It was yet another chilly, windy and rainy weekend. Too bad the rain actually did not amount to much in the gardens. By Tuesday, I was hauling hoses around. There is so much on which to report in garden world. The Rosa Rugosa between Beach Road and the bike path are at their peak. It must be tempting for homeowners who often plant a stand of them on the properties. No offense, but it’s never a good idea. They really do belong on the beach. They never look good after the bloom even with the colorful “hips” in the fall. They are thorny and unwieldy. I have found it helpful to cut to the ground in early winter. They always come back and refreshed. Word to the wise — get good gloves.
Dark blue salvia is in full bloom. If a person continues to “dead head” all summer there will be significant rebloom all season long. Again, don’t be shy, cut down to the fork to encourage tidy blooms. Speaking of salvia, the pineapple sage is a big hit with the hummingbird watching public. It comes in both green and yellow leafed varieties with an impressive red bloom. Deer proof, it has a pleasing pineapple scent.
The locust trees are in full bloom along the highways. Sadly, the wonderful smelling flowers are way too high to reach. Considered a weed tree by many, it’s one of our family’s favorites. As firewood it can be burned “green” and barely needs kindling. The trunks make long-lasting garden posts or trellises. The only drawback is that the youngsters are covered in scary thorns.
I’m not a huge fan of radishes, however, cooked they are great. I sautéed several with leeks and cooked chicken and dumped them on a pizza crust. It made an alpha gal friendly supper.
I have a couple of pet peeves. The amount of plastic (pots, labels and underliners) generated by a trip to the nursery is alarming. I try to reuse as many as humanly possible and/or put them into tidy piles of family groups. I never just leave them somewhere, but ask if the receiver actually wants them. For you folks leaving them at my house — no thank you!
The other peeve is the behavior of some people in traffic. When there is a slow moving line and someone is trying to get into the queue, why fill in the space? You aren’t moving anyway. A friendly waggle is always appropriate when some kind soul lets you in. On the bright side, isn’t it wonderful to live somewhere that others want to visit?
I went to college in Texas, at North Texas State in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Denton triangle. I’ve always been interested in Texas politics given my Appalachian upbringing. It produced George W. Bush, LBJ and the great Ann Richards. The senate race has really caught my attention. I’m still sour that Ted Cruz won over Beto O’Rourke. Trump putting his thumb on the scale for Ken Paxton to best John Cornyn in the primary may have given James Talarico an edge. Then again, Americans rarely go for the decent, scandal-free guy. To wit: Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden both were considered feckless and non-fighters. Jimmy Carter had to build houses for poor people for 40 years after his defeat to Ronald Reagan to get noticed. But, hey, rich people got their tax breaks and voters believed they would get rich someday to take advance of those breaks!
Have mercy!
This article appears in June 5, 2026.