A Christmas Idea for the Gardener--Ironweed Apparel!

Had to Buy What I Am Going to Review!

Well while this post was not in time for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday nor Cyber Monday, I am hoping you go over to Ironweed Apparel and find a holiday gift for the gardener in your life!  You see this company is very close to me for it is run by a local husband and wife team who work in conservation and gardening communications.  The wife, Jessica Walliser was my first horticulture teacher, is now an author of four books and is a host of the Organic Gardeners radio program with Doug Oster among other gardening ventures.  I don't know how she gets it done!

I thought I had better get a shirt so I can tell you that the shirts are very soft.  I ordered a Medium and I usually wear a small, but it fits very nicely.  I think the fabric is called tissue paper.  I am looking forward to wearing it in the garden next season and I am thinking about getting another in a very large size and wearing it as a nightshirt.  They are very comfortable.  They are going to coming out with more designs and other products throughout the coming year.  So sign up for their newsletter and it will clue you in about their next products and you can suggest products that you would like to see in their line on Facebook if you follow them there.  Congrats Jessica and John!  Love my shirt and look forward to buying more products from you in the future.

A gloomy day in the 'Burgh, but warm for the last day of November.  Almost 60 degrees!  Where is this year going!?  Tomorrow starts 31 days of blogging, a giveaway, more Christmas ideas for the herbie or gardener in your life.  You get the idea.  Hope you are having a fabulous day!  Talk to you tomorrow!

A Visit to the Western Reserve Unit Herb Garden in Cleveland!

Wanted to do a better job of describing our visit with Kathleen Gips to the Western Reserve Herb Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Garden ("CBG").  The Western Reserve Unit of the Herb Society of America has maintained an herb garden in Wade Park Oval since the mid 1940's.  In 1969 the current herb garden was designed by Elsetta Gilchrist Barnes, A.S.L.A. and built by Herman Losely and Son.  They received awards for their efforts!

This is taken from the Herb Garden Guide from 1999:  "The Western Reserve Herb Garden was designed and is maintained "for use and delight."  Its use is educational:  to give its caretakers and visitors an understanding of the design and of how herbs have been used throughout history.  Its delight is the enjoyment of the scents, textures, colors, scale, design and traditional legends associated with herb gardens through the centuries."  Bonnie and I are always delighted to visit and this time there were the ladies of the unit along with a staff member from the CBG working on the maintenance.  I think I have said this before but I used to be intimidated by this garden, but now I am inspired.  All of the members who work in this garden have a big passion for herbs and educating the public.  It shows ladies in the beautiful precision with which this garden is maintained.  This will be a yearly visit for Bonnie and I.  The unit has a wonderful herb fair (the 71st) on Saturday, October 8, 2016 from 10 AM to 3 PM.  We are looking forward to attending!  There is so much more to the CBG and I will show you those gardens in a future post!

A Plaque of the Plan of the Western Reserve Herb Garden!

Beautiful Ornamentation!

Mill Stones and Knot Garden!  Perfect Combination!

A Bed in the Culinary Garden Celebrating the 2016 Herb of the Year, Capsicum!

Can You Find A Weed in This Double Chamomile Lawn?  Amazing!

The Medicinal Herb Garden!

The Hips of the Cinnamon Rose!

A Cardoon in Bloom in the Dye Garden!

Bayberries!

The Beautiful Formal Structure of the Western Reserve Herb Garden!

The Terrace Garden

The Herbal Posse!

Celebrating the 2016 Herb of the Year-Capsicum! A Pepper Plant Coming Back From the Dead!

The Pepper Plant Comes Back From the Dead!

I am always amazed by The Herbal Husband's green thumb!  Remember I am the editor in plants and he is the secretary of saving every plant good or not so good.  So when he just left a seemingly dead pepper plant in its container over the winter, I said maybe that should just go on the compost pile.  He, of course, said it will.  It didn't, it has come back to life and it is starting to bloom AND will make fruit!  So there will be sweet peppers later this year.  I guess it sowed some of its seeds on its own.  He never ceases to amaze me, herbally speaking.  He is the magic man with an accent!  Here is a link to our favorite stuffed pepper recipe.  Even though I can't have too much tomato sauce anymore, these are really tasty, very easy to make and do freeze very easily.

The IHA Book of Capsicum, the 2016 Herb of the Year

I also want to mention that the International Herb Association who designates what herb will be the herb of the year each year was written a new book on Capsicum.  So I will do some speed reading and have some more to say about the 2016 Herb of the Year shortly.  I didn't even get to say everything I wanted to say about the 2015 Herb of the Year, Savory! Lots to say from my seat in the dining room!  It is like a furnace outside.  We get a slight break tomorrow and for a day over the weekend.  Will be doing A LOT of planting and moving around on Saturday!  Hope you had a great day!  I am behind on replying to your comments.  I will get to those shortly.  Spent the morning with my buddy, Composer in the Garden, Lynn Purse and my traveling companion, Bonnie.  We had a fun time reconnecting.  Not as cloudy a day as I had hoped, but I think I have some different views to show you!  Stay cool if you can.  Will talk to you tomorrow.

Angel Mary Has Moved to the Front Garden!

Angel Mary Watching Over the Front Garden!

Several years ago The Herbal Husband and I stayed with Mary and Gene Smith in their lovely bed and breakfast called The Loom Room.  Mary was an accomplished sculptress.  Mary sculpted this angel that I call Mary.  Angel Mary watched over the herb garden for several years and then she started to decompose!  We moved her under the Japanese maple until just recently.  I said to The Herbal Husband that I thought Angel Mary should be moved out into the front garden to watch over the chaos that is going on.  The other thing about the real Mary was as an artist she had an eye for color and design in her garden.  Hopefully she can put some vision into the front garden!  What is your favorite piece of sculpture or ornament in your herb garden?  The ickies and stickies continue and The Herbal Husband is out watering because rain has not materialized!  Hope you are staying cool in the U.S. and warm wherever you need to be warm!  I will talk to you tomorrow!

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!  

Pennsylvania Herbal Road Trip with Bonnie!

Bonnie and I enjoy going on herbal road trips together.  We have always said that our best times of the day are buying herb plants and having lunch, afternoon tea or dinner together.  So bottom line plants and food are our passions and frankly everything else is irrelevant!  Bonnie needed a break from her routine and so we headed to the east.  I worked on modeling our trip after one of Rosemary House's day trips which we couldn't go on because I was in England.  We were going to stop for lunch at one of our favorites, Jean Bonnet Tavern near Bedford, PA.  I see from their website that they have an herb garden and goats!  How did I miss that?  We stopped on our way home from the HSA national meeting last year on Mother's Day and while it was busy, we walked in and got a seat!  Love this place!

So I wanted to try something new, but tested and the ladies at Rosemary House came up with my answer, the tea cafe at the Oxford Hall Celtic Shop!  I had a chuckle with myself because of course, Bonnie remembered that New Cumberland is where we met up with the Rosemary House bus trips for years.  OK, so I forgot!  It is very easy to find.  Cindy and Steve Washburn have put their hearts and souls into the shop and the cafe.  They are running both the business and the cafe, cooking every day they are open!  Our hats off to their passion in life!  The cafe is a very small space, but they serve lovely fresh food.  I tried the tomato and pesto tart and Bonnie tried the Irish BLT.  Both were very good.  We took some sweet treats, a sugar cookie for me and a molasses one for Bonnie for the road.  Cindy told us the story of the business and talked about putting a green roof on the building and having a garden upstairs.  We would definitely like to see that the next time we are through New Cumberland!

Entrance to the Cafe with Lovely Garden Borders!

My Tomato and Pesto Tart Served with Salad on Top!

Lovely tomatoes in the center with pesto and phyllo pastry!

Bonnie's Irish BLT!

Next stop on the first day was the Ephrata Cloister one of the earliest religious communities in the United States founded in 1732.  Not much gardening here which was surprising.  It was a very peaceful place full of history though.

A Very Peaceful and Tranquil Place!

The Physican's Garden-A German Four Square with dye and medicinal plants

Our final stop on the first day was to Herbal Springs Farmstead.  I was using GPS but with the sound off at Bonnie's behest because she doesn't like to be told where to go!  Unfortunately, I got going the wrong way and the GPS was screaming to turn around even taking me around the block.  I thought it had gone crazy and turned it off.  Then we really got going the wrong way and ended in a bible church parking lot in a cornfield.  Such is life in central Pennsylvania!  We called and talked to the son who got us straightened out and Rhoda was waiting for us!  

A Farm Stand on Steroids!

Lovely Rhoda!  Just Thought of the Mary Tyler Moore Show When I Heard Her Name!

Their Vegetable Garden Behind the House

A Shed With Character!

Really Rhoda Martin has a passion and love of plants and she shows it in all of the choices she has for sale.  Unusual annuals and perennials and a very lovely selection of herbs.  She does hide some of the herbs (not really) but if you aren't looking in the right places, you will miss some real bargains.  And she was selling everything 50% off at the moment.  She said she had to stay competitive in Lancaster County.  We loved Rhoda's prices so much we started the third day with another stop at Rhoda's.  So all in all we had a great first day on the herbal hunt in Pennsylvania.  Can I just say in passing that small businesses need our support.  If you live in an area that has wonderful family owned and operated businesses, please support them with your business!  We ended the day with a steak at Carrabba's Italian Grill in Allentown.   Stay tuned for day two maybe tomorrow!

A beautiful hot and humid day here in the 'Burgh!  More plants to move around and plant!  Hope you had a great weekend.  Will be talking more herbs tomorrow as always.  Oh, BTW I have caught up on all of your comments and questions finally!  Talk to you later.

The 34th Annual Victorian Christmas House Tour, Pittsburgh, PA!

"Allegheny West, only eight small blocks, is the City's smallest neighborhood and is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.  As we celebrate the 34th anniversary of the Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour, the Allegheny West Civic Council also celebrates 50 years of community reinvestment!"  This was a part of the introduction to the neighborhood of Allegheny West on the Northside of Pittsburgh.

Where better to start the tour than in church, the Calvary United Methodist Church to be precise and their collection of Tiffany stained glass windows!

The Resurrection!

The Ascension!

The Apocalypse!

Inspired by the Great European Cathedrals, Gargoyles and All!

The Sanctuary is of French Gothic Design!

And the Mistress of the Tours Was All Dressed in Her Finery!

927 Beech Avenue

In the 1880's, the Klees built five adjacent homes, which became known as Klee Row.  These represented the most advanced row house design of the time.  927 Beech Avenue was the largest of the row houses and the Klees lived in it with their seven children.  The four sons each received a house in the row when they married.  What I liked about this house was that the current owner's father had built a tree out of wood to display his ornament collection.  His collection was divided between the siblings when he passed away.  So some of his ornaments were on their tree and she displayed a photo of the original tree and that it was in a national magazine some years ago.

Our Guide Talking About 946 W. North Avenue

Completed in 1889, this Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque style row house, one in a row of eight, is known as Denny Row, built by Harmer D. Denny, a notable Pittsburgh business man and great-grandson of Ebenezer Denny, the first mayor of Pittsburgh.  There were new home owners at 946 W. North Avenue who have taken a Danish Modern approach to their living space, but their tree was an artificial white tree with historical ornaments of famous Pittsburgh men and women.  We had 24 people in our group so it was difficult to get indoor photos of the living spaces except towards the end.  Each home's inside was unique and distinctive even to the Victorian outsides!

810 Galveston Avenue

It is the middle unit of three Italianate townhouses that were built in 1883 by Theodore Hugh Nevin and were once part of a group of 13 similar rental homes owned by Mr. Nevin on the street.  Mr. Nevin, in addition to being a landlord, was a banker and the owner of Pioneer Paints, a white lead paint manufacturer whose main plant was right down at the street at the corner of Galveston and Western Avenues.  The current homeowner did a major renovation from the 1980's decor to get the house back to its original 1880 ambiance.

The William Penn Snyder House

 The last house to be built in Allegheny West, the William Penn Snyder House was built in 1910-11 for William and Mary Snyder.  The builder of the Calvary Methodist Church was also the builder of this house.  William P. Snyder was an iron broker in Pittsburgh and later became president of the Clairton Steel Co. and founded the Shenango Furnace Co.  This new home was designed in a late French Renaissance style.  It was part of what was known as Millionaire's Row.  The building is owned by an insurance company now.

An Ornate Ceiling

The Decorated Tree in the Lobby

One of the Oldest Homes in Allegheny West, 840 N. Lincoln Avenue

The Martha and Robert Graham House originally constructed from 1862 to 1863 was in the Italianate style which was very popular during the time.  Robert Graham had been a manager at the Irwin Rope Factory.  After the passing of the Grahams, their daughter Mattie lived in the house and was nationally recognized as being one of the best known educators in the country and became one of the first female principals despite protests that women were incapable of performing in that office.  The home had a major reconstruction in 1918 to the Mission and Spanish Eclectic style which is its current style.  My favorite part of this house was the back patio and gardens.

Lovely Patio and Garden at 840 N. Lincoln Avenue

Our final stop on the house tour was at 719 Brighton Road also known as Holmes Hall.  BTW, as a group we had to sing a Christmas carol for the home owners before they would let us come in.  Nobody seemed to want to take on that responsibility.  So as I enjoy singing Christmas carols, the guide and I thought about what we should sing for each house.  It was fun!

719 Brighton Road

In November 1867, the wealthy widow, Letitia Caldwell Holmes, purchased her double lot of $16,000 when the average American worker earned just $129 per year.  Two years of construction produced her dream house--a Renaissance Revival masterwork--Holmes Hall.  The opulent home served Letitia and her family for more than 60 years.  By 1980, the grand house sat empty and neglected, but miraculously intact.  Holmes Hall is the oldest survivor of the spectacular mansions that gave Brighton Road and Ridge Avenue more millionaires per square foot than any other place in America.  The current owners took four years to renovate the mansion and the tours got a chance to see the public rooms of the house, the parlor, the ballroom and the dining room.

The Christmas Tree in the Parlor

The Formal Dining Room

Holiday Decoration on the Mantel in the Ballroom

The Herbal Husband Quite Happy Among the Trains and Toys!

For an extra fee some of the tour got to see on the third and fourth floors of the house, the largest private collection of antique American toy trains in the world, its displays and village layouts.  These floors are open by appointment and only during the two days of the tour.  It was quite something to see.  I have a very brief video and I will put it on my YouTube channel soon.  So if you are looking for some Christmas cheer, think of the 35th Annual Victorian Christmas House Tour in 2016 because 2015's tour is over!  Thanks to the committee who wrote the guide book!  I used some of their information for this post!  The final two photos are our friends, Michael and Mary.  Mary's house has already been on the tour and Michael's house has yet to be finished!  It is a huge labor of love and commitment to these houses to bring them back to livable homes!  Maybe some day his will be ready!

Our Friend, Michael's House

Our Friend, Mary's Decorated Front Doors

We had a beautiful day here, sunny and balmy.  Almost 60 degrees.  I think this will probably be the last nice day until next week.  It is a roller coaster because of El Nino!  Hope you are having a great day.  I'll talk about our afternoon in Harmony tomorrow!  Talk to you then!