Sunday drenching of baby dahlias

After today's downpour.

IKEA recognizes

This landed on my stoop last week. Can't argue with the sentiment! 

Inherited roses

These are a legacy of the last gardener to live in the manse. There are four bushes - producing peach, fushcia, yellow and white roses. I have yet to learn their real names. In any case, they started blooming out of control in the front yard in early May. We had cut flowers in the house. I made a cute hand bouquet for a friend's birthday. All things I never imagined I'd do in New York City.

Tilling the ground

Hard labor of rototilling went into prepping the ground in late April. We - me and Jenn, the co-creator of Jardin du Bed-Stuy (JdBS) - hadn't a fig/clue as to what a rototiller was before the garden adventure began. It turned out to be a pretty mean machine, especially since we had to cart the small monster from the tool rental place (blissfully only down the block). We did good. The tree-like weeds, which had been growing since last summer, were banished. 

The preamble

Le jardin du Bed-Stuy began with Home Depot-acquired bulbs, which looked like bits found in boys pants. The images of dinner plate dahlias, unfurled pink Sarah Bernhardt peonies and gaping yellow day lilies on the bags were irresistible in sad and chilly early April. 

The dahlias and peonies went in the ground in mid-April. By May, three dahlias inched out of the ground. The peonies, my favorite blossom, didn't. Mildly heartbreaking. The dahlias, however, soared and thickened at their green trunks. They are now about 12 inches tall and about to pop any day now. 

Having thrown away the bags, I had no idea what color the flowers will be. Either purple or white, we'll have to see.