How did this happen? Can it really be August already? It feels like a minute ago the grandkids were hooting and hollering about the last day of school.
I was right there with them, that meant Grammy and Pop could visit any day of the week, not just weekends that were always so hectic with sports and such.
All through July working our gardens were our top priority. My passion was nurturing my rose garden.🌹🌹🌹
Growing roses takes a lot of attention. Just keeping the bugs off them is an early morning chore that is so important to having beautiful, fragrant roses to cut and bring in the house to enjoy.
Japanese beetles have been the worst buggers this year, but with a gloved hand I can easily squish them all in a minute or so. But if you miss just one the rose is gone.
So glad they didn't get this red velvet beauty.
THE HERBS
Since joining #hivegarden @thebigsweed and I have had to coordinate our coverage of "all things growing" in our journals. Didn't make sense to bore our fellow gardeners with repeat info, but also to have a really good accounting of all we grew over our lifetime on the farm. I know my children as well as the grands will appreciate them when we are gone.
If it isn't obvious by now, the hubby covers the veggies and I concentrate on the flowers and herbs.
There's nothing better than a good working relationship. We have been together for so long we can actually read each other's mind. That's a good thing since he can't hear for shucks and my eyes are going. Our minds on the other hand seem to go blank from time to time, like "WHAT DID I COME IN HERE FOR???" OR "WHEN'S OUR ANNIVERSARY??" At our age we can get away with almost anything, we just blame it on CRS Can't Remember Shit syndrome. 😉
Back to the herbs...
I was very selective this year when starting my seeds. We had planned on a scaled down garden as far as how much we would grow this year. We reminded ourselves it's not just growing the food but also all that goes into processing what we grow.
Sweet basil is a must for me, we enjoy it fresh picked, I add it to sauces, salads, fresh mozzarella and the all-time favorite, PESTO.
These pix are from last year's pesto performance.
We grow lots of dill for our pickles. The thyme and rosemary can be frozen and used as needed. I brew herb tea, add a handful of thyme and a dash of honey for colds and sore throat.
The oregano adds so much flavor to sauce, but it also helps inflammation. Can you guess where the chives end up most of the time? Yup, smashed potatoes.
Rosemary is a queen on our farm, she livens up chicken, it's great on oven roasted spuds and gives vegetable soup are nice pop of delicious goodness.
Here's some great health benefits:
Health Benefits of Rosemary
Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
Enhancing memory and concentration
Prevent brain aging
Cancer
Protection against macular degeneration
Improving digestion
Neurological protection
Read more on medicalnewstoday.com
The last plant I want to feature is the Lavender. This is the first time in a while I have put it into my herb garden, I am hoping to harvest a good amount so I can make a few sachets for my dresser drawers, my eyes may be going but my nose knows how to sniff out natures' perfumes.
Now I said earlier that I take care of the flowers, great job, right? Well, this summer has been so hot that the watering of my charges seems to be endless. I just watered all the flowers and herbs yesterday and once I finish my #hivejournal I will be watering all over again, it takes me about 2 hours to get to them all.
This is a sampling of our world in color!
Thanks for this opportunity @riverflows to share with all my hive garden buddies...
See you in September, Yikes!
OMG! Haha! I truly almost fell off the chair! That is a classic FarmMom-ism! :) You are so dang adorable, the both of you! I fell over this post today as I was out camping and got so far behind with no real wifi!
This was bliss going through this, who could ever resist your beautiful garden, especially those roses! Do you know what? I found one Japanese beetle this year! They are usually the bane of my existence, but, you still managed to have some amazing roses!
Le sigh.
You guys are made for gardens! Your herbs are amazing! Basil and Rosemary are my faves, although a dash of mint in my iced tea is always great. I freeze most of the herbs I don't use right away. I dry some too. Rosemary and chicken and even pork are awesome. I grew oregano this year and it did well. I have no idea why I didn't until now.
Your Garden is so beautiful, the sunflowers are smiling! I am taking you home, even though it is late to repost, it is that beautiful.
Thank you. lovely. You are the best! ❤️ #alwaysaflower
@farm-mom I'm sure you know that I only missed this post because it's overwhelming dealing with so many amazing entires and, you know, life. I'm in bed the day before posting the wrap up and I'm feeling overwhelmed with replying to all of you, berating myself for not keeping up with commenting as I usually do. Please forgive me!
Ahaha you two are so cute. You really are a power couple, even in your old age haha (I can say that as I'm getting on as well).
I love the way you share the gardening posts between you and I love teh way you do the flowers and herbs with such passion. As you know, work shared is far easier!
I love rosemary - I thought it was just for memory but it's good for so much more. I love putting it in tomatoey stews and soups, and of course on roast taties! Your roses are beautiful. I meant to plant one but I dont' know where to fit it. I can't even imagine the watering you guys are doing at the moment! ARe you on town water or tanks?
Oh, those roses! They must smell heavenly. Everything looks so good!
Good afternoon my friend, how's it going. I'm sure you have been a busy bee, as we have growing and harvesting. We just finished our first batch of pickles, yum!
The rose garden is my passion this year and they are blooming like crazy; I think we got the soil right, finally, not easy being a framer 😄
Or a farmer... :))
Been playing catch-up after the week of blueberries...
such gorgeous roses
my mum was a Rose grower in NZ, now they are back there she is so happy to be able to grow them again.
I never have enough basil for pesto as we eat it all first... lol
GREAT garden
thanks for the post
Hey there @blingit, thanks for reading my post, nice comments. Roses are awesome that's all I can say. I grow lots of basil so we can eat it fresh during the growing season then freeze it to use over the winter months. Love the stuff.
Enjoy the, ummm? morning, noon or night? hehe
Roses for the win. Oh and the basil for pesto, exactly what I want to try. Here, I can only buy it in can. I want to try that fresh one. Hope I can plant them soon.
Thank you for the kind words. I do enjoy my roses; such pretty flowers and the fragrance is awesome.
Nothing beats fresh basil, love the stuff.
The roses are very lovely, I wish I could also plant those kinds of roses.
Thanks for the comment, roses can be tough to grow in some climates but here in Upstate New York, it's perfect.
Have a great day.
Wonderful post, your love of flowers and herbs comes shinning through on this post kiddo.
In your last pick you caught the dimensions for the location of the septic tank from the corner of the house.😁
I was hoping no one would notice, thanks for putting it out there.
You're welcome!
Lovely roses. Very nice and beautiful. I love your herb garden wow all herbs my favorite ones are basil and rosemary. thanks for sharing your experience. greetings ❤️😊
Hi my new friend, yup, roses are so sweet to grow. It's a challenge for me, they are not easy to perfect.
So happy you stopped by,
enjoy life.
You are very clever to manage it. Happy summer 🌞 Happy flowers❤️😊
The way your roses are maintained, I am in owe! I don't know how you preserve them so well!
Brilliant pic with the basil! I also have some, but probably not enough to make pesto! It's my favourite condiment though, love it in sandwich!!!
Amazing post, I love the effort in the presentation, I give you a A++
Hello lovely! Where for art thou? ❤️
Good morning @dswigle, heyDenise.
I am in a slump, trying my best to dig myself out.
My youngest sister has been very sick, her body is so compromised from a car accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down, that was nearly 28 years ago. I have been taking care of her ever since. It’s a long, sad story, it weighs heavily on my heart.
She has stabilized but I am exhausted and depressed.
She’s a hot mess, seems as soon as I get back home the phone is ringing was some other issue. I live 3 hours away from her.
I have been unable to get back to my happy place, so hive is off the table for now, no reason to depress my friends.
I hope all is well with you, I do miss all my cyber pals.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Lovely - the basil looks so healthy. Nothing better than fresh pesto!! The other herbs and roses are looking great as well.
The basil this year was outstanding, lots of pesto in my freezer, YEAH!
Lovely!!