Bloom Where You're Planted...

    ...From fall-like cool temperatures to hot summer temperatures.  Welcome to summer in Ohio.  We aren't seeing much rain so far.  That's a good new/bad news scenario.  Good news for the art shows and all the festivals...bad news for the gardens and lawns.  Already the lawns are showing brown spots while the weeds are thriving.  It looks as though I will be watering the garden areas twice a day.  I don't water grass, so it will just have to turn brown.  At least I won't be mowing every time I turn around.
     While watering some of my garden areas around the house I noticed that I have two evening primrose plants blooming their heads off in this heat.  Why they have chosen to grow in the gravel in the driveway rather than in the flower beds I will never understand.  But, there was a nice surprise for the day when I saw their cheery yellow blossoms beaming in the sunshine. 
     Another pleasant discovery was that of seeing that some of my thyme is blossoming.  I'd like to think I am contributing to the local bees in flavoring their honey production.  My Gray Lady lavender is starting to open its flower buds.  With this hot weather I should be able to harvest some by tomorrow.  The comfrey is blooming.  I chuckle each time I see the comfrey.  Originally I planted it out of rebellion.  Several years ago the FDA had banned comfrey.  It was considered a carcinogenic plant not to be used for any purpose.  Regular plant nurseries were not permitted to sell it.  But rebellious bunch that we are, the back yard her growers managed to get hold of some comfrey through the barter method.  It's not that I actually did anything with it, but it amused me to be a rebel by growing the bootleg plant.  These days this is no longer the story for comfrey.  The German herb growers tested comfrey and proved that there were as many anti-carcinogenic properties in comfrey as there were carcinogens.  The FDA hadn't bothered to test the anti-carcinogenic properties of the plant.  So, now it's legal to have comfrey if you want it.  Currently you will find comfrey used in combination with calendula in salves.  It helps to heal burns and insect bites.  It is still recommended that you don't ingest comfrey.  It could have negative effects on the liver.  But topically used it can have great healing virtue.  So much for my personal rebellion...