Make an Herb Flower Sorbet

Make an Herb Flower Sorbet

Another great idea using edible flowers and herbs. I want to try the Lemon Verbena with Pineapple recipe. This is one reason it is so important to garden organically. I don't want chemicals and pesticides used anywhere near my herbs!

   

Meditation music. Japanese garden.

Companion Planting

Companion Planting

Click on the link above for some great ideas!
  
      

Save Green by Growing Green

Save Green by Growing Green

Guide to Eating Flowers

Guide to Eating Flowers

This an interesting article on The Herb Companion site.
I grow flowers just for this purpose!  It really can make a salad or dessert look gourmet!  I have a great book by Rosalind Creasy, The Edible Flower Garden.  I highly recommend it.
   

Spring is Busting Out All Over

  I remember the song June is Bustin' Out All Over from the play and movie, Carousel.  That is just the way spring seems to me this year.  After a very long, cold winter, spring just seems to be so beautiful this year.  The pollen count, however, is off the charts as trees are all blooming at once, so it is a mixed blessing!  But it is hard to complain with all that beauty.

I drove to Maryland at the end of March to visit family, and I took a few photos of a wonderful Japanese park in Brookside Gardens.

I also got a good shot of my granddaughter in a cherry tree...

Now that I am back home, I am planning what I want to add to my garden in front of the Little Red Studio, as well as what to put in containers.  We have some wonderful nurseries around us...Hilltop Farm and Greenhouse in Dover, MO, Vintage Hill in Franklin, MO, and Garden Cart near Alma, MO, are three of the my favorites.

If you are interested in Japanese gardening, here are a few books that might be of interest..


         

  












      














My favorite plants are the Japanese Maples, bamboo, Japanese forest grass, and flowering cherry trees.

I have to say that I only garden with organic products and my favorite source for them is The Happy Gardener.  I have been using their products for three years and I am very happy with Happy Gardener!  If you are interested in knowing more, email me!

Fairy Gardens, Fairy Houses

I have always been fascinated with miniatures and now that fascination includes fairy gardens and fairy houses.  Last year my granddaughter, Savannah, and I created several fairy houses in the desert-like back yard of her home in Tucson.  The first two were made of twigs and sticks, and then with pieces of wood.  The wind blew them over, so Savannah decided to make one of bricks!  That worked.  The furnishings were made of stones.  We had such fun, and then at night the fairies came to visit and left fairy dust behind!
I also have made a fairy picnic garden in a basket.  I created the fairy from pipe cleaners and a wooden bead for her head.  She had an acorn for a hat and a silk flower dress.  The table was a dried orange slice and the dishes were buttons.  There are blackberries (beads) in a basket and on the plates on the table.

For some amazing fairy houses, check out Fairy Woodland and eFairies.com.
If you live near Kansas City, you can learn how to make a fairy house at Red Cedar Gardens in Stilwell, Ks, or buy wonderful plants and miniature tools for your garden.  They have a great shop and a large selection of plants.

That Was Then.....

Last July, the Little Red Studio looked like this.......

Now it looks like this.......

Great Herb Gardening Books

I have a number of herb garden books and the first one I bought was Herbs by Emelie Tolley.  That is the book that inspired me many years ago, and soon I had seven 4' x 8' raised herb beds.   I also had a large cottage garden with perennials and roses.  For awhile I even had a home business based on herbs and perennials....flower arrangements, potpourri, herbal vinegars and many other creations. 





























Now I find it difficult to garden as much as I did then, but I still love herbs.  Now I do a lot of container gardening on my deck and in front of my art studio.  I planted a number of herbs in front of the studio and I plan to plant more this spring.  The great thing about herbs is that they are easy to take care of once they are established.

Now I garden organically...no more chemicals in my garden or pots!  I use products from

The Happy Gardener.