Thompson’s Garden
Sunday, 25 September 2005
[c.2000] I am one of a tiny minority of New Yorkers who has an outdoor garden - a patio behind my apartment that is, of course, laughably small by the standards of rural homes like this one in Pennsylvania.
Although it is not shown in this photo, the Thompsons have a plant called bee balm that attracts large numbers of beautiful orange bees the size of hummingbirds. I had never heard of this plant before nor seen such bees, so I am going to plant bee balm next spring in my new home I Maine and see what kind of bees I get.
COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS WEBSITE
shutter451 @ 2003-12-04 said:
Lovely garden, interesting plant. Just be careful what you ask for, Ronni. Three inch long bees with an attitude? Scary.
av_producer @ 2003-12-04 said:
I had a back garden space (approximately 400 sq feet) when I lived on Sullivan Street that was bigger than the apartment/ That’s how small the apartment was!
virgorama @ 2003-12-04 said:
Great story.. I have no garden of my own, just a communal one, but grew up surrounded by a huge one. I’`s a wonderful thing to have
bandman @ 2003-12-04 said:
That is a lovely garden. I live in a condo so there is lots of foliage and plants all over the development. The best part, I don’t have to tend it.
jdiggle @ 2003-12-04 said:
Great story, maybe you should invite the bees to a garden party in their honour!
Am wondering which bee balm you might have seen. I have two herbs that are known as 'bee balm': they are the pink flowering Bergamot (Monarda didyma) and the cream flowering Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). Neither will flower here in the sub-tropics so, sadly, mine never attract any bees. The leaves can be used to make teas though and these are said to be beneficial for an amazing range of ailments. Your own little patch (or pot) will be something to look forward to in Maine.
Posted by: Jude | Sunday, 25 September 2005 at 05:09 AM
Bee balm is a beautiful flower and the aroma is intoxicating. Don't plant it too close to where you enter and exit the house, because the bees may not want to be disturbed.
Posted by: kenju | Sunday, 25 September 2005 at 01:51 PM
We grow bees balm every year, beautiful tall red feathery blooms. However, this summer has been brutal on our garden and even this afternoon, what should be a nice fall day is 101 degrees --- in the shade.
Come on October.
Posted by: Cowtown Pattie | Sunday, 25 September 2005 at 03:51 PM
Hi, Ronni. I've been reading you for a while now and thought it would be long after you'd gotten settled in Maine before I'd see any gardening posts. As a passionate gardener and now a gardening blogger myself, I wish you a world of new plants to grow and know and sometimes love. Who knows where it'll lead, but it's sure to lead somewhere.
Posted by: Susan | Sunday, 25 September 2005 at 07:57 PM
It's nice to see more and more green patches sprouting in the cities. In the urban sprawl, a touch of green can do wonders for the spirit of the people there. Congratulations on having such a wonderful garden (I just know you do!). I'm a bit of a garden buff myself, and I just love hearing about success stories like your small garden. Peace out!
Posted by: Johannes | Wednesday, 28 September 2005 at 01:46 AM