Not Sure Where to Start, Herbally Speaking!

I guess I should just call it what it is hooky!  Yes, I have been playing hooky with my blog!  I barely got the last post out.  So I will just try to bring you up to date on what has been happening.  I'm not sure whether to start in early May and catch you up or just start with what's happening in the garden today and work on the early and mid May posts later on.

You see when I went to Williamsburg, VA for the national Herb Society meeting in early May, we had a heatwave (high 80's every day) here in the garden and I came home to a blooming garden much more advanced than early May would have usually been.  And I brought back a lot of herb plants from visiting Surreybrooke in Maryland,  Lavender Fields Herb Farm in Glen Allen, Virginia and DeBaggio's Herb Farm in Chantilly, Virginia for the garden and for my container class at the end of May which I posted in late May.

Surreybrooke Has Lovely Garden Spaces and Unusual Plants!

Lavender Fields Herb Farm Has Organic Herbs!

DeBaggio's Herb Farm Closes July 1, 2015 for the Season

Can I just say about the three businesses above, they are all passionate about plants whether they are herbs, perennials, annuals, etc.  Surreybrooke is more than a garden center.  It is a destination and has wonderful gardens to walk through and a new pavilion for your special events plus tons of wonderful unusual plants.  Lavender Fields has wonderful organic herb plants, you can have lunch there (I think you have to preorder it.) and my friend Bonnie and I enjoyed their lavender lemonade on the last leg of the drive to Williamsburg!  The iconic DeBaggio's Herb Farm has a great selection of herbs, flowers, both annual and perennial and veggies!  They are the only one of the three that will be closed as of July 1 for the season.

So that's the skinny on the garden and herb farms Bonnie and I stopped both on the way to Williamsburg and going home.  It was the perfect combination.  I'll talk about the Herb Society meeting and other events in upcoming posts.  Now for a few photos of the herb garden and other happenings here in Glenshaw.

The Herb Garden This Morning!

Have Been Cutting Chamomile Flowers for Tea Bags.

Been Having Amazing Salads with Our Greens and Herbs

One of My Favorite Roses is Blooming, Rosa Mundi!

So you can see some of what has been going on in the herb garden.  Hope to get back into some kind of routine of posting.  Weather is warm and rain is coming.  Maybe another post tomorrow when it rains.  I'll post when I can.  Hope you are having a great day!  Talk to you later.

The Schermer Windmills, Peter the Windmill Master and Enkhuizen!

Almost Looks Like Pennsylvania

Oops, not Pennsylvania, I think It's Holland!

Took a Tour of This Windmill

Schermer Mill Complex Map

Calendulas Happily Blooming

Peter the Windmill Master

The picturesque landscape Around the Mill

Peter Lives in a Mill

The Outhouse

Driving Along a Dike

 The Schermer windmills were used for pumping water and reclaiming land for farming.  It took approximately four years to accomplish this.  The reclaimed land lies approximately 12 feet below sea level.  Other windmills are used for milling grains.  Peter the mill master took us into the mill and showed us how a family lived in the mill.  Then he stopped the sails from turning.  It is a very delicate process.  He is a very dedicated man to the preservation of the windmills even living in one close by.  You can get more information about the windmills by clicking the link above.

Entering the Old Town of Enkhuizen

Enkhuizen is Known for Fishing

A Typical Dutch Lunch of Croquettes, Salad and Bread!

Lots of People Out Enjoying the Day

Gardening Wherever You Can

Some of the Buildings of Enkhuizen

A Small Herb Garden

And a Place to Sit!

We had a very lovely day visiting Enkhuizen.  It is a charming fishing village.  Lovely historic buildings are being preserved.  It was very picturesque.   We are still in the humidity and heat!  The Dog Days of Summer!   Hope you are staying cool wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

Kitty and the Canals of Amsterdam

I know you think you are seeing things when you see this cat on the table.  I know it looks like Kitty!  I couldn't believe it and it posed just like Kitty does!  Haven't seen Kitty for awhile maybe Kitty hid out in one of the suitcases to find a new life in Holland!  Enough Kitty tales!

Another one of our Holland hosts had a very charming garden space both in the front and in the back.

There are Very Narrow Canals

And Much Wider Canals

And Lots of Charming Restaurants

Even Found a Lavender in a Flower Box

The Pulley System is Used to Move Furniture In and Out

A Beautiful Sunset

The Lights on The Canals of Amsterdam!

We had a very nice time at our friend's house and then took a candlelight tour of the canals of Amsterdam.  It was nice to see old friends again and to make new ones as well.  Tomorrow the windmills of Holland.  Hope you had a great day.  We are still having the ickys and stickys, but we did get rain finally.  Not enough to end our mini drought, but some.  Talk to you later.

Two Dutch Nurseries-Double the Fun!

Catalog for De Hessenhof

A Salvia 'Crispa' I Hadn't Ever Seen

Hope The Plant Tag Police Aren't Watching!

Compost for Sale

Beautiful Display Gardens

Lavenders in Full Bloom

Very Much Like A Trial Garden Here

Can Get an Idea About the True Size of a Plant

Our Dutch hosts just knew the right activity for me would be to visit two plant nurseries in their area.  They did not disappoint!  The first called De Hessenhof had a beautiful catalog which I can't read, but I do know botanical latin names so there were a lot of familiar plants to see.  When you click the link above, you can get an English translation for a description of the nursery.  I found four herbs, two salvias and two rosemarys that I had not heard of before.  They did have a small hedge of the 'Crispa' salvias which I thought was very effective.  The display gardens were just beautiful and I think it was a great help to buyers coming to buy a specific plant to see how tall, wide and what shade was the flower.

Then we were off to Boshoeve (which translates to Wood Farm) in Wolfheze.

Typical Dutch Farmhouse

Espaliered Apple

Nasturtiums Under the Espaliered Apple

Mint and Lovage

Perilla for Japanese Cooking

Boshoeve's Display Garden

A Stand of Pink Monarda

You Knew I Would Find a Blooming Lemon Verbena!

Ladybug Loves the Mint!

A Floral Arrangement Graces the Table in the Market Area

Nigellas Are the Standout in This Arrangement

I loved this nursery as well.  It was smaller, but it was lovely.  They had wagons or carts full of plants.  Of course, I had to scope out the herbs.  Found a lot of my favorites, including blooming lemon verbenas!  They also had a flea market with handcrafted items and used items as well.  I found a book on herbs.  Again, can't read it, but the botanical names will help me with what's what!  We had a fun morning and we headed to near Amsterdam in the afternoon for the next adventure.

It is still hotter than you know what!  Hopefully some rain tonight!  Talk to you later.