happy 60th to me (a musical online party), plus june 7 tour recap in a slideshow

Rites of passage can be tricky, and when things get tricky: Turn up the music! On Tuesday, June 10, I turn 60 years old, a fact I find utterly shocking. To cope, I ordered pancakes (below), which came with a personal greeting from the chef, then threw myself an on-air birthday party, acting as DJ with technical help from Marshall Miles of nearby Robin Hood Radio, where I do my weekly show, who was in the next studio "spinning" the songs. Read more, and listen in to my selection of garden-ish songs with special meaning.

june 7 tour: the highlights in a new slideshow 

Recipe for a garden tour: Shop ahead, then carefully clean and prep all ingredients and surfaces. Preset sky for sunshine; turn humidity and heat to low. Add zest of one jumbo pop-up nursery to the driveway. Open gates; layer on just enough visitors. Yield: a successful Open Day. 

The highlights included the stuff up top, and super-fragrant American fringe trees (below), a crazy orange Euphorbia, gold leaves plus jumbo-sized ones everywhere, and a pop-up shop for rare plants in the driveway. A slideshow in 30-plus photos.