August in My Garden

Garden Photo Opp

My favorite flowering bush in July.

The blossoms are HUGE!  And they last a long time.

Garden Photo Op

A sudden summer storm swept upon us the other afternoon.  

Don't these plants look refreshed after the rain?

The resulting cool breeze felt pretty good too. 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 





I have had many gardens in my life.  The first was one that I planned and planted as a teenager living in Alaska, land of the midnight sun.  I still remember my first  crop of potatoes - harvesting them reminded me of digging for treasure.

Some of the gardens I've participated in over the years have been big half acre plots.  Others, like the one I have now, are smaller, squeezed in where there is room in the yard.  No matter how simple, or elaborate, all have been thoroughly enjoyable.

My son and I planted beds at both ends of our enclosed pool, plus some vegetables in containers placed in corners of the yard, and on the pool deck. 

We have peas, spinach, lettuce, dill, chives, carrots, strawberries, peaches, blackberries, green beans, yellow beans, kale, and several kinds of squash and tomatoes.

After all the rain we've had this spring, and the recent days of sun, our little plots have started to flourish, and we are beginning to enjoy the harvest.

Your turn, tell me about your garden....


Happy Gardening ♥

After the Rain

It has been raining for a long time, with a few days of sunshine here and there.

Some of my plants are loving it.

I am hoping the rain is over for awhile.

Sweet Woodruff

 

A largely unsung variety of ground cover (at least in this country), sweet woodruff is one of my favorite herbs.  We have this perennial growing in several places in our yard.

I love the swirling leaves, the tiny white flowers, its quick  spreading ability, and the full coverage it provides anywhere shady.  Plus, it has medicinal properties, and offers a long lasting sweet fragrance when dried. 

In Europe, where it began,  it is used in pot-pourri and as a moth deterrent. In Germany, they use it to flavour May wine,  beer,  sausages, and jelly.  It is also used as an  herbal tea with gentle sedative properties, and to treat liver ailments.  In large quantities, it can be toxic though, so use carefully.

Sweet Woodruff is an attractive and durable ground cover for shaded areas. It grows anywhere from 6-15 inches tall.   The small-petaled white flowers appear in May and June.   It can be found growing on it's own in the woodlands, which is where we harvested some of ours.  My Uncle Jack has acreage that he generously shares plants from. We've also gotten some ferns from him.

For optimal fragrance, harvest the leaves of sweet woodruff right after the plants bloom. The harvested branches can simply be tied in bunches and hung in a warm, dark place to dry and enjoy. 

Happy gardening♥

 

unch together several stems and tie securely with spring to form bunches. Hang these bunches either in the kitchen or your airing cupboard and leave to dry until the leaves are crumbly. They look pretty and will give your house the aroma of freshly-grown hay. Indeed, the distinctive flavour of woodruff intensifies as the plant dries. When dry, separately harvest the flowers and crumble up the leaves. Store in separate jars, label and keep aside until needed to flavour your dishes. Mixed with other herbs, sweet woodruff also makes an excellent ingredient for pot pouris and scented pillow stuffings.

Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-dried-sweet-woodruff
Copyright © celtnet

Bunch together several stems and tie securely with spring to form bunches. Hang these bunches either in the kitchen or your airing cupboard and leave to dry until the leaves are crumbly. They look pretty and will give your house the aroma of freshly-grown hay. Indeed, the distinctive flavour of woodruff intensifies as the plant dries. When dry, separately harvest the flowers and crumble up the leaves. Store in separate jars, label and keep aside until needed to flavour your dishes. Mixed with other herbs, sweet woodruff also makes an excellent ingredient for pot pouris and scented pillow stuffings.

Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-dried-sweet-woodruff
Copyright © celtnet

Bunch together several stems and tie securely with spring to form bunches. Hang these bunches either in the kitchen or your airing cupboard and leave to dry until the leaves are crumbly. They look pretty and will give your house the aroma of freshly-grown hay. Indeed, the distinctive flavour of woodruff intensifies as the plant dries. When dry, separately harvest the flowers and crumble up the leaves. Store in separate jars, label and keep aside until needed to flavour your dishes. Mixed with other herbs, sweet woodruff also makes an excellent ingredient for pot pouris and scented pillow stuffings.

Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-dried-sweet-woodruff
Copyright © celtnet

Bleeding Heart

We planted this bleeding heart plant last summer, and this year it really took off.  It seems to have grown 3-4" per day.

I can't seem to stop garden talking!

Autumn Grasses

I love the autumn grasses. Here are some from our yard.

Fall is such a beautiful season.

In Celebration of Purple

Flowers in bloom in my garden right now:

violas, lavender, love in a mist

So purplely pretty!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Gardening season began early this year, but seems to have disappeared of late with colder temperatures hovering around.  So far this Spring, I've planted a few flowers and done a little weeding.  However, this weekend is cold and dreary and not gardening weather at all.  I am itching to be planting seeds, watering, weeding....

Instead, I'll enjoy a little indoor gardening.  Here are some of the gardening things I found on Etsy:

Organic Heirloom Sugar Snap Peas from KenyonOrganics

Vintage Watering Can from Repurposed Style

Lily of the Valley from Edolena

Silk Painted Flower Garden Quilt from BarbaraHarmsFiberArt

Needle Felt Vegetable Kit from AnSnagBreac

Garden Harvest Apron from TumbleweedJunction

Organic Lettuce from NimbleNightCap

And, I have a new tool to play with too, an lightweight electric weed whacker,  just the perfect size for me.  

Hurry up gardening weather!