A Garden For the Birds

You will not hear the sound of a lawn mower on this corner. Instead of a lawn, there are bird chirps and calls as they dart in and out of the  grasses of different heights and textures. This garden is a haven for birds. They swoop down and settle near the water features nestled among the plants. An oakleaf hydrangea stands at one edge and vines will soon climb up the pyramid of ladders. The ripening seed heads of coneflowers and grasses will feed all those who visit. Their happy chatter is a welcome change from the roar of lawn mowers.

Floral Silhouettes

 Every so often I walk by an odd spot that looks like a weedy patch. It's a couple feet lower than the street and in the winter all you see are rocks in the bottom. I think it is some sort of catch-basin for water run off. When the weather warms, a host of native plants spring up among the rocks then quickly grow taller than the street level. They were waist high today, vibrating with the hum of bumblebees. Then I looked down and saw the silhouettes on the pavement, perfect reflections of their green sisters: leaves rounded or sword--ike, grasses lacy. I was there when the sun was at the perfect angle. It was the unexpected gift of the day.

Cloud Tree

 We call it the Cloud Tree because it's far wider than it is tall. Right now, fully leafed out, those leaves are almost the size of dinner plates. With a horizontal branching structure, It’s a rolling cumulus of green from the sky right down to the grass. People stop their cars and ask "What IS that tree??" We know that it's some type of catalpa. We know that it was planted one hundred years ago. Some years it blooms, briefly. This time there are seven florets, a new record. It must have been such fun for past generations of children playing hide and seek. I indulge in a quieter pursuit: enjoying its overwhelming greenness

Foxgloves

 My sister started some foxglove plants last year and shared them with me. I had my doubts, thinking the front garden was a bit too sunny. This spring, stalks shot up from the spirals of leaves. Now the flowers are opening, fancy pink frocks with speckled linings. The unopened top buds curve and nod in the breeze. They are dramatic and glamorous. They are also poisonous, the source of the heart medicine, digitalis: floral femme fatales that can both kill and save lives.