Happy August! This blog post is mostly about my garden as I have spent a lot of time trying to keep it watered and keeping an eye on the curious wildlife. Are you savoring the last glimmers of summer and trying to stay steady like all gardeners in general? The name of the plant in the vase is Lisianthus, and is a lovely cut flower.
It's currently hydrangea, dahlia, sunflower and coneflower season in my garden. In the Northeast, it’s been a crazy hydrangea season, with billows of blue bloom from bigleaf
hydrangeas on view everywhere, it seems—which is not always the case in colder
hardiness zones.
If you love blackberry pie as much as I do, you know you have to make at least one pie each summer. This photo was taken before I put the top crust on.
This was a challenge since I was at my camp and only had home grown Hungarian wax hot banana peppers, mint, wild berries growing on our land, chanterelles and sticky rice. It was delish! Next time I will add some mango to the sticky rice. I cooked slices of the banana peppers along with the blackberries.
I am wearing a necklace with garnet that I found while mining in the Adirondacks.
I am a lover of nature, hiking, geology and field trip adventures. New York is one of the first states where mineral collecting became popular, and we have some of the oldest mines in the United States. Now that I have done research, I am finding out that mining for garnet and crystal is addictive. Joe and I are really digging this new hobby. :-)
Herkimer diamonds are double-terminated quartz crystals discovered within exposed outcrops of dolomite in and around Herkimer County and Mohawk River Valley in New York. Crystals possess double termination points. They are 400-500 million years old.
Each summer I look for discounted Proven Winners perennials at Lowe's, and yesterday I found Storm Cloud amsonia for half price. A dear friend of mine raves about hers every spring, and we are overhauling our garden this fall with a new fence and some added plants.
Hope We All Have a JOYFUL safe happy healthy month!
xo
Deb
I see The Fairy with Phlox:) Lisianthus I cannot find here..Hydrangeas are thriving..they usually do but spectac even more this yr..Happy August!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous Hydrangeas!! Love the blackberries plain or in anything!!
ReplyDeleteYou're having a great gardening summer, Debbie! Mine is all about survival. I don't know the plant storm, even in its common name. Looking forward to your new plans and progress. Your rock mining was fun to read about. Glad to see you had a necklace made! I have a friend who is very good at creating jewelry. Shed have a field day with your finds!
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful hydrangeas Deb! The crystals are beautiful, what an exciting new hobby!
ReplyDeleteJenna from the Painted Apron
Such a pretty bouquet! I have been growing Lisianthus for years and it's one of my all-time favorites, even though it needs staking here in our shady yard. The blooms remind me of roses. Your Lowe's find is beautiful also! I wonder how hardy it is? Your new hobby sounds like so much fun. My mother would have loved digging with you. ♥
ReplyDeleteYou have such lovely blooms in your garden Deb. Since moving we've planted hydrangeas and lime lights so I will hopefully have a cutting garden by next season. The Lisianthus looks lovely in the vase, of course I love the vase!. Wow, what a beautiful presentation of your rice dish. I'm sure it's delicious as the blackberry pie as well. Your new hobby sure produced some fabulous stones, love the garnet! Summer is here to stay a while longer, we won't see fall for months. Share yours, maybe it'll help me realize it's on its way. Enjoy the remainder of your summer adventures.......Hugs.
ReplyDeleteDebbie, your garden blooms are gorgeous. I have hydrangea envy! Blackberry pie; yes, please. I love that you embrace these beautiful opportunities in life. The Herkimer diamonds hunts are such a fun hobby. I agree, nature is the best resource for hobbies.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your last days of summer. I'm personally ready to move on to the cooler temps of autumn.
I have so enjoyed seeing photos of your garden both here on your blog and on Instagram. It is so stunning! It brings me joy, and I'll have to live vicariously through you because we can only have a few foundation plantings and container gardens on our property. Good use of your limited ingredients, my friend. Impressive!
ReplyDeleteDebbie, your gardens are fabulous. I adore hydrangeas, however ai don’t have much luck with them. Your garnet necklace is lovely. Blackberries are wonderful. When my children were young, we always picked blackberries and ai made cobbler. Happy weekend.
ReplyDeleteDeb, your garden is so lovely. I am happy to see such beautiful flowers. Blackberries are yummy. My kids and I picked them every August and I made blackberry cobblers and jam. How fun is your mining experience. You two are always up to something adventurous. The necklace is so pretty. Looks like happy summer.
ReplyDeleteYour hydrangeas are just gorgeous, Debbie! Summer is winding down here, and yet there is still so much to love about this season. Your blackberry pie looked soo good! How fun that you get to go on diamond mining adventures! I just love the beautiful one you had made into the necklace! What a fun hobby! Enjoy the remaining days of summer!
ReplyDelete