Will do!
@Satu_TheGreenWitch Seeing how beautiful they are, the whole roses make for nice decorations, be it around the house or on the altar The petals are great for infusions (pick your favorite oil base and youāre good to go!) and bath mixes However you decide to use them, I know they will be lovely for you- enjoy, Satu!
@Ostara Iām so sorry about your purple sage- rest peacefully, sweet plant Thatās great that the others are doing well- and hooray for the booming lemon grass! Are there any crafts you like to use the grass for? Like making husk dollies or crosses, perhaps? Iāve got my fingers crossed that your hibiscus makes it- hang in there, hibiscus!
@MeganB It sounds like your wildflowers are doing great- the local bees are going to be so happy when they bloom! Youāre going to have a lot of buzzy little friends around
Iām hoping so! To be honest, I havenāt seen any bees lately. All I see are wasps, hornets, dragonflies, and butterflies. They can all pollinate, too, but I need the bees!
I wonder if itās a seasonal dearth in your zone? Supposedly thereās a period in the summer (at least here in New England) when the bees have a tough time finding flowers they like to draw nectar from. If so, Iām sure theyāll be thrilled about your wildflowers when they open!
I was interested in the different varieties of bees in my area, so I did a bit of research. It turns out that Florida doesnāt have a lot of the traditional bees that we think of when we think of honeybees. However, Florida has over 300 species of bee, and 29 of those species are only found in Florida! Some of them even look like wasps and now I have to be extra careful about what flying creatures I swat at or kill but I did find a great list of Florida native wildflowers that I need to find!
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/five-facts-bees-in-florida/
@BryWisteria I am going to make a nervine tincture and tea to try out. I have Lemonbalm, Feverfew and mint in my garden and donāt want to waste it. Thoughts?
I am in the process of harvesting my elderberries. I have 2 bushes that are quite large and supply a significant amount of berries each year. Iām also harvesting my monarda. I hang it in bunches around my house and when ours dried Iāll take it down and put it in jars. I use it in tinctures. I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I appreciate that I can harvest the things I need but I definitely do not like the heat of summer. Blessed Beā¦
I havenāt thought of that! Iām going to look into it. Thanks Bry!
@MeganB Whoa- that is an abundance of bees you have there in Florida! The first article looks like a very handy one for anyone who wants to attract more buzzy friends into their garden- since you have a wildflower mix, itās probably safe to bet that youāll have at least a few of the plants on this list! May there be many happy (and friendly!) bees coming to visit you soon to pollinate your plants!
@lisa67 Iām not an expert with feverfew (maybe @Mistress_Of_Herbs has some ideas? She has so many great herbal recipes sheās shared!) but lemonbalm and mint both make fabulous decorations when they are sugared- both are super tasty and beautiful on cookies/cakes/pastries! Both can also be dried and used in tea blends- lemon balm is one of my favorite relaxing teas- my herbalist teacher calls it the āherb that gladens the heartā. Itās great for fending off the winter blues in the cold months.
I hope you can find some wonderful ways to enjoy your gardenās bounty, Lisa- good luck and have fun (and feel free to keep us updated- Iād love to hear what you do with them!)
@Isabella13 I feel you about the love/hate relationship with summer- the gardens are loaded with goodies, but it feels too hot and humid to be able to be out there enjoying them And whoa, you already have elderberries!?! Iāll have to check our small elderflower here- I think itās just barely flowering right now haha. Sounds like you have some great plans- good luck and happy harvest!
@Ostara Youāre welcome, Ostara- happy crafting!
I have rosemary, sage, spearmint, peppermint, gladiolus, rose of Sharon, yarrow, blue corn flower, angels trumpet, honeysuckle, forsythia, Hydrangea, marigolds, strawberry leaf, Crabapple leaf, and 7 rose bushes that all need harvesting
@BryWisteria are u wanting info feverfew (excellent herb btw, especially for all of us who suffer with mirgraines), or are u wanting a recipe of some sort for feverfew and the other herbs for @lisa67
Thank you! Iāve got so many ideas now for wildflowers to add to my garden and backyard. Iām excited! I need to get a sandy area in my garden to allow for bee nests. I just have to figure out how to keep the fire ants out ā those are pesky mean little things
@Mistress_Of_Herbs actually - if you have some information on Feverfew, and 1-2 recipes, I would love to try them.
@Mistress_Of_Herbs Thatās awesome- youāve got yourself a real bounty growing there! Wishing you a happy harvest And thank you, the note about feverfew is for Lisa (who is blessed with an abundance of it this year)- I thought I remembered you talking about it in the past, so I āphoned a friendā!
@MeganB A bee nest! That sounds adorable- is it something similar to the wild bee houses (the ones with bamboo/hollow sticks)? Iāve been seeing them around at garden centers and the like- seems like a really nice thing to put in the garden! (but not for the fire ants- nasty little guys! )
I think so? A lot of the Florida native bees like to burrow, I think. So, theyāll create nests and stuff in hollow places or piles of dry brush. Iāve seen the bamboo houses though and I think I might put one in my garden!
Oh, thatās neat! I wonder if any of the bees here in New England burrow too? I hadnāt considered it before!
Your chamomile is looking great, Alan!
If you want an instant cuppa, you can pinch off the top (the whole flower head), wash it gently, and then pop them into your mug- makes a beautiful tea!
I havenāt mastered the long-term harvest of chamomile yet, Iām afraid- I tried to harvest some a couple years back, but I must not have let it dry 100% before storing or bugs got in or something- it got ruined and I couldnāt use it Havenāt tried again since, and this year we barely have any- our scraggly little chamomile doesnāt look nearly as happy and healthy as yours does!
I did find a follow along video on YouTube about harvesting chamomile that looks good:
Hopefully others who have had more luck with chamomile will have some advice for you too!
Blessed be!
I know Yellowjackets burrow here in WV. I was at camp once as a kid and didnāt sign up to do the nature walk. Got made fun of a bit. Boy, am I glad I didnāt. They walked right into a Yellowjacketās nest and got stung! I was happy to have missed that.
Iām not sure, @BryWisteria, but it might be worth looking into! You never know what kind of buzzy friends you might not see!