What's up in my garden

[Guest guest]

EVERYTHING!

 

When we arrived home from Greece I was expecting the worst. Sixteen

days without my TLC I thought the gardens might be in stress. Mother

Nature managed to take care of my plants while I was gone.

 

Not too much rain or too little - apparently the temps and rain were

just right - everything is lush.

Even the 8 year old creeping thyme - low ground covering - was doing

well after two years of looking pretty poorly.

 

The lemon balm, rosemary and shrubs were cut back with my hedge trimmer

- boy was I sore.

 

Lavender has been fully harvested this week - I used it to refresh the

baskets in the house. The second flush I may take to use for sachets

for sale in the fall.

 

St. John's wort blossoms are just now coming in - I am picking the

blossoms daily for use in our herbal salve.

 

Pulling weeds and those dang spreading violets was a chore. I had to

finally drag the garden stool from the green house in order to sit while

clearing the path in the meditation garden.

 

Bee Balm - what can I say - even though I pulled much of it out before

we left - I was cutting and pulling more of this voracious spreader so

that the neighboring plants can have their due.

 

The shrub roses are fully in bloom - I'll cut them back by a third and

get a second round in a matter of weeks. Gave up on other types of roses

as the deer eat the blooms and it pisses me off. They may be leaving

the shrub roses alone as they are up against the house on the inside of

the walkway. Not sure but that is my guess.

 

The Comfrey Rosemary Gladstar gave me (from a cutting she was gifted by

Adell Dawson) is still contained in the 1/2 whiskey barrel (been there

since 1998) near the door to the greenhouse. I'll harvest some for use

in soap next week.

 

We have a small " kitchen garden " outside my workshop - basil, parsley,

dill a few tomato & pepper plants. Quite a drastic change from when we

used to be busting at the seems from our 40 x 35 organic veggie garden.

We are thinking of building two raised beds 8 x4 then putting week block

down and adding pea gravel. I was going to sod the whole area as we

have not raised many veggies in the past two years - three counting this

year. So busy with the triplets and The Purple Sage. Speaking of TPS

we may have a new retail outlet that we have been working on getting

into for years. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

 

Off to create some new soap with clays and dead sea mud.

 

WHERE IS BUTCH???

 

Best,

Bobbi Guerra

http://www.thepurplesage.com