Find Us:
Cosmos in the Garden
  • Blog
  • Gallery
  • Publications
  • About me
  • Ask Jarek
  • Polski

Diente de Leon

5/7/2017

0 Comments

 
I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief - Gerry Spence
0 Comments

Chrysanthemum leucanthemum

2/5/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
Lao Tzu
0 Comments

Tristan and Iseult

5/28/2014

0 Comments

 
"Fold your arms round me close and strain me so that our hearts may break and our souls go free at last. Take me to that happy place of which you told me long ago. The fields whence none return, but where great singers sing their song forever."
Joseph Bedier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult

Read More
0 Comments

Tussilago

3/19/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
One of the ancient remedies for treatment of respiratory disorders  disguised as a little sun. The bright yellow flowers of coltsfoot  appear early spring literally  out of nowhere, especially if that nowhere looks like damp roadsides, ditches, forgotten construction sites and other disturbed places. To colonise such locations it requires a lot determination and wit. Coughwort (another common name of the plant) possess both of them as it spreads by underground rhizomes and seeds. The clever side of the expansion lies in the fact that  its flowers appear first and when they fade away the leaves emerge. Hardly anyone sees the connection between the two stages. Seeing the  healthy leaves we are looking forward to flowers, which... never happens. Slightly disappointed we leave them alone and forget, the outcome Tussilago is really  very happy about. 

Read More
1 Comment

Just Before Very Important Resolutions

12/29/2013

0 Comments

 
Do not go to the garden of flowers!
O Friend! go not there;
In your body is the garden of flowers.
Take your seat on the thousand petals of the lotus, and there
gaze on the Infinite Beauty.



Read More
0 Comments

Song For Nobody

12/3/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
A yellow flower
(Light and spirit)
Sings by itself
For nobody.

A golden spirit
(Light and emptiness)
Sings without a word
By itself

Let no one touch this gentle sun
In whose dark eye
Someone is awake.

(No light, no gold, no name, no colour
And no thought:
O, wide awake!)

A golden heaven
Sings by itself
A song for nobody.
                 Thomas Merton

Read More
0 Comments

Why?

10/6/2013

0 Comments

 
A helpless question. First frost bites are merciless and do not leave room for any hope. When you see your beloved dahlias without life,  anger is  usually the instant reaction although we were prepared for such an unsightly sight. Suddenly, the perspective of long dreary winter months becomes almost tangible. On the other hand, the idea of perpetual repetition of life-cycles seems incredible, hence childish indignation. But poor dahlias can help here. Their tuberous roots need to be dug up and this very  physical activity forces us to concentrate on more down -to -earth thoughts and actions. I am positive that not only dahlias can give us a helping hand and save a lot of energy we might squander on depressing divagations like...the idea of passing.  I know, I know, it is all unavoidable. OK, I understand, but  before I accept it, I want to deceive myself and  enjoy the last happy moments when the world looked definitely more colourful, however vulnerable. Just before the unwelcome thrusts of  inevitable and ruthlessly cold nights. Why not accompany me?

Read More
0 Comments

Foxgloves - beautiful and treacherous

7/31/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
Foxglove - a funny name for a plant, isn't it? However, its Latin equivalent- Digitalis purpurea- implies murky fingers, and dark red ones. Fortunately, it does not say a word about how much toxic they are. Leaves of foxglove plants contain potent chemicals used in pharmacy to prepare medicine helpful to control the heart rate. Of course, no-one can do it on their own by simply eating the leaves,  it is too dangerous (by the way,  they must taste awful).  But everyone can and should have several foxglove plants in their garden to admire the tall stalks adored with hanging tubular flowers looking like thimbles. Their colour vary from pure white to pink and purple hues. And the "throat" of each thimble can be nicely spotted like the skin of an exotic reptile. Foxglove flowers open in late May, June, July and continue flowering until August (depending on the geographical region). What a shame they last one season and are gone. But the numerous seeds produced in capsules make it sure  that new foxgloves will germinate the next spring. The trick is, we have to wait for the seedlings to bloom another long year. 


Read More
1 Comment

Uncommon Common Soapwort

7/25/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Luminous pink tones of soft flower foam: soapwort or -less elegantly- soapweed. It grows almost everywhere except for...gardens where it can be tolerated but hardly appreciated. Its Latin name Saponaria alludes to soap. Why? The answer lies in the roots and  leaves of this fresh-looking plant. They contain saponin, a chemical substance which produces a frothy mass of bubbles when mixed with water. And that foam is known for its  friendly cleansing properties because it does not irritate the skin, even the very delicate one. Being so advantageous I am sure it is about time soapwort became regarded as an ornamental plant and not as a weed. Well, let us start with "an ornamental weed" , shall we?


Read More
0 Comments

Verdi prati

7/7/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Late afternoon, the sun is still hot but not as much as a few hours earlier. Time for a walk across the nearby meadows. The first breeze wafts gentle aromas whose origin is  quite a mystery. Where do they come from? Can that tiny inconspicuous flowers be so potent to fill the air with such strong but delicate  fragrance? The answer seems to be obvious.
Green meadows. Not only green, though.  Omnipresent little wild  flowers reflect the whole spectrum of light. Simple beauty in its prime.  Do relish the view for it will be gone soon. Just like in the melancholy  aria -reminder Ruggiero sings  in Handel's "Alcina",  bidding farewell to his beloved green meadows and shady forests: "one day you will lose all your beauty". So true, so sad and so implausible.  


Read More
0 Comments
    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Author

    I was destined to be born gardener. In order to become a professional  one I had to enjoy years of studying at various  schools and  universities...  read more

    Archives

    Kwiecień 2015
    Styczeń 2015
    Grudzień 2014
    Październik 2014
    Wrzesień 2014
    Sierpień 2014
    Lipiec 2014
    Czerwiec 2014
    Maj 2014
    Kwiecień 2014
    Marzec 2014
    Luty 2014
    Styczeń 2014
    Grudzień 2013
    Listopad 2013
    Październik 2013
    Wrzesień 2013
    Sierpień 2013
    Lipiec 2013
    Czerwiec 2013

    Categories

    Wszystkie
    Annuals
    Biennials
    Bulbs
    Corms
    Country Gardens
    Country Gardens
    Dry Decorations
    Fall
    Flowering Shrubs
    Flowering Shrubs
    Flowering Trees
    Flowering Trees
    Flowers
    Food
    Forrest
    Grains
    Grasses
    Herbs
    Leaves
    Meadows
    Orchards
    Other
    Perennials
    Potted Plants
    Rhizomes
    Roses
    Shade
    Shrubs
    Spring
    Summer
    Trees
    Tubers
    Vegetables
    Vines
    Winter

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.