My Bed Bath & Beyond Goodies in Time for the Holidays!

I think you would classify my goodies as from the Beyond Department!  I have a small patch of 'Silver King' Artemisia and I haven't cut it for a few seasons.  It tends to come and go.  Some times it is run over by the mower and isn't enough to worry about.  This season was a good one and I thought I had better clip it and bring it inside.

I have also found the Artemisia Christmas tree directions from an old 1995 Yankee Magazine by Adelma Simmons and Caprilands.  So if you have artemisia, get it ready (I think you need at least 1/2 bushel.) and any kinds of small dried flowers such as bachelor button, delphinium, oregano, pearly everlasting, statice, tansy or yarrow, bitterweet, pepper berries or rose hips, pinecones and bells.  Of course, fine florist wire or a hot-glue gun and clippers.  You also will need a styrofoam cone.  The directions say 6 inch.  Also if you have a lazy Susan, pull that out.  It comes in handy to move the tree around and see how the decorations are evenly spread around the tree.  Once upon a time I grew a lot of dried flowers to make wreathes.  It just takes a lot of material and time!  It is a fun project and I think you will enjoy it. 

Check out an artemisia tree I made many years ago that was about two feet tall that I blogged about in 2008.  It was big.  I thought the magazine was buried up in the attic, but I was forward thinking and kept it in the computer/TV room!   Always thinking ahead, but never remember what I was thinking!  I know you know what I'm talking about!  I have to get my work table cleaned off.  I realized after I published this that next week is THANKSGIVING.  So hopefully I will have a post with step by step instructions by the end of THIS week for you.

It is a nice rainy day out.  We needed it after so many beautiful days!  I probably could get my act together and make the tree today, but The Herbal Husband sometimes makes my plans for me!  Going to see the last part of the Swedish triology, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.  We saw the other two out of sequence, but we are caught up!  At least we won't be in a dark theater while there is beautiful weather outside!  That happens quite a bit!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

Still Transplanting!

The Herbal Husband Ready to Get the 'Spice Island' Rosemary Out

Putting The 'Spice Island' In Its New Home

The Rosemarys in Their New Homes

You all do this.   I know you do. Just like me, you wait until the last minute to get some tender perennials in for the winter.  Well, we did a little more moving around.  Moved the prostrate rosemary into a bigger container and moved the rosemary called 'Spice Island' into the smaller container.  'Spice Island' is a more upright rosemary.  I think we did pretty well.  Never have enough room inside for herbs!  These two will be in the garage for the winter.  Southern exposure and unheated space will give the rosemarys the right mix to get through the winter.  We had a beautiful day here in the 'Burgh.  Worked out in the herb garden tidying things up.  More about that tomorrow.  Hope you had a great day wherever you may be!  Talk to you later.

An Anniversary Surprise When We Got Home!

These lovelies were sitting at our back door when we got home last Monday!  They were delivered on Friday afternoon once we left for the east!  I think they survived a couple of cold nights and warm days because they were up against the house.  No, there are not from The Herbal Husband!  We have friends in Montevideo, Uruguay who send us flowers on our anniversary most every year!  Thanks to Mario, Judith and Daniel for the lovely flowers and thoughts!  Jam packed with Asiatic lilies and roses!  Adds a festive touch to our dining experiences.  Hope you had a great day wherever you may be!  We were out with the leaves and getting that last transplant into a pot.  Will share the experience tomorrow!  Talk to you later!  Got to go start dinner!

Early Arrival of Santa's Reindeer?

Fortunately this is the same one.  There aren't two of them!  The Herbal Husband has been seeing browsing in the back of our garden toward the end of the season.  They must be getting ready for their big night coming in December.  Another great day in the 'Burgh!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later. 

Afternoon Tea in the Morning in Chester, NJ!

Sally Lunn Restaurant & Tearoom, Chester, NJ

Tea Sandwiches & Strawberry Scone

A Pot of Blue Eyes Tea

I dropped The Herbal Husband at his toy show in Allentown and headed east to New Jersey.  After a wonderful visit to Well Sweep Herb Farm (a post to follow), I drove on to Chester, New Jersey in northern New Jersey to have afternoon tea at Sally Lunn Restaurant & Tearoom.  I was just a little early and ordered it in the morning.  Soo technically, it was afternoon tea in the morning!  It was very good and fed my addiction for afternoon tea!  So if you are in the Chester, NJ vicinity, check out Sally Lunn's.  It is a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon with your girlfriends.

Beautiful day in the 'Burgh.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

We Have Returned and Guest Blogging for The Herb Companion Magazine!

Front Gate of Fulham Palace, London, England

Cafe at Fulham Palace

Nibbles for Lunch at Fulham Palace

We are back from our little trip to the east!  I'm exhausted from driving!  It's for your safety and mine that I do the driving.  I think I have explained that before.  Has something to do with being Latin!  We put on almost 900 miles on The Herbal Husband's Honda!  Better than average mileage with that car and it's 16 years old!  Will share some travel highlights in the coming days!

The photos above are from my trip to England in September and that is my latest guest post for The Herb Companion magazine entitled The Herb Gardens of Fulham Palace.  Hope you enjoy it.  I think I have another award from my friend, Julie at Laughing Horse Art.  I'll get to that later in the week.  Thanks, Julie!  Beautiful weather outside.  Must get to the leaves on the ground and the ivy on the roof is still an issue!  Got to find someone to tackle that before the weather gets really bad!  Talk to you later!

Another Herbal Timeout!

Well, it is time again for you all to talk amongst yourselves.  The Herbal Husband and I are going to take a road trip east for our anniversary.  We are stopping by The Rosemary House and Sweet Remembrances Tearoom on the way down.  Then we are staying with our long time friends in Washington Boro and then going to Allentown for a toy show on Saturday for The Herbal Husband.  I'm going to Well-Sweep Herb Farm in New Jersey and to Sally Lunn Tearoom for lunch hopefully with one of the wives of the toy collectors.  Then we are coming back to stay another night with our friends in Washington Boro.  A very understanding couple!  A busy and packed schedule.  Lots of driving.  The Herbal Husband gets his toys and I get my herbs and tea.  A win, win situation!  Talk to you later!

A Frosty Morning in the Herb Garden!

The Pineapple Sage Finally Got Frosted!

The Salad Burnet has a Coat of White!

Nasturtiums and angelica are looking frightful!

Lemon Verbena is Still Hanging In!

Had some more frost this morning and will definitely be colder over the weekend.  Have to go out and cut the lemon verbena branches and bring them in for drying and tea!  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later!

One Lone Calendula!

Well, maybe not alone!  I have to check it out tomorrow.  We did have an end to the peppers, tomatoes, beans, last night.  We were at 28 and will be again tonight.  Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is really one of the very last flowers in my garden.  They hang in there!  Last year my Thanksgiving bouquet had a calendula in it.  Remember calendulas were considered the poor man's saffron in the past.  Once you have calendulas planted, you should continue to see them multiple.  They can always be tamed by pulling them out.  I have even move them to a better location if I don't like where they are coming up.  Oooh, I forgot I spotted a coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) out in the front garden.  I'll share that with you tomorrow.  Hope you had a great day.  I was trying to get my warmer clothes in the attic today.  It was a mess, but I'm donating a lot of clothes because I'm smaller.  Always a good thing.  Talk to you tomorrow.