End of Month View - May 2011

AAAHHHH May I am sad to see you go.  Irish Gardens did not see the typical May flowers following typical April showers.  Actually it was May flowers to bring May flowers, and maybe June flowers.

Some how much of April escaped me so I never did the End of Month View.  Because I want to show how things have changed this year I may add April's views in....
In March the Greenhouse was given a facelift.  In April -

 The Greenhouse is loving it's facelift and beginning to show signs of life.

But a Month later the Greenhouse is quite green.

The new flower garden didn't change a whole lot.

 But others were also created or given new life

 I call this my rose garden as it has 3 rose bushes and they were the inspiration for adding additional beauty.

 Rightly called the Driveway Garden.  Getting fuller looking by the day.

 Many plants growing inside during the cool beginnings of spring were able to finally be given some true sunlight on the Kitchen porch.

The front porch is now home to a few flowering plants in an attempt to hide the recycle bin.

Thats my Garden at the end of this Month.  Stop on over to the Patient Gardener and see what other gardens look like at the end of May.

Harvest Memorial Monday

Harvest Monday this week is also Memorial Day.  Thanks to all those who have gone before and served our country to keep is safe and free.

Herbs and Rhubarb were harvested yesterday adding my Mint harvest list to well a lot.  The round basket has wilting Chocolate Mint and the Square basket has wilting Spearmint.  I say wilting as it was hot and buy the  time I took the picture they were indeed wilting making it look like there is more room in the basket than there was.

Stop on by Daphne's Dandelions and see who else is harvesting this Memorial Day.

Memorial Day weekend a year later

1 Year ago this Memorial Day weekend my gardening adventures truly began.  I started seeds May 26th in a Jiffy 70 cell Greenhouse

And seedlings began to emerge.  I prepared my first uncovered garden.

Complete with Rhubarb and veggies.  My Mothers Day gift of a Greenhouse was purchased and put together

Eventually....days later top soil was added.

Memorial Day weekend is a weekend to remember our Veterans.  The sacrifice that we have made to protect our country.  Just over 1 year after I became a Veteran myself, my Greenhouse was put together giving me something else to remember.

Take a second this very special weekend to give thanks to a Veteran that served or is still serving our country.  Having been there myself I understand what needs to be given up to protect the ones we love.  I served for 11 years and although hard at times I wouldn't change one bit of it.  I met my husband and had both kids while in the Navy.  I got to see places that my high school friends can only dream of seeing.  As 4th Generation military I am thankful for all that those who have gone before me have done to allow a girl from Wappingers Falls, NY join the Navy and serve on a ship as a weapons tech.  Something that those that served before me never would have thought to see.

Blogging dilemma

I love my blog.  I love writing about what is going on in my gardens and sometimes other things.  Actually I just love to write.  I always have.  But thats neither here nor there.  My big dilemma of the day is simply this - what should I do when I like someone else's idea and want to post about it?  Silly I am sure but think about it.

My sister has a great blog that started as a place to put her cooking adventures.  So to speak.  I can't remember how it started but she wanted to try a new recipe every day for a month and did...then My Side of Life was born.  A few months after she started her blog I started mine.  She's my younger sister but it sorta felt like I was copying her.  Granted my blog is about the garden and hers started as cooking but also has garden stuff and so much more.  So if I have a recipe that I like and want to pass on I feel funny adding it to my blog.  But she is a guest author on here.  She has a wonderful garden out in CA and posts about it. Hence asking her to join me in telling others about gardening.

Then there are blogs or post like ONG has.  His post about his peony made me want to post about mine.  Instead I wrote a comment on his blog.  Is there a waiting period before I can post about mine with out it looking like I stole his idea?

Then there is one of my favorite blogs to read May Dreams Gardens.  I love her witty humor and posts about Fairies.  In fact I loved it so much that I sorta used her idea but with birds not fairies.  Is that steeling? Other in this post now does she get the credit for the idea?

Or how about Heather's Garden and her post about Iris this morning.  I have the same Iris in my yard and would love to post about them if not to show her that I have some that are the same coloring.  Or would that be rude.

Thinking about all this gives me a headache.  Course then I look at those blogs with good idea's and see that either they have been blogging years longer than me or they have hundreds of followers unlike my small 41.  Do the blogs I read read my blog?  Would they even notice? I have no answer to this question but regardless of a lack of answer I will continue blogging and hope I don't step on any toes.  I will post about my

Bowl of Beauty Peony.  Even if it doesn't look like the catalog pictures or like the one in ONG's garden. Because it doesn't look like his and I love the way it looks.

And I will post about my

Pretty Iris because they are just so pretty like Heather said.

I will post about foods I cook but most likely only if I used something I grew. But what happens when I see someone else using an idea I used on my blog?

Easy due to my lack of readers I will jump for joy.  But until then I guess I will just post about what I want to post about.  Like my Rose of Sharon...

But you'll have to wait till later as the post isn't ready yet.  But it's gonna be a good one.  I can tell. And you know what?  Not everyone started with over a hundred readers so I may catch up.  If not....thats ok too.  My thoughts are out there and available to those who would like to read it.  Steady readers doesn't a good blog make.  It's the passion and content that makes a good blog.

Seedlings and seeds

Free to good home.  Although the seed collecting season is far from upon me I was taking stock and realized that I have more than I need for a lifetime on some seeds.  I would love to share some of my seeds or even some seedlings or plantletts to any who would like some.  I would even be willing to keep growing the herbs and harvest and dry some to give away if that is more up anyones ally.  Take a look and let me know...no cost or trade....either or.

 Better Boy Tomato - Not a whole lot of these but I do have some.  More than I will use before the normal shelf life so speak up if you want some.

 White Rose of Sharon - I have a few packets of these as well but plant on having more this fall so let me know.

Heavenly Blue Morning Glory Vine - I have well over 1000 seeds to give away with still a 100 or so left for me.  So please let me know if you want some.

Double Purple Rose of Sharon Bush - Tons of seeds and even some seedlings.  Though you will have to ask super nice to get a seedling.  Just let me know.

 Mixed Rose of Sharon seeds.  Collected from the wild so color is unknown.

 Mini Magenta colored Morning Glory seeds also collected from the wild.

 Lettuce - Black seeded Simpson - Not a whole lot of these left but more than enough if you want some.

 Not seeds but Spider plant seedlings or plantletts.  I can root them for you if you would like just let me know.

 Parsley - I started too many.  I have already thinned this patch out.  Not that you can tell.  But please please if anyone would like some live plants let me know.  If you just want some dried parsley thats ok too I will transplant some and grow them then harvest and dry for you.

 Mint - Again like the Parsley if you just want some dried leaves let me know.  Other wise this plant is very easy to root and create small ones.  Out of all the varieties I have 3 that are old enough and hardy enough to root cuttings and give away:
Chocolate Mint
Spearmint
Pennyroyal (not to eat! for bugs)

Next to that Parsley patch is also Savory and Sage - 2 other herbs I started to many of.

Thriving Thursday - Ground Cover

Thursday again and this week I want to show off some of the ground cover growing around the gardens.  The main Ground Cover show is the Variety of Hosta around the grounds....so here are a few.....

Hard to see but this is where the real show is.  Many of the Hosta are boring plain green.  Although large and wonderful in their own right this strip - The Driveway Garden is my pride and joy for some flashy looking Hosta

Like this one....clearly not the boring green variety.

 Over in the Backyard Border Garden this lovely boring green Hosta is a wonderful example of how hard it is to kill this plant.  This particular one was cut down to nothing and dug up last year when the fence went in.  Clearly it didn't get the hint and just kept on growing.... amazingly enough still keeping it's round shape with the fence smack dab in the middle....

 Back on over to the Driveway Garden is one of the few that were transplanted last year.  Looking good and such interesting looking leaves....just look at the smaller ones next to it....

 See why I call this the show case of my Hosta's?  Boring Green still made it's way to the Driveway but gets accented by tall and pretty variegated.

 A surprise was added to the show this year as this cute little guy is preparing to flower....I had to look a few times to make sure that it wasn't another plant trying to grow up through the Hosta.

And cause I can't let the Hosta steel the whole post here is a new soft addition to the Willow garden - Artemisia.  Such a soft plant that loves shade and looks interesting.

Got thriving Ground cover?  Or just something Thriving....post about it, leave a  link, leave a comment.  Come back later and see if anyone else joined in.

Wordless Wednesday - From my Garden

A month behind

Mother Nature sure does need a new calendar.  Irish Lady's Garden's are in for yet another week jam packed full of RAIN. Don't get me wrong we need rain.  But come on now....can I go weed my gardens please?   My poor Iris are trying to bloom but they are lasting a day if that long.  The rain keeps ruining the delicate pedals.

Hard to see unless you enlarge it but these poor beauties don't seem to be lasting long.

Again don't get me wrong we need rain.  Can't grow flowers and tree's with out rain.  Could do with out the every growing grass though....too many mosquitoes.

But I will say this for the rain...it sure makes for some wonderful pictures.

 One of my Peony's about to open.  But look how much prettier it is when water droplets.

Add water droplets to the purple Viola and it seems to change the color altogether.

 One of the light blue Iris that just opened looks quite striking with water all over.

 Now this Rose is looking quite drenched.

Another Iris beginning to bloom showing off it's yellow color between rain drops.

Rain may make it hard to get into the gardens to take pictures and weed - or as I like to call it de-weed - but it does help the flowers grow.  And when you can get out there to take a picture or two just imagine what interesting shots you may find.

Harvesting Edible Garden Tour - May 21, 2011

Good morning everyone.  Although almost afternoon.  A little late today in getting this post out but I had some herb shopping to do this morning.

I got all that for free in 15 min from my favorite store....my greenhouse.  With out reading on can you identify any of the herbs?  I bet you can maybe no all but some.  So it's that time of the month where I share what I have harvested this month....well today it is what I harvested today....and as you can see....there is a lot. So without further delay lets get on with the tour.

 Italian Oregano - the smell just makes me so hungry

 Spearmint - I love the smell of Mint in the morning.

Lemon Balm - My new favorite plant as it's official name is Melissa......how can I not grow and harvest this plant when it's named after me.

 Chocolate Mint - the Greenhouse now has a sweet Italian smell going on.

 Pesto Basil - Ok now all thats needed is some pasta and man what a meal.

 Summer Savory - Not as strong of a smell as the others but still wonderfully adds to the aroma.

Common Sage - Common is such a rude word for this plant as it is so pleasant to smell.

 Pineapple Sage - A new addition to the greenhouse harvested today only to get a more bushy effect.  Smells good though.

 Variegated Sage - Colorful and fragrant.

 Parsley - Adds another Italian smell to the very fragrant Greenhouse.

Garlic Chives - Because the other herbs growing didn't add enough smells to the greenhouse (yea right)

Sweet Basil - Another herb not quite ready to be harvested but done so anyways for a bush effect.

Dill - Quite a different smell from all the other herbs harvested this morning but man I didn't want to leave the greenhouse.

Growing the herbs in the greenhouse this year was a good idea as I am sure to get a large yield.

So what are you harvesting from your gardens?  Nothing ready to harvest yet?  No problem show off what you are hoping to harvest.

Write about it and add your link below so others can see whats going on in your neck of the woods.  Come back and join the tour or Harvesting Edible Gardens