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SUMMERTIME IN THE GARDEN OF THE SANGUINE ROOT

The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

This Lobelia cardinalis was a pleasant surprise.  We had planted it in various places in the yard where it would last a year or two, producing seed and great flowers only to disappear. Now it’s reappearing in a place we did not expect.  Now we have to walk over it as it is growing so close to the brick walkway it is covering it.

Lobelia cardinalis The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Lobelia cardinalis The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

This flower is so red it cannot be matched and a picture does not fully show off the deep red color.  In the shade, this flower glows and the red color is magnificent.

Hibiscus moscheutos The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Hibiscus moscheutos The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

This is the Hibiscus mosheutos, ready to open. The flower is six inches in diameter.   This one likes its feet wet as well as a sunny location. After a flowerless season in the shady front yard, Isabelle had the idea to place it in the sunny backyard next to the drainpipe.  Now it is flowering.

Hibiscus moscheutos, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Hibiscus moscheutos, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Each flower lasts only two days, but the plant produces so many flowers that there are plenty to appreciate on any given day.

Hibiscus moscheutos, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Hibiscus moscheutos, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

The bees love this flower and were cycling around it every few seconds making a photograph possible.

Hibiscus moscheutos, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Hibiscus moscheutos, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Here are two blooming Hibiscus moscheutos flowers with ones on the way in the middle. The lower one has already bloomed and is on its way to producing seed, the flower having fallen off.

Lonicera sempervirens, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Lonicera sempervirens, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

This native honeysuckle is a flower factory.  It has been cranking out flowers all summer.  The Hummingbirds have been visiting this flower all day every day.  Strategically planted right outside the window, we can watch the hummingbirds from the comfort of the couch.  The Hummingbirds rough up the flowers which fall off often. Our summer mornings are not complete without coffee, Lonicera sempervirens and Hummingbirds.  The  red Lobelia is also attracting the hummingbirds, which is growing at the foot of the honeysuckle vine.

Joe-Pye weed, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Joe-Pye weed, The garden of the Sanguine Root. The Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

If the word weed in the common name Joe-pye-weed is discouraging to you in your plant selection process and this great flower is passed by, you are missing out. We have two Joe-pye weeds, Eupatorium purporeum and Eupatorium fistulosum for starters.  This is a stately and entertaining plant and does not behave like a weed at all.  Bees love it, as the above picture shows, and it has an ornamental value.  It is versatile and drought tolerant.  The leaves have a soft inviting texture and the flowers have subtle tones of pink that look great against the backdrop of summer green.

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THE SANGUINE ROOT VEGETABLE GARDEN: JULY 2011

Isabelle picks cherry tomatoes in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia
Isabelle Dijols picks cherry tomatoes in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia

So the three tomato plants are now producing fruit.  We have not been watering them regularly. Its been hot and dry for the most part.  The tomatoes taste so good.  A garden grown tomato cannot be matched.   This is great, since we have been too busy to dote over the garden, and yet it is doing very well this year.

Our one cucumber plant in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia
Our one cucumber plant in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia

Our cucumber patch consists of one plant.  Does anybody want a cucumber? For us its cucumber salad with a few slices of tomato with a little olive oil, pepper and balsamic vinegar.  And for lunch its Rye bread with a bit of olive oil, cucumber slices and some freshly ground pepper.  Anymore said will put us at risk of becoming a foodie blog at this point. We are not gardeners or foodies, but we feel strongly feel that if you can grow your own food when you can or if you can, go for it and to not miss this important part of living on this earth.

Native wildflowers in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia
Native wildflowers in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia

Of course, most of the property is devoted to native sun loving wildflowers. Someday more vegetables may be grown, as we build up the raised beds and continue to improve the place.

Native wildflowers in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia
Isabelle Dijols with the Native wildflowers in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia

A kind friend of ours gave us root segments of the native Wild Bergomat and the Tall Coneflower a few years ago, which have taken off and have created a beautiful setting for our vegetable garden.

Bed of green beans in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, Philadelphia
Bed of green beans in the Sanguine Root vegetable garden, Viola street, East Parkside, PhiladelphiaÂ

This is our green bean patch. For some reason, most of the bean seeds we planted did not grow.  However, the 5 plants that did grow have provided us with a massive amount of beans!  We have been chopping them up with onions and garlic and sauteeing them. Also just eating them right off the plant on site is very enjoyable.

The bricks that line these raised beds come with a heavy heart.  They were at one time the building blocks of once majestic  buildings in the neighborhood that we would rather have standing today. However the economic situation in the city of Philadelphia in the past 50 years has blighted sections of the neighborhood  and has led to the demolition of some once grand Victorian-era homes.

 

 

 

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DOWN BY THE RIVER

Isabelle enjoys Darby Creek, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
Isabelle enjoys Darby Creek, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

What a better way to spend the July 4th weekend than down by the water.  The old canoe in the basement was dragged out and strapped onto the Subaru station wagon and brought down to the only freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania. This is what Indian creek, our Morris park creek drains into.  Here is Isabelle canoeing on Darby Creek.

 

Staghorn Sumac, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Staghorn Sumac, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia PennsylvaniaÂ

We also dusted off the 1959 Chevrolet Impala sitting in the driveway and headed for the Schuylkill River in West Fairmount Park.

Isabelle buffs up our 1959 Chevrolet Impala in West Fairmount Park
Isabelle buffs up our 1959 Chevrolet Impala in West Fairmount Park

Before cruising the Belmont Plateau we settled in for a leisurely park and walked along the river.  Here we discovered a nice patch of Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) just below the Strawberry Mansion Bridge.

Staghorn Sumac and the Tree of heaven, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Staghorn Sumac and the Tree of heaven, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

The picture above may seem pretty straightforward but is actually an astonishing representation of two different species altogether.  To the upper right is the native Staghorn Sumac.  The lower left is the non-native invasive  Tree-of -Heaven (Ailanthus altissima).  They both look so similar at first glance and are growing right next to each other, with pinnately compound leaves about the same size with reddish leaf stems. To the untrained eye these two trees look almost identical.  We bring this up because there are just a few Staghorn sumac specimens growing in our area of scope in Morris Park, and they are surrounded by Ailanthus. Knowing the differences is helpful when we undertake our yearly maintenance effort at pulling the hundreds of Ailanthus seedlings up.

Staghorn Sumac, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Staghorn Sumac, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

The leaflets of the  Staghorn sumac are dentate, with toothlike edges, while the Ailanthus  leaflets are smooth. The young twigs of the Staghorn sumac are densely hairy, a give-away characteristic of this large shrub or small tree, as well as the origin of its common name.  The dense hairs along the new growth resembles that of the antlers of a young male deer. The Staghorn sumac has incredible ornamental value.  Its reddish-brown seedpods and lush pinnately compound leaves and shrub status make it a great back-round plant.  Isabelle’s brother has one in his back yard in the suburbs of Paris, France.  Every year he prunes it so it has a nice shape.

Jewelweed in the Wissahickon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jewelweed in the Wissahickon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

On July 4th itself we chose the Wissahickon to spend the afternoon walking Keeba, only 15 minutes drive from Morris Park.  Here we explore a magnificent patch of the native wildflower Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis).  This one tops the list of our favorite flowers. We look forward to seeing them flower every summer.  We were careful to make sure Keeba did not prance about in this patch of very delicate plants.  The blue-green stems are very fragile.

Tulip Poplars in the Wissahickon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tulip Poplars in the Wissahickon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Tulip poplars in The Wissahickon are memorable.