I am so happy!!!  This winter we thought that the sage was a goner.  The Rosemary got hit by the cold, and the sage looked pretty awful too.   We had to start over with the Rosemary, but over the last few weeks the sage has made a comeback.

 

And now it is blooming.  YAY!!!  We use the leaves when cooking chicken and turkey, and the flowers get sprinkled on top of salads.  I have a friend who puts a little bundle of sage in a vase to serve with cheese at happy hour.  

 

We love our sage.  I am so glad it survived.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look how pretty the Arugula is at this stage!!!  The whole bed isn’t bolting yet, but this bit is.  Wait, I’ll take another picture of the whole bed for you to see.  Be right back……

 

 

The plants in the front of the bed aren’t bolting because I harvest the leaves using a “cut and come again” method.  Instead of picking single leaves, I hold the tops of the leaves and cut just above the growing point.  That way, the plant continues to branch and grow, instead of growing straight up and going to seed.  

 

The ones in the back that are bolting:  are too far into the bed for me to reach.  Hahaha!!!

 

That’s OK.  We can eat the leaves in the front, and the plants in the back can go to seed, and we’ll have seeds for next year.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Looks like I didn’t get this into the garden soon enough.  This baby cauliflower is growing in a 6 pack with 5 other plants.  You can also see some unplanted kale, and Savoy cabbage.  

 

Oh well, I did get 6 cauliflowers, 6 Savoy cabbages and lots of kale into the garden.  They are all doing great, just not heading up quite yet.  I will show you when they do. 

 

Jon suggested that this is probably the world’s smallest cauliflower.  I wonder if there is a prize involved.  ;)

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Now for your viewing pleasure:  Mountain Laurel up close.

 

When we were walking in the park, we saw two ladies with two little girls.  One little girl had a branch of Mountain Lauren and the other little girl had a jar filled with Mountain Laurel flowers.  When we stopped to say hello (who can resist little girls walking in the park with Mom and Gramma?)  they both proudly showed their flower prizes.  I said, “Ooh, Mountain Laurel.”  And Mom and Gramma both said “Oh, is that what it is?  We are going to press the flowers when we get home.”  Sweet!!

 

I thought everybody knew Mountain Laurel, but apparently not.  I love the opportunity to share our beautiful mountain treasures.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Last week, I showed you Poison Ivy growing up the big oak tree down the hill, but I just realized that I only showed it to you from a distance.  I need to show it to you up close.

 

The other day when we were walking in the Park, I saw some Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper growing side-by-side.  So I took this picture and marked it up when we got home.

 

Yellow circle shows Virginia Creeper (with its 5 leaflets.)  Red circle shows Poison Ivy (3 leaflets.)  See the difference?

 

Remember, you can shake hands with 5 fingers, but not with 3.  Stay away from Poison Ivy!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

The Mountain Laurel is blooming here.  This one is at Meeks Park, but they are throughout the neighborhood as well.  

 

So pretty!!!  I hope you see some in your travels.

 

HAPPY MAY!!!

 

This is our neighbor’s Korean Dogwood, and it is blooming now. OMG!!!

 

I just love driving by, and seeing it.  They planted two trees 15-20 years ago, and they are truly spectacular when they bloom.

 

I hope there are Korean Dogwoods along your daily path.  They are so bright and pretty.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!! 

 

Here is the Bittersweet in bloom.  Not too striking…YET.  

 

This vine is covering the Sumac bushes on the corner at the top of Clifford’s Hill.  We stop there to rest a minute when we walk the loop.  

 

Bittersweet is deciduous and goes dormant in the winter.  It is just a tangle of vines.  Well, it has leafed out, and you can’t see anything past it.  But I thought you might like to see the blossoms that will produce those fabulous berries in the fall.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

It’s that time of year, when we all want to get outside and work in the garden.  

 

It is also the time of year that the Poison Ivy is leafing out, and threatening tidy gardeners.  

 

I love this picture of it growing up the white oak just below George and Priscilla’s.  Look at that root system:  been around for years, I’d say.  The roots are hairy, and the oil that causes dermatitis is present in every part of the plant:  leaves, stems, roots, even the smoke if it is burned.

 

Here is the reminder:  you can shake hands with 5 fingers, but not with three.  Virginia Creeper looks similar, but has five leaflets and Poison ivy has three leaflets.  It grows small, medium and large.  It creeps along the ground and climbs trees.  It is everywhere.  So learn to identify it, so you don’t fall into the nasty trap of weeding it out by hand.  Best to wear your gloves when weeding.  And for everybody’s safety, never burn garden trash that may have poison ivy in it.  Even the smoke is toxic.  

 

Just a note:  I noticed some growing down near the mailboxes, so be on the lookout.  It won’t jump out and grab you, but if you brush against it, you need to wash as soon as possible with soap and water.

 

HAPPY, SAFE GARDENING!!!

 

The Black Locust trees are blooming.  They are all over the neighborhood; just look up.  This one is just across from the resting rock up on Five Forks Drive.  That’s how I noticed it: resting.
 
The tree is in the Legume family, and the flowers look like sweet pea flowers, except they grow in clusters that hang from the tree.  They remind me of wisteria, only white.  And they smell sweet.
 
Another interesting thing about Black Locust is that they are often planted for fence posts.  The wood is strong, hard and durable in the soil.  
 
We found some dead wood one time when we were camping, and it was too hard to chop, so we had a progressive campfire.  You know, start burning one end, and just keep pushing the huge log into the hot spot.
 
 HAPPY GARDENING!!!