As the Garden Grows

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The flowers of summer will soon be gone

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sunflowers

Well I guess it’s about time to chop down the sunflowers in the front boulevard. They’re beginning to die off since it’s getting cold here and if we don’t cut them down we’ll have no where to put the snow when we have big storms this winter. Yes … we have a very small yard, so every inch counts when it comes to shoveling snow. LOL

Bee Balm

My beebalm didn’t do very well this year at all.

I used to have a clump in my front garden but it didn’t come up this year at all, and the clump of beebalm in the backyard was scraggly with only a few stems coming up. Hopefully it does better next year (or I’ll have to buy some more in early summer) as I really like it in the garden. I like the smell of beebalm when you brush by it’s leaves, I also like seeing the bees, moths and butterflies enjoying the flowers too.

Some of our roses are still blooming even thought it’s getting quite cool here. We’ve had frost a few nights and it’s been down to zero at least once. I guess it’s just about time to say good bye to the garden for this year.






My hummingbird feeders paid off!

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Guess what!

I just about had a heart attack on Sunday. I was standing in the kitchen talking to my husband and I turned my head to look out the window at the garden and some fluttering by the hummingbird feeder caught my eye.

I realized that I was seeing the first hummingbird of the season!

I had just taken a Tylenol because I had an awful migraine on Sunday (in fact I still have a headache!). In fact I’m not even sure that I’d finished swallowing the pill when I saw the hummingbird. I was so surprised all I could do was point out the window and go “Oh” “oh” “oh”.

I scared my husband. He thought something was wrong with me so he wasn’t even looking out the window where I was pointing. I either finally spit out the word hummingbird or he turned his head enough to see the bird examining the feeder.

We’ve only had one hummingbird that we actually saw before and that was three years ago! We’ve since purchased and extra hummingbird feeder and I guess it paid off.

So we were both staring out the window amazed that a little colorful hummingbird had bestowed a visit upon us when my husband decided to try to get the camera. I wanted to take photos, but overall I was more interested in watching the bird rather than running to get the camera and losing those precious seconds of hummingbird sightseeing.

He did manage to get my new SLR digital camera for me before the bird flew away. Luckily it takes several photos in a row so I managed to take about 20 pictures before it took off.

While the hummingbird was visiting it hovered around the bird feeder. I was surprised that it tried to get at the top of the clear glass bird feeder even after it had found the feeding stations in the bottom. It also visited the purple petunias that were nearby, two or three of the white phlox plants, the Rose of Sharon, and I think it also hovered near the bee balm. It even rested on the clothes line three times. We also have another hummingbird feeder near the back of the yard beside the huge rose bush William Baffin. The hummingbird visited that feeder and possibly the purple clematis Jackmani beside it.

As I said I do have photos. I just haven’t uploaded them to the computer yet. I’ll post some of the better photos soon.

I’m going to be looking out my kitchen window a lot more often now that I know we have hummingbird that’s discovered our feeders!

Herbal Teas and herbal Infusions

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Do you ever drink herbal teas? I Know that you can make a tea using bergamot, or the leaves from native beebalm and I’ve been thinking of giving this a try. Has anyone else done this? I’ve heard that it smells and tastes somewhat like Earl Grey tea.

To be considered a true tea, any herbal tea should be mixed with the leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Most of the herbal teas available in stores contain a mixture of green or black tea and a variety of herbs and flavorings.

On the other hand herbal infusions don’t contain any form of tea at all, and can be a complex mix of dried herbs, flowers and fruits which might be considered to aid in various medical conditions. An herbal infusion can also be made up of one single herb – such as mint or Lemon Verbena.

Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) is a deciduous shrub that can be grown in a sunny spot in the garden or in a container. When bruised or crushed the leaves emit a wonderful soothing lemony smell. It is easily propagated from cuttings. The leaves of the plant are used to make a soothing infusion that can be drunk hot or cold. Verbena is considered a mild sedative and is also believed to aid digestion.

Mint (mentha) is a hardy perennial that is invasive unless contained. Many people prefer to plant it in a container or designate a separate area of the garden. It grows in sun to partial shade. The runners and shoots are easy to propagate. There are many types of mint, including spearmint, peppermint and chocolate mint. It is fun to grow a variety and experiment with the flavors. Mint infusions are recommended for cramps and nausea and headache and are thought to aid digestion.

It is possible to create infusions with any variety of dried fruits and flowers, including lemon balm, orange peel, chamomile, dried roses and hips and hibiscus. There are many Web sites and books that list herbs and their related properties. Try experimenting with what’s growing in your garden or buy a few herbs to see if you would like to grow them in the future.

Herbal infusions are most appealing when you make them in a glass container.Some prefer to use a French press coffee maker or a glass teapot. Glass mugs also allow you to enjoy the color of the tea as you drink it.

As you would when making black tea the proper way, start by preheating the teapot and cups with the boiling water. Bruise freshly picked herbs by gently crushing them in a clean cloth. Use at least one teaspoon dried or one-half cup freshly picked herbs for each cup of water. Place the herbs loosely in the teapot or use a tea infusing ball or basket and add boiling water. Let steep for five to 10 minutes.

Unless they contain fruits or berries, infusions often do not darken as they steep. You must experiment with timing, to determine when the tea is most pleasing to drink. Then sit back, sip slowly and enjoy.

I plan on experimenting with creating infusions this summer. I grow mint, and as I said earlier – native beebalm. I wonder if it’s possible to make an infusion with lavender? oh that sounds nice doesn’t ?

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