Syca-less

Bark, bark, bark! No, it’s not the baying of the yellow lab in the morning. It’s the pile of wood at the foot of every sycamore in town. The bumper crop of wood shavings is everywhere. I wondered if it might be drought related, but the experts apparently don’t know much about why some trees shed their bark or why some years they shed more than others. Meanwhile the bark-exfoliation phenomenon is beautiful in some aspects and an unsightly mess in others. While the newly exposed tree trunks look Pottery Barn-chic in shades of cream, I’m glad I don’t have one in my yard and have to deal with the clean up. I’d rather just acknowledge their stalwartness as paid homage in this wonderful song by Bill Callahan.

Get any rain?

I hope you did. Only thunder here. Still all plants in the new backyard are doing okay with one exception. The spireas had some kind of die-off, where they dropped their leaves, but they appear to be coming back. The Berkeley Sedge is not dead, but it’s also not doing anything. It was the one plant I had no experience with; it was recommended by a landscaper as a great groundcover for dry shade. We’ll see about that. If you have any scoop on this plant, please let me know. The yellow shrimp have been blooming nonstop—lovely!
I got these ten toes shoes at Whole Earth (using a gift certificate, thank heaven, as they are $$$). They’re supposed to correct your gait and eliminate pains from running/walking for exercise. Well, I’m not sure about that, but they are my new favorite gardening footwear. Comfortable, sure-footed, and super-cool in the heat. Once you get over the freak show aspect... I actually saw someone wearing them on the T in Boston last week. Might be a fun gift for that gardening Dad for Father’s Day.