Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Herbs in Containers and the Long Vue Acres Garden Club!

Getting All of the Herb Combinations Planted!
A Jam Packed Table!
Packed Up For the Trip Home!
Had to Have a Map to Get Them Back in the Car!
The Herbs Looked Very Good in their Containers!
Yes, I am still blogging!  I just got caught up after my last post in a trip to the national Herb Society meeting in Williamsburg, VA.  Then I came back to temperatures in the high 80's while I was away and the gardens looked completely different.  And I was getting set up for my talk last night to the ladies and gentlemen of the Long Vue Acres Garden Club.  I think they had fun.  It got very happy and loud as I passed around snippets of herbs.

Colleen who is program chairperson won The Bountiful Container book which Maggie Stuckey so graciously autographed and sent to me.  This is a great book because you have two experts on edibles in containers.  It not only has plans of containers but also recipes and information on vegetables, herbs, fruits and edible flowers.

A Wonderful Book If You Are Going to Grow Edibles in Containers!
Just wanted to say again because I think this may have been lost in the discussion.  I used the shallow containers last night to get the most herbs packed in my presentation.  The containers you would have to use would be deeper so the multiple herb combinations could survive through the season.  Hope that is clearer.  I gave them a big handout to read and study.  So everyone has extra homework over the summer!  They were a great group!  I also wanted to mention that they gave me a lovely book called Herbs! Creative Herb Garden Themes and Projects by Judy Lowe.  Can you believe I don't have this one and I am excited to share it with you in some future post!  Thanks again Long Vue Acres Garden Club! 
A Wonderful Thank You Gift From the Club!

I also wanted to give a big shout out to my dear Herbal Husband!  He really helped get me ready and organized so that last night was fun and not stressful.  You are the best! 

So I'm going to work backwards and try to get you caught up in what's been going on in and out of the garden.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.
















Tuesday, May 5, 2015

A Beautiful Spring Here in the 'Burgh! Now on to Summer!

Really Once They Got Started the Daffodils Were Beautiful!
Part of the 100 I Got From White Flower Farm Years Ago!
I Love That Tulips Open and Close with the Sun!
Basil Blooming in the Kitchen!
Play Pen For the Hostas!
Koreanspice Viburnum!
A Cascade of Daffodils!
Finally Got Some Seeds Planted!
Apple Tree in Bloom!
Really Big Dandelions This Spring!
Seems like April flew by and May seems as though we are two weeks in already!  The temperatures are making me dizzy!  The hopes I had for a lovely spring were going along very nicely and now I'm not so sure.  We were 80 yesterday and more 80's to come this week!  Yikes!  Here comes summer!

The most significant element and I think I mentioned this before from the winter season was the number of deer in the yard has jumped exponentially!  We have some very lovely hostas that they thought were appetizers.  So The Herbal Husband made a make shift pen for the hostas to keep the deer out.  I think we are going to get a roll of rabbit fencing and raise the height so that the deer don't have a buffet every time they are browsing in the yard.  Have to keep reinventing because they keep learning how to eat despite what you do.

Exciting to get a basil through the winter on our kitchen windowsill.  It will go outside shortly.  I think it is not sweet basil and therefore, not as susceptible to downy mildew.  You have to think of everything these days!  I also have a mystery herb coming back in the herb garden near where the tangerine sage was last season.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I'll let you know the verdict in a future post.  There is still no scent coming from the leaves!  Stay tuned!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.