The making of a new plant

Making baby plants is fun.  Kids will love it.
Here we have 2 kinds of mint that I placed in water 2 weeks ago.  About 4 days ago roots began to grow and now they are longer and more of them.  It is an exciting way to make baby plants.  Not only is it fun but also produces a bigger plant that starting one from seed.

In this picture I took a Japanese Maple and a Hydrangea and placed them in water.  Just over a week later the Hydrangea is sprouting roots all over.  In fact it is doing so well that it has begun to bud....yup this newly made baby plant is only 2 weeks old and is about to flower.  Starting from seed it would take sometimes over 2 years before you see flowers.

Not all perennials will root in water, and some won't even root.  But taking a cutting of your favorite bush or tree and seeing if it does is fun and can be very rewarding.  I still can't believe that the Hydrangea rooted in just water....

Have you every made baby plants?

HEGT - June 2012

A few days late but here we go....it's time for the June edition of the Harvesting Edible Garden Tour.  Every month on the 21st (supposed to be anyways) we gather together around the blog table and read what everyone is harvesting that month.  Since I started the Farmers Market I harvest herbs every week and this month the 21st landed on Market day.  But that doesn't mean I didn't take pictures of what I was harvesting.....so fresh from the Market here is what Irish Gardens harvested this week.....actually all month.

Ok so the Rhubarb I didn't harvest all month just Thursday.  From left to right the herbs are:
Sage
Mint
Dill
Rosemary
Lemon Balm
Chocolate Mint
Marjoram
Chives
Oregano
Basil
Rhubarb

So what do you have that you can harvest in your garden?  Any veggies out there?  Add your post to the link below so others can visit and see whats harvesting around the blog table.

GBBD - June

Ah yes it's that time again when Carol over at May Dreams Gardens host this lovely event called Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  A day where we all post about what is blooming in our gardens.  A day we get to see what is blooming in other gardens all around the world at all times of the year.  I would like to take you on a blooming tour of Irish Gardens now.....see what we have blooming today:

 The lilies have started to make their beauty and presence known in the front yard.  Pretty in pint these guys are big and bold.

 In the butterfly garden the first of 8 different Butterfly Bushes has begun to bloom as well.

 More lilies showing off.

 And add to that the day lilies have begun to open up.

 Still in the front yard but in the Rose garden we find but of course the Roses.

The morning sun shining on a newly opened rose makes for a lovely start to the day

 Right next to the Rose bush the 4 O'Clocks are still doing their blooming thing and showing off their yellow flowers.

On to the side of the house or also known as the driveway garden the Hosta's have decided to come out and play the blooming game too.

 A few mixed zinnia that still need to be planted have decided that even though they are becoming root bound and are craving some water they will bloom for me too.

 And into the heart of Irish Gardens we go.  Starting in this years bean and pea garden.

This Marigold decided to grow from a seed that some how was missed in the fall clean up....so the seed lasted the winter outside.....weird.

 Continuing our tour we head into the Greenhouse and see whats going on.
Anyone want to take a guess as to what this flower is of?  Many don't see it....it's lettuce.  Yup in case you didn't know if you leave the tops of lettuce alone long enough they will flower and produce seeds....

 Behind the lettuce is Echinacea showing off their pretty flowers now too.

 Here is another one that not many folks know about.. Marshmallow.  Pretty delicate flowers with purple pollen.

Leave the onions in the ground too long and this is what you get....I am wondering what happens now.

And finally we stay in the greenhouse for our last flower for bloom day....Dill


Hope you enjoyed the tour and come back again.  Leave a comment....let me know how many of my flowers you knew what they were before reading.  Be sure to stop by May Dreams Gardens and see what others have blooming this fine bloom day.

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.

Harvesting Edible Garden Tour

Welcome one and all to this months edition of the Harvesting Edible Garden Tour.  Its time to show off what is harvesting in your gardens.... especially if it is edible.  For me it was once again time to give my greenhouse herbs a hair cut.  Granted most of these herbs that I cut are going to my Grandmothers but hey they still needed to be cut.  So on we go with the tour -

Here is a picture of all the herbs I harvested together.  But would I ever just leave it like that and not tell you what they are?  Of course not.....so on with the tour.

 Ahh the smell of Dill.  This stuff is getting quite tall in the green house but I have to cut less often because there is only two plants.

 My Oregano....also getting tall and smelling oh so wonderful.

 My herb.....yup Melissa officinalis also known as Lemon Balm.  Not as tall today but again the actual reason for cutting was to give some to my Grandparents.

 Parsley.....making a wonderful come back after the oh so mild winter....this one was not planted in the greenhouse so the hair cut isn't as often.

 Hard to see I know but Rosemary's smell isn't hard to miss.  I love this smell don't you?

 Winter Savory.....yea yea I know it's not winter anymore I should plant some summer savory.  I will not to worry but hey this guy is growing so well why would I not cut it.

 Mint.  My old stand by for always being ready to harvest.  I have some variegated mint in there too.

 Another faithful herb that is just about always ready to harvest is my garlic chives.  This cutting came from one of my sets that is not in the greenhouse.  But there is lots more where this came from.

 A favorite for anyone who gets my herbs seems to be this guy.  Any guesses?  Chocolate Mint.  (Did you guess right?)  Yet another herb that always seems to need some trimming.

So what can you harvest from  your gardens today? Post about it and join the tour to let others know.

Harvesting Edible Garden Tour - February 2012

It's the 21st again so that means it's time to show off ours harvests.

 Today we bring you the always interesting dill.  It looks so much like little tree's as it is growing

But as this little tree looking plant grows up to harvesting height and age the flavor and smell comes out.

So what is harvesting in your garden?

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.