The Judge's Hostas

Finally after an unavoidable three week abstention I made it up to Mamaroneck. A lot happens in three weeks so I have of course lots of things to show and tell but I have to start with the Judges Hostas. Remember my photo of them back in May- yards of cool green pristine foliage. As you can see they are now in full flower or should I say almost past- the blossoms show signs of wear and the leaves are tattered and lacy their edges singed. In the weeks previous there was a small nagging thought that I might miss them- which I don't like to do. I like to see them every year- these white flowers in August-planted by the original owner of the house-the Judge- hence their moniker.

He planted them because they flowered in August -his wife's birthday- and there's a lot them so it makes for quite a show. This knowledge, that they were planted specialy for her, is probably why they are left intact - allowed to perform their yearly greeting. I am touched every year to see this gardener's sentimental gesture, appreciated and honored beyond his lifetime.

Anniversary Hostas

I was wrong about the Judge's Hostas last year. It's not on his wife's birthday that they bloom but on their anniversary. Today. August 15. The photos were taken a couple of days ago when the blooms seemed to be timing their display to the minute.

It was early evening when Heidi and I walked over to take a look at them, the perfect time as the flowers open in the evening and their scent is given an extra boost by the phlox that is also blooming nearby. I did a little research and it looks like these are Hosta Plantaginea also known as August Lily.

Summer Slips Away

Two things tell me that the summer is ending in Mamaroneck. The Judge's Hostas bloom almost precisely on August 15 and there's a realization that the long days are numbered. Then the autumn clematis starts to flower. I just about caught the very tail end of the hostas, their scent is exquisite mingled with the phlox, but they had already begun to look a little raggedy. The clematis was a mass of tight buds with a few popped blooms. Where did this summer go? It seemed to start well enough, early even, as I got my gardening on a lot earlier this year, and then in the middle there was that wonderful week in Rhode Island but there seemed to be no momentum. It never seemed to actually take off, and here we are at the end.

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