Tamarix Ramosissima

Look at the ethereal beauty of this tamarix shrub!  How could you NOT be captivated by it's many alluring qualities.  My first memory of this mild climate looking shrub is of it growing in one of my grandparents' many perennial beds on their small farm.  Picture a two story, old, pink farmhouse with a double front porch and white wrought iron railings :)  Now, picture a five foot two, dark-haired Italian woman and a six foot one, strong as an ox German man.  They raised pigs and then cows and when they could afford it, they got dressed up and drove the farm truck to the nearest big city to enjoy a night at the local opera house listening to beautiful music.  They were full of passion, and gardening was one of those passions.  I am very fortunate to have these memories in my life!

This shrub is very versatile and beautiful if given the correct setting and attention.  This is not a shrub for the faint of heart :)  You can let the tamarix grow to it's natural 8-10 foot height while the branches grow thick but unfortunately the branches start to split after so many years and then you are forced to have an out of balance look.  It keeps the more graceful appearance and blooming capability when you keep it pruned for renewal growth because it blooms on new growth.  The leaves are a grey-green and have sort of an evergreen look, but I assure you, the tiny leaves turn a beautiful gold/red in the fall and drop to the ground like any deciduous shrub.  The spacing of this shrub is actually determined by the gardener but a good rule of thumb is to allow for at least 8-10 feet for it's graceful arching quality.  As you can see, it flowers abundantly with tiny rose-pink florets en masse.  It requires full sun for the best bloom but will do relatively well in partial shade.  Once established, it is quite drought tolerant because of it's long tap root and is hardy from zone 2a-8b.  I have seen where it is listed on the North Dakota Invasive Plant List but, honestly, I don't think it applies to all regions.  Like with anything in life there is good and bad and you can make your own choices :)  Me?.....I bought the shrub this fall for planting so we will see if it is as bad a foe as North Dakota claims....lol.  My grandparents certainly don't think of this shrub as an enemy ;)  Plant from the heart folks!

Happy Gardening!
HH
Angelo

RUDBECKIA TRILOBA

Hello everyone!  This installment is covering one of my favorite, and for some reason, elusive flower.  I discovered this perennial/biennial by shear accident about 17 years ago in  the herb bed of the house I had just moved into.  A little 90 year old woman had lived there, actually the only owner of the house since it was built in the 1940's.  We moved into the house in the month of March and I eagerly awaited to see what was growing in the flower beds.  I watched what I thought was a weed for several months and came close to pulling it right out of the ground.  Thank God I didn't because I was rewarded with this beautiful airy yellow/orange and brown flower when much of nothing else was blooming.  I fell in love with the fact that it grew to nearly five feet and the flowers seemed to float in the air.  I found out later (next spring) that it had an extra bonus of self-sowing.  A few people would find this annoying and slightly invasive.  I never looked at it that way...I just pulled out what I didn't want :)

I am a very sentimental gardener, so this year I built a house and one of the plants I wanted most was this perennial favorite that won my heart.  I had a lot of trouble finding it until I went to a local perennial grower for an open house and discovered they were growing the plant I coveted.  I was to say the least, ecstatic!  Although I have it now, I was not able to enjoy the simple pleasure of it's beauty this year.  I have something to look forward to next season.

Here is the general information to see if it will become a favorite of YOURS!  

It goes by 3 different names.  Rudbeckia Triloba, Brown-Eyed Susan or Three-Lobed Rudbeckia.  It is classified as a perennial/biennial which means essentially that it comes back every year but not always in the same spot.  It grows 3 to 4 ft. high (I have witnessed it reaching 5ft) and 2 to 3 ft wide.  It is hardy from zones 3-10 and requires full sun to partial shade.  It takes it a while to show you it's charms because it doesn't bloom until late summer into fall.  Like I said, not much else was blooming.  It's water requirements are average but don't overwater or it will surely perish.  As far as the slightly invasive habit, if you don't want it to reseed freely cut off the seed heads before they dry, or if you are like me, let them reseed and decide where you don't want them in the spring by simply pulling them out :) 

HAPPY GARDENING & HH

ANGELO 

MISSING YOU!

Hello Everyone!

It has been too long (a year and a half) since I have posted anything at all.  I have been quite busy with a new love, building a house, and ultimately keeping myself relatively healthy.  I am slowly getting back into my former habits...such as reading, seeing my friends and family, decorating projects, and all the little quirky things that make me smile.  This...blogging....I have missed a lot!  So, I am back to share a little bit of my world again in the hope that it can help someone out there laugh, cry, blush, cringe, joke, or look at life a little differently....but most of all, perhaps think differently :)

HH~
ANGELO

Introducing The Don'ts Of Conversation

Hello! It's me again :) Today is a "pointing the finger" kinda day! I am referring to people who don't know how to carry their fair share of a conversation!! :( I mean, really, do you think saying just "hello" to introduce yourself is going to be a real conversation starter? Especially if you know the person you are speaking with? The answer is.......NEVER!

Granted, I can be quite shy when meeting new people but what happens when you just reply to questions with a "yes" or "no" answer? I will tell you what happens... that other individual you are talking with is inside his head thinking...how in the hell am I going to get out of this one?...B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!!

I urge you to please have some consideration for the people you intend to engage in conversation. You can most likely be even nicer than Donna Reed but that will not help if you can't carry on a simple interesting dialog with another individual. This especially holds true if you are chatting on a site that one has to wait quite a while (by today's computer standards) to receive an answer. You wait ALL that time and then receive a tiny, non-stimulating response.......AGGRAVATING!!! If I were not so polite I would click you off in an instant :)...but I am nice, so I am giving you a little advice, instruction, whatever you would like to label it.

Happy chatting!! :)

Ciao and HH

ANGELO

Living With COPD (Kartagener Syndrome)

To look at me, one would never realize that I have this disorder...Kartagener Syndrome. It is an internal process so it is only announced by an external application such as wearing oxygen tubing to provide the level of oxygen your body needs to function properly. Since I do not wish to type out the definition and description of this disorder, I am providing the link to the Wikipedia version which will give you a little insight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_ciliary_dyskinesia

Assuming you visited the link, did you learn anything? :) My main reason for letting my readers know about this personal, and up until now concealable disorder is that I am at the stage where I can not hide my physical ailment any longer. This past Thursday I went for pulmonary function testing and then paid a visit to my pulmonary doctor. The outcome was not a good one and so now I am breathing in mechanically produced oxygen through a tube that goes into my nose.....24/7......I HATE IT!!!!!!

I didn't mind, and even accepted this disorder as just a part of my life. My mother has told me that I have always had a positive outlook, even as a child, which got me through a lot because I was a sickly baby, going through many surgeries and procedures before the age of six. This disorder went undefined until I hit 40, seven years ago. Since then it has steadily gotten worse. It has progressed really only because I have not had the proper medical insurance or none at all and that meant I could ill afford the treatments conducive to keeping this disease at bay. So, here I am with this NOT so pretty accessory attached to my face, like a big north star blemish, and a tank (although be it small) hanging to my side via shoulder strap. How inviting for casual conversation with handsome strangers! Yes, my worst fear is that I will die alone because no one wants to be involved with someone who's mortality may be shortened. Should I even be thinking about this?

Sometimes my positive outlook takes an inward nosedive to bitterness in the land of "why me?" Sometimes I think this is the reason I have a low tolerance for whiny people and people who have everything and yet still complain how awful their lives seem to be compared to the rest of the population. Maybe it's just my attitude.........period. I am not certain of all my thoughts and feelings but I deal with them on a daily basis and decipher them as needed.

I will deal with this newest ordeal and return to the "normal" me shortly.......................I think.......hmmmmmm. :)

ANGELO DE GIOIA

Bitchy Judgement Day

A few nights ago while on Facebook, a guy I thought to be a nice person was giving a post by post description of his thoughts. He usually does this for award shows and such and can be quite comical. Last night was different. He was quite bitchy in his approach of describing different actors. What they were wearing, how they looked, the hairstyle...blah, blah, blah. He said that "Penelope Cruz is so unattractive and speaks like a deaf indian lady...dot not feather...sorry deaf indian ladies." So, tell me, is this not only in bad taste but also laced with a little racial negativity? First of all, I love Penelope Cruz but most importantly, I think he was being bitchy and racist rolled into one. So, I asked him in the public forum "what was wrong with Penelope" and his reply along with more than several of his cronies disgusted me with the negativity and hate! Being the gentleman that I am, I privately messaged him a HOT picture of Penelope and told him how disappointed I was with him. What do you think happened? HE BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE STAGE!! I couldn't believe it when I saw his next post. Basically, he sent out a not so sincere apology directly to me (which riled up his cronies) and stating....I stand by my words and this is America where we can have our own opinions and we have to respect everyone's opinion......NOT COOL! We are lucky to have such a freedom, yes, but so many individuals misunderstand that it is a PRIVILEGE to speak one's opinions and a wise person chooses when and how, if ever, to express those opinions. I myself have learned it is a good thing to lock up the mouth sometimes and listen to others :) I was so angry that I was up hours after I should have gone to bed thinking about all the people I knew like him. Ugh...why do I waste my time!

Help me out here, please! Why does it appear to me that the majority of gay men I have met feel it is their duty to dispense bitchiness in the form of degrading, demeaning, belittling, discrediting, tarnishing, disapproving, and devaluing other human beings and other minorities for the pure enjoyment of the "fun" of it? Has anyone ever told these people that this behavior doesn't match their pretty faces? They need to work on the inside as well. I am not saying that I have never tried the role of bitchy on for size and I can actually protrude quite the serpents tongue when needed. I choose rather to be kind and have found that it benefits everyone :) I know a lot of gay men are insecure with themselves. I wish they would just deal with it and stop being so bitchy. Those good looks they try so hard to preserve on the outside will shrivel up like a sour prune before they know it!

ANGELO

What a Cello!

While looking on YouTube yesterday for the music of my previous post, I discovered another amazing artist, Stjepan Hauser. He is a cellist who's solos accompanied by piano are life-stopping. I love discovering new artists that move me! See what you think.