Outside Counsel: Giant pumpkin from the Namkung Orchard

Above is a giant pumpkin from the patch of one of my gardening muses, Joanne Namkung. 

"It weighed in 50lbs but I am going to go for 100lbs for next year!" says Joanne, who has a lush English garden, an impressive orchard and vegetable patch on the grounds of her lovely hilltop home in Orange County in California.  

My own pumpkin growing efforts have been a little less successful. Lots of blooms but hardly any fruit. I found this one below today. Fingers crossed it will be ready in time for Halloween! 

Nothing to do with gardening: Obama in front of No. 10 Downing Street

I first spotted this image plastered on a platform at London's Paddington station. It turns out that the ad (?) is all over London's Underground. The above is from today's Metro. No tagline. No product being advertised. Just a tantalizing image of Obama in front of No. 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister. 

Some especially fragrant English roses

Roses in Hyde Park in London. I've been on hiatus of sorts from the BK yard due to day job, which has kept me busy (and the weeds growing happily) and brought me over the pond. This was taken after a fashion show in the Crystal Palace in the park.

Conuco Farm Visit

                                                                 

                                                   

                                                   

                             

                                           

                                       

This past Sunday, I went to visit the Conuco Farm, which supplies to my Bed-Stuy CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. After a two hour drive to New Paltz in the Hudson Valley, we arrived and met Hector Tejada, Conuco's farmer-in-chief. After a tour of the farm, we picked cherry tomatoes, had lunch and then went on to an orchard nearby. I also managed to pick Hector's brains on the (slightly sorry) state of my farm/garden. More on that in another post. More pix: here.

Topiary elephants, fashion and a crucial cause

A small list of my favorite things (in no order at all): 

1. fashion

2. wild animals

3. topiaries

All of the above can be found in a very different fashion show on in the U.K. and Ireland right now. Thirteen full-size topiary elephants will tour the nations to raise awareness about the plight of the Indian elephant, which is "intelligent, engaging...but endangered," according to show organizer Elephant Family. In support, designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Alberta Ferretti and Alice Temperley have dressed the green beauties in wraps. I am especially feeling the hot pink tassels on the Calvin Klein number.

Garden Cliff Notes: Michael Pollan lecture at P.S.1

Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire treatise provided the philosophical inspiration for my garden, which is now almost quarter farm. This Friday, he will speak about how plants see things at P.S.1's newish urban farm installation (it's productive). It's one of the many summer garden events I plan on attending for education.  Here's a helpful calendar of more local events via the Bed-Stuy blog.

Haul: Giant zucchini

A really huge specimen plucked yesterday (above with the rest of the haul).