Anne’s Garden
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done.Archive for August, 2008
Mums
A friend gave me a lovely pot of chrysanthemums which I have popped outside the front door for all to see. I love the sunny flowers but I can’t help but be reminded that fall is approaching. I think these will go well with our front door Halloween display:
Not so glorius gladiolus
How sad. Was it the late planting, my sporadic watering or lack of staking … or all three?
Silk tree prettiness
I looked out my daughter’s bedroom window this morning dismayed with the grey skies. My dismay lasted only until I noticed sweet little blooms all over the top of my silk tree. I’d been looking forward to this show since we moved in almost a year ago.
I wasn’t able to get a very good photo of the flowers and maxed out on my zoom (because they are so high) but here are a few pics:
Here are some buds lower down on the tree. I’m hoping that the warm weather continues until these develop:
Some info:
Albizia julibrissin is a species of legume in the genus Albizia, native to southern and eastern Asia, from Iran east to China and Korea. Albizia julibrissin is known by a wide variety of common names, such as Persian Silk Tree or Pink Siris. It is also called Lenkoran Acacia or Bastard Tamarind, though it is not too closely related to acacias (Acacieae), let alone tamarinds (Caesalpinioideae). The species is usually called “silk tree” or “mimosa” in the United States, which is misleading.
Albizia julibrissin is a small deciduous tree growing to 5 – 12 m tall, with a broad crown of level or arching branches. Persian Silk Tree is widely planted as an ornamental plant, grown for the leaf texture and flowers. The broad crown of a mature tree makes it useful for providing dappled shade. Its leaves slowly close during the night and during periods of rain, the leaflets bowing downward as if the tree were sleeping.
Anne’s super handy dandy product of the week
Unlike my mother, I find no pleasure in sitting in front of a big pile of freshly picked beans with a glass of wine, a knife and an hour to kill stringing and slicing said beans (well maybe the wine part)
Enter the Krisk Bean Slicer and Stringer . My dad gave me one last year for Christmas and it’s magic. In one simple process, it removes without any waste, the strings and slices the bean into thin French style strips. It also has a blade for removing the tips.
I sliced through my first picking of beans in a matter of minutes last night and was able to enjoy them prepared that much sooner. Well, I’m off to pick more beans, it’s amazing how fast they start to produce!
Identify me!
While picking beans today I noticed that one of them had climbed up what I thought was a weed, but I don’t think it is:
It looks like onion and garlic, but don’t those live under the dirt?
Here is my first harvest of runner beans (well actually second as my mom picked some last week). I plan on celebrating this harvest with a plate of beans in cheese sauce and a glass of red wine for dinner tonight.
What’s blooming in your garden this week?
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
