So Narcissistic.

 If it is ancient, if it is obscure, weird, uncommon and hard to find.... in my long long years as a gardener, I've grown it. I feel most attached to the human race when I think of people thousands of years ago seeing, growing and loving a plant I have in my yard.
Green flowers, black flowers, stripes, dots, black leaves, variegated leaves, black tomatoes, white tomatoes, crazy beans and beanstalks.......it's what I love.

One of my favorite heirloom flowers is the Poet's narcissus.....‘Actaea’ is an heirloom beloved for its large and fragrant flowers that open at about the same time as lilacs. The first written description of this narcissus was about 300BC. The poet Virgil  wrote about a narcissus with white single petals and an orange eye.....the Narcissus poeticus. Native to Europe, where it has naturalized it is a breathtaking sight. It is very fragrant, and has medicinal uses that are very well known from ancient times.

As with all narcissus and all daffodils, it is poisonous....don't try to use it to cure any ills...but for the winter time blues......


Narcissus flowers are named for the son of the River God, Cephissus, and mother, Leiriope, a nymph, in Greek mythology.........This boy Narcissus was quite the looker.. according to legend. A prophet told Leiriope her son would live long and prosper if he avoided ever seeing himself in a reflection.
The pretty boy had many women and men (this is a Greek legend) fall in love with him as he grew up into a man, but he chose none of them for a lover.

A nymph, Echo, loved Narcissus, but she had her own curse to deal because the goddess Hera made poor Echo repeat again the last words she heard said to her....... But Narcissus did not have eyes for her!
Ameinias, another hopeful lover was also rejected by the handsome Narcissus, and Ameinias killed himself. Just before taking his life he asked for the gods to punish  Narcissus.
The gods then set Narcissus to gaze on his loveliness in a clear pond......He fell in love with himself....he was so darn pretty!
When he leaned over to touch the beautiful image of himself, he fell in and drowned......or he killed himself also....we're not too clear on that.
The gods thought the tragedy (this is a Greek legend) ought to be commemorated......and so named the lovely yellow late winter flower.......Narcissus.

Summertime and the Living is Lazy....

Knee high by the 4th of July....I planted corn, gourds, sunflowers and a few other sweet things out front because I'm a country girl....

You can stand in the yard and watch it grow! It's increased about an Inch per day !
 .....now....it's shoulder high....the sunflowers are about ready to bloom....& I have a few tiny little gourds....and the corn is growing fast !

above, that picture is from 4th of July........below....it's the end of July.....

Gordon the gourd......

I planted these things along the front fence for cuteness....and I wanted to give the passers-by something interesting to look at....and I do see folks turning their heads and doing a double-take....Yes, that's corn...and sunflowers....

and I just can't wait for the gourds and the baby pumpkins to get bigger and start coloring up in September......
I hope that will put a big smile on everyone's face !

When not watching the corn grow as high as an elephants eye.....
I've been shopping for vintage, and making handmades for the second half of 2011.

For the fall and winter, and the holidays I'll have lots of new kinds of jewelry, note cards, post cards and a calender, all made from my photos.......& when I'm not at the beach......
.....I'm spending the next few days making a new workspace in the garage for picture-taking & painting, and a little seat room for relaxin' and chillin' in the dreary winter months....


Just outside the kitchen door are pretty flowers, basils, mints, lemon verbena, lavender and thyme,  and nasturtium leaves and flowers to eat....

Fuschias, dusty miller, Alaska nasturtiums, lobelia, alyssum, pansies, lilies, geraniums, calendula, Shasta daisies, cornflowers, salvia, weedy dock, basil, heliotrope, lavender, mint, thyme, a sedum Autumn Joy I've had for 9 years in this same pot, and a rosemary in a vintage coffee can are all planted in pots and in small flower beds.

I love how the creeping charlie cascades down and around the simple single fuschcia....

a view from the front to the back on the south side......

Because I'm a renter, and can't do anything real permanent........I did 99% of this years garden with annuals from seed, and a few vegetables from the farmer's market, good ol' Fred Meyer, and Ace Hardware....
Let's compare ! here's the same view last October....