We Have Something in Common!

I spent the past several days cutting lavender. A joyful process, but I can see that my lavenders are in decline because of overcrowding with chives and other lavenders. The reference in the title is the fact that The Cloisters lavender and my lavender are having a similar fungal problem. Lavender needs AIR CIRCULATION! We never give ours enough! We love our herb plants maybe a little too much because we want to jam all of them together! It only works for a period of time! So learn from my mistake, give your herb plants room to thrive!

The Bees So Enjoy This Flower!

This is the Apothecary's rose I talked about the other day. This bee was really enjoying the pollen of this flower. I caught it in midflight! Hope you are enjoying the day wherever you may be!

Be Careful What You Wish For!

The Herbal Husband several years ago said he wanted a plant that attracted the hummingbirds to the garden. I told him that I knew of just the plant, but it could become very invasive! No problem, he said. We won't let it get to that point! Well, unfortunately this pile in the picture is all of the vines that have sprung up in other parts of the garden. It chokes out the good plants. So the botanical name is Campsis radicans. The common names include trumpet creeper (not a good analogy!) and hummingbird vine. Really for the first couple of years, the hummingbirds went right by it. Now they have found it and that is the bonus, the only one. If you see it in your local nursery, turn and run the other way!

The Bug That Enjoys My Herbs!

It may be hard to see my nemesis in the jar, but that the safest place for it! Click on the picture to get a better view. This is the four-lined plant bug. A true bug with two stages and only one generation a season. Thank God! Here is a link to an article by Commercial Horticulture Educator, Sandy Feather from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on life cycle and how to control them. I'm going to be busy cutting back all of the damage these little pests have inflicted on my plants!

It's Travel Friday--A Mountain Ride!

I completely forgot about Travel Thursday yesterday! I was so intoxicated by the strawberries! Well, we must get back to Spain because our trip there was so wonderful! After lunch one afternoon, my friend took me over the mountain to see the views! Here are some of them.
This region is known for almond and olive trees, but also Spanish oak trees like the one above. We then came across a shepard and his flock. As you can see we were interrupting their lunch! The shepard had to come and herd them away from the road.
Being the wife of an architect, we are always looking at buildings. I was looking even before I married him (at buildings that is)! This one just was so impressive because it had been there for centuries and was in good shape.A perfect way to end a mountain ride is with a beautiful mountain sunset and dinner waiting at home!

A Sweet Treat!

The Herbal Husband and I were out cleaning the garden yesterday and finding all of these sweet treats along the way! It makes the work so much more pleasant! We don't have a strawberry bed as such. We have them tucked into our flower and veggie beds everywhere! So hopefully wherever you are, you will take time to have a sweet treat! P.S. I just had to share a picture of our dessert! Decadent! Sorry we could not share! It has been a great year for strawberries!

Guest Blogging for The Herb Companion Magazine!

They say timing is everything. It's even true when you are visiting famous gardens, such as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Here is a link to my latest post for The Herb Companion Magazine. Hope you enjoy it! I also want to thank the ladies of the Greybrooke Garden Club for having me speak this morning. We had a great time!

Surprise! Surprise!

I was in the front garden working the other morning and guess what I spotted across the yard! Yes, it is one of my favorite roses and it thrives despite where we placed it! It is a David Austin rose called 'Graham Thomas.' Graham has this lovely fragrance to it, but it is a very fragile rose. So we allow it to perfume the air in the garden. Got to get ready for my presentation tomorrow. See you later! Hope you are enjoying your day wherever you may be!

Surrounded by Roses!

This is one of my favorite times of year because the 'Apothocary's Rose' and 'Rosa Mundi' are in full bloom. They are both gallica roses. They are one time bloomers, but very fragrant and the bees love them! Important! They are both very old roses (I bought new ones!), but they were grown by the Greek and Romans! They grew everything, didn't they? Here is a closeup of 'Rosa Mundi' which was named after Fair Rosamund, the mistress of King Henry II of England. Gotta get some gardening done before the rain comes! See you later! P.S. The hummer is back. It was sipping from the sage flowers! Whoo Hoo! Hope to get photos!