June Happenings

Written in mid June (Poster is lax!):

Like everyone else, we got a late start in planting this year.  After several days of marathon planting, we finally got everything in before the spell of rainy weather saved us the effort of watering it all.  Timing meant a lot, because some things got a good start and really look great - tomatoes look excellent and all our plants have flowers.  A baptisia that was unhappily transplanted looks settled in.  Calendulas are already blooming and parsley has made a nice clump.  However, pepper plants look the same as when we planted them and the basil is just sitting there waiting for some warm weather.  You have to take what you get with the weather, and luckily, something is usually happy.

With the slow start to spring, I barely got done planting and boom - it was time to start harvesting and drying.  All of a sudden there were roses and lavender to dry.  Also harvested a round of the early culinary herbs - tarragon, lemon balm, some mints, oregano and savory.  Of course, right after I put them in the racks to dry, we got all the wet, humid weather.  No sense in even checking for dryness.  In humid weather, things reabsorb moisture from the air.  On a dry, less humid day I'll give everything a little time in the dehydrator to remove the last of the moisture and then store the thoroughly dry herbs.

Most of the lavender I'm drying for bunches this year.  With all the cutting back I did to revive my lavender, I figured I wouldn't have a lot of flowers, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how productive they are.  Should have enough to make some lavender wands too.  Don't forget to pick lavender in bud, before the individual florets open.

Poppies were beautiful this year - especially "Coral Reef" which has big flowers with pale pink petals and the bark, blue-black center.  Poppies go dormant (go away) after they bloom, but cut back other blooming perennials like Jupiter's Neard, some salvias, catmint and hyssop for a second round of blooms.

Coming soon to dry - yarrow, red gomphrena and love-in-a-mist seed pods.