Dahlias from Eileen’s garden. Reposted from June 14, 2012. Ocean Grove, New Jersey. iPhone4S photo by Paul @Blogfinger
By Eileen Goldfinger, house and garden editor @Blogfinger
I love dahlias in my garden because they bloom from June until the frost. They are tubers, and unless you bring them into the house for the winter, they will not survive. But last fall I left some in the ground, expecting that they would have to be replaced this spring, but because of the mild winter, we have had some return and bloom this month in the front beds, which have a southern exposure.
Also coming up this month are the daylilies, which are perennials that return year after year. Each bloom lasts one day, and the plant continues to bloom for 1-5 weeks.
Daylilies. These daylilies were planted in Chester, NJ in 1985, transplanted to Heck Avenue in 1998, and then brought over to Mt. Hermon Way in 2002.
Sign up and/or attend the 4th annual OG Peoples Garden Tour—a walk-around neighborhood event on Sunday, June 24. 10 am to 2 pm. For more information scroll down to the Garden Tour list.
By Paul and Eileen Goldfinger, Editors @Blogfinger Botanical Gardens
Ocean Grove has more lovely small gardens per square mile than any other town in the Garden State. And these Grover gardens are largely accessible by people walking by.
So our OG People’s Garden Tour on Sunday, June 24, from 10 am to 2 pm, gives the town’s gardeners a chance to share their botanic accomplishments with neighbors and visitors.
You don’t even have to be present or conduct a tour if your garden can be viewed by someone walking by. And it doesn’t matter if you haven’t finished your gardening…it’s always a work in progress. No need to fuss. The visit is the most important. There’s always something to see.
It’s necessary that our community of residents show that simplicity and spontaneity can be rewarding too. It doesn’t always have to be car shows and gridlock tourist events dominated by out-of-towners.
It’s not important to spend a lot of money. Even one nice plant can be of interest.
Don’t step on the flowers or else off with your heads.
Pond and fish. 113 Mt. Hermon Way—backyard Delaware side. Walk right in. —-Something fishy by Paul and Eileen
All we need is your address (mail to BlogfInger@verizon.net) so that our online list can show places to visit for those who want to visit gardens, even if it is just a walk-by.
For those who can be home for garden visitors, that would be even better because of the conversations which can be sociable and educational. But you don’t have to be there.
And if your garden is accessible only by walking into your back yard then we can note that on the list; presumably you will be there to admit the visitors.
So far we have three gardens on the list, but consider emailing us with your address and perhaps a short description of what you will be displaying. And we will have a souvenir Ocean Grove prize for all those who show up at 113 Mt. Hermon Way.
And, as a cardiologist, I will give a prize to anyone who can show me foxglove.
By Eileen Goldfinger, house and garden editor @Blogfinger
Eileen’s secret recipe for her large potted hibiscus plant: She has brought it into the house each of the last 4 winters, before the frost, placing it in a sunny window. This is a tropical plant, and frost will kill it. It goes dormant in the winter, so it requires just light watering.
This spring, she took it outside into the rear garden where it gets partial sun, especially in the afternoon. Hibiscus needs sun. Then she removed it from the pot and pruned off one-third of the roots. After that, she replaced the potting soil and added timed release fertilizer (“Osmocote”). Then she placed it into the soil and pruned back the branches by a third. Watering should be light, weekly, and with weekly liquid fertilizer ” Organic Bloom” by Espoma.
All summer it has bloomed more than usual, and the blooms only last one day. Then, during the last week of August, the plant erupted with a record-breaking (for our garden) 8 simultaneous blooms occurring at one remarkable point.
“Trade them for a package of sunshine and flowers
If you want the things you love
You must have showers
So when you hear it thunder
Don’t run under a tree
There’ll be pennies from heaven
For you and me”
BILLIE HOLIDAY From the album: Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia. “Pennies from Heaven” is from the 1936 movie of the same name. Music by Arthur Johnston; words by Johnny Burke. First performed in the film by Bing Crosby.
The OG summer tents are sought after by painters, photographers, tourists, renters, historians, strollers, bikers, and others. Our tents are unique. From a photographer’s point of view, we look for new ways of seeing the tents; we try to be creative with lighting and composition. It’s not easy to come up with something different, but that is what we require at this Ocean Grove website where photography is used more than words to describe our town.
When I submitted a “plain vanilla” portrait of the tents for the book “New Jersey 24/7” I was surprised that the image was one of the winners, but then I realized that those of us who live here are a bit jaded, like New Yorkers who take the Empire State Building for granted.
But for you OG photographers, Blogfinger will continue looking for fresh ways of seeing our historic and beautiful tents.
ADAM LEVINE “No One Else Like You .” From the film Begin Again
Ted Bell is a well-known Ocean Grove historian, author and man-about-town, but he also is a naturalist. Ted knows that Blogfinger is always looking for breaking news, so when he spotted a tree in bloom on a late November day, he contacted us immediately.
Ted is a man of few words; the subject of his email was “tree.” So we had to dig further.
His Nov. 23 email says, “Hi–there is a Bradford pear tree on Central Ave to the left of the Stokes statue that has white blossom on the branches–with the warm weather it is not surprising for this to happen–they may be frozen but they may be gone by tomorrow—-Ted”
So this morning we raced over to the scene of the bloom, and there it was—a Bradford pear which had seemingly lost its mind, producing flowers when it isn’t even spring. It was especially amazing since there was a frost last night in the Grove. This morning it was 32.8 F. at our house at 7:30 am.
We have to wonder about this miracle, although Ted says that it is “not surprising.” Thus we have learned that Ted Bell is not easily surprised. We will give a Blogfinger prize to anyone who succeeds in surprising Ted.
I guess we have to play “It Might As Well be Spring.” by ASTRUD GILBERTO:
Then some of you might view this as a miracle. So here, from the original Broadway cast of Fiddler on the Roof is Austin Pendleton with “Miracle of Miracles.”
Conversation from the Township Committee meeting on May 24: (From our reporter on the scene)
Q. A member of the Public asked “Have you heard anything from WAVE?” (WAVE is the secretive group of investors that would develop the North End.)
A. Gene Anthony (Township lawyer) : “No. It’s strange.”
A. Randy Bishop : “Very strange.”
Note: About a year ago, Dr. Michael Brantley (Committeeman) said: “It’s time we take a look at all our redevelopment zones to see what we really want to do”
–The jailbird panhandler has returned to the North End near Main Avenue. Last week BF received two complaints. The mo is the same: tall, well dressed black man shows up out of nowhere and says he just got out of jail and wants to work. Or course, he really wants money. This has been going on for several years with the same guy. He uses a subtle form of intimidation, and Grovers should not have to put up with that. NTPD says do not give him money; instead call them. 732 988 8000.
Song of the week: DJ Sam Feelgood “Up All Night Long.”
Wake up and smell the roses: The beach roses are in full bloom. Go down there and take a whiff. (When I was a kid, a whiff was a strikeout, but now it’s a different aroma altogether.)
