HEGT - May 2012

It's already that time of the month....the 21st....Harvesting Edible Garden Tour.  The time when we post about what we are harvesting in our gardens.  Inside or out if you can eat it and it's harvesting lets see it.  This month or rather today I decided that I am going to focus on one garden at a time and harvest what really needs it then go back to other gardens and harvest.  Well today it was one garden, one herb.

 So here is Strawberry Fields.  Can you see the strawberries?  Nope cause the Chocolate Mint has taken over.

 Now here is Strawberry Fields can you see the strawberries now?

See how much Chocolate Mint I cut out of there?  Lots and lots.  And the smell is so heavenly too.  So is there anything in your gardens that you can harvest?  Post about it and let us know.

Add your link below and visit the other links as they are added.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - April 2012

Spring has sprung again here in the Hudson Valley.  With this crazy winter we had it's almost like a second spring as we had so many warm days and tree's budding out then frost.  Oh well.

Welcome one and all to another edition of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - Carol over at May Dreams Gardens came up with this years ago and has been hosting it ever since.  So sit back and get ready to walk around Irish Gardens and see what blooming today:

 We start our tour in the back yard...on the side of the house first.  Where a single lonely tulip braved the big bad world and bloomed.

 Hidden in the grass there are many different flowers that can be found.  Like this one....pretty purple hidden in blades of grass.

 A weed like no other everyone knows this guy.  But have you ever really stopped and taken a good look at a Dandelion?  It's a flower and beautiful in it's own right.

 The Perry-winkle is having a blast in my shade garden....that's not really in the shade right now.

 Another weed yes but look how delicate that is.  Small and pretty and perfect food for someone.

 After the side of the yard comes the heart of Irish Gardens....this is where all my nursery plants as well as my herbs and veggies grow.....wait not just veggies but this guy too.  Believe it or not this is one of my Strawberry plants already trying to produce fruits.

Another Strawberry plant but this is one is White Strawberry.  Yup that's right this little guy has yellow green fruits and ripens white.

 Yet another one of my Strawberry plants....plain old Alpine......but a bloom and so pretty nestled safely in the leaves.

 Every kid on the block knows what this guy is.....a wild strawberry.  I know I know another strawberry flower?  But look at it....it's different and actually quite pretty when it's just about to open like this.

 Next door to that wild strawberry we find more flowers growing in the grass....such a beautiful flowery day.

 For the last bloom of the back yard is the Forsythia bush.  Vibrant yellow in early spring it's easy to see next to all the leafless tree's and evergreens.

 So on to the tour we head to the front yard....another weed that I would say just about every mother has had in a cup of water at one time or anther.  These guys get tall and there for more appealing to kids when picking flowers for Mom.

 My Magnolia is getting ready to bloom.  I got lucky and mine didn't bloom with the rest of them and then get frozen.....not sure how that happened but I am happy I may get to see the blooms.

 One of my pride and joys is my Pink Dogwood.  She's just waking up and starting to show off her lovely colors.

 A very sad looking and very lonely mini Daffodil was found the other day.  There used to be other but as it was in the yard I dug them up and moved them...the others are just fine but some how this guy got left behind.

 Look at what I found on my Barberry bush.....a sweat looking butterfly.  Poor guy is missing parts of his wings but seems to be doing ok.

Look how close I got. I got to see what he was doing.....taking a drink on my bush

 Want to see what he was drinking from?  Well here you go.  I took a close look when he was done and took this picture....didn't even really know that bush flowered let alone attracts butterflies.

 Continuing on the tour we come back to some lovely Daffodil's.  These two are just so pretty and very different.

 I just love the color contrast.

And for the last stop is my Cherry tree....finally beginning to show off it's white flowers.

It looks like it is shaping up to be a great spring...lets hope that Mother Nature doesn't get in the way.

So as that is the end of my tour head over to May Dreams Gardens and see what others have posted about.  It's sure to be a pretty show.

Good bye 2011 a year in review

2011 was an interesting year.  A lot was  grown and a lot was harvested.  Take a walk with me through Irish Gardens and see what the year was like here.

Colorful foliage was found and pictures were taken in January

 February brought Daffodils into the house

 as well as coke water bottle greenhouses were introduced.

 March brought in sweet n neat tomato's inside the house and.........

......and signs of life outside as the Daffodils began to grow.

 Hosta's began to show off their strips in April....

....and new gardens were created as the others began to be planted for the season.........

......the Greenhouse got a new look and then was planted.

 The front porch got some fresh new color in May after the Rhodadendrun was transplanted by the front porch.....

....flowers were found on the polk-a-dot plant from back in January

 June brings flowering grape buds......

 .....another new garden bed.....

.....and the gardens showing lots of new growth and begun to burst at the seams.

 July shows up with heat and a whole lot of growth in the new beds so a new look was needed.....

.....a few back aches and sore thumbs later it looks a lot nicer...

 ....a new wild herb was found growing like crazy in the back yard.....

.....and the Strawberry Spinach plant began to ripen

 After hurricane Irene in August, large Cucumbers were found growing in the garden.....

.....Eggplant was harvested in multiple sizes.

September came in with new baby spider plants beginning their new life......

....and the chives found them selves blooming beautifully.

October brings in changing leaves and cooler weather....of course this October brought a foot of snow too.

 Novembers abnormally warm weather brings new growth to the mint in the Greenhouse

Although still no snow in December the Holiday Cactus inside is right on time.


Hope you had a nice tour through the gardens.