Dancing with the Butterfly...

     ...Even with all the heat and humidity, the tansy is blooming!  You can tell it is the end of the summer.  That wonderful herbie green fragrance of harvested tansy fills my doorway.  I'm about to create some wreaths with my bumper crop of tansy this year.  That fragrance always makes me think of the festivals in late summer and early fall.  Suddenly my herbie heart leaps for joy as I can finally harvest some of the herbs from my gardens.  If you've been following the blog, then you know what a sad season it has been for my garden this year.  Too much rain, too, much heat.  But I have always tried to make the most of my plant survivors no matter the weather conditions.  Last year was such a good growing year for the garden.  How I miss all the wonderful things that I was able to harvest from it.  But this year I am redesigning much of the garden.  There is always next year, and now is the time to set the beds up for next year's delights.  I've been cleaning up my still room, and deciding what to do with all the dried materials that I have left over from last year.  Some of the dried herbs will be used in wreaths, and some of the dried herbs are still good for making potpourris and dream pillows.  I'm alreading thinking about what I will craft for the holidays.  It would be a good time to start making orange pomanders...I think.  I'm hoping it is not too humid to create them.  Too much humidity could cause them to mold rather than dry out and cure up.  Maybe I will wait a month on that one to see how the weather shapes up.  Of course I could use my electric drying racks.  What to do, what to do! 

         The nastursium are looking pretty good so far.  I've had them in a cluster in a decorative pot along with some golden oregano and some bronze fennel.  I think I'll be transfering everything to the regular herb beds.  It occurred to me that the fennel should be much bigger by now.  Keeping it in a pot has kept it from growing taller.  This is the time of year for the blacktail butterflies to be laying their eggs, and one of their favorite places for that is the fennel.  What was I thinking?!!  Sorry, guys!  I'll get the fennel into the regular garden for you.  It won't take it long to get tall enough for you.  The nastursiums aren't as big as they should be, either.  Maybe I will have better looking ones by September.  Then it will be worth making some herbal vinegars with them. 

      ...The purple coneflower is doing just fine in this heat in Ohio.  I can tell it is August when I see the butterflies flitting all around them.  It was delightful to watch the delicate dance of this little winged beasty enjoying the nectar all to itself.  That joyful sight encourages me to keep gardening even when the weather doesn't cooperate.  May I have the next dance with you, my dear?