The photos below show brightly colored tomato blossoms. I’m looking forward to the first tomato sandwich of the season.
Next, is fennel. I love how the sprouts of new leaves resemble a caterpillar from a distance. Fennel, besides its culinary uses, is also great for medicinal purposes.
Passion flower, or as it’s known in the south, “may pops”, are a delight to grow. Technically a weed, it is the only flower that the gulf fritillary caterpillar will dine on. For this reason, I grow them. Of course the resulting flower is unusual, and fun to photograph. I love the tendrils.
This onion was planted last summer. I actually planted many, in hopes of a large harvest. All of the onions perished in the heat. This one, however, survived, the hot summer, and our unusually cold winter. I won’t harvest this onion, as I affectionately call it, “my blooming onion”.
Spinach, not only did Popeye enjoy the wonderful vegetable that is rich in antioxidants, but we enjoy it too. My nine year old son and I absolutely love spinach smoothies. Nothing better on a sweltering hot summer day.
Sage, also known as salvia, has a wonderful feathery texture. I use more of it around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, in cooking, however I also like to burn sage. While I don’t go to the extents listed in the link, I do enjoy the fragrance.
and lastly, Lavender. This is quite possibly one of my all time favorite fragrances. Lavender has many medicinal uses. I like to collect the tiny buds, and let them dry, you can then add them to tea mixes, your bath, even make soaps, if you so desire. I enjoy watching the bumble bees, in the summer, work their pollenating magic.
There you have it… a brief glimpse into where I enjoy spending whatever pockets of spare time I can find. I have many other plantings, in our various gardens, but these are some of my favorites.
Until next time………
