Chanticleer in Mid-October

     Last year I attended the Perennial Plant Conference at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, and had such a good time that I wanted to return this year, but wanted to also include a couple of my co-workers. On the way up we were able to spend an afternoon at Chanticleer, and on the way back home we visited Longwood Gardens, both of which are two of the conference's co-sponsors. One of my co-workers had never been to Chanticleer, which might be considered deprivation for anyone interested in gardening, professionally or otherwise. I've been fortunate to have visited this "pleasure garden" on three different occasions, and each time has been as exciting, as intriguing, and as full of discovery as the first. Obviously the best way to experience Chanticleer is in person, but if you want to know more now, you can visit their web site, or read an earlier post of mine, or also see any of several other bloggers' perspectives (Pam's at Digging, Carolyn's Shade Garden, Donna's at Garden Walk Garden Talk, James' at View from Federal Twist, to name a few). This post, however, will be mostly photos.

     These photos are but a few that I took during our visit. If you would like to see my complete set of Chanticleer pictures from both this fall and from the summer of 2011, here is the link to my Flickr page.

Bloom Day - Recovery

     Despite the tone of some of my more recent posts, things aren't all bad in the garden, and I do have a few blooms to share for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

     Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is held on the 15th of each month, and is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Garden.

Water World

     The past few weeks around here have been strange, weather-wise. We have gotten stuck in a pattern that has included, sunless skies, strong winds, periods of heavy rain, and most significant for us, very high tides. The higher tides are due to a combination of last week's supermoon, strong winds, and to some extent Hurricane Joaquin. Here in Norfolk there are other issues as well. Most of our rivers drain north into the Chesapeake Bay, and the strong northeasterly winds keep the water backed up preventing a full tidal flush, so the high tides pile up on top of each other. Add to that Norfolk's topography is nearly flat, and most of the city sits only a few feet above sea level. Many parts of area are built on former wetlands, or even filled-in waterways, and if conditions are right, the sea is quick to reassert its original property rights. Perhaps the biggest issue, long-term, is that Norfolk is sinking, while sea level is rising. This sinkage is due to glacial subsidence, a souvenir from the last ice age. The extreme weight of glaciers that once covered much of the northeast caused land there to sink, while the land bulged upward in ice-free areas like southeastern Virginia. Think of this as a very slow, giant seesaw that is still seeking equilibrium. This puts Norfolk right behind New Orleans on the list of American cities most threatened by sea level rise, but you won't see that printed on any real estate flyers.

     Most of the following photos were taken around my neighborhood over the past few days, and the rest were taken at the oceanfront in nearby Virginia Beach.

     As bad is this flooding looks, most people here are use to it, which is good, because it is likely to become the new normal, and compared to what is happening in South Carolina, we should consider ourselves blessed.