You Might Have Missed This, Herbally Speaking!

Photo Above is Double White Feverfew!  Borage Flowers, A Bee Favorite!

Clary Sage, Lamb's Ears and White Rose Campion in Bloom!

Apothecary's Rose!

Viburnum nudum 'Winterthur'

Calendula and Golden Feverfew!

One of My Favorites, Golden Feverfew!

The Pink 'Fairy' Rose is Outstanding!

The 'Hot Papaya' Echinacea Has Come Back

The Roadside Day Lilies Have Started Their Display!

Part of the Old Grape Arbor Made Into a New Entrance!

Another Part of the Grape Arbor Into the Front Garden!

Our Deterrents!

Well, June is a week from being history.  I have been struggling mightily to blog.  This post has been a challenge.  I did want you to see what is going on in the garden.  Lots of blooming!  And as I look outside, lots of rain!  Cindy has made its way to the 'Burgh.  We really didn't need her!  It has been raining so much that I mowed in the rain earlier this week.

This is one of my favorite times in the garden.  Lots of herbs are starting to bloom as you can see above.  The bee balm will be in its glory for the fourth of July!  Also wanted to show you the extra items The Herbal Husband made with the old grape arbor.  I think they both add character to our already quirky garden.

We are having a surge in wildlife in the garden, including but not limited to, a groundhog (eating on the driveway), skunk (several sightings at night), possum (having dinner out of our recycling can), raccoon and yesterday a doe brought her two fawns with her for a visit plus the three or four feral cats that roam the gardens.  It's a zoo!

Hope you are having a great day without rain!  I have definitely had enough rain, but the weeds are enjoying the extra rain as always!  Will talk to you later.

More Plants Planted and Raspberry Jam!

The Sunflowers and Elecampane Are Planted!

We got a few more plants in the ground today.  Some sunflowers that The Herbal Husband grew from seed and an elecampane I got from Bonnie!  We also got the fencing back around the bed for some protection.  Although the deer have been browsing the goldenrod and some raspberry leaves, they have been leaving poop more than damage.  I picked more raspberries and I set up more jam.  Thirty six jars will be done tomorrow.  So that is nine batches of four jars each!  It has been a great early season.  Not always the case.  Hope you had a great day.  It was hot but not too humid.  Will get photos with my posts hopefully tomorrow!  Talk to you then.

Composer in the Garden!

You could call my friend Lynn Purse, Composer in the Garden which is the name of her blog.  I like to call her the Queen of Color or a Rock Star of Color and Design.  You get the idea.  Her main profession is an Associate Professor of Music Technology at Duquesne University.  She taught my favorite class at Phipps Conservatory a number of years ago on Color in the Garden!  Some of it has rubbed off, Lynn!  I have learned about color combinations and color echoes from Lynn.  We reconnected during those class years because we were in the same class at a local woman's college.  We aren't together nearly enough!  Her garden was featured in the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Town and Country Tour just two weeks ago!  Drat!  Had I known at the time, Bonnie and I would have really gone on the tour.  We had just come back from our road trip and I wimped out at the last minute.  Although it was 90 degrees that day.  So it wasn't an ideal day.  Lynn said that she had 500 gardeners go through her garden.  It was probably because of her description A Garden in the Woods.  It was a beautiful sunny day and so there was a lot of contrast.  Not as ideal day for photos.  I will get another chance later in the week with Bonnie.  So here for your enjoyment and delight is A Garden in the Woods.

A Lovely Herb Circle Before You Enter the Main Garden

This Gate Beckons You to Come in and Enjoy!

The Stone Steps Into the Garden!

A Look Back with Plants on Either Side of the Steps!

Two Wonderful Decks with Opportunities to View the Garden From Above!

Some of Lynn's Color Combos and Lots of Daylilies!

Hydrangea 'Annabelle' at the Back of the Garden

A Stunning View from the Top Deck!

There are Lots of Shady Places to Sit and Relax

Containers with Wonderful Choices of Variegated and Shade Loving Plants

A Bit of Whimsy!

A Seating Area for Dining Alfresco

Some Hostas and Ferns Leading into the Woods!

The Path into the Woods for Angel, the Poodle

A Selfie with Lynn!

Lynn's garden is based on concentric circles as are knot gardens.  When she and Bill bought the house it had been empty for about one year and the deer had taken up residence under their decks.  Soo she waited about one additional year so that she could track the movement of the deer and then they bought deer fencing and installed it.  They installed additional black chicken wire at the bottom of the fence when they discovered rabbits had gotten under the netting into the garden.  With a few additional exceptions, it has worked beautifully.   Bonnie and I will be in the garden earlier on Thursday.  So I will post additional closeups and hopefully the contrast will be better.  Any way it was good to spend time in a Garden in the Woods and with my friend, Lynn.  Hope you had a great day.  It was beautiful here and I picked another batch of raspberries for jam tomorrow!  Almost two boxes of jam already!  Amazing!  Talk to you tomorrow!  

Oh Dear! I Mean Deer! And A New Beginning But Have To Share!

I purchased quite a few herbs on this last road trip.  The Herbal Husband has relinquished his veggie garden to me.  So I have had to share space with a few of his leftovers, garlic and a lot of goldenrod!  Oh and a lot of weedy grasses!

A Volunteer Sunflower and Goldenrod Share the Space!

So I put in Mexican sages, a milkweed called 'Hello Yellow', 'Lemon Gem' marigolds, 'Moonshine' yarrow, a perennial bachelor button called 'Amethyst Dream', verbena bonariensis which I hope will self-sow and gray santolina.  Hopefully everything will coexist.

Hopefully only a one time visit!

Oh and we have a new resident under the pine trees.  A young fawn!  Hope it will not find the new garden too enticing!  The Herbal Husband cut some scapes from the garlic and spread it around the perimeter of the garden.  It was a beautiful day in the 'Burgh.  Not too hot and had a little breeze.  Perfect for planting.  Hope you are having a great weekend.  Talk to you tomorrow.

Rumor Has It, Herbally Speaking!

The Salad Burnet Is Being Eaten!

The Herbal Husband came in from the herb garden last night and said "I have bad news.  (With a Spanish accent.)  The salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is being chewed by something."  I said "What, deer?  It doesn't seem likely."  Well, in our case it could be so many things.  We do have a skunk now which might like the cucumber flavor and be rooting around for insects at the same time.  And our neighbor has seen it in her yard and says she is going to call the Township to trap it and removed it!  Good luck with that!  The deer are more likely to pull the plant out of the ground while chopping it.  If the stems are cut at a 45 degree angle, it would be rabbits.  Pill bugs can have voracious appetites as well, but they choose young seedlings or young plants to eat, but the continuing warm weather may make them hunger for cucumbers!  The Herbal Husband is clipping stems for our salads almost every night.  So it might be good news instead and we are still enjoying the herbs in our early winter herb garden!  I will let you know what happens.  The one thing I love about salad burnet is that it stays green throughout the cold weather. We might have to put a camera up to see who is merrily clipping away in the herb garden!  Please stay tuned!

We are having rain at the moment and the temperatures are rising.  A cold front is on the way and we will be finally cold and maybe snowy.  Can't believe it is four days from the end of the year!!  What!!  It will be a potpourri of posts to the end!  Talk to you tomorrow! 

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.

RHS Malvern Spring Festival--May 2014--Part Two!

A Quiet Garden by The Quiet Garden Trust

A Fruity Story by Twigs Gardens

Blush by Outer Spaces Design Ltd.

Shears & Chardonnay by Jody Lidgard of Bespoke Outdoor Spaces

The Living with Parkinson's Garden by Keyscape on Behalf of Parkinson's UK

Bringing Nature Home by Graduate Gardeners Ltd.

Ooooh...It Makes Me Wonder? by Groundesigns

Never Pass Up a Vendor with Herb in the Title!

Wish I Could Take Some of These Plants Home!

My Favorite Looks Good!

A Bit of Herb Design in the Sales Area

Even a Butcher Selling Wonderful Meat!

Winner of the Small Trough/Miniature Garden

Winner of the School Division Best Trough!

Continuing with my posts about the 2014 Malvern Spring Festival, with show gardens and other bits and pieces that make this Festival great.  Really the show gardens were just as nice as Chelsea only on a small scale.  I just can't begin to imagine how you come up with an idea and then execute it with plants and structures.  I think it must take great teamwork above all.

Only wish I could have taken some herb plants home.  Got to work with the TSA on that one!  The Cottage Herbery will sadly not be at any RHS shows, but from a look at where they will be across the UK countryside, they will be busy.  They are open for organized groups.  So contact them if you would like a tour for your group.  Kim Hurst is the author of a new book published by Timber Press called "Hidden Histories Herbs".  I'm looking forward to getting a copy in the very near future.

Was happy to see the butcher and other stalls promoting UK products.  Malvern reminded me a lot of the Philadelphia Flower Show with the competitions of different flowers and vegetables.  I particularly was fond of the troughs, both first place awards were particularly good.  The school awards made me smile because you should always try to get your children involved in gardening in any aspect.  So I have more photos to share tomorrow.  Going to try and get this trip posted by the end of the week.  It is almost a year ago that it happened!

The sun is trying to shine here.  We are much warmer today than yesterday.  Still up and down.  Hope you are having a great weekend.  Oh, one more photo of Bambi in the garden!  Way too early!  Can't let them get too comfortable!  Talk to you later. 

Blending in with the Garden!