In a comment on my last post, a good friend of mine spoke (rather eloquently, I thought) about a dreamy, different sort of world than the one we inhabit now. He said, “i envision a world in which … everything in the form of entertainment comes from real people right in front of you, and communication might be slower than it is now, but more effective, and everyone smiles more …” (Brendan’s comment, in its entirety, is a click away at the end of my last post). By all accounts the Rock Garden Soiree was the kind of evening that offered a glimpse into that beautiful world. Marjorie Jeffries played her own compositions on the flute while people soaked up falling light in the garden, sipped wine and enjoyed eachother’s company. The evening was a perfect topping to a variable New England day – the threatening rain gave way to clear, mosquito-less skies, a breeze for the Wednesday night yacht race in Bristol harbor and that perfect balance of humidity that probably made everyone’s hair look just right. I wasn’t there but Gail took the pictures of gorgeous people enjoying a gorgeous evening. The next Soiree will be in the North Garden on July 11. Let’s go!

Gail and I were “real people” entertainment today at the Newport Flower Show – allowing us another glimpse of a beautiful world… We gave a tag-team demonstration on how to create a terrarium (a beautiful mini-world) in front of about 70 people. (There was only one mic so instead of just finishing Gail’s sentences, I had to come up with a whole bunch of my own! It was kinda fun! –I was actually too exhausted to be my usual terrified…). This is a peek at the demo terrarium I made with the most adorable begonia! (I think it might have to live at my house for awhile – I’m sure there’s no room for it here…!)

I am constantly on the hunt for the right-tool-for-the-job and both Gail and I have amassed an array of sunscreen that is starting to resemble a pharmacy shelf display and is draining our wallets. Last week one of our volunteers brought in a copy of a Consumer Reports article that rates all the sunscreens (Neutrogena 45 and NoAd 45 got the highest ratings) and it also brought up the question of whether nanosized particles of the minerals, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide might be small enough to enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain causing diseases like Parkinson’s. According to everything I’ve read (just a little this morning) the jury is still out on nano particles. The Consumer Reports article also said that a lot of sunscreens aren’t actually protecting us against UVA radiation. Great. And according to other sources, there’s some debate over whether sunscreen really protects against skin cancer and all the chemicals in the non-mineral based sunscreens might cause big problems too. This article from National Geographic sorted it out a little for me – at least it was what I wanted to hear: mineral based sunscreens are probably the best bet – just make sure to use a lot and reapply after sweating or swimming. (I haven’t found that they sting when I sweat either and I have canary-in-the-coalmine skin…)

Even on a fog bound, rainy day like today, it’s important to wear the screen (just in case) – it’s those UVA rays, doncha know… This morning the Rockettes scoured the Rock Garden for weeds, yellow leaves and deadheads while Gail and I tried to name and label all of the plants. Thank you again, Marion Murray (our Rock Garden Guru transplanted to the wilds of Utah) for keeping such great lists!!. I think we’re ready to show off at the Soiree tonight! After tea, while it rained, we all washed the sooty mold and scale off the citrus’s. They look so much better! One visitor (my mom, having an Alice in Wonderland sort of day) said they looked like we were painting the roses red – it was that kind of job!

Another “part 2″ for today is the Tamarix is blooming again! Here it is with Amorpha and a chorus line of cormorants. Another visitor (not my mom) commented that she was surprised to see it blooming so early (she was more surprised to hear from me that it had already bloomed a month ago) but she got me wondering and sure enough I had the wrong name all along. It’s not Tamarix ramosissima (which blooms late summer) but either T. parviflora or T. tetrandra. Fred, Dan – Help me out!

It’s probably too late for me. Smooth, milky white skin just isn’t in the cards. I’m young enough that I grew up wearing sunscreen at the beach – but old enough that it was bright orange oil called suntan lotion and had an SPF of 4. Now I slather on tablespoons of SPF 30 a few times a day until the titanium dioxide and zinc oxide turn my already brown skin a pasty shade of zombie. I’ve heard that if skin cancer isn’t a scary enough prospect, now we’re supposed to be worried about death and disease by nanoparticles in our sunscreen! What to do?! I had a chance to contemplate all of this while up to my elbows in greenhouse shading. Plants get sunburned too and Julie protected some of her children with a parasol. Now that the shading is on (again!), I might borrow the umbrelly for me… Most of the plants are out of the big greenhouse now and the little one will continue to be home to terrariums, some begonias and the cutting bench residents.

One way to avoid damage from the sun and scary sunscreen is to stay indoors. But that’s just not a practical option for us gardeners and garden appreciators. Think of all you’d miss! — like this Salvia lanceolata (left). It’s a short guy with greyer than greygreen foliage and an early flower (at least for us since it came out of the greenhouse). And Symphytum x uplandicum ‘Axminster Gold’ (right). It’s about 12″ tall now with 3-4″ serrated, pointed, variegated green and yellow leaves. Both might glow a little in the dark but the subtle details would disappear!