Still Blooming!

The other day The Herbal Husband and I were out cleaning up the front garden. Company coming! Low and behold the Kerria japonica is still blooming. This is an early shrub with beautiful green stems and single yellow flowers. Hard to believe it is still blooming in July! Probably because we have not had summer yet! Still in the Seattle weather mode. Did I mention they (Seattle) were in the high 80's the other day? Hope we get a little heat soon!

My Great Aunt's Favorites!

I promised I would show you the other favorite daylilies in my garden. The big red one is Valentine's Day and the smaller cream with burgundy center is Pandora's Box. They were my great aunt favorites! The tall lily in bloom is 'African Queen.' I bought it at a lily sale at the Chicago Botanic Garden several years ago and I kept a record of the name! Share your favorite plants with someone you care about and get them interested in gardening!

The Bees LOVE Bee Balm and Other Flowers!

The bees have been busy this week. The bee balm has started to bloom and this bee was everywhere on this pink bee balm. We also leave the radishes and other veggies go to flower so that the beneficial insects will come into our garden. They seem to have a good time. Hope you enjoyed your weekend wherever you may be.

Happy Fourth of July!

The Herbal Husband's Birds

These little guys are the sparrows we raise from babies. Actually, The Herbal Husband calls them the babies. He was trying to get a photo of the robins eating the fruit of the honeysuckle bush in the front garden. It didn't work so he took these photos. The birds below are a baby grackle that is bigger than his parents and it looks like the titmouse on top of the box and, of course, his babies! Cool pictures Herbal Husband!

It's Travel Thursday--An Homage to England and Spain!

The Herbal Husband and I are so lucky to be able to enjoy our lives and travel when we can. I just wanted to give you a final look at our wonderful trip earlier this year. Here we are in Shardlow, Derbyshire, England. We had a fantastic time staying at the Holden House Bed & Breakfast with Angie, Berrie and Monty! And the draw of the Dinky toys in Derby! The future of collecting toys rests with the young boy in the picture. Get them interested at an early age.






























Then there was London, Big Ben at night and tea at the Lanesborough Hotel. Delicious! I also wanted to give a good review for the Luna Simone Hotel where we stayed. It doesn't have air conditioning or an elevator, but it is a family run and very clean hotel. They serve a wonderful full English breakfast and are very near Victoria Station.















Now on to sunny Spain! What can we say. We were treated like royalty. Save your pennies, because Malaga and the surrounding areas are beautiful in any season.
Riogordo and Malaga, two places that we enjoyed visiting. Believe it or not this was the last morning we were in Spain. The weather was sorry to see us go!




























Our friends live in paradise and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for letting us share in their lives. It was an experience we will never forget!

Love Those Lavender Ears!

I love my tender perennials in the herb garden. I absolutely love this Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechus) . It is called Javelin Compact Blue. It has done well in spite of the Seattle type weather we are having. Obviously it has done well in the container we put it in. Don't forget to put herbs in containers. They really serve a purpose and will add to the depth of your garden. Hope you have some heat wherever you may be!

Looking Pretty Good!

Well, just wanted to give you an update! I know you all love grassy paths or places in your garden. Ours is back once again. Not perfect, but pretty good for gardeners whose preference is herbs and not lawn! Answered questions on Gardenline today. Always an interesting day! Hope you are having an interesting day wherever you may be!

In Full Bloom!

We have a Chinese chestnut in full bloom! It is stinky at the moment when the flowers are blooming! It does give a lot of shade. Plants really have to survive if they are planted underneath it! The Herbal Husband got seeds or a seedling from a guy who was having a yard sale. He told us it was an American chestnut. The Herbal Husband was excited. My extension agent told me it was probably a Chinese chestnut and not an American. They are working on a better version of an American chestnut that would be more disease and insect resistant. Hopefully you are enjoying the shade of a tree wherever you are! Got to run! Going out to work on the front garden!