Garden surprises

Imagine my surprise this morning as I was eating breakfast in my garden, minding my own business, when I looked behind me to see Miss Rose of Sharon peeking at me through the fence. She lives on the other side of the fence in my neighbor's yard but decided to go rogue and come over to say hi. Or, she may just have wanted to return home. My neighbor's shrubs are wanderers from my Rose of Sharon, as are many of her flowers on the "other side." A happy gardener is one whose neighbor doesn't mind an invasion of wandering plants.



Another pleasant surprise, this time as I was eating lunch in my garden - a Swallowtail butterfly feasting on my butterfly bush. It was all over this blossom, swinging up and down when the breeze blew, hanging on tight. I don't usually get swallowtails, they tend to enjoy the country fare, not my city plot. Usually I just see monarchs, whites, and fritillaries.

Raspberry Morning

Tuesday was a perfect morning for picking raspberries. Mine are almost done but I did manage to get almost a quart. It was so peaceful -the only sound was that of the birds singing good morning as the sky was turning pink with the rising sun; the grass moist with morning dew - then I looked at my watch, darn - time to get ready for work. Back to reality...

Lemon Lavender cookies for tea

The weather cooled down enough for one day for me to light the oven. Here are my Lemon Lavender Shortbread cookies. Delicious. Hubby won't eat them though - they have flowers in them! Good - all the more for me :)

Lemon Lavender Shortbread recipe

I haven't posted in a while. Between end of the school-year activities and the current heat wave we're having, I haven't been sitting at my computer. I wanted to share this recipe now that the lavender is in bloom. If it ever cools down, I may consider lighting my oven. This recipe is from the Country Living Gardener magazine.

Lemon Lavender Shortbread
4 sticks (1 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons dried lavender, finely chopped or ground
finely ground zest of 2 lemons

Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the vanilla, flour, and salt. Beat on low speed until well combined. Stir in lavender and lemon. Divide dough evenly into 4 pieces, wrap each in plastic wrap. Press each piece into a flat disc. (This makes it easier to roll out.) Chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
Heat oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator and let warm 3 - 4 minutes. Roll out 1 piece at a time on floured surface. Using a cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out desired shapes and transfer to baking pan. Bake on center rack 15 - 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Feverfew Fever

The feverfew is in full bloom. I love this flower. I know - some people consider it to be like a weed. It does like to self-sow, but it adds such a splash of bright white to the garden and it grows anywhere.

blooms in the greenhouse garden

Spent 5 hours Saturday weeding in the greenhouse garden. Stopped occasionally to enjoy the flowers and snap a few pictures.
This is one of my oriental poppies growing in the middle of a large patch of lemon thyme. The nice thing about this is that once the poppy dies back, I can cut it down and the thyme fills in the empty spot.









This is Verbascum in front of a rose bush. I have no idea the name of the rose. It's from a shrub rose that was my great-great grandmother's. Smells wonderful, grows like a weed!











I took this picture a few years ago when the ajuga was in bloom. I planted a very small bit of ajuga in 1994 and look at it now. When someone offers you a pot of "extra" flowers they dug up - BEWARE! There's a reason they're giving it away.

Memorial Day

What a glorious Memorial Day to remember those who are no longer with us. I think about our family and friends who brought so much joy to our lives and who influenced our lives in so many ways. Who would we be today without them?
I painted this stone 6 years ago after my grandmother died. It sits at the base of a rose I bought in her memory.