Above is Ivalace, a variety of hedera I've grown and propagated indoors for years. I experimented this year and left one plant outside all winter. It survived beautifully in a protected location near the house and put out lots of new foliage. As we only had one snowstorm this may not be the norm. The needlepoint ivy also overwintered, as did the variegated, "glacier" I think it's called. I have all three growing in several places (my little ivy farm). I got the stones from the beach.
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Good Morning --- or, maybe more appropiate, good Noon!
Ivy is such a stalwart little plant - the few plants that I have keep on going despite my neglect. Your plant sure does deserve the "lacy" name. I can see your other variety in the background there. But I'm trying to name the big-leaved plant surrounding your ivy - it's familiar but I can't pull up the name (what is it?).
I'm glad to see that you have some planting spaces around your home - between these photos and your azaleas in the previous post, I figure that you must be in a house rather than an apartment - good old grass under foot ...
Rhododendron leaves, new ones. The big bush by my front door just finished blooming. It was simply covered with rosy blossoms. I took photos but didn't post any because everyone has rhodies.
I live in an apartment that's attached to a house, so most of the landscaping is the landlord's. Most of my plants are in pots; if I move (and want to, for more space) I can take everything with me. I have 3 more hostas in pots. They are descended from a few pieces given to me by a jury-duty buddy about 6 years ago. Each one is ready for dividing again.
I have some plants that are my "living treasures". They were given to me by friends or family members.
There is one vine that is descended from the one that my mother kept in the pantry window in the Berkeley Heights house. It was given to her by Mrs. Jefferies when my parents bought the house from them back in the summer of 1953 - I was 12 years old - that makes the plant at least 55 years old. It was a cutting off a plant that Mrs. Jefferies had had for years before that!
Omigosh, that's continuity of one's heritage. Was it a wisteria?
Mrs. Jeffries had cats, lots of them. I remember being shown a momma cat with a bunch of kittens in her (your) cellar once. She was an interesting lady; I didn't totally appreciate her as a child, but now I realize she was a reader and a thinker, not your usual suburban 1950s housewife.
I love ivy, in fact have three pots of it on my kitchen windowsill. I'm surprised yours made it outside, for some reason I've always considered it rather delicate.
Mrs. Jefferies was very much an intellectual, world-traveler. Her husband was some kind of CEO at one of the big international oil companies - I can't remember which.
They had traveled all over the world in their younger years. They had a permanent statesroom reserved for their use on one of the huge oil tankers - they could travel for free whereever the tank went in the world.
She was German - she still had her German accent. She was a ballet dancer when she was young. I can remember her showing me - with a great deal of delight and energy - some of her ballet exercises in her kitchen. I was fascinated by her and would have loved to spend more time with her but I was afraid my father would find out how liberal and free-thinking she was and shied away from her friendship out of fear of his anger - to my great sadness. I didn't really appreciate her either back then. I think that she was lonely and loved the company - Mr. Jefferies at that time was still having to travel a great deal for his job ad she was by herself for most of the time. I don't think she ever had any children and welcomed a quiet child. She probably enjoyed your visits more than you could have known.
Cheryl, welcome back! Yes, I've always thought of the special ivies as delicate. But our climate is semi-southern...mockingbirds, etc....and this was a mild winter. I used to have a really small-leaved ivy, usual look but very tiny leaves. I got it as a cutting from the mother of a friend of mine about 35 years ago, and she got it, surreptitiously, from a property where she attended a yard sale-- it was at an old Gold Coast mansion in Nassau County. I grew it for years and it overwintered nicely but during one recent move it died out. I always considered it my good luck plant; now I'll have to see if that friend, whom I've lost contact with, can get me another slip. That little ivy had a pedigree!
Biddie, I think you knew Mrs. J better than I did. She and my mother were friends but I didn't visit her too often. No, she didn't have any children. She did have a neice in Germany that she helped, and in the 40s and 50s those people in Germany sure did need help. I think she was actually from Czekoslovakia, but of the German ethnic group rather than the Czecks or Slavs. In the early 1940s there was a group of ladies who met together socially. She and my mother were part of it, and they used to go horseback riding. That's where the riding pants and boots came from that I used... I'll have to post that photo of me in my outfit and you standing there smirking.
Your folks lived in your house back in the 40's? Berkeley Heights must have really been a very rural community then. I'll have to go back and rescan those books on the early days of BH.
I wonder when Herb's family moved into BH .....
I don't remember the photo you mentioned - I hope I wasn't smirking -- I probably had my usual crooked smile trying to cover up my envy. Please do post it if yu come across it .....
My parents bought the 1-year old house in BH about 1938 (George was on the way is how my mother used to date it)when the area was quite rural. An Italian used to come around on a bicycle cart selling vegetables. Shopping was an expedition over the hill to Plainfield. Mr. Lang delivered eggs and chickens, and milk was also delivered. There was nothing but woods behind our house and across the road as far as you could see. The remoteness of it all was the reason the first owner sold the house which he had built as his custom Dream House. His wife felt isolated. I'm really glad. And I'm glad she left the piano behind.
I too would love to see this picture!! :)
Here we go with the memory tests again... Our house (1078 Mountain ave, Summit-6-1958) was built in 1940 by Andy Hay, a local builder. He built all the houses from our house down to the Romond's house. Peppy do you remember what kind of a car the Jefferies had? What Color? What style? I even remember your dad's first name.... "Edmund". Something has often bothered me though and that is every time I look at the Liptons Tea man with his mustach he brings back memorys of your father. Is there a resemblance or is my memory incorrect???
One other thing.... Do you remember "Vito Mondelli" He would drive his old rattle trap truck up our driveway 2 times a week and sell my mother veggys and eggs and you name it. I can remember my mother and him haggling over a few pennys in price on things. It was a game for both of them and it seemed they both looked forward to it. We did most of our shopping at O'Conners Market on Plainfield Ave just up from Columbia School. The butcher there was Andy Danyo. He and Dad were good friends and did a lot of Ice Fishing together up on Swartswood Lake where we had our summer place. I have many fond memorys of "The Lake" from long ago.... Perhaps we can go there as well.....
Herb, look on my blog for Tues. June 24. I brought your comments to the top.
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