Gardening and Gardens

On a recent trip to Washington D.C., I happened to walk by the American Pharmacists Association headquarters building. I was intrigued by the plants growing outside the building so I stopped to take a closer look. And then I realized it... they were planted with a purpose. All these plants have medicinal and healing properties. From the sidewalk, I could see Yarrow ( Achillea) , Yucca, Coneflower (Echinacea) , St. John's Wort (Hypericum) , Yew (Taxus) and Monk's Pepper (Vitex) . Yarrow (Achillea) is said to be named after the Greek mythical figure Achilles, who used it to stop the bleeding wounds of his soldiers. Today, Yarrow is believed to help with digestion. The plant contains flavonoids which increase saliva and stomach acid. It's also good for treating and managing the symptoms of colds, flu and fever. Yucca leaves and roots are used for arthritis pain relief and joint inflammation. Coneflower (Echinachea) is probably one of the most popular herbs in A...

I am so pleased with my sweet peas this year. I planted them along with string beans and both have been climbing a triangle shaped trellis I put together in a container. The string beans have a few buds on it and soon will be teeming with veggies, but right now the real joy is seeing the different colored flowers of the sweet peas popping up everywhere. I bought a pack of seeds in the early spring that promised a mix of colors. So far, it hasn't disappointed me yet! But even better than the sweet blossoms is the sweet fragrance that comes from them. I clipped a few and brought them inside for a small vase. Even just this small cluster filled the room with a wonderful scent! I'll keep bringing these in as long as I can because the more you remove the flowers from the sweet pea vine, the more blossoms it will produce. Yeah to that!

It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day! Here's what's growing and blooming in my garden this month. All my containers are starting to bloom and fill in. The house faces east and therefore, the front gets the most sun in the morning and midday. Here is a look at what the front porch area looks like: A close up on the flower boxes and containers: The main box is planted with impatiens and geraniums (both from cuttings), morning glories, white bacopa, purple saliva, black eyed susan, yellow zinnia and sweet william. Below the box are two pots containing flat leaf parsley and columbine seedlings. To the right of the box are perennial daisies just starting to bloom and beneath that is the geranium plant I overwintered and took cuttings from this spring. It has just started to bloom and produce new growth. The left box is filled with pansies (still holding on!), impatiens and geraniums, pink pentas, purple saliva, lobelia, morning glory vines, lychnis and white salvia. ...

As I mentioned in my previous post, Mohonk Mountain House Part 1 , the first part of my trip was covered in a dense fog. But by the middle of the second day, the clouds parted, sun shone through and blue skies took over. Mohonk means "lake in the sky" and the Victorian castle is located along Lake Mohonk where rock formations from the Shawangunk Ridge frame the 266-room hotel. According to John Van Etten , the grounds superintendent for the Mohonk Mountain House, the "400-acre estate's natural beauty is emphasized by its many specialty gardens. The landscape features 15 acres of flower gardens, a 3-acre show garden, a memorial rose garden, rock gardens, perennial borders, three cutting gardens, herb gardens, sunken gardens, an aquatic area and an ornamental-grass garden." I especially loved the fern trail which had about 30 varieties of ferns surrounding a winding path. And nestled among the ferns, I even found a few Jack-in-the-Pulpit ( ...

The Mohonk Mountain House is located in the Catskills region of New York. In 1869, Albert Smiley purchased 280 acres of land and a ten-room inn at the heart of a 26,000-acre natural area in the Shawangunk Mountains. Smiley envisioned a peaceful retreat where people could enjoy the beauty of nature in a spectacular setting. What started as a ten room inn and tavern is now a historic New York hotel that can accommodate up to 500 guests.   The gardens are very well known and over the years, have attracted amateur and professional gardeners who come to attend horticultural lectures, demonstrations and workshops. To quote from The Story of Mohonk, "Gardening with Mr. Smiley was dangerously near a passion." Over the years, succeeding generations of the Smiley family have tried to live up to his gardening standards. The gardens reflect the influence of the French and Italian, but mostly English styles of landscaping of the mid-19th century. On the first few days I was there, ...

Sometimes even tree stump and fungi can be beautiful