Lettuce Share

I hardly posted last week because I was in my home town of Patterson, New York visiting family.  I know I could’ve moblogged or done a number of things to keep up-to-date, but what kind of vacation would that have been?  Instead, I enjoyed my time off and took 373 pictures along the way, most of which feature butterflies, flowers and very cute children.  Our first day-trip was to Wave Hill, a beautiful 28-acre public garden in the Bronx.  

Parking is $8 and admission is $6 – a steal for NYC.  If I lived nearby, I’d be tempted to carve my initials in a tree to mark my hammock.  Oh yes, there are handmade hammocks in the shade and 6 ft. Black-eyed Susans!  Maybe these things don’t ordinarily shout excitement, but my yard doesn’t have two trees within 50 ft. of one another, and Wave Hill’s Susans dwarf mine. 

I was reminded of how many variations of plants there are.  My hydrangea horizon, in particular, was expanded.  The common variations in this area are Mopheads.  To me, they look more like popcorn balls – one big ball, substitute kernels for flowers.  They’re great to have around because each bloom is an instant bouquet.  Wave Hill’s were no different by that account.  On the left is a Hydrangea paniculata; its huge conical bloom caught my eye immediately.  On the right is a Maple leaf variation named after the shape of its leaves.  I’ve never had much luck with hydrangeas; every place I put them, there’s always too much sun.  Although the Maple leaf hydrangeas were all planted in the shade garden, it was thrilling to see the Hydrangea paniculatas in full sun.  Just when I gave up, there’s new hope!

You can check out the rest of my Wave Hill pictures on Flickr.