Tom and Karen, it is a gorgeous native. I am amazed that it hasn't been brought into cultivation. This one is in an old wheel borrow with terrestrial Large Tongue Orchids that I saved from a housing development bulldozer.



Oh where am I going to get this roo from?

Very unusual! But nice!

Before I left for vacation I was planning where on the patio I will put the grill. Luckily the patio is under the wooden deck so it helps keeping the snow off.

mandolls said:My work schedule happily coincides with gardening season. I teach, so I am off from the end of May through the beginning of September which is about all the gardening season there is here in WI. Once school starts I have very little time in the garden.

I do start lots of plants from seed, starting in February. This year close to 2000, mostly annuals and vegetables under lights. I think less next year - that was a lot of watering to keep up with!

GREAT schedule. Not to mention that teaching is a noble profession in and of itself!

crittergarden said:

GREAT schedule. Not to mention that teaching is a noble profession in and of itself!

I have to confess I teach at the University level - I think the people who have the patience to teach children are the noble ones. Also………..I mostly teach ceramics, which is my primary passion, so its a joy. Its an ideal job!

ALL teaching is valuable!
And college age kids are still developing their brains.
AND ceramics may turn out to be some students' joy as well!

You do good work!
AND you get to garden!

What type of things do you teach, Geof? Do you have a home studio that you sell things from? I love watching people make things on a wheel. It seems so effortless and this beautiful piece just seems to appear as if magic!

We had temps into the low 40s last night, and for the next few nights. I've been busy trying to bring plants in overwinter, and preserve some herbs for use during the winter. I've harvested lots of lemon verbena, parsley, and basil to be dried or frozen. My lemon verbena plant was so big this year--making lemon verbena ice cream tonight, and freezing leaves for future use, as well as a simple syrup.

Started some seeds today....lettuce (mixed greens), bok choy, basil and baby romaine lettuce. The mixed lettuce will be grown in soil under lights; the bok choy, basil and romaine will be grown hydroponically once the seeds sprout.

Brought in some plants to overwinter: 2 rosemary, 2 bay plants, sage, thyme, and my patchouli. Just having the grow lights on helps me get through the winter.

Harvested potatoes today--12 pounds, grown in smart pots. Will be great to have these to cook with over the next few months.

Linda, how do you freeze the lemon leaves and how do you use them during the winter? The simple syrup sounds like something I would use. Would you share how you use it, and the recipe?? I wonder what lemon jelly would be like!!

Yikes, Linda -- sounds like you are having the same kind of temps that we are! (thanks a lot, polar vortex!) I'm still hoping for some nice warm fall weather before winter really sets in (but I am probably just dreaming...)

Karen--I did make lemon verbena jelly, and it is awesome (I was afraid it was going to taste like lemon pledge, but it didn't). I used the recipe from the lemon verbena lady website. This was my first time making jelly, and it was so easy!

This is also my first time freezing lemon verbena leaves. I did some in a thin layer, and put them in a freezer bag. I did another batch in water. Just trying both to see how they turn out. I've dried them in the past, and they are fine for tea, potpourri, or putting into a warm bath with other herbs. Not sure the dried leaves would be good for other recipes.

The simple syrup is a typical recipe, with a handful of lemon verbena leaves thrown in. I think this will be great in a drink with some club soda (or sparkling white wine, if you prefer something stronger---also saw that it went will with a bit of St. Germaine liqeour as well).

I'm also making some lemon verbena sugar--just packing some leaves into sugar, and letting it sit for a week or so. At this point, I'll pull out the leaves, and strain the sugar to remove any lumps. Should be a nice flavor for adding into tea or baked goods.

I've kind of gone "lemon verbena crazy" this year, because my plants were so big. I just can't bear letting them go to waste.

Check out the http://www.lemonverbenalady.bl... for other recipes.

Linda

Weedwhacker--our summer has been one of the coolest/rainiest on record. I think we hit 90 only 1 day this year. But, it has been the best tomato-growing season we've had in the past few years.

I'm pretty sure we are in for an early fall, so I spent today trying to bring in anything I needed to overwinter. Still hoping for an Indian Summer here. Lots of things yet to do in the garden before winter.

Thanks, Linda. I will try the jelly tomorrow.

Just a quick good morning from Ocean City Maryland

mom2goldens said:Brought in some plants to overwinter: 2 rosemary, 2 bay plants, sage, thyme, and my patchouli.

I have tried this and never been able to keep a rosemary alive in the house.
I have over AND under watered them, I believe.
Can you recommend a way of doing things?

It was happy outside year round at my first house.
But zone 5 is not zone 9!

mom2goldens said:Weedwhacker--our summer has been one of the coolest/rainiest on record. I think we hit 90 only 1 day this year. .

Over here, too.
No 90 at all - norm is 5-6.
I don't think we got as much rain as you did.

Lovely sunrise, Franklin!

Crittergarden, I tried over-wintering rosemary unsuccessfully for quite a few years -- until the last couple, when I discovered they do much better in a cool to chilly room, with as much sunlight as possible; mine go into our workshop area, which stays around 50-55 degrees all winter, and sit in a south facing window. They don't grow much at all, and I water very sparingly. I have a couple of scented geraniums that I keep the same way.

Which reminds me -- I'd better get mine brought into the house too!

We keep on gardening indoors through the winter.
I still need to bring in geraniums (pelargonium kind).
Already have coleus, polka dot plants, thunbergia and hibiscus acetosella in doors.
I also spend two days a week with my now 9 months old grand daughter.
And I have two other grandchildren in town,but they are in school, so do not see them as often.

I keep my rosemary and other over-wintering plants under grow lights in my basement. I just keep a normal watering schedule. One thing that does seem to help is that I keep my bay and rosemary plants in pots year round, so I don't have to uproot them to bring them in.

Beautiful sunrise, Franklin.

Karen--hope your jelly turns out well.