May 26, 2015

After the rainstorm...

DSC04269

... Meade gathered up all the allium that had fallen over.

ADDED: The indoor view:

DSC04295

42 comments:

Original Mike said...

What did you do with them? Anything interesting?

Ann Althouse said...

Meade put them in a big vase that already had a few alliums in it, on the dining table. They're so tall, they touch the hanging light fixture over the table, but he chose not to trim the stems.

David said...

Not many guys look manly with flowers slung over their shoulder. Nice pose, Meade. You actually pulled it off.

pm317 said...

Wonder how long they will last in the vase..but will look pretty like this, :)

OK, going back to black snakes, I think I am getting a lot of flak from Meade and YoungHegelian for not appreciating the usefulness of black snakes. The thing is that we don't have rats or chipmunks around our house and that was before Blackie ever showed up. This season however, I saw a little creature with lines on its back about the size of a squirrel but not a squirrel scurrying across from one end of my garden to the other. Maybe Blackie will eat it.

Ann Althouse said...

There, I did a photo.

Dan said...

Your deck railing is not to code.

Meade said...

Thanks, David! (I mean... *lower, more manly voice: thanks, David*)

Original Mike said...

Thank you.

Our alliums haven't even started blooming yet. But our irises are spectacular right now.

MacMacConnell said...

Interesting peacock rug, like it.

lemondog said...

Pretty in Purple.

Great indoor photo.

JackOfVA said...

Allium hollandicum? Decorative but not considered edible?

~ Gordon Pasha said...

Nice rug, where did you get it?

traditionalguy said...

Interior Decorating art is like landscaping art brought inside.

Ann Althouse said...

@Dan We are about to rebuild the deck (with a screened porch underneath it). Any suggestions?

Ann Althouse said...

"Nice rug, where did you get it?"

At Sergenians... 25 years ago.

Laslo Spatula said...

The red umbrella in the corner is a signal to those who are so attuned.

I am Laslo.

Lauderdale Vet said...

Smart Pots! I have a bunch of those. I'm growing sweet potatoes in them :)

Fabi said...

Beautiful! I'm talking about the allium, of course.

laydeibugg said...

Both pictures are beautiful. Alliums are my favorite!

Gabriel said...

Meade, do you have a garden blog, or a forum where you take questions?

rhhardin said...

I'd like to lodge a complaint about romantic comedies that have the guy drinking too much after some difficulty descends into the plot halfway through.

HT said...

Yes on the alternate site where you answer questions, because I'd be asking, "Why do you plant those??"

Curious George said...

"Ann Althouse said...
@Dan We are about to rebuild the deck (with a screened porch underneath it). Any suggestions?"

This indicates that you are rebuilding the deck rather than having it rebuilt (by another). Code is 36" high and a 4" diamter blass can't pass through any opening below the guard rail. Of course local codes could be different. If you are hiring it out the contractor and local permitting will dictate so no worries.

Anonymous said...

You did a photo real good.
Does the house smell of onion?

Known Unknown said...

"Nice rug, where did you get it?"

It really ties the room together.

Meade said...

Gabriel said...
"Meade, do you have a garden blog, or a forum where you take questions?"

No, but feel free to email me your questions and I'll do my best to answer.

Livermoron said...

"Does the house smell of onion?"

Nope. More like grape kool aid.

Freeman Hunt said...

We are about to rebuild the deck (with a screened porch underneath it)

We have a room like this. There is a gas heater in it that I've never used. My neighbors tell me that having a heater in there is fantastic. They are older and wiser than I am, so I trust their tip to have a heater.

(I would use it, but the genius that designed our room had the stove and dryer vent into it. Gross! Until those are rerouted, the room is of little use unless one wants to sit in a linty steam room that smells of detergent and meat.)

Freeman Hunt said...

Those flowers look spectacular on the table.

Dan said...

Use a product such as Dry Snap or Timbertech Dry space to keep you dry below. I always recommend spending as much as you can afford on the decking and railing. It will last forever with only gentle pressure washes to bring it back to life. Also the screens should be applied below using the Screen Tight system. So much easier replacing a screen if one of them dogs puts a hole in a screen. Let me know if you have more questions.

Freeman Hunt said...

There are some translucent panels in the roof of ours. They're nice because they allow in some sunlight. Maybe translucent decking material exists.

traditionalguy said...

The center piece on a formal dining table is where a decorator always says it needs height. That is about the only place the tall vases can go holding long stem flowers, or maybe on a large triple dresser centered in the bedroom.

Be said...

Why the heck did this come to mind?

https://youtu.be/txcRQedoEyY

***

The alliums planted last Fall have all been stooped in the heads, with brown, paper leaves. Am wondering if I should move the bulbs, as I think it might be an acid problem.

***

The rug gets my mind working in all sorts of directions. Purchased from a Local Dealer. What's the Provenance, though?

tim in vermont said...

We used composite decking because it was supposed to be so tough and fade resistant, etc... But you know what? If you spray bug spray on your feet on the deck, it makes a permanent little outline of your feet on the deck that will never wash off. It will also happen if you use spray-on sunscreen.

Complain to the manufacturer and they say, "Are you nuts? Those products have plasticisers in them! What are you doing using bug spray or sunscreen on your outdoor deck!?! We said the stuff was magically impervious to all manner of environmental insults, and we are flattered that you believed us, but we didn't mean it would withstand common outdoor products all consumers use on decks!"

No, I'm not bitter. If I were bitter I would include the brand name.

Also, we had a window air conditioner running all summer in a window about two or three feet above the deck. The heat permanently faded the decking in little rectangular blotches.

My advice: If your planned deck is not so large as to make the maintenance involved with wood a real problem, go with the best quality wood and keep up with the required maintenance.

</rant off>

tim in vermont said...

@rhardin,
I can't wait to read your book on the Rom/Com.
I have a weakness for the form.

Be said...

Composite's good structural-wise. Not so great aesthetically. This said, there's an awful lot to be said for not having to oil the decks each season.

Meade said...

@Dan
Thanks for the tips. We'll go with the composite. Whenever Tim visits us from Vermont we'll just hose him off when he gets here and make him leave all his nasty plasticizers in his car.

tim in vermont said...

You have been warned!

Meade said...

@Be
Ha ha ha. King of the wild frontier of alliums.
Pro tip horticultur-al: Check drainage. Needs to be near perfect. Also, no salt or sidewalk de-icing agents. Finally, avoid applying Tim's All-In-One Vermont fertilizer/insecticide now with plasticizers. It's overrated.

JoyD said...

They look spectacular! I wonder, though, do they have an oniony smell? (Fine outdoors but not so much at the dining table) ??

tim in vermont said...

The other thing about composite decks is that I end up pressure washing mine three times a year or it looks dingy.

I always thought the "men in shorts" thing was borne of class snobbery, but I just realized I feel the same way about composite decks and aluminum siding. Composite decks are places where men in shorts hang out and drink beer 'til they get fat and that makes me a class snob too, even though I have no right to be given the my family's circumstances as a youth.

tim in vermont said...

But wood certainly has plenty of expensive drawbacks too.

Dan said...

Use PVC decking. That eliminates the staining issue. You can spray all the bug spray you want. It comes in some very nice colors now to imitate wood grain.