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Sleeps | 6 |
Bedrooms | 1 |
Bathrooms | 2 |
Property type | condo |
Minimum Stay | nights |
PLEASE SEE OUR NEW LISTING FOR OUR LUXURIOUS BEACH LEVEL UNIT (SMALLER UNIT) AT VRBO LISTING NO. 406107) After months of construction we are finally able to offer our beautifully renovated unit for rent and we are thrilled with the outcome! You will enjoy Italian floor tiles throughout the unit, remodeled bathrooms, beautiful new kitchen with distressed alder cabinets, and new appliances. We have installed beautiful new light fixtures, ceiling fans, and gorgeous off-white drapes for the new fourteen foot sliding glass doors. We have decorated the unit with many mirrors to optimize the view of the crystal clear turquoise Caribbean water that can be enjoyed from almost any vantage point in the condo. At night you can light the candles throughout the unit and terrace, turn off the lights, and enjoy the moonlight sparkling on the water below. Or relax on the outdoor white-covered couch, gazing at the stars as your listen to the waves……such a romantic setting!
The condo has been decorated to provide ultimate relaxation after a long day at the beach or exploring. The main living area has a large, white slipcovered, over stuffed couch and ottoman . The flat screen 42 inch TV has been mounted on the wall for easy viewing and beautiful white porcelain lamps surround the living area for romantic lighting. The upstairs master bedroom has been decorated in mostly white with beautiful blue sapphire accents. A new top-of –the- line king pillow top mattress has been purchased to provide for a great night's sleep. The condo is furnished with great quality linens and towels.
The villa is located at Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina. Sapphire Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and has great snorkeling. You can swim with the sea turtles and other local sea life directly in front of the unit which sits less than 30 yards from the front of the building. Our unit sits in one of the two buildings located closest to the water
so the views are exceptional. The small town of Redhook is located less than a half mile from the unit where you will find many bars and restaurants including the famous "Duffy's Love Shack". In addition, there is a great small grocery store called Marina Market where you will be able to purchase made to order sandwiches and salads for your trip to the beach or your adventure to the British Virgin Islands and St. John. The ferry terminal to St. John and Tortola are also located in Redhook.
My husband and I and our four children live in Seattle, Washington. We love to travel and have spent much of our free time traveling across the globe. We love outdoor activities such as boating, skiing, swimming, snorkeling and hiking.
The Owner purchased this condo in 2011
My family and I fell in love with St. Thomas when we first visited it on a Carribean cruise in August of 2010. We knew we wanted to come back. In January of 2011 we made a return trip to St. Thomas to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday. We stayed at Sapphire Beach and decided we needed to make it our second home. We purchased our unit a month later and I have been renovating it since. Finally, it is finished......and beautiful.
scuba diving


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I happened to mention which of my roses were doing well in the thread about Bishop's Castle and thought it would be informative to hear from everyone what's doing well in your gardens right now, when our roses are being stressed by the constant heat. The ones I mentioned are Bishop's Castle, Potter and Moore, Mutabilis, La France and Belinda's Dream, with a young Reine de Violettes also giving me the occasional flower. I should have also mentioned White Pet which is having a flush right now. It would be great to hear what's "putting out" in your gardens! Ingrid |
Follow-Up Postings:
For me my Pink Don Juan has not stopped blooming since the spring, Evelyn, golden celebration, SDLM, nacadoches and strike it rich have all been blooming pretty much non stop as well. My SDLM is a trooper and is loaded with buds right now, I am in love with her and will probaly add another one next year. |
@ Ingrid, love all the recent pics of your garden you posted--just breathtaking, beautiful, artistic etc... For me Memorial Day has just finished its glorious 2nd flush, still has a few flowers and buds on it now. Lady Emma Hamilton is in her big 2nd flush, but gets sunburn quickly, badly, because of the heat--so I just harvest the flowers for the house. Bishop's Castle is in bloom--not as good as its spring flush but still generous. Jubilee Celebration has been non-stop, continuous for me, and going strong still--with loads of buds and blooms right now. Young Lycidas--continuous for me, and has lots and lots on buds on him right now--possibly a favorite of mine! Great rose! Absolutely clean! Yves Piaget is doing nicely, but slowly declining--most likely because of the gall (?) and I shall replace him once i find a good specimen. Magnificent Perfum just finished its summer flush, but it still gives me a few blooms now and then....ditto on St. Cecilia... Jude the Obscure--gave me a handful of flowers recently, a few buds on him right now--nothing major since his spring flush, ditto on Teasing Georgia, ditto on Eden. |
Nothing planted in the ground is flowering "well". Those with any flowers are potted plants used primarily for breeding and/or propagation. Of those flowering more heavily, they are all seedlings of my own creation. I am of the school for not pushing them to flower and/or grow excessively when the heat is high and ground water low, so most of mine are being kept alive but not forced to perform. Kim |
It is the month of the tacky and tasteless here - dahlias....and gladiolis. The late Christopher Lloyd took a subversive delight in growing dahlias (but only certain ones such as David Howard and the ubiquitous Arabian Night and the Bishop (of Llandaff)....but even his rebellious spirit quailed at gladioli. Well, not in my (ahem) garden.....loud. lurid, gaudy.....it's almost August - bring it on! And just to keep up the garish overkill, there are zinnias, heleniums, penstemons, achillea, echies asters and heliopsis, all held together by the magenta brilliance of geranium psilostemon. However, we had a non-winter and a hot, wet and pest-ridden summer so bindweed has ran amok and weeds are towering over my head. If I squint, I can identify some parts of the garden which still look good - the gravel garden is a haze of purples, yellows and white - athamanta turbith, limonium perezzii, platycodon, night moth salvia, gaura and hunnemannia have taken over from the dianthus, indigofera and purple baptisias and knautia while the nepeta is awaiting a chop, along with a little ground-covering rose, Gwent. Two of the other rosy areas are looking somewhat dreadful and Nahema is in death-throes with some awful murderous die-back running through it (suspect nematodes),........Aimee Vibert has grown insanely and I have failed to really address this so the poor rose is sprawled over old tomato supports like a drunken dowager, lolling on the floor or tangling itself in Jasmina which has also outgrown its tripod.both roses leaning on each other, tangling in with sweet peas and R.helenae. For a few weeks, they looked fabulous but I couldn't get to deadhead anything and it is now a disgraceful mountainous pile of stuff (I avert my eyes and avoid that part of the allotment), so, all in all, much as usual including the numerous pots awaiting PIG (but all put on hold till after the 3 day party I have been nagged into having). Just as well that there is nothing much happening in the woods apart from the grass and weeds although I find myself very tolerant of everything apart from the nettles Red campion (silene dioeca), valerian officianalis, stachys,sylvaticum, angelica, hogweed (hieraceum spondylifera), queen anne's lace (anthriscus sylvestris), late foxgloves (digitalis ambigua, d.lutea) and various clovers add little flashed of pink and white in the deep, deep green. |
My roses are all still young, so I'm actually happier for them to be focusing more on growth than blooming all the time -- especially since the crazy Winter we had knocked some back a bit. That being said, of the roses planted in the ground, "Bermuda Spice", 'Clotilde Soupert', 'Marie Pavie' and 'The Prince' have had at least one flower (usually more) constantly since the start of the rose season. Following close behind (with very short gaps -- less than a week -- between blooms) are 'Mme Dore' (which would probably bloom continuously if it wasn't still so small), 'Perle d'Or' (still very tiny), and 'Purple Skyliner' (growing like a weed and blooming like a Polyantha -- thanks again, Kim!). Most of my red HTs in pots have been consistently blooming in small flushes, but because they fry so easily in the sun, I've been cutting many before they open and bringing them inside to enjoy. I intended to have the dark-reds in an area that is shaded during the hottest part of the day, but I'm still waiting for my landlord to "do something" with the huge riding lawnmower he parked there. The plants themselves are fine in all-day Summer sun, and keep growing and growing. I think next year I'll try some Teas in pots in these full-sun spots instead. :-) ~Christopher |
You're welcome, Christopher. I'm glad you like it. Purple Skyliner IS a good rose where it gets enough water and shelter from the extreme heat and sun. It should flower like a polyantha. That's pretty much what polys are...dwarf, repeat flowering versions of multilflora ramblers. This one simply grows like a rambler, while flowering like the dwarf versions. Kim |
What heat? It's 64 out there today...and gray. I had to put a jacket on to work on the roses. I know, you guys are baking but we're having a really cold summer even for Michigan. What's blooming in the coolth and gloom? Love Song is covered in blooms and buds. A few of the HTs are setting up to re-bloom but the cold slows them way down. The minis do better. Just about everything else is pretty much just sitting there. Not even much new leaves let alone buds. And Camp, harrumph, if it weren't for the "tacky and tasteless" dahlias and glads in my garden I wouldn't have much bloom at all, lol! |
Not a whole lot blooming right now, and those that are don't look very good. I have almost 200 roses, and the bulk of them are resting. The daylilies are finished (except for one or two), so it's mostly salvias and herbs that are flowering. This picture is Xuchitl. I'm really liking this one. |
Mother Dudley. I just got this one at the beginning of this year. I'm taking the picture from above, so it looks smaller than its three feet. Sorry it's a bit blurry- all of these were taken with my phone today. |
Souvenir de Fran├¦ois Gaulain. This is actually the first time it has flowered all year. It's two years old. |
Last one, Homere. I'm really impressed with this one. It's been blooming pretty much continuously ever since I received it as a band this year. It sits in the hottest, driest bed. |
How about 7' tall orange tiger lilies for garish, Camps? I have an entire forest of them, begun with a start from my grandparents' homestead. They carry the torch this time of year, so to speak (can't miss 'em), and don't seem overly affected by the drought. Lady Hillingdon is blooming, and produced two new basals, now that I removed her hips, with thanks to Anita for noting that quirk on another thread. I usually don't deadhead teas (exception being Etoile de Lyon, whose blooms have the worst finish ever) because most seem to bloom regardless (and I am lazy), but I guess LH will be another exception. Le Pactole and Etoile de Lyon are just finishing up nice flushes. Grandmother's Hat and Jacque Cartier are now blooming, in the face of high-90s and 100+ temperatures. Others have a fair number of blooms, though not exactly flushes: Mr. Bluebird, Comtesse du Cayla, Jaune Desprez, Mme Alfred Carriere, Lady Ann Kidwell, Perle d'Or, and Poulsen's Yellow (a blooming fool, even though only its first year in the ground -- I like it a lot). The other roses are quiet and turn-around times are slow since water isn't abundant; I also didn't fertilize this year, anticipating that the theme was going to be more survival than show. |
The species gladiola are quite beautiful, and nothing like the ones you see laying on the tops of coffins. Are Dahlias tacky? Most of my roses are by now so well established--10 years or more, they are handling the summer heat. Bishop's Castle is covered, but not deadheaded, so I won't post a photo, but the fragrance is a treat. |
Beautiful, Hoov! Nope, Neither glads nor dahlias are tacky in my book. If the plant likes being with me, and it provides color, it's OK in my book. A few of my favorite roses (including seedlings) actually resemble dahlias. Kim |
hoovb - gorgeous! My hydrangeas and white clip campanulas are putting on a show. My twin sister ridicules me for having so many white clip campanulas edging my front garden but I love them. seil - I'm just north of you in Toronto. This is my vacation week and it is raining, 17 degrees Celsius today. (62.6 F) Feels like autumn weather. |
Beautiful hoovb.. Love the color scheme, love the sprinkles of granium rozanne and white daisies among the fiery flames of dahlias... Love the elegant soft sprout of grass... What thoughts, what work must have gone in to create that!!! |
Clax, I have those too except in blue. We call them bell flowers. I also have the bigger balloon flowers blooming right now. |
- Posted by Kippy-the-Hippy 10 Sunset 24 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 28, 14 at 23:24
I love your Dahlias! They are on my someday garden list. We used to have a great one, but I followed some poor internet advice and it is no more.... We had a bunch of glads, but the rust drove me nuts so now there are just a few left that either survived being moved or are doing okay. Non roses, the pelatgoniums are always busy just not my favorite color-hot red. I moved around a new agapanthus because it was now or try and deal with them under a couple of very happy roses (Felicite et Perpetue-no corner fence jumps for us, well at least not twice) The lavenders are looking good. I hate to say, the roses all look fairly good. But this is because mom thought the crispy petals meant the plant was dry so she was watering them when I told her not too. Of course the ones over the gray water line look extra nice and green same with the leach field roses. It helps that they are also in that leap mode and are growing leaves and size even if not flowers. The heat cooks the blooms, but over all they look pretty good, or at least I think they do. If I can get a chance, I will try and take pictures tomorrow. |
The phlox in various colors is the best bloomer in the garden right now, that and 'Bolero' (thanks for the recommendation, Hoovb). I have been impressed with the exceptionally long bloom period of phloxes 'Blue Paradise' which has been blooming since June 25th and 'Shortwood' which is just beginning but did well last year. White daylily 'Joan Senior' which began blooming July 3rd is winding down but still has a few buds. 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' is not blooming now but has had quite a few blooms for a rose, in these parts, planted just this Spring. Her main fault is lack of a really good fragrance. The rest of the roses have an occasional bloom here or there. It is either that they are still young or I haven't quite got the hang of this rose growing thing yet. We have had an exceptionally cool and rainy Summer (translation - GOOD). It is almost as though Mother Nature is apologizing for last Winter of the perpetual polar vortex. Sympathy to you drought stricken Californians. I hate the atmosphere of exhaustion that drought brings. Cath |
- Posted by mariannese 5b (My Page) on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 4:21
Perhaps not your heat but 84F is hot enough for us and we've had no rain for a month. All onceblooming roses are long over and I missed some the four days I spent in Finland. I never got to see Queen of Denmark in bloom. My few remontants flower as never before on still small plants, Frau Karl Druschki, Alfred Colomb and Reine des Violettes. I realize now what they need, a warm winter and a hot summer but with some shade, too bad they don't get that often. We have enough water but it's hard work to water the vegetables, the pots, the perennial seedlings, so roses in the ground don't get any extra water. They don't look very happy. We are promised rain every week so I keep hoping for that. Camps, I would never plant a gladiolus. I grew up above a small country brewery and the few flower beds outside my father's office were planted by a local florist with limited resources, not a nursery. Every year he put in a few glads, tagetes and anthirrinums with stretches of bare soil between them. The only flowers I liked were the five peonies around the flag pole in our small lawn and the honeysuckle and hops that grew on the front of the building. The rest of the yard was a vast desert of gravel for the beer lorries. Alfred Colomb early this morning. |
No roses flourishing at the moment. They were doing fairly well just a couple weeks ago, but a week of very HOT temps fried most of the blooms. But the determined roses still keep trying to put out one or two, even three blooms, per bush anyway--but it looks rather "thin" blooming. Here's what gets my mid-summer garden through the doldrums and heat--my very large hydrangea paniculata (about 8 ft wide) that blooms the last half of summer and totally dominates the backyard when it is in bloom. I've shown this picture before, so I apologize if it is a repeat for you--but that showy hydrangea dresses up things so that most visitors barely notice that the roses are barely blooming at the moment. This pic was taken 2 weeks ago when the temps were lower and the roses blooming better. The heat has cut the rose blooms in half, but hydrangea paniculata is thriving on the heat--thank goodness. Hydrangea paniculata and the Perfumed Rose Path.
Easter Basket (floribunda) Kate |
This post was edited by dublinbay on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 5:45
Ho, take it from me that in the vastly snobbish horticultural arena dictated by the great and good of the RHS, both dahlias (with a few well-known caveats) and gladioli are distinctly tacky....but absolutely nothing compared to the vast disdain reserved for growers of chrysanthemums. There are few plants which are still so non-U as 'mums (not that I grow them either....but only because of the pests). Glads and dahlias are still beloved allotment plants and as such, tainted by working class association - and so, obviously championed by this dyed-in-the wool socialist (hark, do I hear indrawn hissed breaths and spy suspiciously narrowed eyes?) Personally, I had a little glad obsession a few years ago on discovering a truly fabulous G.papillio 'Ruby'....quicksmart, I was raising suicide lilies (G.flanaganii) and butterfy species(G.dalenii, G.primulinus)....not to mention the pale G.tristis, pure white bride, g.colvillii and a few tricksy (and ultimate fails) south african rarities. Even now, the wild magenta g.byzantium and illyricus flourish all over the allotment, sprawling in the stipas and nassellas. The 'new perennial' movement is all over europe, with its unbelievably limited pallette (thanks a bunch, Karl, Piet et al for foisting the same dozen dreary brownish things with minuscule flowers upon us all - this gardener is utterly fed up with eupatoriums, echinaceas, calamagrostis (especially calamagrostis) vernonia and leadworts) and regimented rules of blocks and drifts (and far too many frequently boring grasses) and, while it is sophisticated and very naturalistic, I am, by nature, a creature of artifice - there is NOTHING remotely naturalistic about my gardens...unless we consider the raging nettles and brambles as a wild garden contender....and I don't as I have been raining the horticultural equivalent of napalm down on them for the last 2 seasons. Oh dear, have obviously been away too long and have switched over into ranting mode without drawing breath....but hey, I HATE rules in gardens and am a complete anarchist, in this area (and many others) and am still sadly burdened with a mountainous chip squashing my over-burdened shoulders into the ground.. |
- Posted by mendocino_rose z8 N CA. (My Page) on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 8:27
Though I complain about the summer garden and the heat there are a great many roses blooming. I couldn't list them all. One reason I have so many Austins is that they do so well in my garden and bloom in the summer heat. Of course the blooms are more scattered and smaller than spring blooms. Some otherwise lovely roses crisp in the heat. My Baronne Edmund de Rothschild is one of those. It's such a lovely thing, covered with buds, but when it gets over 90 degrees the blooms can't make it. |
A toast to campanula!!! Nancy |
Calladiums, lot of lilies, browilla, SDLM, Kronprincessin Viktoria, Capt Dyel de Gravile non stop, colleus, lots of Cardinal lobelias red and pink,hardy geranium rozanne keep popping, several clematis |
It's been so enjoyable reading everyone's own experiences (as usual, campanula, yours is in a class of its own, in a really good way) and I'm pleased that we have quite a few pictures too. So far there hasn't been much of a consensus, but Christopher reminded me of my own Madame Dore, which does have a lovely flower and a few buds. Also forgot about SdlM since for once it had almost no flowers, but it's now revving up again with more buds and flowers. Even Souvenir du President Carnot, which did very badly this year, has revived after being planted in a much more shady position and has quite a few buds. Sometimes replanting can be a lifesaver for a rose. Gladioli - no, no, at least not for me, although I'm sure the species ones must be lovely. With dahlias it depends on color and overall appearance since they vary so much. I doubt that either would flourish on my gravelly hill, assuming I had the energy to even go there. Thankfully, the pink and mauve pelargoniums do still provide some color, although on some the leaves are almost light yellow -yuck! Hope to see more; I'm always looking for stalwart survivors. Ingrid |
- Posted by mariannese 5b (My Page) on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 12:37
I will not hear a word against my calamagrostis Overdam. It's almost 20 years old and deserves some respect. Next to it is a birdbath for magpies. |
My varigated hibiscus is blooming right now, I have had it about 8 years and it loves my hot and humid climate. The color is not very bright but I love the varigated leaves and the way the bloom gracefully nods. |
- Posted by ArbutusOmnedo 10/24 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 15:41
From my own collection and what I saw this past weekend at my parents while putting in new hardscaping: Mutabilis Sydonie is in bud for its third flush in it's first year. It's just now reaching three feet after about 7 months in the ground. Boule de Neige, Winchester Cathedral, and Madame Lombard also are in bud right now, just about to bloom. Most roses aren't blooming or in bud right now though. There are lots of things blooming besides roses though. A plethora of Begonias, a few Fuchsias, Agastache, Salvias of all sorts, a few Columbine, Lavender, Statice/Limonium, Globe Daisy (Globularia), Alyssum, Brugmansia, Arbutus (Strawberry Tree), Shasta Daisies, Dianella (Australian Flax), Nicotiana mutabilis, Cotinus, Centranthus ruber and v. alba, Penstemon, Coreopsis, Dianthus, Geranium, Citrus, a few Dahlias, Anigozanthus, Achillea, Gomphrena, the last of the Alstroemeria, Grevillea, a Correa (Australian Fuchsia), Delpinium, and surely others I'm forgetting including some new grasses. Jay |
Darcy Bussell is rocking it right now, despite 70% humidity and 90 plus degrees of heat. I'm totally loving the red Amaranthus I trialed this year. It's 10 feet tall and just beautiful. As usual, Tecoma stans is a showstopper, especially next to bright red Darcey. In my shade garden, the shampoo ginger has put up probably 100 bloom stalks and I'm looking forward to having the neatest fall arrangements in a few months. Not looking good is Molineaux. I am rather disappointed in that one. The blooms were beautiful when it was cool, but they look like total poop right now. I might ship that one up to my mother in PA and replace it with Julia Child. My poor mother's yard is the dumping ground for all of my unwanted plants, but generally, if they aren't tropical, they like it up there better anyway. I was almost upset with Graham Thomas for being stingy, but he has started to put out good blooms and ohmahgawd they smell like sweet spiced cider. Evenie |
- Posted by Sidos-House 7 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 19:39
Easter Basket for me too. That is one exuberant rose. Bubble Bath. A few others, most of which are Austins. I am just now beginning to prune and dead head since Japanese Beetle season is beginning to close. I am not crazy about this time of year though it hasn't been as bad as most years. The heat. The humidity. The bugs. The allergies. Mosquitoes. Poison Ivy seems to travel on the wind. Everything gets too large and jungle-y. It makes me grumpy. |
In defense of glads and dahlias... I do have to plant them each spring and dig them up in the fall but they're reliable color in the garden. And I think they're lovely! |
The 'new perennial' movement is all over europe, with its unbelievably limited pallette (thanks a bunch, Karl, Piet et al for foisting the same dozen dreary brownish things with minuscule flowers upon us all This, too, shall pass. |
Seil, I'm not a big fan of dahlias, but yours are lovely--and your glads are gorgeous! Too bad glads like to grow at such odd angles! Kate |
Boncrow, I just love that hibiscus! And I love glads too. :) |
- Posted by ArbutusOmnedo (My Page) on Tue, Jul 29, 14 at 23:52
I'm trying Dahlias for the first time this year and I'm quite pleased with them. They make for nice cut flowers, the plants have been very healthy, and I appreciate that I can get large purple-red or dark red blossoms without worrying about rust or mildew here on the coast. I have seen some raggedy, mildewy Dahlias around, but I seem to have lucked out. The linked picture is from two months ago, but the plant still has flowers. Jay |
Here is a link that might be useful: Dark Red Dahlia
This post was edited by ArbutusOmnedo on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 0:10
I should amend my previous post -- it's actually strangely cool for this time of year, peaking in the low 80s lately, sometimes only in the 70s. And I didn't mention all the roses (or other plants) blooming now -- only those that seemed unfazed when the big heat set in a few weeks ago, and had little or no pauses between blooms. 'Rosa moschata' and 'Reverend Seidel' came into their own as it got hot, but these were their first blooms for the season. "Darlow's Enigma" and "Secret Garden Musk Climber" have also put out a few blooms, ignoring whether it was hot or not, but they're focusing more on growing and so their blooms come sporadically. Also not ever-blooming but still putting out sporadic blooms during the hottest days were 'Eugene de Beauharnais', 'Mlle Blanche Lafitte', "Sophie's Perpetual", 'Souvenir de la Malmaison', 'Louis Philippe', 'Napoleon', 'Abraham Darby', 'Golden Celebration', 'Jude the Obscure', 'Tamora', 'Yellow Sweetheart, Climbing', 'Golden Buddha' and 'Georg Arends'. The quantity of blooms on these was nothing to write home about, but I can't really say for sure how they'll do when they're fully mature (this is only their second year since coming as bands). Non-roses blooming now include all the Achillea, Agastache mexicana 'Champagne', Campanula 'Bavarian Blue', some of my Type 2 Clematis, all the Coreopsis, all of the Echinacea, Geranium 'Dilys' (which has spread to a 4' diameter, hugging the ground, and hasn't stopped blooming since a few weeks after I planted it this Spring) and the others ('Nimbus', 'Rozanne' and 'Tschelda'), Ligularia 'Desdemona', all the Nepeta, the Phlox paniculata cultivars, all the Salvias, some of the Sedums are beginning to set buds, all the Stokesias, and the Verbena bonairensis (which hasn't stopped blooming since June). Unfortunately, much of this is "supporting chorus" and I'm noting a need for July/August divas for next year -- Trumpet and Oriental lilies. Of course, the annuals I put in pots with my red HTs haven't stopped blooming since they were planted, but that's what Petunias, Verbenas and Vincas do. :-) ~Christopher |
The verbena has already burned out, literally fried, dried. The petunias were cut back twice and sprayed regularly with Spinosad to take care of the bud worms. They, too, have already fried. The vinca are coming into their own, though the weaker ones have also fried. It's rather difficult to keep anything not woody alive in close proximity to stucco, plate glass and acres of concrete when there are twelve-plus hours of direct sun and the daily temps are 95+. Surprisingly, the red annual salvia are exploding without frying. Kim. |
The only rose in my garden that is currently is full flush is the modern rose 'Jacob's Ladder'. The brilliant red just glows in its corner of the garden. It doesn't really belong in my garden, being far too modern in appearance, but I get more compliments from visitors on this rose than on any other plant I have ever grown. It seems that I am stuck with it. As for the rest of the garden, there are scattered roses here and there, one or two on a plant. Somehow that hardly counts. As for other flowering plants, the white cleome looks stunning in the evening and pretty nice in the daytime as well. Pretty as the pink and purple are, I grown only the white to keep the strain pure. It reseeds nicely. And at ground level most plants have finished up, but the coreopsis 'Moonbeam' is a carpet of lacy soft yellow. I don't have much yellow in the front garden, but I do like this one very much. Rosefolly |
- Posted by mariannese 5b (My Page) on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 5:59
Karl Foerster's garden near Potsdam is very colourful. I don't think he deserves to be compared to Piet Oudolf's bland plantings although he inspired Oudolf to use grasses. His borders at Wisley are the ugliest I have seen (are they still there?) but even he made better gardens elsewhere, in Sweden for instance. The Foerster garden has very few grasses. I've visited the garden twice in early summer and can remember only the molinia Transparant and two tall grasses. Foerster bred 600 perennials of every colour, the rudbeckia Goldsturm among them. He's called the Father of Delphiniums in Germany because of the 60 varieties he bred. |
This post was edited by mariannese on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 6:07
You are entirely correct, Mariannese - Karl Foerster was a plantsman of the highest calibre....and, in truth, I do like many 'New Perennial' gardens and approve of the underlying concepts......but just find myself rebelling against prescriptive planting rules and the dictates of 'fashion'. Of course, few people are as intolerant and opinionated as myself....and even worse, I don't even have the courage of my convictions since they change with the wind....... Mostly though, I regard gardening, especially against the odds, as a triumph of the human spirit - curiosity, experimentation, trying, failing, trying again - all good stuff really, regardless of plant choices....and something which connects us to the fundamentals - life, energy, food, shelter, community and so forth. |
- Posted by jeannie2009 PNW 7/8 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 9:55
Seil I love your dahlia's and glads. I also grow both. This year we are having a hot (85 degree) and dry summer. Both of these are flowering famously in our garden. The hummers love the glads. And the bees love them too. Somehow this time of year a garden seems to need a riot of colors. While our roses are holding up, I notice that the blooms have shrunk in size. What a wonderful time of year. |
In our 57-67F heat, most roses are pushing new growth. Felicia's in between little bouquet was shattered by rain and I relieved Tamara out of it's misery, especially as I'd failed to spot the army of aphids sucking the juice out of it. Ballerina's June flush just finished, while Sweet Chariot is clinging bravely to it's 3 blooms. While the roses prepare for their next flush, Kalimeris incisa bluish tinge, bachelors buttons an clematis Arabella contrast with the yellow eyed Rudbeckia Hirta and the mission bells. A shady wall is covered by the gigantic Cematis fargesii "Summer snow', trying to convince a pinkish Ville de Lyon clematis of his honourable intentions. At the edge of the driveway, turkish and flanders poppies, grow peacefully with feverfews and nasturtiums in the gravel. And last but not least, the Japanese morning glory, pictured below.... |
- Posted by ArbutusOmnedo 10/24 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 15:12
Mustbnuts, when did you get your Wedding Cake!? It seems that Rogue Valley only offers it these days and it is just never in stock. What unique and interesting flowers. Thanks for sharing. Jay |
Just noticed the Magic Lily blooming throughout the woods. It is a shade early this year, while everything else is late. It usually begins in early August. Ingrid, Have you ever tried bulbs to do a work-around of your blistering heat and dryness? They are designed to go dormant under these conditions. Of course you would not be likely to get Summer bloom but they should survive well and bloom in due course. Cath |
cath41, the only bulb-like plants I have are daylilies and repeat-blooming irises. Now that I think about it, one of the yellow irises is blooming right now. Even when they're not in bloom they contrast well with the billowy rose shapes, and in my climate they do repeat reliably practically throughout the year, as long as I water them. I don't think anything except a rock would survive in my garden without watering. Ingrid |
Ingrid, Still quite a lot in bloom north of the Golden Gate, but in nothing like the heat that you have. Now blooming: Cl. Cramoisi Sup├®rieur Cr├®puscule Devoniensis (sparingly) Cl E. de Hollande (one bloom last week) Ghislaine de F├®ligonde Gilbert Nabonnand Kronprinzessin VvP Lady Hillingdon (amazingly) Mrs. B. R. C. (new growth only) Mrs. Oakley Fisher (has been glorious) Monsieur Tillier R de Rescht (stopped last week after weeks of profusion) Rosette Delizy Souvenir de St. Anne's Le V├®suve Also blooming: Various Polyanthas and Teas Larry P. S. Ingrid, I find that the fortnight lilies (dietes) laugh at heat; with a little water, they bloom right through the summer. |
- Posted by Kippy-the-Hippy 10 Sunset 24 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 0:48
With their strong sugary scent, the Belladonna lilies are popping up right now. |
ArbutusOmnedo, after Ralph Moore passed, one of his staff opened her own nursery (Burlington Roses) where she sells a lot of his roses. That rose is 2 years old. When I got them, they were pretty much sticks and that was it. I also got them on their own root. This particular rose seems to do better grafted. I still went for the own root instead. Here is the email address for her. email@example.com. |
- Posted by ArbutusOmnedo 10/24 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 2:03
I've actually received an order from Burling within the past week or so! She is terrific. I didn't see Wedding Cake on her availability list this year, so possibly it's only available by custom request at the moment. I'll ask her about that. I asked her about the then out-of-stock Sheila MacQueen this Spring after my mom fell for it during a visit to the Huntington. Several months later, it was ready to ship along with some choices of my own. I've been practicing grafting in order to eventually confidently bud some less than stellar own root varieties, so poor own-root vigor isn't a critical problem in regards to Wedding Cake. Thanks for the information! Jay |
- Posted by peachymomo Ca 8 (My Page) on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 10:05
My fruit and vegetable gardens have hit their stride this year, so I've been so busy harvesting and processing produce I've barely had time to enjoy the roses. Although I have noticed that I definitely have more blooms than I did last year around this time. At my house Molineux just finished a great flush, while Golden Buddha is in the middle of one and Daybreak is just starting. Over at my Mom's there are lots of blooms, Cramoisi Superior and White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth have both been impressive, it's their first year in the ground and they are almost always in bloom. Honeysweet, Boule de Neige, and Gruss an Aachen also keep blooming away, happy to finally be in the ground I'm sure. I need to build my perennial collection, currently I have some salvias blooming but not much else. I did plant a bunch of Milkweed though, and they are filling the garden with garish orange and yellow - I love it. I always admire glads and dahlias, there are some gorgeous pictures posted in this thread! I've never tried to grow them though, maybe when I get my next garden bed finished... Catspa, I love the thought of having a forest of Tiger Lilies, I think I'll steal it! |
- Posted by Dinglehopp3r 7a East TN (My Page) on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 17:52
My summer has been surprisingly cool so far, and this is my garden's first year so I can't say that this will be the standard, but this is what has been blooming lately: (sidenote- none of these are OGR, but several are DA, by this fall I should have some real OGRs & I just can't wait to see how they do!) *Best: *Pretty darn good: *Good: *Fair: *Awful blackspot magnets: |
- Posted by patricia43 z8 AL (My Page) on Fri, Aug 1, 14 at 13:00
Marigolds, coreopsis, caladium, torenia, Elena (always has at least one bloom from mid April until mid November), Carefree Sunshine, Perle d'Or (and she is impervious to Roundup, by the way), Champney's pink cluster and those darn Knockouts that remind me of Christmas lights, hot summer, cool fall, nice spring and everywhere I look and everything I see and all that is good or bad about roses, wildflowers or unstoppable weeds. They will be here after the nuclear holocaust has been long gone and praise God for something that is never fail. |
I wish I had a picture of my tall phlox blooming. It's petering out right now but has been billowy and colorful for the last few weeks in white, pale pink, deep pink, lavender pink and purplish. Right now black-eyed Susan is blooming, Rosanne geranium never quits once it gets started, lilies have just finished up, and nicotiana sylvestris is blooming now. I had the nicotiana about 15 years ago and just last year some came up on their own from old seeds. I'm enjoying my annuals..begonias, coleus, vincas, petunias. There's a Wave petunia that looks like Sugar Daddy that does better than most Waves to me. I have some dolichos lablab vines blooming purple with eggplant colored pods. While the phlox is beautiful it is way too invasive for my rose beds. No matter how much I dig up, the clumps always seem to get bigger. Not long ago some red crocosmia was blooming. Pretty soon Obedient plant will bloom, and then a hardy ageratum . Both of those are also invasive. I have an invasive chrysanthemum as well that looks like a species plant so maybe it is ok. ?? It blooms in fall along with other pompon mums I have in yellow and purple. Some roses have been blooming but this is the worst year yet for Japanese beetles so i haven't been able to enjoy them much. |
Since I'm disbudding almost everything as fast as buds appear not much is blooming here! If things WERE blooming the Over-achievement Award would go to Lady Hillingdon. A band last year, winter killed her back to the ground by this spring. Even now she's only about 18" x 18" but I have nipped off at least three full flushes with a dozen to 15 buds for each flush. My husband still ribs me about pulling up a perfectly good knockout and putting this little bush in its place. I just couldn't leave a knockout in one of the most prime spots in the yard. I'm thinking in another year or so when this plants gets some size it will knock his socks off! ALMcD, Madame Antoine Mari, and the good Duchess of Brabant are getting the most attention in the emotional turmoil that pinching perfectly good buds off creates! |
I went out & took what was looking OK this is from our community garden in Manhattan! The roses are revving up for another flush it been cool this year |
I have to thank everyone for sharing on this thread. Being as my garden is still in construction stages, these posts are a helpful reminder of what to add next Spring to fill my current down-time. I still have plenty of room for companion perennials, which is good -- because I now realize that I focused too much attention on late Spring to early Summer, and Autumn, trying to find things that would pair well with the roses during their peak flushes. I also realize I'm aching for some yellow. :-) ~Christopher |
I also think dahlias are tacky, but I planted them this summer anyway, and they're doing remarkably well in our heat. It'll be interesting to see if the blooms survived the desperately needed downpour we had late last night and the deluge a few hours ago. jannike |
Claire Austin is new to me, but has not been without a dozen or more blooms at a time since she first started blooming, even through triple digit temperatures. I'm certain she must be bloomless now, though -- I doubt any of the roses made it through the heavy rainstorms of the past two days. As you can see in the picture below, Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' is also in bloom. But then again, Diamond Frost is almost never not in bloom here. Same with the copycat euphorbias, such as 'Stardust' and other miniatures. jannike |
This post was edited by Sow_what on Mon, Aug 4, 14 at 4:28
The water lilies seem to love the heat, and are blooming like crazy in the Poison Apple Garden. jannike |
The schizophrenic Carding Mill, with whom I have a love/hate relationship, is unfettered by a steady run of 100F + days. jannike |
- Posted by Kippy-the-Hippy 10 Sunset 24 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 4, 14 at 1:40
Betty!!! Actually most everything with a few exceptions I love the blooms on Yellow Sweetheard and want to see if rainbow has stripes this round. My poor potted plants, Don Juan was a deep orange and some unknown (my fault) HT makes me wonder that it is all the more since the color is washed out. I think I have helpers with the plant stakes |
And Tradescant, whose incredible deep burgundy I have not been able to capture by camera, was blooming its head off through the sweltering heat, rather than growing. The hot sun did not affect it's rich color much. Its bloom flushes have finally started to alternate with growth spurts, so I guess there's hope it'll someday make it to the top of its arbor. jannike |
Lisianthus and angelonia have been blooming in the heat. I give lisianthus a thumbs down -- too much water and too much work. Angelonia, on the other hand, is pure joy. Drought tolerant, carefree drifts of color. And of course, the Diamond Frost handles the heat with grace, and can take almost anything you throw at it except extreme cold -- another carefree blooming machine. This section is starting to take on the look of a weedy and abandoned roadside meadow; more so with the discarded Christmas ornaments. Exactly what I wanted for the Garden of Forgotten Dreams. |
- Posted by Sidos-House 7 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 4, 14 at 15:38
Spectacular, Labrea and Jannike. |
In Houston it;s not just whether they bloom but how the blooms look at 95-105 degrees. So I will put what is blooming in two categories: 1. Blooming, but hard to love 2. Blooming and lovable One that has surprised me is the Charlatan (Astronomia, Sweet Pretty). Strong abundant foliage; huge display in spring, when I counted over a hundred buds on it and then it slows down but never stops pushing out the blooms all summer long. Flowers are perhaps a tad smaller in heat but otherwise have good form, beautiful as they open, good on the fade, petals drop before they get really ugly. Literally always has some bloom, always. Mine is in its third year and gets better each year. This is an outstanding rose for Houston in my experience, though no one ever mentions it. (I wonder what went into its breeding? no one seems to know.) I have had almost no luck with mini roses, which seem to start strong but always gradually decline and wind up bare sticks. Two exceptions are both Ralph Moore hybrids, which are only sort of minis. One is Blue Mist, growing in the ground in its third year. Like Charlatan it keeps getting better. This does have some leaf drop right after the bloom, but quickly puts out strong new growth. Right now it is about 3x3, a full plant covered with developing inflorescences just starting to open. Individual flowers fade quickly from a lovely strong lavender pink to pale pink, but the clusters are so big and open slowly over a long period so it has a nice impact overall. Repeats every 4-6 weeks even in high heat. Pretty foliage. I've read it does not like alkaline soil but it's doing fine in an amended raised bed despite the clay under it. The other is Softee; I have an again off again relationship with this plant, since the blooms are really not that good in August; in full sun they do a quick fade through white to soiled brown in a matter of hours, but the plant is so willing and the foliage so good and it seems to really *want* to please me, as a dog would (dogwood?). So I've been seeking the optimum sun/shade combination for its flowers. Two years ago I moved it into a place at the house corner where it gets full sun only when the leaves go down in winter, and otherwise kind of dappled shade, and it seems to like it there. Canes are about five to eight feet, abundant, limber, pliable, and thornless and I have it trained to two trellises, so it is growing around a corner. Currently bearing both hips and flowers, the blooms in the shade are still a soft apricot, the sunny ones white fading to brown. It is willingly turning the corner and starting to cover the second trellis. This rose likes Houston but does need careful siting. Its great in winter. Do any other warm climate growers have roses not on the list of "usual suspects" that are easy to love (ie not only survive and bloom, but yield blooms that stay pleasing even in August)? |
Which are the "usual suspects"? |
By "usual suspects" I mean the roses everyone recommends for hot climate growers: chinas, teas, knock outs and earthkinds. See my paragraph 1, "blooming but hard to love" for examples. I don't mean to knock all teas and chinas, they do tend to be good plants, and they don't die here, whatever quibbles one may have about individual plants and their flowers. It's just that none of mine are doing anything especially stunning at the moment, and some rather unlikely roses are; so I wondered if there might be more "hidden gems" out there. |
Well, the Austins I've shown in the pictures above are doing well for me in temps over 100F, but I'm new to roses, so I don't know if those are hidden gems. Doing so-so are Duchesse de Brabant, Souvenir de la Malmaison, Wollerton Old Hall (in shade, so . .) and Chocolate Sundae. Doing nothing are Hot Cocoa, Ascot, Crown Princess Margareta, and a butterscotch colored rose whose name I can't remember. jannike |
Jannike, I think your Austins might be hidden gems; your pictures are certainly beautiful, and I have not seen these particular ones recommended for high heat. I have not tried to plant any Austins here yet, but there are so many complex crosses among them, I should perhaps become more daring... (though daring is a money sink here; at least I've killed more different kinds of roses in Houston than I ever did in the frozen north). I am mindful of brittie's interesting pictures of Xuchitl and Homere also. I deduce they must come from Rose Petals, a company I have hovered on the verge of ordering from for ages, but not yet taken the plunge. |
Claire: I admire your tenacity -- I used to live in Houston, and can't imagine gardening in that brutal humidity during summer. Our temps can get to 115F, but the dryness makes the heat much more tolerable. Regarding the Austins, Claire Austin was recommended by Michael and others at Austin UK, and it indeed does well here so far. The picture below was taken several weeks ago when temps were already triple digit. Ours is nearly devoid of blooms for the first time this summer, since they are a bit fragile and since a recent pelting rainstorm knocked the roses off almost every shrub here. Alnwick was recommended by no one, but I loved it so much, I took a risk, and it's doing almost as well as Claire. Carding Mill was recommended by many on this forum, as well as Michael Marriot of Austin UK, and it also holds up very well in the baking sun. Tradescant isn't my favorite bloom form, but it does have incredible color, blooms intermittently, and does well in heat. It was recommended by people on this forum. Gotta run, but best of luck with your search! jannike |
- Posted by daisyincrete 10? (My Page) on Sun, Aug 10, 14 at 10:28
Daisy, it's so nice to see that you're posting again. It's been awhile and I really like your pink and yellow unknown roses. Thanks for sharing. As usual your garden is positively breathtaking. |
I loved your post Starmade, it really made me take a look at my plants and think about them as indiciduals. This time of year, I tend to write them all off, because it's too darn hot to stay out there for too long without coming back in soaking wet. Like you, I have several roses blooming tons of dime and nickle sized roses, lol. They're lovely in Fall and Winter even, but August not so much. Trinity is blooming it's heart out right now, but the flowers are quarter sized. Tiny flowers are also coming from Archduke Charles, Serratipetala & Louis Phillipe, and Comtesse du Cayla pretty much burns immediately. Larger August flowers (2 in. or more) that don't look terrible! come from Maggie, Prairie Star, Cole's Settlement, Leveson Gower, Edith Schurr (my puppy loves to eat this one), Blessed Child, Easy Does It, Julia Child (though they ARE smaller than normal), Munstead Wood, Madame Scipion Cochet, White Maman Cochet and Tipsy Imperial Concubine (though it balls in cooler weather). Oh, I wanted to add also that in my post above, Xuchitl did indeed come from Rose Petals, though Homere came from Angel Gardens. |
Ingrid, It is not a rose but Nerine bowdenii is blooming here now. Nerine sarniensis is even prettier but less cold hardy so I haven't tried it. Because they are zone 8-10 or 9-11 (reports vary) and like good drainage, they might do well in your garden. How N. bowdenii survived last winter is a miracle I will never understand. I guess that is one of the allures of gardening, surprises. Cath |
- Posted by Sidos-House 7 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 11, 14 at 5:25
I'm glad to see you posting too, Daisy. Your garden looks amazing, just like summer should look. It seems the only thing you are missing is hummingbirds. What a paradise that would be for them. |
- Posted by savannarose 9 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 11, 14 at 16:55
Crepuscule. |
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DPP Home Page |
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Mr Matjaž Gruden, former Deputy Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General, has been appointed to the post of Director of Policy Planning of the Council of Europe, with effect from 1 January 2015. |
Together with news on recent and upcoming Policy Planning activities (European Identity Debates, the 'Awareness Lab for Early Response - Team' (ALER-T) meetings, new publications and 'Open Thoughts' papers), you will find useful information and the names of contact persons. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
prosperous, democratic and respectful of people's rights,
How can the Council of Europe remain and thrive as the continent's main reference point in terms of human rights,
democracy and the rule of law? Is there a way for Strasbourg to more successfully accomplish the major task of
protecting the human rights of European citizens? How can the Council of Europe, in an ever more multipolar
European order, become an indispensable tool for the realisation of the pan-European idea and a unified Europe from
Reykjavik to Moscow? In what ways does the Organisation have to change in order to account for the dynamics that
have taken place in our societies in the last two decades? What new tasks does it have to strategically take on
and should it modernise itself as an international body? Finally, what can it do to become a "club of democracies"
This publication is based on a collaborative project that the Directorate of Policy Planning of the Council of Europe conducted with 14 renowned analysts from major European think tanks over almost two years. In three advisory reports, designed to provide a solid basis for the Council of Europe's decision makers and future strategy, the analysts tried to find answers to the questions above and addressed many other highly significant issues about the Organisation's continued relevance, credibility and visibility. In a time of profound human rights fatigue in and beyond Europe, and with a new value divide emerging between different parts of the continent, the Council of Europe and the think tank community thought it was high time to bring the Council of Europe back into the limelight of European politics." Link to Publication Pdf version Read more on Cooperation with Think_tanks |
In order to strengthen the relationship with universities, the Directorate of Policy Planning, in co-operation with the Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) and the Directorate General of Democracy (DGII), organised a meeting on 3 December with representatives of leading European institutions of higher education. These include the University of Oxford, Istanbul Bilgi University, European University Institute (Florence), University of Sarajevo, Central European University (Budapest) and the European Humanities University (Belarussian University in exile, Vilnius).
More.. |
From 3 to 5 November, the participants from the 21 Schools of Political studies
of the Council of Europe, including the newly created Turkish and Greek Schools,
participated in the
World Forum for democracy, as a part of the Schools' annual cycle.
The theme of the 2014 World Forum was "From participation to
influence: can youth revitalise democracy?" Schools participants also benefited from a specific programme of additional events organised for them from 2 to 6 November, including meetings with the judges of the European Court of Human rights, exchanges of views with their peers in thematic and professional group meetings as well as bilateral meetings. The programme also included a solemn and lively diploma ceremony during which the Secretary General of the Council of Europe handed certificates to School participants to mark the completion of the 2014 Schools cycle. Read synopses of thematic and professional group meetings In the framework of the World Forum, the Autumn meeting of the Schools Directors took place on 2 November. |
view of the turning points the Black Sea region is facing, the Council of Europe
has organised, in co-operation with the School
of Public Policy at Central European University, a "Policy
Development and Confidence Building Workshop for Civil Society
Leaders and Policy Makers from the Black Sea Region" in order to
provide an opportunity to engage in thoughtful and in-depth
discussions about some of the most compelling issues confronting the
region today. Read more... The objective of the workshop was to provide a forum for innovative thinkers from civil society organisations, researchers from policy think tanks and policy makers from the Black Sea region, i.e. Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia to discuss and develop practical, equitable and sustainable solutions to regional policy problems. Thirty-two researchers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and activists from those countries traveled to Budapest to participate in a series of engaging discussions to develop practical solutions to regional policy problems in the areas of democratic institution building, human rights, cooperative security policy, and transition economics. Read more |
'We need to talk about Europe' - European Identity Debates at the Council of Europe 2013 - 14 (2 Oct. 2014) |
"Peaceful, prosperous, democratic and respectful of people's rights, building Europe is an ongoing challenge. For many years it seemed that Europeans lived on a continent of shared values and a common destiny. No one paid attention to the alarm bells warning of growing divisions across the continent, which have become more insistent since the economic and social crisis. Europe and its values, previously taken for granted, are now being contested. These clouds are casting a shadow across Europe's future, and old demons, long dominant, have started to raise their voices again." (Link to Pdf version..) (Read more on Identity Debates Series) |
The Civic School of Political Studies in Greece opened in Thessaloniki, having been established in co–operation with a distinguished local organisation Symβiosis, thereby becoming the 21st member of the Council of Europe's Network of Schools of Political Studies. Its first seminar was held in August on the theme "Democracy challenges in Europe: representation, legitimisation, publics and social inclusion". On 3 April 2014, the creation of the European School of Politics in Istanbul had been formalised in Venice, in the context of the meeting of the Schools Directors. The School held its first pilot seminar in September, in Istanbul. |
The objective of the debate was to offer an analysis of the background of the current situation in Ukraine by providing relevant information about its complex history and origins, the issues and challenges, and possible outcomes to the crisis, including European perspectives. The debate was organised as a panel discussion with two experts on Ukraine: M. Daniel Beauvois, French historian and writer, Professor of Universities, and Mr. Andrew Wilson, British historian and political scientist from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Debate video recording - audiorecording - YouTube link - Link |
The meeting which theme was "Harnessing young people's potential for building a democratic future" gathered distinguished SPS alumni, coming from more than twenty countries. It addressed two thematics: 'The marginalisation of today's young generation: Is the pact between the generations broken?' and 'Can young people bring about an agreed set of common values for the future?' The seminar which gathered more than 50 participants ended with a brainstorming round table on the development of the Schools' Network, in particular its alumni dimension. The outcomes of the discussions are expected to be of use to the participants in their respective professional or activist functions, as well as to the 2014 session of the World Forum for Democracy which will be organised by the Council of Europe in early November on the theme 'From participation to influence: can youth revitalise democracy?' . Link to video clips on youtube. |
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Came yesterday. I am in Fairfax County, VA. Took them 43 days.
Now I have to get a gun.
I have made up my mind: Sig P239 9mm.
CPO's are out of the question as they are impossible to find. I can get a brand new one for $650 +-$80. Or, I can buy used. Any recommendations? If I buy used from someone, what should I look for/avoid? How much should I expect to pay for a used one? Last question...there are quite a few pawn shops here in NoVa...should I avoid those like the plague or just find a "reputable" one?


text:
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At our tour guide's mention of scorpion spiders, an uneasy murmur rippled through the crowd.
We were about to enter the labyrinth – a twisty dark corridor that weaves through part of the Camuy River Cave Park, a gigantic cave system in northern Puerto Rico. Large arachnids call this part of the cave home, and as my fellow adventurers and I felt our way through the blackness, I noticed a shadowy spot on a cave wall.
As I squinted more closely, an arachnophobe's nightmare came into focus: A spindly, fist-size scorpion spider – technically called a tailless whip scorpion – clung to the rock, sporting a set of long, spiny pincers. Actually neither scorpion nor spider, the animal looks fearsome enough for both monikers but is harmless to humans. My boyfriend, Brian, and I examined it by the glow of our iPhones, fascinated by this unique cave dweller.
Perhaps the largest of Puerto Rico's hundreds of caves, Camuy quickly captures you in its web of wonders. Rio Camuy, an underground river that's been carving out the nearly 11-mile-long cave for millions of years, still roars beneath your feet, and the park's "show" cave, Cueva Clara, or Clear Cave, is awe-inducingly enormous, with a ceiling about 17 stories high and hundreds of feet wide. Camuy – and much of northern Puerto Rico – is part of a karst geological formation, which consists of rocks easily eroded by water, such as limestone.
Considering how impressive the site is, it's surprising that scientists explored the cave for the first time only in the 1950s. (Archaeological evidence shows that prehistoric Taino people had visited the cave over the centuries.) In 1986, the area became the 300-acre Camuy River Cave Park, a protected area of the Puerto Rico commonwealth that offers guided walks to tens of thousands every year.
As nature addicts, Brian and I decided to swap sun and sand for the subterranean and visit Camuy during our week-long trip to Puerto Rico in November. Heeding multiple warnings that the cave can close by noon due to rain or crowds, we rented a car early in San Juan and got to the park by midmorning, just in time to jump on the orange tram that ferries tourists to the cave's southern entrance.
Chugging downhill through a misty rain forest, I soaked in the green riot of lilies, ferns, vines and moss-covered trees – a very Jurassic Park experience, as a visitor described it later. We got off the tram and our guide, Jarliann Rodriguez Sanchez, walked our large tour group down a path, at the end of which I expected to enter the cave via a narrow passage. Instead, as we rounded the turn, the earth literally yawned open, showcasing a humongous cave, like curtains pulled back on a theater stage.
We took stairs down into the belly of the cave, staring upward at the ceiling, which was rounded like a hollowed-out pumpkin and studded with a thick row of stalactites – mineral formations that grow from cave ceilings like icicles. Stalagmites, in contrast, rise up from the bottom of a cave as water drips down. On another cave tour years ago, I'd learned a simple way to remember the difference between the two common cave sights: A stalactite holds "tight" to the ceiling.
Farther into the dimly lit cave, the temperature dropped into the 60s, and the sound of chirping cave crickets and dripping water bounced off the walls. High above us, bats – possibly the Jamaican fruit bat, one of the cave's resident species – swooped from roost to roost, among the thousands of the flying mammals that live here. The cave had a reverential feel to it, sort of like being in Rome's Pantheon. But instead of wondering how ancient Romans had built such a perfectly shaped dome, I was thinking about how the Rio Camuy had shaped such beauty over the millennia; experts believe that the cave is a few million years old.
"I just got a giant cave kiss," Brian said behind me, using the cavers' term for a drop of water that falls on your face.
Walls and ceilings
Sanchez began pointing out the cave's various rock formations, which water and time had shaped into a human face, an elephant ear, a head of broccoli, a giant muffin and, for fans of "Pirates of the Caribbean," Davy Jones. She was also constantly reminding us to "use your imagination" to come up with our own interpretations: I thought that the black stalactites on the ceiling looked like a straggly beard.
Sanchez told us that many of the formations are still growing, ever so slowly, and that there are no plants in the cave – the only green stuff you'll see is the moss sprouting near the artificial lights that help tourists see the cave. I learned later that the cave does host some hardy fungi, though.
Our group chuckled when Sanchez shone her laser on a strip of "cave bacon," a type of formation created when mineral-rich water runs down a wall, hardening over time into what looks like wavy bacon.
A cliff and a sinkhole
We followed the curving, sometimes slippery path through the cave out of its northern entrance, which is framed by long stalactites that hang over the opening like locks of hair. Before us towered a tall, lush cliff, and we peered over the edge of a platform more than 400 feet down to the Espiral, or Spiral, sinkhole.
Such features are common in karst regions and mostly occur when underground water erodes soluble bedrock for a long time, creating a depression. Occasionally, though, they form when a cave roof collapses in on itself. Thirsty vines stretched toward a pool of muddy river water at the bottom – a very different Rio Camuy from the one we saw a few minutes later in the labyrinth, where a violent rush of water surged deep below, a reminder of the forces that made the cave. Sanchez also pointed out stains of brown bat guano – otherwise known as poop – on the cave walls. Surprisingly, it's an ingredient of gunpowder, she told us.
After we left the cave, I asked Sanchez about her experiences with whip scorpions. She showed me a picture on her phone of one of the arachnids chowing down on a cave cricket, its preferred prey. She also told me about other animals she'd seen in the park, such as snails, spiders and snakes.
Making its way back uphill, our tram made one last stop: at an observation platform overlooking the Tres Pueblos – or Three Towns – sinkhole, which, at about 400 feet deep and 650 feet wide, is big enough for one of San Juan's historic forts to fit into. Most of the giant crater's gray limestone walls were covered with thick vegetation.
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Will Barnabas' bloodlust destroy everyone he has ever loved? Angelique, the immortal witch, wants revenge on Barnabas for spurning her love… and it looks like his soul mate Josette shall pay the price! As bodies pile up, the cold-blooded Reverend Trask continues his witch-hunt. Who will survive his righteous fury!
Preview: Dark Shadows: Year One #3
Mon, June 17th, 2013 at 6:58am PDT
- Story by
- Marc Andreyko
- Art by
- Guiu Vilanova
- Cover by
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- Publisher
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- Cover Price:
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pug vs. premade...what a difference
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Career Officer
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 575
# 7
Originally Posted by
No heals? Hah, if this was something new. In PuGs you at least have a chance of meeting someone who will heal you. I just spent whole night yesterday on cmdr level Ker'rat screwing up with Klinks (was fun) in my cruiser. I was trying to keep alive escorts only to see them running away just after I hit HE or Extend on them, or running after I healed them and leaving me for the wrath of three Klinks.
Simply get used to it when you PuG or you are in Ker'rat. It is part of what makes PuG enjoyable - you never know with whom you will end and if you win. Going all premade vs PuG would be boring with constant roflstomps, and premade vs premade can be fun but I was never into organized PvP.
You're lucky to have had somebody in Kerrat at that level... As I leveled my new klink engi, I only found 2 feds in Kerrat at commander level, every other time (or at any other level) I was the only one in Kerrat and queues pop once every 1-3 hours... Cryptic, hint, hint... (that means
do something
, pls!)
And to the op: you're right, every now and then you run into some good pvpers that actually want to play and know how to play, and that's where the beauty of this game's pvp is... too bad it doesn't happen too often.
Hear! Sons of Kahless
Hear! Daughters too.
The blood of battle washes clean.
The Warrior brave and true.
We fight, we love, and then we kill...


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Our season preview section and a live chat reminder
Good morning from the Los Angeles Downtown Marriott, where Nick Aliotti and five UO defensive players — Michael Clay, Anthony Gildon, Brandon Hanna, Taylor Hart and Eddie Pleasant — will participate this morning in a press conference. That's at 8 a.m., and an hour later representatives of the Wisconsin offense will do the same.
Yesterday was the first formal Rose Bowl press conference for the Ducks and Badgers, and the first day of on-site practices prior to Monday's game, but that was all overshadowed a bit by the release of Oregon's new uniforms, Adam Jude wrote in a notebook.
Also published today was our special Rose Bowl preview section. The Ducks badly want to win a BCS game this year after two straight losses, I wrote in the cover story, but regardless, their recent run of success should be savored as something special, George Schroeder wrote. We also have a great first-person column from R-G reporter Curtis Anderson about growing up cheering for the Badgers in Wisconsin before making a career watching the Ducks in Eugene.
Finally, I'll be conducting daily chats each afternoon this week at 1 p.m., about the news of the day or whatever else is on your mind. Come by to ask questions or just offer your own takes. I'll get a link posted on the blog shortly before they start.


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Fwd: Stratfor's World Snapshot
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Email-ID | 2438914 |
Date | 2010-05-04 19:20:57 |
From | firstname.lastname@example.com |
To | email@example.com, email@example.com |
that's automatic, isn't it?
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Subject: Stratfor's World Snapshot
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From: Stratfor <email@example.com>
To: allstratfor <email@example.com>
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Stratfor's World Snapshot
Somalia: Hizbul Islam Seeks To End Piracy?
ABDIRASHID ABDULLE ABIKAR/AFP/Getty Images
Hizbul Islam militants drill in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Aug. 23, 2009
Somalia: Hizbul Islam Seeks To End Piracy?
May 3, 2010 2118 GMT
A spokesman for Somali Islamist militia Hizbul Islam said the group
intends to wipe out Somali piracy -- an impossible task for any one
group to accomplish. (With STRATFOR map) [more]
Mexico Security Memo: May 3, 2010
Mexico Security Memo: May 3, 2010
May 3, 2010 2205 GMT
The Mexico Security Memo tracks and analyzes key incidents over the past
week. (With STRATFOR interactive map) [more]
Quick Take: The Politicization of the Times Square Investigation
Quick Take: The Politicization of the Times Square Investigation
May 3, 2010 2151 GMT
STRATFOR's vice president of intelligence, Fred Burton, discusses
rivalries that may impact the investigation into a failed car bombing on
May 1. [more]
North Korea: Kim Jong Il's Visit To China
North Korea: Kim Jong Il's Visit To China
May 3, 2010 2137 GMT
Kim Jong Il reportedly has begun a visit to China, his fourth since
becoming the leader of North Korea. [more]
More Analysis >>
Situation Reports
Brief: Details Emerge On Times Square Plot Suspect
May 4, 2010 1713 GMT
Applying STRATFOR analysis to breaking news More information is emerging
about Faisal Shahzad, the man arrested in connection with the May 1
bombing attempt in Times... [more]
Pakistan: Suspect's Home Province Misidentified - Official
May 4, 2010 1643 GMT
Israel: Turkey Will Respond To Aggression - FM
May 4, 2010 1636 GMT
Pakistan: Times Square Bomb Attempt To Be Investigated
May 4, 2010 1628 GMT
More Situation Reports >>
Weekly Intelligence Reports
The Global Crisis of Legitimacy
The Global Crisis of Legitimacy
May 4, 2010 0856 GMT
Almost two years since what was a normal financial panic, the public has
still not managed to absorb the consequences of that event. [more]
Jihadists in Iraq: Down For The Count?
Jihadists in Iraq: Down For The Count?
April 29, 2010 0856 GMT
Three Points of View: The United States, Pakistan and India
Three Points of View: The United States, Pakistan and India
April 28, 2010 0857 GMT
Dirty Bombs Revisited: Combating the Hype
Dirty Bombs Revisited: Combating the Hype
April 22, 2010 0854 GMT
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