A Favorite Hasn't Bloomed! Ever!

I discovered this rose several years ago when I spoke at the PA Lavender Festival. This is Rosa rugosa 'Alba'. It has the most beautiful white blossom and it is absolutely delicious. I think because this one has been moved multiple times, it hasn't gotten established. Every time we move it, it ends up in the shade! I just hope that some day soon, I will be able to taste it!

Well the Forecast was Right, but We Survived!

It poured buckets, but the skies cleared and we were able to get out to see the gardens. I never take enough pictures when I'm in the middle of the excitement! Here are the master gardeners in our garden. I think they really enjoyed themselves. We certainly enjoyed having them! If you have the opportunity to become a master gardener, do it! It is a very rewarding experience.

Tie Up a Loose End!

Well, Leslie from Comfrey Cottages here is your kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix). It was literally down to one leaf. The Herbal Husband brought it back from the dead. Would not eat this leaf. It is similar to the bay laurel. It is very fiberous and is tough to chew! Really hope the weather forecast is dead wrong tonight! Start praying! Off to help get set up for the master gardeners! Talk to you later!

It's Travel Thursday--Edible Flowers in Giverny!

One of my favorite edible flowers is the nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus). These are outside a little restaurant in the quaint village of Giverny where Claude Monet lived and painted. I always thought Giverny was the name of his home. We took the train from Paris and it was a really pleasant ride. Monet's garden reminds me of ours in a very small way. Lots of herbs mixed with annuals and perennials. This is a famous view of more nasturtiums at Claude Monet's home. Wish ours were even starting to blossom. They aren't! It is finally hot and humid, but only for one day! Well, hope you are having great weather wherever you may be!

Is It Me or Are There More Bad Bugs This Year?

These red aphids are on the big Rudbeckia herbstonne in the front garden. If you click on the photo, you will see them up close and personal! The Herbal Husband is so frustrated with them that he just squishes them in his bare hands. Maybe your kids would enjoy that job in the garden. It leaves your hands temporarily red! I promise it's not permanent or I'll be in a lot of trouble with moms and grandmoms out there. It doesn't seem to be affecting the blooms. They are going to bloom shortly! I'll give you a blooming photo when it happens! I love them because they make a statement and bloom late into the fall. Always a good thing!

Please Dry These on the Dryer!

I can't make this stuff up! Those were the words of The Herbal Husband when we were cleaning the herbal trees in containers the other day. These are kaffir lime leaves. We use them in our wok cooking. Really fragrant and flavorful! Just don't eat them. Too tough and like a bay leaf has a lot of sharp edges. Off to the garden! Talk to you all later.

Picking Raspberries, But Not These!

If you click on this photo, you hopefully will see why I couldn't pick these beautiful raspberries. We have a lot of spiders this year. That's the good news. The sort of bad news is is that you can't always pick berries when they are ripe! We had a beautiful day here getting ready for the master gardeners on Friday.