Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra Of all the color combinations in my garden, yellow with green is one of my favorites. Specifically, I like bright yellow with bright green. Besides looking great together, these two have a sentimental meaning for me, as traditional John Deere colors. Our family has always had John Deere tractors; even as a kid, I had a pedal-powered JD tractor while other kids had Big Wheels. It seemed only natural that the school colors of my agricultural college turned out to be yellow and green. There, a John Deere tractor with wonky steering was my nemesis: To pass Agricultural Machinery class, we had to back up that tractor and a two-wheeled wagon in a straight line, then at a 90-degree angle to the right and to the left. It took me all semester, but I finally managed it. (It’s harder than it sounds!) The following year, I happened to be nearby (though not responsible, I swear) when that tractor finally met an untimely end. That was one John Deere I wasn’t sorry to see go, but my triumph over it and the guilty pleasure I felt at its fate further solidified the significance of yellow and green for me. Nowadays, I get my yellow-and-green fix from my gardens. Built around a long row of golden elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Aurea’), the curved borders that evolved along my driveway turned out to be a great place indulge in all sorts of yellow flowers and foliage. It wasn’t until months later, when I took the picture at the top of this post, that I realized the excellent color echo of the road sign in the background. The strong yellow of the ‘Zagreb’ coreopsis in the foreground is almost a perfect match, though I think rudbeckias would be even better. As much as I hate to admit it, there is such a thing as too much yellow, as you can see below. (more…)
The Softer Side of Yellow
Peanuts in Pennsylvania
Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra
As I was ordering vegetable seeds last year, I ran across a listing for ‘Early Spanish’ peanuts, and oh yes, I absolutely had to order some. Would I even be able to grow them here? Would they need a lot of pampering? Would I actually get a harvest from them? On our afternoon walk that day, I reported my great find to Mom and rambled on a bit about what I’d read about growing them. When I stopped to take a breath, she calmly replied “You used to love to grow those when you were little.” What? I’m pretty sure I’d remember that, but well, I’ll defer to her on that point. Maybe I did plant them, but did I ever harvest any? She’s not too clear on that, so maybe that’s why I don’t remember the experience. Because with peanuts, the real fun is in the harvesting, not in the growing. (more…)
Sunday Sunrise
Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra
Finally, it looks like we’re in for a beautiful Sunday in our part of Pennsylvania. There’s not a cloudlet to be seen, so hopefully the snow we got a few days ago will melt. The permanent garden residents are tired of winter, and so am I.
And so are the boys. I thought they’d be happy today: They like the sunshine too, and the new bale of hay I opened this morning was very clover-y, and that usually cheers them up. Still, they appear to be in a bit of a mood. Maybe we’ll wait until tomorrow to go for a walk…
Purple Prose - Part 3
Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra
Purple foliage lends itself so well to high-contrast plant pairings that it seems almost a waste to try it in quieter combinations. In my garden, this usually happens only by accident. The purple foliage is there waiting for the bright flowers to do their thing, and it ends up looking good with another leafy partner. Well, I’m inclined to enjoy beauty where I find it, and these unplanned pleasures often delight me more than my carefully considered pairings. At right is a little vignette of ‘Husker Red’ foxglove penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) next to Trifolium rubens (an ornamental clover), with some Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’) at the bottom and a bit of ‘Rose Glow’ barberry (Berberis thunbergii) at the top. In this image, the penstemon is a week or two away from flowering, after which it loses most of the purple in the leaves, but this little corner is quite pretty until then. (more…)
Purple Prose - Part 2
Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra
Every few months, I start a new list of garden projects I’d like to try. It would be better if I’d keep just one running list, because the many small bits of paper scattered over my desk get used as bookmarks or coasters or end up getting filed with other papers, and I lose track of them. When I do run across an old list, it’s fun to read it over and see what I’d planned and what (if anything) I’ve accomplished. One project that’s appeared on quite a few of my lists is making a black-and-white garden. (more…)
