Capture the flavor of

Tarragon
link to the Herb Companion post about Tarragon

more about French Tarragon

Thomas Jefferson tried to locate and grow Artemisia dracunculus sativa for years after his return from France. His appreciation of French cooking is reflected in this recipe:

Jefferson's vinaigre d'estragon, one quart of partially dried tarragon leaves added to three pints of vinegar for one week. Then, the tarragon flavored vinegar was strained, bottled, and corked.

French Tarragon is prized as the best culinary variety, though you can not grow it from seed. Use cuttings or divisions or, buy a plant from a reputable source. When paired with chopped sprigs of fresh parsley, chives, and chervil, it is the traditional French culinary staple,fines herbs. This aromatic blend enhances the flavors of egg, chicken and fish dishes, and is also used as a basis for salad dressings. French tarragon can not thrive in Texas summers.

My Garden blogging friend Nancy in Texas grows Mexican tarragon (Tagetes lucida.) The plant grows in spring and summer, and produces many small yellow flowers that look like single marigold flowers. The plant is grown for it’s leaves, not the end-of-summer flowers. Mexican tarragon is a hot climate substitute for French tarragon’s anise flavor.
photo: Luigi



Mexican tarragon is also called Texas tarragon, false tarragon, winter tarragon or, Mexican mint marigold. If a seed company is offering tarragon seeds, it’s probably Russian tarragon which is not a good substitute in recipes.









I've received strong, healthy plants from these two companies:

• Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 North Pacific Hwy, Albany, OR 97321, (541) 928-9280.
• Richters Herbs, 357 Highway 47, Goodwood, ON L0C 1A0 Canada, Tel. +1.905.640.6677 Fax. +1.905.640.6641

fines herbes

Make your own fines herbes. Use equal amounts of tarragon, chervil, chives, parsley. Finely chopped and added to a recipe near the end of cooking time.

Herbes Fines are tarragon, chevril, parley and, chives.

How to Preserve Basil

It is my honor and pleasure to blog for Herb Companion.Click here to see How to Preserve Basil .

Basil and heirloom tomato

The volatile oils in basil quickly loose flavor in the heat of cooking. Add basil at the last moment when cooking.

Fall foliage Tips in Missouri

Fall foliage Tips in Missouri


Driving tours in the Missouri Ozarks are filled with the color variations of 140 different species of trees. The fall color season stretches out for weeks because of that timber variety. Begin leaf peeping season with these three steps to get the most out of Missouri’s most colorful season.

1. Be flexible, fall color lasts most of October. Missouri’s wide variety of trees means that trees change color at different times. Don’t worry that it might rain on your tour. You may get some of your best photos in dizzily days. Overcast days tend to increase fall color intensity.

2. Take the scenic route. Practically any drive across the state, east to west to west to east will guarantee you a colorful fall drive in October. You may be able to combine a fall foliage tour with other travels. Schedule a little more travel time for all trips and enjoy the ride.

3. Reserve early. If you are planning a weekend leaf peeping tour, make hotel reservations as soon as possible. Fall is the busiest time in the Ozarks. When you complete your trip, consider making reservations for next year while still at the hotel.

For up-to-date peak foliage reports check out these sites. Weekly Eastern Region Fall Color Report The Forest Service Fall Foliage Hotline telephone number is 1-800-354-4595. (Eastern Region includes Missouri.)

Missouri Department of Conservation follow the MDC weekly foliage report.

Leaf peepers guide to fall color:
Red leaves: Red oak, white oak, pin oak, shingle oak dogwoods.
Yellow leaves: Ash, elm, hickory, poplar, redbud, serviceberry, hickory and silver maple.

These three photos were taken by C. Huff of Bucks and Spurs Ranch bear Ava, MO

Battle of Athens State Historic Site harvest gathering

Halloween spirits in Missouri state parks

More State Parks in the Halloween spirit

Cabela's KingKat Fishing Tournament Sept. 25, 26

Cabela's KingKat Fishing Tournament Sept. 25, 26

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Bloom Day September 2009

Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day in Cape Girardeau, MO USA


















This is the last of the hardy standby rudbeckia blooming.







This is a gifted rose from the storybook series. It's a prolific bloomer, no fragrance, but the color stands out from a distance. I never saw these on the market, too bad because I would buy more. They are faithful bloomers, even gracing the Thanksgiving table last year.




I still have a lot of food crops blooming. "They won't have time to make", as grandma used to say.

This tasty English cucumber is still producing long skinny, thin skinned. cucumbers.

Pinky Winky Hardy Hydrangea or Hydrangea paniculata is growing in a couple of places in my yard, The one that gets more sun does the best. Hiding behind thee hardy hydrangea, is Buttered Popcorn day lily, Hemerocallis Buttered Popcorn. It's a repeat bloomer and the brilliant yellow blooms always get noticed.
About now, I should tell you that I'm using the camera/phone, and I have no excuse for the photo quality, except I can't keep it steady enough for good photos.
Crown Princess Margareta, a David Austin Rose. Once it is cut, the heavy blooms tend to droop, so it not a good choice for bouquets. Still it is so fragrant and lovely, it's hard not to bring a few cut flowers indoors.

Dandelion, (Taraxacum officinale) is a valuable herb with many culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelion is a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Its leaves are often used to add flavor to salads, sandwiches, and teas. The roots can be found in some coffee substitutes, and the flowers are used to make certain wines. In fact it is so ornamental and tasty in salads, that I keep it in most of my gardens and the lawn. It is also an excellent ground cover.

These creamy poppies were a garden surprise, I forgot that I had planted the seed. California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is native to grassy areas, in CA. Here in MO. it must be treated as an annual. But it is beautiful and easy to grow. It is California's official flower and has it's own day. April 6 is California Poppy Day.

Gaillardia Amber Wheels is hardy and some times self sows on my patio. I saved seed last year and planted the seed again this year. It's a hardy flower, still blooming it's little head off. Next year I will grow more of these because the color is brilliant and they have a very long blooming period.

Petunia, Old Fashioned vining, (Petunia multiflora) a fragrant single petunia. Fragrant blossoms from June until after frost. This soft color would go with anything. I hope to collect seed and grow several of these next year. A hundred years ago, it was common in gardens, this is now considered a rare heirloom.

Thank you for stopping by.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Garden. Please visit her site to see other participating garden bloggers.

The Southeast Missouri district fair is ready to go.

The Southeast Missouri district fair is ready to go.

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Granny’s Got the Blight and She’s Got to Go

Granny Cantrell is on her way out.

The story of these rare Granny Cantrell tomatoes is that a soldier brought home the seed when he returned from Germany after WWII. Lettie Cantrell grew those tomatoes from seed every year since the 1940s. It was the only kind of tomato Lettie Cantrell of West Liberty Kentucky, grew.

She grew those “very large and tasty” tomatoes until her death in 2005 at the age of 96. And I’d say that’s proof enough that gardening - especially growing tomatoes, will help you live to a ripe old age.

The sad news is my tomatoes got early blight late this year. The plants will not live a long life, because I’ll be pulling them up very soon. It’s a shame too because this is the first time I’ve grown this variety of heirloom tomato. Today I shared a couple of tomatoes each with two of my neighbors and had one more sliced at dinner. That’s five red tomatoes, thin skinned, with very little core and bright red, solid fruits weighing 13 to 14 ounces each. All of my Granny Cantrell tomatoes weighed in under a pound this year, though I was not trying to grow the really big ones.

If you want to know my secret to growing big tomatoes, I’d have to say neglect is the key. Once a tomato plant shows signs of blight - late blight or early blight, any blight, it will quickly spread to all the tomato plants. I ripped out the first tomato to show signs of early blight, then carefully cleared out any sign of the doomed tomato plant, but the rest of the tomatoes still ended up with the disease. Sure, you could try to blast the plants with chemical treatments, but there really is no practical way to get rid of this soil borne disease.

This year I grew only rare heirloom tomatoes. A lot of those plants are susceptible to early blight. Heirlooms like “Brandywine,” and “Old German” have been around a long time, but the older varieties don’t have a lot of disease resistance.

Plants with early blight slowly lose their leaves. Right now, the infection is not severe, so I am harvesting mature tomatoes. The immature tomatoes are stating to show signs of the disease. Soon, I’ll pull up all the tomatoes and put in a cover crop for the cool season. Next year I will rotate the tomato crop to a different location, probably growing different varieties.

The German Red Strawberry tomatoes are growing in the straw bale garden next to the Granny Cantrell. Both tomatoes are struggling with blight. But for this week, I’ll have more big tomatoes to share and to eat fresh.

The grounds keeper has requested Gazpacho from these last few weeks of big tomato harvests. It's a great way to use a lot of fresh tomatoes and a summertime favorite.

Baker Creek and Southern Exposure sell the seed. Abundant Acres sells the plants. These red beefsteak type tomatoes won "Best In Taste" at the Baker Creek Fall Festival 2006. A rare variety, that can reach 2 ½ pounds.

This is the German Red Strawberry tomato. It needs another day or two f warm sunny weather.

Baling out of the perfect garden dream

The No Longer Secret Garden.

Early this year I announced my bale garden project. The advice of garden expert Rose Marie Nichols McGee has some great advice about bale culture. The Gardeners Pantry Blog is the best straw bale information you can get. Plus there are some very good recipes.

We both got busy with the many things that gardeners do. I neglected the blog entries I had promised because the bale garden was failing and I was away from the garden all of June. At first, the seeds I sowed in the soil atop the bales flourished in the spring. It looked like I would have a guaranteed success. The neighbor was where no where in site.

As the seedling roots reached deeper into the bail, they died or just stopped growing. I was not going to take a picture of this sad failure until I had an answer as to why the lettuce seeds were dieing. I continued to plant beans, cucumbers and summer and winter squash seed on top of the bales. There were no signs of insects on the plants. The seeds that were sprouting then struggling to survive.

The neighbor planted tomatoes. At first, I thought it was a fun and friendly competition because I always win. Not this year.

I planted tomatoes in the bales when the weather got warm enough. The tomato plants did not grow. The neighbor, who had red ripe tomatoes in his garden a full month before my garden, was down right joyful at his success. His success was a bellwether for my garden.

Most insulting of all, he kept offering me tomatoes from his garden. "I've got plenty of 'em," he said.

Then, the natural baling ties began to fall apart. If I had bales with synthetic twine, the bales may have lasted for two seasons. The tomato plants were simply not growing. I finally figured out that the straw had been treated or sprayed with some herbicide. After the seeds got past the top soil on the bales, they started to die very quickly. Even weeds would not grow on the bales.

I abandoned the project, not mentioning it at all in this blog. The tomato plants were just not growing in the bales. A few shallow rooted chard plants grew on top of the bales. In July, the heirloom tomato plants began to grow. And one winter squash plant began growing fast and blooming like crazy. By August, early blight hit all the tomato plants in the garden, and in the bales.

In September, the tomato plants and the lone delicata squash are producing. That is the bale garden at the top of this blog. Because the surviving plants have been struggling all year they are weak and more susceptible to disease. A couple of the tomato plants on the bales aren't even producing at all. Bugs are eating up the few remaining bean plants on the bales, and the squash bugs are in need of some serious crowd control.

Of the several marigolds that I planted surrounding the bales, only two of the marigolds lived. They are growing at about the same rate as the other marigolds around my other gardens. Nothing will slow down the growth of those hardy marigolds until frost.

Finally, I am now getting some good sized tomatoes from the bales. The success will be short lived because of the blight. The bales are slowly imploding, collapsing in on themselves.

The story of the bale garden ain't pretty. Not all gardening projects go as planned. I'm not baling out. The project was enough of a success that I am going to learn from my mistakes and try again next year.

The short, frustrating story of gardening on bales ended by growing with some of my biggest tomatoes of the year.

A first look at The Grand Treehouse Resort in Eureka Springs AR

The Grand Treehouse Resort

The Sanctuary at The Grand Treehouse Resort in Eureka Springs Arkansas.

"Come stay with us and sleep out on a limb tonight."

Nature lovers and Gardeners will be coming out of the woodwork when they see this.

The newest treehouse resort in Eureka Springs was filled to capacity well before the Grand Opening this week. Treehouse accommodations are wildly popular in Eureka Springs Arkansas. When word got out the Frank Green, the Innkeeper at the Woods, was building more treehouse lodgings, the resort filled immediately.

Your best opportunity to be pampered at the Grand Treehouse Resort is to try for a midweek stay. October is the busiest time at all restaurants and hotel accommodations in Eureka. Reservations are filling fast. It’s not too early to reserve a holiday getaway.

Romantic holiday getaways seem even more special snuggled into these luxury accommodations. Eureka looks like a Christmas card during the holidays. All the treehouses are decorated for the season, so it’s a relaxing and uncomplicated place to celebrate any occasion. The Grand Treehouse Resort is adorned with Italian party lights, welcoming you from the minute you arrive.

These are not the kind of tree house you remember from childhood. The treehouses are designed for grownups. It’s a perfect retreat for an anniversary or honeymoon. If a small wedding is in your future, consider this romantic treehouse location.

The luxury accommodations include a Jacuzzi for two, 32" flat screen television, luxury towels and sheets, and even a decadent towel warmer. Rest assured that “All you need to bring is yourselves!” The resort has thought of everything you might want before you even know what it is.

Your treehouse even has home made desserts, juice and coffee waiting for you. There is a wet bar with refrigerator, dishes, utensils, microwave, coffee maker and toaster. All treehouses have gas fireplaces and walk-in showers. (The Swiss Chalet treehouse has an outdoor shower!)

Rates at the Grand Treehouse Resort are the same for all the Treehouses. They range from $149-$165 per night year round, except for October, when rates for all units are $165/night.

The Grand Treehouse Resort, 350 W Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632-8802, 479-253-TREE (8733).

You might also enjoy: Eureka Springs Arkansas, wedding capitol of the south

Treehouse weddings in Eureka Springs Arkansas

Home grown potatoes promised and delivered

I'll Try the German Butterballs again next year, and give them better care.

German Butterball potato weighing in at
9 and a 1/2 pounds.

Seeds of change seedsofchange.com
says, " A 2 lb. order will plant approximately 20 row feet and yield about 15–20 lbs. of potatoes."

Red Sangre Potatoes, Solanum tuberosum, is a tender annual, red-skinned with pure white flesh. Stores well. Maturity: Early-mid season 90-100 days.

German Butterball, Solanum tuberosum, family Solanaceae. First place winner in Rodale’s Organic Gardening "Taste Off." A good choice for roasting, frying and mashed potatoes. Russeted skin and buttery yellow flesh. One of our favorite all-purpose potato. Excellent for long-term storage.

German Butterball were the big producers of the two, but both varieties under produced. The catalog said yields 15-20 pounds.

My yield was about five pounds of Red Sangre Potatoes, Solanum tuberosum

My yield was about 9 and ½ pounds of German Butterball, Solanum tuberosum, family Solanaceae

Potage Parmentier (Potato & Leek Soup) – Julia Child

as a tribute to Julia Child, I will make a pottage - a potato - leek soup and make it my own by floating tiny crusty/roasted potatoes and onion pearls.
- Try fresh dill for garnish.

- The potato is the second most consumed food in the U.S., trailing only milk products.

- The average American eats 120 pounds of potatoes a year. That is almost 365 per person; or a spud a day.

1846 - In 1846, there was a potato famine in Ireland and millions of Irish Catholics migrated to America. The Irish population rose drastically in New York and Boston, and there was an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic and anti-Irish backlash.

Teds grandfather saw those signs NINA- No Irish Need Apply - when he came to this country.

Toasting Southern Illinois

Uncork a great fall getaway along southern Illinois’ Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. By Patsy Bell Hobson Autumn is a wonderful time to explore the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in southern Illinois and experience international influences at several wineries. Cooler weather, amazing fall color in Shawnee National Forest, good food, charming inns and special events combine for a wonderful weekend getaway that’s within reach and your budget. Above: Taste wines with a German influence at Von Jakob Vineyard with a location in Ponoma and Alto Pass. In Title: Visitors can see the vineyards at most of the wineries along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, which was organized in 1995. Deborah Reinhardt Palmer photos The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail was organized in 1995 by two regional tourism bureaus and Alto Vineyards, Ponoma Winery and Owl Creek Vineyard. The region has a federal designation as an American viticultural area. Although 12 wineries can be found along the trail that starts just south of Murphysboro, our sampler tour is an overview of the experiences that wait for you. A little Germany in southern Illinois Enjoy a little slice of Germany at Von Jakob Vineyard or Von Jakob Orchard and Vineyard. Owners Paul and Rhoda Jacobs opened Von Jakob Vineyards in 1997 in Ponoma. The second location, four miles away in Alto Pass, includes orchards with more than eight acres of grapes, 10 acres of peaches and 20 acres of apples. All the grapes and fruit grown at both locations go into the production of their award-winning wines. Taste the German influence in the semi-sweet Honey Mead series inspired by a recipe from Paul’s grandmother. The winery recently received gold and bronze awards for its Cabernet Sauvignon. View the vineyards on a sunny autumn afternoon from one of the comfortable Adirondack deck chairs while sipping a glass of wine. Cozy up to the magnificent fireplace on cooler days. The wineries are open daily year-round. The original location, 1309 Sadler Road, is set off state Highway 127, while the orchard is at 230 state Highway 127. Sip, sleep and sup in a barn Savor Scandinavian-influenced wine and food at Hedman Vineyards, another Alto Pass winery. The wines are made from grapes grown in Gerd and Anders Hedman’s vineyard. This young winery that opened in 2005 has a small but excellent selection of wines. The Peach Barn Café is in a restored barn. It’s your choice to dine inside or outside at tables that overlook the vineyard. The Swedish menu selections–including Swedish meatballs and baked wild Norwegian cod–are made to order, so there may be a wait during busy times, but the food is worth it. Browse through the gift shop filled with authentic Scandinavian art and gifts. The Peach Barn suite is furnished in Swedish décor. Guests may have breakfast in the café, in the room or on the deck. Hedman Vineyards is at 560 Chestnut St., set off state Highway 127. The winery is open daily year-round. Blue Sky’s heavenly wine Anchoring the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda is a great place to begin or end the tour while drinking in a little bit of Tuscany. An Italian-inspired menu also is available. Sip a glass of Framboise, an excellent port wine to enjoy after dinner and especially with chocolate. James Ewers and Barrett Rochman opened Blue Sky in 2005. Visitors can enjoy an overnight here as the winery has two beautiful suites furnished with a queen-size bed, phone, mini refrigerator, and television with DVD player. Ask for a tour of the wine cellar with the winemaker when you stay at Blue Sky Monday–Friday. Live music is offered on Sundays, and the winery is open daily year-round. Blue Sky is set far back off a main road, about 14 miles from Giant City State Park and state Highway 13. For travelers using a GPS navigation system, type in the town of Anna instead of Makanda for best results. Kite Hill Country Kite Hill Vineyards and Winery with its distinctive southern Illinois flavor rounds out this short tour. The winery’s Chardonel, a dry white wine, consistently sells out. “It has a very smooth feel,” said owner Barbara Bush. “Last year, we had an abundance of grapes, more than we could possibly use. Local Amish jelly makers made our extra wine grapes into Chardonel jelly. It’s been a big hit. We sell a lot of it.” Two lovely guestrooms are available at Kite Hill. Make reservations soon because autumn weekends book quickly. Bush gets up early so guests will always have a freshly prepared three-course breakfast and just-baked afternoon snacks. The winery, located at 83 Kite Hill Road in Carbondale, is open during the fall from Thursday–Monday, with weekend hours from December–March; appointments may be requested for additional hours. Wine Down Fridays features local musicians and free appetizers with the purchase of wine. The rich soil of southern Illinois lends itself to the subtleties of grape production, and the worldwide influences of the vintners add to exploration of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Patsy Bell Hobson is a contributor from Cape Girardeau, Mo.	Sept/Oct 2009 Issue BEFORE YOU GO The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail Fall Festival will be Sept. 5 and 6 in Cobden and features wine, food, music, artisans and more. For more information about wineries and inns along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, visit www.shawneewinetrail.com. Visitor information is available through the Southern-most Illinois Tourism Bureau, (800) C-IT-HERE (800-248-4373) or www.southern mostillinois.com. To visit southern Illinois and the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, first stop by your nearest AAA service office for maps, reservations, TripTiks® and TourBook® guides. Order free information about Illinois through the Reader Service Card, found online at http://midwest.ai-dsg.com RELATED ARTICLE Super Collector California native and born promoter found a home for himself and extensive Superman collection in southernmost Illinois.
By Patsy Bell Hobson Southernmost Illinois is home to several exceptional bed-and-breakfast inns that will make your Shawnee Hills Wine Trail experience special enough to repeat every year. Hummingbird Hollow Bed & Breakfast (877-515-8105) is one of the most relaxing bed-and-breakfast retreats you’ll ever visit, thanks to innkeepers Dee and Harlan Browning. The inn is at 31317 McDaniel Road in Tamms, Ill. At Hummingbird Hollow, it’s just you and hundreds of butterflies and dozens of hummingbirds in a quiet hideaway retreat. You don’t have to go to breakfast–it’s delivered to your front door. Later in the day, a fresh baked treat–such as peach or blackberry cobbler–will be delivered. The ice cream is already in your freezer. Dee will provide you with wine trail information and maps. She always knows what festivals and celebrations are going on nearby. A fall package called “A Splash of Color” ($190 plus tax) is available Sept. 1–Oct. 31 and includes a private whirlpool bath. Sit around a campfire and enjoy the star-filled sky. There’s a full kitchen here, as well as a barbecue grill available to guests. Once you check in, you may not want to leave this paradise. Windy Hill Acres Inn (618-893-4065, www.windyhillacresinn.com) is a rock potato house that dates to the 1880s once used to store sweet potatoes by farmers waiting to ship their crop to Chicago. It was remodeled into a five-room home with a deck, and owners Bob and Carol Nebughr in 2003 opened it as an inn. The house is in Cobden, Ill., at 830 Bell Hill Road. It has two bedrooms, a full kitchen that includes a breakfast area, living room with fireplace and a country view that makes this quiet little retreat feel like the country house of your dreams. Continental breakfast is included, and guests can bring food to prepare their meals and spend the weekend in undisturbed seclusion. Rates are $75 plus tax per night for one bedroom or $130 plus tax per night for two bedrooms. Windy Hill Acres Inn accepts only checks or cash. Check in to a private cabin at the Boars Nest Bed & Breakfast (800-440-4489 or 618-833-6100, www.boarsnestbb.com) in Shawnee National Forest. There are five cabins, including a honeymoon suite, and all include a private wraparound deck, full kitchenette, private bath and a Jacuzzi tub. A continental breakfast is brought to the cabin. Room rates are $85 to $125 per night plus tax. The cabins are in Cobden at 1304 Kratzinger Hollow Road.
By Deborah Reinhardt Palmer One of the joys of travel is discovering tucked away treasures and interesting people. These opportunities are plentiful along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. On a recent two-day trip, I found two treasures that are too good to keep to myself. Historic Bell Hill Many residents of Cobden and surrounding small communities know about the house on Bell Hill. This lovely Southern home dates to the 1850s and has endured fire, the passing of time and owners, hard luck and plenty of good times. I wish I could speak to this house to hear the stories it might tell me. Bell Hill’s original owner, James Bell, made a fortune in timber after the Civil War. The home’s current owner, Julia Todd, is a gracious woman originally from Kentucky who works as an interior designer and operates the inn with the help of her son, Todd Suwana. Julia and Todd live at the house, which gives an overnight here the feeling of visiting one’s favorite aunt. There are four bedrooms, each beautifully decorated with antiques or reproductions. Yet the inn is not at all pretentious. Instead, there’s a gracious comfort offered to guests. Whenever possible, original items to the home–such as the coat hooks found in the upstairs ballroom bath–can be found in various rooms. The ballroom suite on the third floor can accommodate a traveling group or family with ease. There’s a king-sized bed and three twin beds. Interesting items are tucked in the rafters of this floor, including remnants of a leather trapeze once used by a pet chimp kept by former owners of the house. During the Bell family’s era, the third floor was used to en-tertain guests during lavish parties. Grant’s Suite is an elegant room for couples that includes a large bathroom with a balcony and whirlpool. Gen. Ulysses Grant stayed with the Bell family at the house. Two rooms–Miss Bell’s and Metiney’s (Julia’s daughter)–have feminine charms and private baths. The Todd Parlor, also on the second floor, is a quiet place for reading or playing cards and opens to the large balcony that has a splendid view of the valley. It’s a great escape with a bottle of local wine and a few good friends. Walk the grounds and enjoy the gardens and vistas. Although it’s not accessible to guests, the old barn, Julia said, contains carved directions to Chicago and is believed to be a part of the Underground Railroad. A full Southern breakfast is served in the sunroom–the newer addition to the home that replaced a failing back porch. We enjoyed coffee, milk, juice, bacon, cheesy eggs, toast, fruit and chocolate chip pancakes on fine china. Julia is a lovely hostess and a joyful woman who can tell you about area shops, markets and restaurants. She operates her inn with love, care and gracious expertise. Historic Bell Hill is on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail just off U.S. Highway 51 on Bell Hill Road. Rates are $150 per night and include the full breakfast. A sign at the entrance identifies the driveway to travelers. For more information, call (618) 697-0326 or visit www.historicbellhill.com. Darn Hot Peppers With the dozen wineries, several orchards and good restaurants, the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail is a great food lover’s destination. Not far from Historic Bell Hill is Rancho Bella Vista, home of Darn Hot Peppers. Gerardo and Carol Jimenez grow a variety of peppers–from jalapeno to habanero–at their farm and sell pepper spice mixes, salsas and jellies at a small store on site. Their products also are available locally in Makanda at Bill’s Country Store, as well as in Springfield and a few farmers’ markets. Items are also available to order online. Using sustainable agricultural methods, this small business delivers big flavors. The special reserve chipotle salsa, one of the bestsellers, uses smoked jalapenos and mirasol chiles. It pairs nicely with a Sangria from one of the local wineries or a Margarita. Carol said the jellies often are used as glazes for grilled meats or in salad dressings. A note to neophytes: Watch out for the habanero honey as the sweetness is soon followed by the hot pepper’s kick. The Web site has several recipes, and there are free recipes at the store in Cobden. Gerardo, a former state employee, and Carol, a former teacher, didn’t originally plan to spend retirement growing a pepper business. “But we’ll keep doing this as long as it’s fun,” she says. See more of the farm, sample the products, enjoy food and music at the annual Pepperfest on Sept. 5. Darn Hot Peppers is about three miles south of Bell Hill via U.S. Highway 51. Turn right on Vines Road off Highway 51 and the farm will be on the right (827 Vines Road). For information, call (618) 893-1443 or visit www.darnhotpeppers.com.	Todd Suwana and Julia Todd welcome guests to beautiful Historic Bell Hill in Cobden. Deborah Reinhardt Palmer photo
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Pink purks

Pink
Pink
Pink

I don't think of pink when I think late Summer/early Fall blooms, but these caught my eye. I did not deliberately combine the two plants, but they caught my eye this morning for a couple of reasons.

1. My flowers on the deck in containers have been badly neglected and under appreciated all season. Still they have survived and are blooming on just for the sheer joy and happiness they bring to those who have appreciated then - the hummers and butterflies, and neighbors on the North side of the house.

2. It's a great flower combo and a happy accident. The Clematis 'Hagley Hybrid' is a survivor, living three years in a container, yet to kind a permanent home in my garden. Zinnias are a favorite garden stand-by that come in most every bright color, spark up a bare spot (or empty pot) and butter flies love them. The pink zinnias just happen to be last zinnia blooming. They came in a mixed color packet of seed because I don't normally choose pink flowers.











There pink zinnias are hardy and late blooming, I'll collect some seed and plant them again in the spring. If I had given them more attention, zinnias are a cut and come again flower, so I would have had even more blooms.

Potatoes and carrots

Potatoes and Carrots stew on this:

Both varieties are beautiful. and they are just the right size to make potato salad and roasting with meats and vegetables.

Seeds of change says, " A 2 lb. order will plant approximately 20 row feet and yield about 15–20 lbs. of potatoes."

I grew two kinds of potatoes.

Red Sangre Potatoes, Solanum tuberosum, Tender Annual - It is red-skinned with pure white flesh, and can be harvested early for abundant amounts of round, medium-sized tubers that are best prepared as creamed potatoes. Stores well. Maturity: Early-mid season 90-100 days. A 2 pound order of seed potatoes will plant 20 row feet and yields 15-20 pounds.

And, German Butterball, Solanum tuberosum, family Solanaceae First place winner in Rodale’s Organic Gardening "Taste Off." A good choice for roasting, frying and mashed potatoes. Russeted skin and buttery yellow flesh. One of our favorite all-purpose potato. Excellent for long-term storage. 100-120 days. German Butterball were the big producers of the two, but both varieties under produced according to seeds of change predictions.This is their photo. I'll have time to weigh and replace the photos tomorrow or the next day. I am not holding the Seeds of Change potatoes as guilty. Potatoes haven't been sorted and weighed they are out in the shady yard curing. There will be one more taste test and potato evaluation. But, for now I just wanted to let you know that there was little disease. They might have produced more heavily with more rain and a bit more compost. Who is to say? More later with my own photos.

BLAH
BLAH
BLAH
Potato History:

Used by the Andean Indians for at least 2,000 years before the Spanish Conquest, the potato was introduced to Europe by the mid-16th century, and reputedly to England by the explorer Walter Raleigh. (Genus Solanum tuberosum, family Solanaceae.)

An obligatory lecture:

In Ireland, the potato famine of 1845, caused by a parasitic fungus, resulted in many thousands of deaths from starvation, and led to large-scale emigration to the USA. This is why you should always grow certified organic potatoes.

I'm telling two tales today, potatoes and carrots because this was my work out yesterday.

These are pale carrots I thinned and pulled to early. I though growing them in the light soils mix in the felt container, I was sure to have straight and beautiful rainbow and purple haze carrots. The squirrel kept digging the seeds up. So I grew the felt container under the wire basket you see in the back ground. I see that though the carrots are not nearly as log as the container is deep, they since the bottom and have started to ball up on the end.

They are not ready to be harvested, but it was good that I could this these few carrots. I might try this method again with the chorter carrot next year.

I tried two methods of growing potatoes. Some in raised beds. And these in the cloth containers. I was disappointed in the harvest amount, but it sure was easy harvesting - dump the soil upside sown and your potatoes spill out with the soil. They grew at about the same rate and were ready to harvest when the raised be potatoes were ready to harvest.
The taste rest and keeping ability will be another test, but for now, I believe I'll try the German Butterball again next year.

Fragrance

Garden Royalty

Crown Princess Margareta, has loads of fragrant roses in late spring, then a few more continue to bloom, except in the hottest of summer. And, now there are even more light blooms that will continue till frost.


This little bloomer has many, larger flowers in spring. The roses are neatly-formed rosettes of apricot- yellow.

It is thriving in what I thought would be a temporary location with poor, rocky soil. But, it blooms where it was planted. So, the princess has found a permanent home. Each year, the top soil around the rose it gets a layer of leaf mould and compost. And because it is surrounded by asphalt on three sides, it always has a heaping helping of water-saving wood chip mulch.

In the spring, there are so many golden yellow/apricot blooms, it perfumes the garden air.

The blossoms last month were petite and looked like miniature roses. Occasional blooms will appear now through the first frost. Blooms are just under 3" across.

Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and was an accomplished landscape gardener who, together with the Crown Prince (later, King Gustavus VI Adolfus of Sweden), created the famous Swedish Summer Palace of Sofiero in Helsingborg.

David Austin Roses are a favorite of mine. After fifty years of rose breeding, David Austin's English Roses combine the form and fragrance of old fashioned roses with the repeat flowering of modern roses. They are very easy to grow, healthy and reliable. I have very little disease problem with David Austin roses.

Find David Austin roses at Jackson & Perkins

Kehdes Barbecue a local favorite in Sedalia

Kehdes Barbecue a local favorite in Sedalia

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Bloom Day August 15 2009

Sun lovers and finches find the chocolate centered sunbursts irresistible. A stiff, upright annual or short-lived perennial native to the eastern United States, but has become endemic throughout North America. The Black-Eyed Susan is probably the most common of all American wildflowers.

Bloom Day
Bloom Day
Bloom Day
The biggest and most successful of Bloom Days is well past. Our Gardens are in the various stages of fruiting and reproduction. We bring fat, full baskets of beans, squashes and cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and herbs in every day. There are even more loads of corn and peaches from the farmers markets.

So the success of our gardens is more this month than blooms - it’s the fruit. Next month it will be the groaning pantry shelves filled with these fruits of our labor and the drying seeds.

These floppy hydrangeas are beautiful and long blooming I suspect if it were moved to a sunnier area they would not be so droopy. Because they are so big, they can fill a large vase, making for a very dramatic table centerpiece.


Buttered Popcornn, one of the earliest bloomers this year, is still producing these big brilliant blooms.









Old faithfuls, these marigolds were off to a slow start but are thriving now in the hot August sun.Marigolds are planted along the flower border and in the vegetable gardens.


These rare heirloom vining petunias are doing well in the shade of the cucumbers and squash. They have added a delicate blooms to the trellis all summer.












Tomato production has been limited by the early blight. This is the second summer with limited tomato harvest. Though there are still blooms making more tomatoes, so we will see whether they have time to make before the first frost.

Left to do:
Plant another crop of green beans, some turnips, dig the potatoes.

I am going to break up the bales that I used in my garden experiment. growing on bales is a good sound idea and I will try again next spring. A number of unfortunate circumstances have limited the bale garden success this year. More on that later. (the tomato above is growing in a bale.)

Parsley

Common parsley, Petroselinium crispum, a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae) I never grew parsley as a biannual before. But this year the parsley came back and took off on it’s mission to reproduce seed in the second year.

It’s grown as an annual in my garden both as a food source to butterfly caterpillars and some of my favorite recipes. Snip this leafy stalk-like herb close to the ground and begin clipping on the outside edges of the bunch. Cutting parsley like this will encourage new growth. Keep pruning parsley all season. Usually parsley grows to about 12 inches tall in my garden the first year.

This second year, I just left the plant to grow a second year. It grew about three feet tall before blooming and setting seed. Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars which are black, green and yellow caterpillars feast on parley. So I always plant a lot of parsley. Parsley is slow to germinate from seed. Be patient, and keep the soil moist. Parsley leaves are very high vitamin C content. They also contain vitamin A, B1, B2, Calcium, Iron, and anti-inflammatory flavonoids.

I’m collecting seed this year to plant next spring. I’ve always purchased seed for growing both curly and flat leaved varieties. When I have a lot of fresh parsley, I tend to use it more. One of my favorite summer recipes includes loads of fresh parsley, mint, and tomatoes.

Really, it’s not good unless you have fresh parsley.

Recipe for Toubli is here:
Tabouli Salad and Lemon Thyme Couscous

Straw bale bed and breakfast in Southern Illinois

Straw bale bed and breakfast in Southern Illinois

August 13, 1:22 AMOzarks Travel ExaminerPatsy Bell Hobson

Truth window showing that our room REALLY IS made of straw. photo pbh

Green living is more than a commitment at home.This new Southern Illinois green bed & breakfast is getting a steady business simply by word of mouth. The Makanda Inn is an energy efficient small retreat and B&B.

Makanda Inn incorporates both high and low-tech methods for minimizing its impact on the environment. Most impressive is the straw bale wall construction which provides energy efficiency and insulation. Mikanda Inn supports several local farmers and artisans. Much of the spectacular art is from local artists and craftsmen.

The seasonal breakfast menu showcases natural ingredients broth organic and sustainable when available. Breakfast this morning will be strawberry French toast for the six guests staying at the inn.

On the way are a natural swimming pool, outdoor musical performances on a to-be-built stage, a hot soaking tub and hiking trails. Makanda Inn is landscaping now and although the Inn looks like it is under construction, it has been occupied by the owners for about a year.

Guests hear about the b&b’s four completed rooms by word of mouth. If you would like to enjoy the early stages of what promises to be long term commitment to our community, check for availability on the Makanda Inn website.

The fall promises to be a busy time for the Inn because they are in the heart of the Shawnee Wine Trail. It’s the kind of harmonious retreat where guests tend to return and consider the Inn a private getaway.

Mikanda Inn is growing and changing everyday, keep up with their progress at the Mikanda Inn website. Southernmost Illinois Touism Bureau has the most uptodate information about fall events and festivals. For more information about the area B & Bs,Shawnee Wine Trail links to a B&B website.

Makanda Inn, 855 Old Lower Cobden Road, Makanda, Illinois 62958, phone: (618) 697-7929.

Makanda Inn is not yet handicap accessible, but will soon be accessible in good weather.

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Up On The Roof

Roof top garden grows on Springfield Brewing Company

How do you get out there to take care of the plants? I asked.

“I just open the window and jump out.”

Not many gardeners will jump out a second floor window to water their organic garden, but Kevin Mackey at the Springfield Brewing Company does almost everyday.

“We can offer our customers fresh organic food specials, and other wise, this roof top is just wasted space.” Mackey, who is the manager at Springfield Brewing company, harvests fresh produce daily from his crop of pickle buckets and wine boxes. "I just saw an opportunity to make use of some unused space on our roof and to do something environmentally friendly with it."

The container garden is great example of recycling, Springfield brewing company is reusing the 26 five-gallon pickle buckets and 8 wooden wine boxes from the restaurant.

I noticed the sun-ripened taste of a fresh tomato on a salad served just moments before our roof top tour. Real gardeners just know that distinct, earthy flavor of home grown tomatoes.

Springfield Brewing Company features a huge menu, as well as award winning hand crafted ales and lagers.

The Pretzels and Cheese appetizer ($5.25) of three soft Bavarian pretzels served hot from the oven with queso and Santa Fe cheddar ale is a perfect accompaniment in the search for your favorite beer. The loaded pizzas are hot and topped with original and fresh toppings. A perfect appetizer to share, or make it a meal. Pizzas are a good value ranging from about $7 to $9.

If your mom actually cooked, then the made from scratch, Mom's Mac & Cheese, $8.25, is sure to win your heart. Brewing Company serves a big bowl of giant shell pasta tossed in an alfredo sauce with four cheeses and topped with toasted garlic bread crumbs. Add chicken for $2.50, Add Broccoli for $1.00. This is not the blue box macaroni and cheese food.

Because Mackey is willing to jump out of a window everyday and grow some of the Brewing Company’s produce, there are occasional special organic dishes that are not on the regular menu.

For example: lucky diners were recently offered "An "Organic Vegetarian Pizza" made with fresh ingredients from our roof. We also have used many of the items as ingredients in our specials. For example, we offered a basil cream sauce on our tilapia with basil from our roof and a jalapeno cream cheese on our chicken sandwich with jalapenos from our roof."

If beer is not your thing - and we have heard of such people - the food at this brew pub is fresh and the service is prompt. Should you want to learn about their fresh beers that change seasonally, the Brewing Company offers a sampler of six of their most popular beers. Once you find a favorite, they offer carry out in 6-Packs and cases, 6-Packs: $6.99 each, Cases (4 6-Packs): $25.99 each.

Fresh, locally grown food and sustainable marketing only happen when customers ask for it. Customers are willing to pay for tasty and healthy, locally produced food. Tell the Brewing Company you appreciate the fresh food. Start asking other local restaurants to buy locally produced foods. Savvy restaurateurs are listening.

Springfield Brewing Company 305 South Market Street, Springfield MO, 65807, Phone: (417) 832-8277 One block west of Campbell on Walnut.

Fried Green Tomatoes

These 2-4 ounce Matina tomatoes start producing before the big beefsteak tomatoes and keep on fruiting until frost. No need to pick them green.



Too Many Tomatoes?


This tomato vine broke under the weight of so many tomatoes. The solution for that is fried green tomatoes.

You know I never get tired of talking about America’s favorite homegrown vegetable. I always thought fried green tomatoes were the finale to a tomato growing season. Not so, I learned when I started growing the big heirlooms.

Fried green tomatoes are what you do with tomatoes that haven't ripened by the first killer frost of the season. They are a fall food. Or so I thought until I ended up with a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. To keep the tomato laden branches of the plant from snapping under the weight of its bounty, remove several tomatoes that are green. So as not to waste food, make fried green tomatoes using the basic recipe.

This year, I “oven fried” them, which I liked even better. Spray a cookie sheet with oil, place the egg and flour dredged tomatoes on the cooking sheet, not touching. Lightly spray the tomatoes, then broil or bake. Turn the tomatoes over and brown the other side. Watch closely. They will burn fast once they start to brown.

Prepare fried green tomatoes like you do pan fried squash or okra. Slice, dip in an egg and milk wash. Roll in a cornmeal and flour mixture with salt and pepper. Double dip and dredge, repeating the process for crunchier fried tomatoes. Fry in a light oil (canola).

There are a million variations, but this basic recipe will get you started on a seasonal treasure from your garden. Aunt Betty uses Japanese Panko bread crumbs and buttermilk, uncle Jim adds a pinch of cayenne. Brother Mark insists of a side of Ranch Dip. My secret ingredient is a smidgen of garlic salt. So, add a secret ingredient and make this recipe your own.

These are Carbon tomatoes. The flesh is solid and very complex. I think it is one of the best black tomatoes.

Pruner Evaluation and TMI

Prune with Care

I found a pair of perfectly good pruners under an old rose bush today. This is what I know about the pruners.

Home maintenance is costly. Landscaping is dangerous work. It takes six hours to get emergency care when you are bleeding.

OK. HERE IS THE PROBLEM. My husband pruned the tip of his finger off. We went to the ER. The hospital stopped the bleeding. My husband lived. Then, St Francis hospital charged us $961.40. But we have good insurance, GEHA. The insurance company paid the hospital $664.84 and the hospital agreed to call it even.

WE GET THIS NOTE from the Insurance company: The allowable amount is the negotiated amount. The disallow amount is the discount and is not the patient responsibility.

Sadly, uninsured people, who really CAN NOT afford insurance, would have to pay the $961.40 to stop the bleeding when they cut off their fingertips. That is not right.

Insured and uninsured alike have to wait six hours in the waiting room. “That’s called triage,” the desk clerk explained.

I did get to know several people in the waiting room. About six of us were slowly moving away from the waiting room patient in the wheel chair when she woke up and burst into coughing and hacking fits, then she drifted back to sleep. The roll of toilet paper that the hacker used as Kleenex kept falling out of her lap when she fell a sleep. Security was the only person who would get close enough to pick up the toilet paper, even when it rolled across the floor.

One embarrassed mother, who was possibly hard of hearing, kept talking in her outdoor voice; presumably to cover up the noise from her screaming baby girl who was annoying the folks that had come to the St Francis waiting room to watch Dancing With the Stars. The two women, who had been neighbors "since our kids was little", knew who was going to win Dancing With The Stars. “Oh yeah,” one said, “ these things are rigged. From. The. Beginning.” “ Just like that oil cry sis hoax in I ran and Is real,” her friend nodded.

There was a mother and son who brought, comic books, paperbacks and what looked like dinner for four from the nearby fast food restaurant. Even though it was an emergency, they had time to go through the Steak n Shake drive-through on their way to the emergency room. “We know the drill,” said the mother. “We been here Lots of times.” her son said. “Asthma.” She said, poking a french fry his way, “He’s got it bad. Had it since he was three years old. Uh huh. I had to get rid of the dogs and everything.” Pointing the shake at him, she said, “His daddy has never paid a cent of child support since then."

So, anyway, my husband is much better with power tools than he is with hand tools. I received two pair of pruners from a tool company to try out before I wrote about them. I suspect the pruning accident happened because my sweetie was in a hurry. A gust front had just blown in and we were about to get some rain.

That’s when he found me. I put my pruners in my pocket and tried to stop his bleeding. Really I was trying to see how much of his finger was missing. Even with all my Red Cross emergency first aid training, I thought it best to get to the ER.

That was last spring. The note from the insurance company came this week. Today, while I was mulching, I found a pair of pruners under the rose bush. It was the pair my sweetie dropped when he snipped off the tip of his finger.

While this is not much of a tool evaluation, I’d have to say the pruners are still remarkably sharp, and haven’t rusted even though they have been outside, laying on the ground for four months. I don’t want to say the brand name because this fine lawn and garden tool maker does not deserve to be associated with digit disasters. On their web site, they have a newer version, so I’ll just wait and tell you all about the new pruner.

In summary, always use the best garden tools. “A clean straight snip across the tip of a finger is much easier to repair,” the surgeon told me. (These Loop Handle Bypass Pruners are comfortable and easy to use. Remember what my mother used to say, "It's a tool not a toy.")

And finally, whether you have insurance or not, we definitely need a better health care system in rural America.

TOMATO ABUNDANCE

Getting close to tomato taste test party time.

I was speechless when I discovered two of my first ready-to-pick tomatoes had been ravaged by a squirrel. It's too painful to show you the gruesome sight of half eaten black tomatoes, so they are in the compost pile now.

I am on the verge of Tomato Abundance. I know it is time to pick the tomatoes because this morning a squirrel ate the very tomatoes I intended to pick today. These big black tomatoes are Carbon tomatoes.

I admit to holding off for another day because usually, the first tomato that I pick every year should have waited one more day to achieve sun ripened perfection.

As soon as I started grousing to cousin Bob about these darned tomato eating squirrels, he shot back this email:

"SHOOT THE SQUIRRELS AND HAVE SQUIRREL AN DUMPLINGS."

Just my bad luck that I traded in my squirrel gun for an elephant gun this week at Bass Pro in Springfield. (Bass Pro really does have elephant guns - I've seen them. But they don't take trade-ins) Admittedly, there is a very short safari season here in swamps of Southeast Missouri. I digress.

Tomato Stuffed Squirrel may even be a healthier dish. Well, for me, not the squirrel. The squirrels around here have a healthy vegetarian,organic diet. This diet keeps the squirrels fit enough to outrun me. I tried not to cuss a blue streak in the garden since the tomatoes are already blushing.

Carbon tomato won a taste test of 10 heirloom tomato varieties at Cornell Research Farm. Black/Purple tomatoes are becoming more popular for the home gardener and at the farmers market. Every year I try a different black variety. The Carbon tomato is out producing last years Cherokee Purple in quantity and size of fruit.

This is one of the heirloom tomato plants from Abundant Acres. Since they grow more than 325 heirloom plant varieties, I'm writing to them requesting information on squirrel resistant tomatoes.

I want to tell you about one of the standouts in the front garden. Frankly Scarlet from All American Daylilies. A day lily that is not to be ignored, with 4" diameters and sun-fast red blooms standing tall above the dark green foliage.

Being a day lily enthusiast, I have quite a collection. Even though the blooms only last a day, the plants produce several blooms, lasting for weeks. With so many varieties blooming at different times, there is a day lily of some type blooming in the front garden all summer long.

Day lilies require little care once established, but demand attention for their brilliant fade resistant colors. This Frankly Scarlet gets a little late afternoon shade. And, who can't appreciate a bit of shade during the heat of Missouri summers?

Lawn and Garden Products that Work

On my blog, Oh Grow Up!, I promised to tell you about the LEHR Eco Trimmer that I won at the Spring Fling in Chicago. We have a one acre lot, which loosely translated means, hours of trim work every week spring to fall. A few of the other sponsors at SF09, included some old friends like Renee's Garden, Garden Shoes Online and Troy Built.

That's my sweetie in the front yard using the propane EcoTrimmer by LEHR .

THE PITCH

Beginning with the propane powered Eco Trimmer, LEHR is committed to our customers, their neighborhoods and the environment. Everything that carries the LEHR name is designed and developed to be cleaner, greener, and more user friendly than comparable products on the market.

The PRODUCT

LEHR products truly stand by their commitment to be cleaner, greener, and more user friendly.My husband, was eager to use this trimmer as soon as we got home from the Garden Bloggers in Chicago.

With the first use, I noticed it was a lot quieter than his gasoline powered trimmer. Start up time is faster and less messy with the Twist and Go propane tank than mixing the gasoline and oil.

Since he was the actual product user, I’ll quote Jeff.

“It has more torque, it’s quieter and a canister of propane lasts longer than a tank of gasoline on my old one.”

And then, he said, “I don’t know how you want to say this, but the LEHR trimmer wasn’t smokey or smelly and it did not give me a headache, like the old one.” That was perfectly clear to me, so I’m reporting exactly what the user said.

I am a retired environmental educator, so I’m always suggesting environmentally friendly products as we replace old equipment. Jeff has to be convinced. “If it’s not broke don’t fix it,” he’s quick to say. But this time, when he tried the Eco Trimmer he changed his tune. Jeff has two working trimmers, but he always reaches for the LEHR. Sorry to be tardy in my letter of thanks for this superior product, but I wanted to see which trimmer he would reach for when he had a choice.

He chooses the LEHR Eco Trimmer, every time.

Thank you for the beauty

I love the Ozarks and I have no complaints about spending time in my hometown, Branson. My camera is filled with images of flowers, container gardens, and Ozarks landscapes.

So, it was a nice surprise this morning when some of my flowers came to me via email. Neighbor Bill sent photos of some of the blooms along with this note, " Thank you for the beauty."

It brought a tear of joy and surprise to my eye. So, I'm sharing a few of the photos with you.This is Summer Valentine. With pink blooms, a magenta eye and picotee edges. From All American Daylilies http://www.allamericandaylilies.com/


This double day lily was here when I moved in. It is beautiful and best planted in masses. The blooms don't last long or repeat and I don't know the name. It requires little attention, but when it blooms this bright orange day lily is not to be ignored.

The hummingbirds love this petite heirloom gladiolas.Bright red trimmed in a slim edge of silver, beautiful up close or tucked in a cutting garden. A favorite of mine, there is no such thing as too many Atom glads.
http://www.oldhousegardens.com is my gardening secret.

I have great neighbors.