flowers, shrubs and trees is worth every bit of effort. 


Moreover, transporting is part of the deal in having a roof extension terrace garden like mine. Once upon a time, I met a woman who lived in a loft apartment on Sixth Avenue. Her apartment was very spacious, but, like mine, it was a walk-up. The woman was a cyclist, and hence she carried her bike up and down the stairs every time she wanted to cycle. "It's part of the exercise," she said to me when I questioned her about how she felt about schlepping her bike up and down the stairs. During the years that I was acquainted with her, I did not have a garden, but now that I do, I think of her statement from time to time — especially when I bring heavy bags of soil, large containers, or even my larger shrubs and trees, up my stairs — but for the most part, I don't think about what I have carried. I am too absorbed in the beauty of the things that I grow to think of any "struggle" involved in my endeavor. Upon reflection on this morning's feast day, I am beginning to think that maybe even without my invoking Saint Anne's intercession in my gardening efforts she has been helping along.


Meanwhile, it is my understanding that Saint Anne's influence on gardens is so powerful that "in Italy, rain is Saint Annes gift", and in Germany, "July rain is Saint Anne's dowry", I am not sure if either association is true, or web-hearsay. However, I do recall that when I was in Italy short-durationed downpours of rain occurred almost daily during my vacation; and while rain is not often welcome when one is traveling, having seen the beautiful natural surroundings of the country causes me to realize why Italians might attribute rain as "Saint Anne's gift."


As for Germany's alleged take on July rain, and calling it Saint Anne's dowry, I had a similar feeling about the rain when it fell in New York  City yesterday — on the eve of Saint Anne's feast day —  the rain, much needed, broke the oppressive heat wave that has blanketed New York for the past several days — a condition I have referred to in recent blog entries which you may refer to by clicking here as well as here and here.


Often New York City Summer rain leaves the city even hotter than it was prior to the rain, but yesterday's rain, perhaps because it was a precursor to today's feast day, has, for now, left an amazing peace and calm throughout the city, and especially my garden as evidenced in a few of the many photographs taken during yesterday's rain, and they are posted below.

'Tamukeyama'

Continus Coggygria (Smokey Bush AKA Grace)

Avellana corylus (Contorted Hazel Nut AKA Harry's Walking Stick)

 Southeast Grouping:

"Back Row": 

Avellana corylus (Contorted Hazel Nut AKA Harry's Walking Stick) and Wire Grass

"Front Row":

Farfugium japonicum 'Cristata', Salad Greens, and Strawberries

Creeping Thyme

Juncus  effsus (Unicorn Soft Rush)

Press Release: Get your Popcorn Ready! Now on Vimeo: "The Kiwi Speaks! Fifteen Minutes of Fame (almost)"

As promised in yesterday's post: Get your popcorn ready, and be prepared to "Sit, back, Relax and Enjoy the Show" (the catch phrase written by someone I've discussed in a previous post), with this movie trailer that I've produced, and have posted above. In this trailer, I am announcing the release of my first garden themed movie (based on my urban garden) The Kiwi Speaks: Fifteen Minutes of Fame (almost) staring Actinida kolomikta. The supporting cast (in order of appearance) is as follows: Pilot Captain Green-Thumb, Avellana corylus (Contorted Hazel Nut), Acer palmatum var. disscetum 'Tamukeyama' (Japanese Red Maple), Clematis paniculata (Autumn Clematis) and Paeonia suffruiticosa (Tree Peony). 




And with that, dear reader, I am proud to announce that not only may you view the trailer within this bog entry; The Kiwi Speaks: Fifteen Minutes of Fame (almost) is now on Vimeo!  View it by clicking here.




The movie and the trailer are dedicated to my grandfather, Albert Elmer Herman Louis Melahn who lived from May 19th 1903-January 24th 1978, and who can be seen in the photograph below.

Albert Elmer Herman Louis Melahn is a probable influence in my love of gardening (as discussed in a very early posting at the onset of this blog which you can read by clicking here). 

Singing in the Rain: The Flowers are Singing Praises for April's Showers (ahem, April's Downpours)

Tomorrow marks the end of the thirty days of this "so-called" cruelest month of April (alluded to in a previous post that can be seen by going here), and, it has been a cold and rainy one in New York City, where I live and have an urban garden on my terrace. Thankfully, with the help of April's rain, my flowers are singing; a sentiment appreciated and expressed by Mutts (in the comic strip posted above this blog entry). If you listen closely, the songs of the flowers might even be heard by you, dear reader, as you view my garden photos below:

As you can see, my white tulip (that I discussed in a blog entry this past Tuesday), has been joined by a friend, clothed in purple. I did not guess the color properly from looking at their tips (as you my recall from that post which you may click here to read if you'd like to refresh your memory or just to take a second look at the tulip's tips before they opened), but I am overjoyed by its magnificent presence.
To its immediate right are the burgundy leaves of my Avellana corylus (Contorted Hazel Nut), a plant I have written about in the past which you can reread by clicking here as well here. The twisting and turning of its branches are fun to look at during the winter months when they are bare, but the lovely textured burgundy leaves are always a miracle to behold as spring commences, and a smidgen of this can be seen in the photograph posted below:

Funny how folks shed their layers of clothes in the spring and summer months — the exact time that my plants, herbs, trees, and shrubs get dressed. In any event, The Avellana corylus will be featured in my soon to be released You Tube movie that I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry. My crew and I have had some technical difficulties, so the release has been delayed, however, we won't have nearly the delays of Broadway's, Spider Man Turn off the Dark. Please stay tuned for release of my movie, or leave me a comment with your contact information and I will contact you with the details on when and where to view it.



Meanwhile, there seems to be no delays with my plants and shrubs celebrating spring. Even the Continus Coggygria (Smokey Bush), also known as Grace, is bursting with buds (as indicated in the photograph posted below), 

and it appears that it will flower this year, which will truly be a treat, as Grace has not produced any flowers in previous years, but this has been all right with me because Grace's branches and foliage stand on their own— and have added beauty to my garden in all seasons (as indicated in previous posts which you can access by clicking here as well as here and here). Grace has been the inspiration for  the collection of single-sided greeting cards that I produced, which are great to send if you want to send a greeting that goes beyond communication. Please feel free to view it via the store-front of my web-site where purchase information is available.

Also there is a new voice that joined the chorus of my flowers, and that is the presence of these little white flowers (seen in the picture below) on my hakonechola macra 'All Gold' (Japanese Grass) whose foliage provided the inspiration for my 2010 Christmas card, as you may recall from a prior post.

Not to be out had, my Phlox subulata has come out of its winter hibernation to grace my garden with its presence as seen below:

Finally, in terms of today's post (but not my garden where there is much more growth than this blog entry can hold), my H.F. Young Clematis, is once again bursting with buds as you can see in a photograph posted below.

These precious buds never fail to provide inspiration and even hope, something I discussed last season when remarking on the on going gift of the H.F. Young Clematis.

Most of the images from this season's garden growth will be rendered into my collection of invitations that preserve a moment in time, event program covers that enhance any occasion, and greeting cards that are about more than communication, so please continue to check my web-site and on-line brochure for details and feel free to download my paper brochure.

BTW, if you have an immediate need and want to use a certain image for your communication needs, arrangements can be made for exclusive, custom made orders.

Happy end of April, dear reader, with a suggestion to my gardener comrades — go out into your garden and join your buds and flowers in their song of praise.

It's still very much October: Rites of Autumn, Moon-Lit Skies and soon All Hallow's Eve

H alloween is a week and a day from the date of this posting. I have honored it by placing orange candles and pumpkin decorations in various places in my garden as seen in the photographs above. My decorations are subtle, I find the orange colors to be a way of celebrating the hues offered by the Cheerful Cherry Farm's Clematis, discussed in previous posts. The orange also compliments the hues of my Strawberry Plants, Thom-Thumb Shrub, Contorted Hazel-Nut, and English Lavender. Fall is a lovely season for gathering in the garden with friends to enjoy rosemary-infused cocktails  and conversation. Or just to simply be alone and sip on a Hot Chocolate (made with Chauo's special blend swirled into Ronny Brook Farm milk -- a find at the Greenmarket in Union Square) while gazing at the stars.
If you are thinking of having any Autumn soirée, or inviting friends over to gaze at the moonlit sky, my line of Halloween cards will make fine invitations that will surely enhance your occasion. These are included in the card selections of the store-front pages of my web-site, patriciayoungquist.com .

Harry Lauder's Walking Stick, Avellana Corylus, 'Contorta'

I've had my Avellana Corylus, 'Contorta' (Harry Lauder's Walking Stick) known as Contoured Haze-Nut to most people, in mu urban garden for a little over two years. The burgundy leaves on this shrub are beautiful, but I like the shrub for its unusual branching pattern so much that, two years ago, I took the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station in Manhattan, to Bayside, (in Queens) to pick up this shrub. It was a hot July day in 2008 when I did this, and the subways and trains were packed with locals and tourists, making it difficult for me to navigate the crowds carrying this shrub. Once home I had to carry it up five flights of stairs, but it has been well worth the effort. The winding, twisted branches are a joy to behold, and it will be an interesting subject for the Petite or Large Wrap-Aroud Card Collection. Details will announced when they become available, so please continue to visit this blog as well as my web-site for details.