I Simply Remember These Favorite Things, and then I Can Smile All Day
Episode 11, July, 2023
A Plant:
Heliopsis 'Burning Hearts’
False sunflower has been on the perennial plant market for years but has fumbled about in the shadows of plants like Coreopsis and Echinacea. I have been growing ‘Burning Hearts’ for three years in my garden and every year, I wonder why it is not as well-known as those mentioned. Blooming in early to mid-summer on sturdy 30-40” stems, this American nativar not only attracts the eye but also a ton of pollinators.
Showy, no disease and persistent, what’s not to like.
A Garden:
Chanticleer Garden, Wayne, PA
Talk to any well-travelled gardener about great gardens, and Chanticleer will be in their top five. Walking through the gates opens up a world of color, design and beauty. In a garden meant for relaxing and walking; and yes, admiring the extraordinary plant material and planting combinations, there is no reason not to visit. Not only is it special in its own right, but it also resides in the Land of Gardens around the Philadelphia area (I have already me mentioned its neighbors Mt. Cuba and Longwood in previous episodes). This forty-eight-acre garden celebrates its thirtieth anniversary this year and only seems to get better.
A Book:
The Worst Hard Time: the untold story of those who survived the Great American Dust Bowl.
by: Timothy Egan
Nonfiction. I picked up this book wanting to learn more about one of America’s greatest environmental disasters, and to understand how such a thing happened. Once you get into the lives of the people who lived through the dust bowl and read about the incredible hardships and human suffering that accompanied “black dusters”, it is difficult to complain about weather ever again. Egan outlines the monumental greed and bad decisions, often backed by the Federal government, that resulted in such fertile grasslands experiencing years of tempests (the year 1933 saw seventy days in a row of severe dust storms). The financial, human and environmental devastation were ignored by the government - until Black Sunday (Aug 14, 1935). That one day alone, over 303,000 tons of soil were released into the air covering streets as far away as New York City in thick layers of dust.
It is the stories of people however that are most memorable. If ever you feel you are having a bad day, pick up this book and read about dust bowl survivors like Jeanne Clarke and Ike Osteen. Your troubles may not feel quite so bad.
A Show:
Streaming Show: All Creatures Great and Small
With so many detective stories involving murder and mayhem, I just have to find something that feels good every now and then. It may be just me, but they seem harder and harder to find. However, I noticed that a number of my past recommendations were just that, so here is another feel good recommendation. Based on the wonderful books by James Herriot, the streaming series is almost as good. Wonderful scenery, quirky people, and simply a feel-good series than spans four seasons.
Prime video
A Place:
Tignish, Prince Edward Island, Canada
People are always asking me about places to visit, especially if there are destinations that cruise ships and caravans of tourist buses avoid. You may find lots of visitors in the Maritime Provinces of Canada but you surely won’t see many if you adventure to the northern tip of PEI. Tignish is a small town not far from the North Point Lighthouse (the end of the island) and only about 50 miles from Summerside. Lighthouses, a thriving small town and beautiful quiet beaches are easily accessed. Be sure to check out the red beaches of North Cape, just north of Tignish. Here you will find hundreds of stacked rocks, known as Inukshuks, originally used by the Inuits of northern Canada. The dozens of Inukshuks on North Beach are built by locals and visitors. Just a neat place to visit when you are in The Gentle Isle.