I Simply Remember These Favorite Things with Dr. A~ May 2025
Early May was busy. May Day (May 1) celebrates the coming of spring. While I did not dance around the Maypole, I did manage to raise a toast on Cinco de Mayo (May 5). In between, I did a double-take when I noticed a naked fellow running through my garden carrying a trowel and a pair of secateurs. I then realized it was World Naked Gardening Day (May 3). I can’t make up such a day (ask Siri), but I did make up the romp in my garden. He was at the Trial Gardens on campus.
There are so many things to enjoy in May; here are a few more.
A Plant - Climbing roses
A rose is a rose … well, we know that is no longer true. People still love roses in the garden, but they are no longer your grandmother’s fragrant roses. In North America, at least, finding a fragrant bush rose is difficult because in order to eliminate disease-causing fungi, the breeders had to eliminate the gene for scent. In 2000, the Knockout rose was introduced and combined beauty and disease resistance - the world went crazy. As wonderful a rose as the Knockouts are, they and most other bush roses are no match for a new virus called rose rosette. Rose rosette is taking out acres of bush roses without discrimination (and not just Knockouts). So now what?
Climbers have been around even longer than bush roses, and they have far more resistance to rose rosette. So, plant away; the choices are never-ending. Fragrance is still random, but cultivars are available that climb 30’ through trees as well as those that top out at 6-8’ and stay on the fence. They are still thorny, but oh my, can we really have a garden without a few roses?
An aggressive but wonderfully fragrant small rose, ‘Cecile Brunner’, adorning the authors crepe myrtle tree
A Garden - The Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, Worldwide
Color me surprised, in fact, color me thunderstruck! I had never visited the hometown of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, and his wife Rosalynn. He set the post-presidency bar very high with his efforts through the Carter Center for free and fair elections in the developing world, leading global efforts to eliminate Guinea Worm disease which sickened millions of people throughout Africa. The Carters worked tirelessly for decades, volunteering and providing leadership for Habitat for Humanity.
I could go on and on, but one of the things Rosalynn loved was plants, and in particular, pollinators for the garden. Along with her neighbors, she set out to establish private and public gardens to promote pollinators, particularly butterfly and especially the Monarch. What started out as an initiative in tiny Plains, GA has since morphed into a worldwide love affair with the butterfly trail.
It is not a trail at all, but simply a multitude of gardens throughout the country and elsewhere. Today, over 3000 people have signed on to be part of Rosalynn’s trail. In fact, I did so just last week and my handsome plaque is proudly displayed in my garden. Now my neighbors can be really impressed.
So, this month you won’t visit a garden, you will extend a trail.
Dr A proudly displaying the former first ladies sign.
A Book - Foster
Author: Claire Keegan
Fiction
I kept putting off reading this book because the trials of a young girl being shunted off to live with another family have been done many times (think Anne of Green Gables) and because I find nearly every Irish book terribly depressing. However, this girl's interactions with her own family and with her foster family were so disparate that I wanted to keep reading.
This is a small book, less than 100 pages, and can easily be read in an evening. It is not only a quick read but also so well written that I am happy to recommend it. The book was also made into a movie called The Quiet Girl, which is also excellent.
And wait until you come to the ending.
A Show/Movie- Astrid
Astrid (originally Astrid et Raphaelle) started airing in 2019 but did not get much attention until the last couple of years. This crime drama is as invested in the relationship between the two leading characters as it is in telling a good murder mystery. Astrid Nielsen works in police records, and her autism, while problematic in her personal life, allows her to recall previous trends, cases, and data that relate to present cases.
Her talents are discovered by a messy but well-meaning detective, Inspector Raphaelle Coste, and by the third episode, Astrid has become Coste’s much-needed consultant.
The show’s respectful and realistic treatment of autism stands out, as does the developing relationship between Astrid and Raphaelle, who both benefit from this partnership. The mysteries are also top-notch stories.
5 seasons, French with English subtitles. PBS, Prime
A Place - Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Butchard Gardens
The beautiful city of Victoria
Canada is blessed with spectacular vistas throughout the land. Two impressive islands lie off the right and left sides of this country: Newfoundland and Vancouver Island. I recommended Newfoundland in a Favorites column early in 2024, and now I am doing the same with its distant cousin.
The island is just a short ferry ride from Vancouver, one of the country’s most beautiful cities. Once on the Island, you will want to visit the lovely laid back city of Victoria, the capital of the province, often called more British than Britain. However, there is so much more – from the fabulous beaches near Tofino on the west, to Nanaimo on the east side (Nanaimo bars, anyone?).
And of course, a visit to the Island must include a visit to Butchart Gardens, an eye-popping panorama of color you do not want to miss.
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