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Abelia! A May/December Romance

Abelia

Ahh Abelia … I love the fragrance, I love the look of the flowers, I love the butterflies and bees it attracts. What’s not to love about Abelia? I have talked about this great shrub before.

It has gotten so much bigger since my first post a few years ago!

I was so fascinated by it that I had to find out more info. Now, I see them everywhere all over the landscapes of the South. They are ubiquitous, and I never noticed them before having the pleasure of caring for one the former owners of out house left behind on the sunny corner of the back deck.

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Oregano Harvest

Oreganoblog

I heavily harvested the overflowing oregano several times last year, and there seems to be even more this year. I love drying this herb for use later. I cut it with scissors, rinse it under cool water, then let it dry before I hang it upside down inside paper bags to dry.

A member of the ever versatile mint family, this plant is hardy and handy in the kitchen. I add dried oregano to so many recipes. I also grew rosemary and lots of lemon-lime basil that re-seeded itself in my raised bed. My favorite is always the lavender though, which has been very happy since I moved it from a container into the bed. It is now nicely nestled between the rosemary and oregano.

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Summertime Catch-up

rosesblogThis rose bush had trouble this year. The leaves fell off several times, but they came back and then a few roses would bloom. The picture above was taken in May. There was another cycle of blooming in late July, and I noticed yet another bloom on the small, scraggly looking rosebush last week. The weather is still quite warm here, and it seems like the cool fall temps are a little late this year. I eventually cut the entire bush way back several times, because most of it seemed dead. I couldn’t figure out if it was a pest, or some natural occurrence, or a lack of something the plant needed.

I have not posted in several months, but have been collecting photos. I will make a few more cool posts from my garden this summer. It was sort of an off season this year. I did not plant any new seeds, but tended some plants that re-seeded in my raised garden bed, and in my compost pile inside the “Earth machine” .  I have enjoyed cherry tomatoes all season that came from seeds that started themselves in the composter!