Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

These are the last days of the {Blue}Grass Garden. And by that, I mean it's finally time to cut the grass! This is not because neither I nor Emmet are growing weary of gardening; it's just the natural and healthy progression of growing and pruning. For those who need a word of encouragement, please see Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

You may have noticed in the surrounding countrysides that most fields are being cut and bailed for hay. The time has come for the Garden to follow suit. In the next week I will cut the grass and see if there might be opportunity to make hay.


Emmet continues to work the ground. Just today, he was fertilizing the plot.


The golden tipped grass has run its course. Now it's time for the next phase.


After my last post on the rain soaked grass, most of the Garden returned to a vertical state. However, over the past week wind and natural decay has laid the grass down once again.


The last time we cut the Garden was in late April of 2007. Last year's record height was just over 3". You can see that we have outdone ourselves this year with one sprout exceeding 5". Now that's some grass!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Monday, June 2, 2008

The aesthetic of having grass that is nearly 2/3 as tall as you are can be remarkable. It's a type of experience lost to the "city" dweller. One such beautiful moment occurred a little while back: it was a rainy morning, but the precipitation was in the form of a heavy mist, falling lightly around. The Garden produced a wonderful response, in that the grass laid down, covered heavy with droplets of water. (I was a little concerned that the grass might not return to its vertical stature, but upon drying the Garden stood back up!) Emmet, as usual, inspected the condition of the grass by circling the plot numerous times. The rains continued to fall the rest of that day. The following is a small gallery of selected images.








Something that you must know, but probably were not aware of, is that Emmet is highly opposed to becoming wet. So when it rains, he maintains his duties from a distance.


Currently the Garden has gone to seed and is starting to brown just a bit. (Photos will be coming soon.) However, I am concerned that the grass may need serious maintenance by the end of this summer. Perhaps I may have to cut and bail the grass to produce my own hay.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The garden continues to flourish and Emmet is still on patrol. Here you can see the relative size of the grass as it begins to dwarf Emmet.
Here we can begin to see that the grass(es) are beginning to seed. It's quite beautiful as the greens start to produce a subtle purple.
I will post more images very soon. There was a lull in reporting due to the hiring of a "new gardener." She is more than impressed with the {Blue}Grass Garden and looks forward to her participation in the project.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Thursday, May 8, 2008

I must apologize, it's been a while since my last report. However, the garden continues to flourish. There is an obvious increase in both volume and density of grass due to nourishing rains this Spring season. The area remains uncut since circa May 2007.

Hopefully as summer vacation begins, I will be able to bring more news and updates on the garden's progress as well as Emmet's persistent vigilance. After all, he is the garden's greatest "contributor."

And thank you to all the fans of the {Blue}Grass Garden. Without your dedication there would be no hope for an Urban Grassland.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Yet another week with no rain and the {Blue}Grass Garden is suffering. Hopefully a storm coming up from Florida will head our way.

As you can see the grass is getting pretty crispy.

Even Emmet is having a hard time with the hot dry weather. He enjoys his patrols much more now that he has received his summer hair cut.

Always the watchful eye, even while taking a break.

An exciting bit of news: one stalk of grass has climbed over 3 feet in height. Impressive.

Kristin's traditional garden is coming along as well. Watering definitely helps, although I am resisting the temptation to water the Garden.

My grandfather used to say, "It always rains at the end of a drought." Right now I'm looking forward to that day.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Friday, May 25, 2007

Over the past week the garden has not received any precipitation. As a result of decreased activity, and increased personal activity with summer vacation, my aim is to bring updates on the garden in weekly installments.

Although we are in a "mild" drought, the garden continues to grow slowly. I had intended to water the grass, but my plastic sprinkler was melted by a slow drip from the weed-eater's gas tank. Our local weather has apparently been dominated by a "center of high pressure" that has prevented any rainfall. There might be a slight chance for storms over the weekend. Emmet recommended that we buy a new sprinkler.


And even though reporting has slowed, Emmet continues to patrol the garden each day. Today he pointed out the development of tiny lampyridae that are living in the garden, best known as fireflies to the laymen. Emmet remarked that he can't wait to observe their nocturnal bioluminescence. Always something new to discover in the {Blue}grass Garden.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Sunday, May 20, 2007

No rest for the weary. Emmet is always checking on the status of the garden.

It's been a beautiful weekend and I expect to see great things in the garden this weekend.