Herb Society Meeting at Williamsburg, May, 2015, Part One!

Herb Purchases Made Right At Home with  Our Wide Windowsills!

The Plants Enjoyed Their Stay As Much As We Did!

The Colonial Garden and Nursery

A Colonial Gardening Shed

Colonial Ladies Deciding What to Harvest!

The Colonial Garden and Nursery

A Lovely Combination of English Daisies and Forget Me Nots!

Always a Retail Experience!

One More Photo of the Colonial Garden and Nursery!

Lemon Verbena Lady Visits the Blair House Herb Garden!

Lovely Work by the Tidewater Unit of the HSA!

A Very Traditional Dooryard Herb Garden in Front of the Kitchen

The Kitchen Gardens of George Wythe

Kitchen Garden at the Wythe House

Kitchen Garden of the Geddy House and Foundry

My Herbal Companion and I got a roaring start driving to Williamsburg and stopping at two beautiful garden and herb farms.  One called Surreybrooke in Middletown, Maryland and had lunch at The Main Cup in Middletown.  And then it was off to Glen Allen, Virginia where we stopped at Lavender Fields Herb Farm for organic herbs, flowers and veggies and their lavender lemonade.  So good!  Since it can be a long day since I do all of the driving, I like to break up the time with lunch and plant purchases.

As you can see by the first two photos, we had big success purchasing herb plants at both Surreybrooke and Lavender Fields.  Our hotel room had the perfect wide windowsills to hold all of our purchases to give them light.  We decided to stay at the Woodlands because it included breakfast each day of our stay.  The conference was held at the Lodge.  Only a bus ride away.  It was very convenient!

My adoptive mother and I came to Williamsburg many times when I was young.  I hadn't been since the early 90's when The Herbal Husband and I had Thanksgiving at The King's Arms.  It has changed a lot during the years I have been away.  It is a much more interactive town.  Where can you hear the Declaration of Independence being read for the "first time" to the colonists outside the Capitol after it was adopted?  Gave me chills!

So the Herb Society had optional garden tours on the second day that were filled immediately.  I told Bonnie that she and I would just walk around and see the gardens that were in bloom.  Before I knew it I had a small group that was listening and following me.

Our Merry Band of Herb Lovers!  Thanks Ann for Sharing This!

I had a plan, but the Herb Society did give us a map of the herb gardens that were available for viewing.  It made it easier for me.  We first stopped at the Colonial Gardens and Nursery where they have colonial women and men working in the gardens and explaining with traditional tools how gardening was done in the 18th Century and of course a retail experience with books, seeds, tools and plants.

Then we went to the most iconic herb garden in Williamsburg in front of the Blair House Kitchen.  Can I just mention here that the wonderful Don Haynie has moved here to become the Director of the Colonial Williamsburg Herb Gardens and his wonderful team of HSA volunteers from the Tidewater Unit had the gardens looking immaculate.  They of course have the gardening staff of Colonial Williamsburg at their disposal as well.  Well done, ladies and gentlemen!

We moved on to the George Wythe house and kitchen gardens that were adjacent to the Bruton Parish Church.  Wythe was a professor of law at the College of William and Mary to Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall and  Henry Clay.  The house was used during the Battle of Yorktown as Washington's headquarters.  It is one of the grandest and most impressive private houses in town.  The kitchen garden again was very utilitarian, but beautiful in its simplicity.

We then moved on to the James Geddy House and Foundry which was first a gunsmith shop and then after the son took over a shop for a silversmith, goldsmith and watch repairs and where there was a more modest kitchen garden at the back of the property.  So don't worry I'm not finished with the tour or the conference.  More to come.

We have the ickies and stickies back again.  Storms coming later today!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.