Strawberry Bed Refresh
Our strawberry patch is 6 years old now and in need of a refresh. With the redesign of the main garden, they need to be moved to make way for a walkway. Instead of digging up the plants we have to transplant, I decided to purchase new plants.
Since ‘Sparkle’ are our favorite berries, I ordered 50 crowns from Nourse Farms. They are my go-to source for asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, and other soft fruits.
Since the area of the garden where I want to put all the soft fruit is new and the soil hasn’t been amended, we decided to try some of the strawberries in raised beds. I got this cedar from the local mill, I was able to trade eggs for it. These new plants won’t produce berries this year, but we still have the old patch for that. We’re looking forward to lots of berries in years to come.
What’s your favorite soft fruit?
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Look at THIS!!!
The ‘Pizza my Heart’ pepper from Renee’s Garden that I grew in a pot last summer and overwintered in the house is producing peppers like mad. I’ve been harvesting a few peppers each month, yesterday I harvested a big handful to put on pizzas.
I’m going to pop this plant out of the pot, prune it a bit, then plant it in the garden. No doubt, it will respond with delicious peppers in 6-8 weeks. This fall I may dig up a few other peppers and overwinter them in the basement to see how this works on a slightly larger scale. Peppers are a staple in our household, if I can harvest fresh ones for 6-8 months of the year I’ll be one happy cook!
What are you harvesting from the garden today?
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Garden Dreams
Boxwood is one of my favorite shrubs and I’ve always appreciated then clipped into spheres. I’m not sure why, but a box ball has always been something I especially love. Yesterday, I too two ‘Green Velvet’ boxwoods, planted them into huge terra-cotta pots, and clipped them into spheres.
They were already large plants, I purchased them during the end of the season clearance at a greenhouse last fall. I scored the big terra-cotta pots for $4 each on clearance as well.
Now I need to purchase some 16″ x 16″ pavers to put under them. I’ll put the pots up on pot feet on the pavers and they will flank the entryway to the main garden in the back. I was hoping they would really create a more formal entry and be a focal point, drawing the eye to the main entrance in the garden. Even though they’re not in their final homes yet, they are already creating the mood I was looking for. I’ll post more photos when I get the pavers and instal them in their spots.
What fun garden tasks did you accomplish this weekend?
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Friday Favorite: Tree Peonies
Four years ago, I purchased two tree peonies for the garden. I found them at Hidden Gardens for only $25/each, which is a great deal for a tree peony. For the past few years, they’ve been growing and getting established. This year, one of them had 9 buds, the other 4.
I first saw a tree peony in a friend’s garden many years ago. The huge yellow blossoms were very impressive, as was the size of the shrub. After seeing his plant, I did some reading on tree peonies, but never purchased one because they are quite expensive.
I’m quite happy with both of them, they’re not even close to being mature yet. Ten years is the typical time it takes them to become fully mature. Another great benefit of these beauties is that the bees love them. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that these two lovelies continue enjoying the gardens here at Chiot’s Run and bloom for years to come.
Have you discovered any new plants recently?
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Herbal Compress
Last Friday I got bit by a black fly on my eyelid. Fly bites tend to leave me with a ton of inflammation, often the size of a gold ball or larger. That means I woke up the next morning with my eye so swollen it wouldn’t open. Since I had an event to attend on Saturday evening, I was keen to get the inflammation down quickly. After a bit of research, I settled on a mis of: freshly harvested dill and rosemary mixed with some lavender blossoms from the pantry.
It was made into a tea into which I dipped a washcloth. After chilling the washcloth in the freezer, I applied the compress for 10 minutes every hour. By evening, the swelling was mostly unnoticeable. I think dill was the main component in the reduction in inflammation (the lavender helped tremendously with the itching). Five years ago the same thing happened to me and my eye was swollen shut for three days. This time, the compress made a huge difference in the length and severity of the bite. I’m quite happy to have discovered this gem of a compress, no doubt it will come in handy this summer as the deer flies will be out in July. It’s a good thing I always have a ton of dill in the garden!
What herbal remedies have you found work like a dream?
