HerbnArts

   ...Like a dusting of powdered sugar, snow brightened an otherwise grey day as Christmas time rolled around.  Seemingly no one was ready for it to be Christmas.  Here in Ohio we seem to need snow for it to be time for the approaching holiday.  This year's weather was like no other year.  It was warm and there was no snow.  It's hard to have snow when it's 60 degrees.  But then we had few inches of snow. Ah, now the Christmas shopping could commence.  But that didn't last long.  The temperatures rose, the rain washed away the grungy-looking snow and holiday preparations were put on the back shelf once again.  This was one year that shopping on the internet was a plus.  Who had the energy or inclination to actually go shopping?  Usually I craft my gifts.  This year I was greatly uninspired. I need snow!  As I grow older I get more like my mother about holiday preparations.  She always said she could manage to celebrate after December 25th.  Maybe we could manage Orthodo

   ...The hurricanes blew through both Texas and Florida leaving flood waters and the need to start again as cleaning up and starting over were the main activities in those and surrounding states. Those of us living in Ohio only suffered a small bit of rain and hot weather that we just are not used to experiencing. But fall and all the festivals has in spite of the unseasonal heat wave arrived. Cider is still being pressed, apple butter is cooking, and the hint of autumn is everywhere. The crunch of dried leaves on the ground is an early reminder that the trees are about to do their annual color display.  September is nearly finished and the hints of Halloween are creeping in.  Le Petit Jardin is still cranking out its herbal harvest.  I have managed a few herbal vinegars in this miserable heat. A friend's daughter-in-law allowed us to harvest her bounty of hydrangea blossoms. With enough flowers for at least three wreaths, I shall be making one of those wreaths for the generous da

   ...So, what did you do on the first day of summer?  I celebrated the day by hanging my wind chime.  I thought it would be the perfect act to kick off the summer, but that plan flopped miserably.  Who would have guessed it was going to turn cold with high winds strong enough to take down my ancient wind chime.  It is the last week in June and I am donning sweaters and jeans in order to stay comfortable in the 60 degree weather we are experiencing in Ohio.  In spite of that setback, I still prefer the cooler temperatures.  Le Petit Jardin must prefer it as well from the huge plants it seems to be producing this year.  I  need more larger-sized pot.  Everything is virtually crawling out of their pots in this cooler summer. No doubt it is due to the copious rains we have  experienced. There is nothing like rain water to make a garden grow...      Art season is upon us much faster than I can imagine this year.  Everything is whizzing by so fast these days.  Already the Boston Mills Art

     ...The French have word for it, il pleut.  It sounds much like one spitting out chewing gu, but that rather describes some rainy days. Reminiscent of the canals of Venice, the gutters and streets of Barberton are full of water racing to somewhere, but not fast enough to avoid creating small rivers and lakes all over town. At first, the kid in me wants to go outside to splash in all that liquid fun, but the I remember that I don't own any rubber boots. Note to self: must buy some Wellies.  Looking at all that water I realize that I have come into this wet season totally unprepared for the challenge of the slog.  Though I do have a couple of umbellas and a wonderful rain hat that makes me look like Wilson, the neighbor from Home Improvement who always stood behind his fence, I still have no proper slicker or boots.  One would think that as a gardener I would already have all the right gear for slogging around in the wet and the mud, but,alas, I do not.  Now the challenge is to f

HerbnArts: Le Petit Jardin :      ...April showers have proven to be the joke for the beginning of the month. One moment it is sunny and dry, the next there is a cloud b...

     ...April showers have proven to be the joke for the beginning of the month. One moment it is sunny and dry, the next there is a cloud burst that would make Noah' s knees knock together for fear of a reprise of the last big rain.  The great greening is underway here in Barberton.   All the dead winter grass is giving way to a fresher appearance as emerald green returns to local landscapes.  I have been inspecting Le Petit Jardin for signs of herb life.  So far my chives are perking up and the anise hyssop is in the lead as they get bigger by the day. Ever faithful thyme is filling out as it gains color.  The lavender is showing modest signs of life from its winter grey dry stick phase. Meanwhile, inside my kitchen my little seedlings are rapidly becoming plants that will soon be hearty enough to replant into their own pots. So far, I have fennel, marjoram,  chervil, and catnip starting up. I'm not sure why the lemon balm didn't make a go of it, but I will sow more seeds

...Half way through February and it finally snowed.  We have not had much snow in Ohio this year.  There is something not quite right with mid-winter Ohio being devoid of snow.  That being said, today was a good day.  It snowed. I found myself able to write, to plan for spring gardens, to take photos...as I said, all is right with the world...        How many of you harvested your  sunflowers  and dried the petals and seed heads for creating  sunflower potpourri? Already I am realizing that I should plant way more sunflowers this spring. Recently I stumbled across a bit of information about the Great Sunflower Project (www.greatsunflower.org) that is a worldwide effort to help the bee populations of the world to survive. We need to help them be providing food supply for them by growing sunflowers as well as other nectar producing flowers and herbs in our gardens. Even bumble bees are struggling to survive. The hybridizing of many flowers has actually decreased viable food sources for

...A few flakes here, a few flakes there. So goes January here in Ohio.  It has been a wet month in the Buckeye state.  Normally we would be up to our tail feathers in snow, but that is not the case for the beginning of 2017. Most of us are wishing we had received inflatable rafts for Christmas. Though we have had some sunny days, for the most part it has been gray and dreary. There was one bit of encouragement for me when I caught sight of the spring seed displays beginning to appear in stores. It was a light at the end of a very gray tunnel. I was inspired enough to begin planning my herb gardens for this spring.                                                           Last year's plan for raised gardens of containers full of glorious herbs never materialized. As last summer showed itself to be a drought year, I abandoned the idea of enlarging my Petit Jardin. It took a lot of water just to maintain the plants I did manage to cultivate even though many of them were considered d