Sean and I spent a weekend exploring Williamsburg, Virginia during the two weeks we spent in Manteo at my mom’s. It had been more than eight months since Sean and I had had a night away from Harrison so I wanted to take advantage of having help from family to get away for Sean’s birthday. Williamsburg is only a two and a half hour drive from Manteo and I had not been there since I was in college; Sean since he was a kid so we decided to go back. Continue reading
I’ve posted so many photos of our visits to Gibbs Gardens on my social media but not here on my blog. Time to change that. Gibbs Gardens has become a favorite day trip of ours and we have season passes. It’s an hour drive north of Atlanta in Ball Ground, Georgia and is a private garden of stunning beauty with blooms all year round. Continue reading
Ah, summer produce. It’s here in all its glory and abundance. In past summers, I’ve had great success with cucumbers, often having many more at one time than we could eat. This summer is our first one with a garden at our new house, so it’s been a learning experience on what will grow, where the best sun is in our yard, etc. I’ve still gotten quite a few cucumbers from just a couple of plants but they’ve been very small. I don’t think they’re getting quite enough sun but they’re still tasty.
One of my favorite things to do with “too many” cucumbers to make refrigerator dill pickles. They keep in the fridge for a few months (but are generally best within the first few weeks) and are a great snack. I’ve experimented with a few different recipes and have finally put together the one that I think delivers the most crunch and flavor while being QUICK and EASY! Continue reading
After I concluded my summer garden series last month, I thought that I would be done with growing vegetables and herbs until the spring. However, a friend informed me that places like Pike Nursery carry items that will grow in the appropriate season. I was shopping for mums and noticed all sorts of great herbs and veggies and so I decided to plant some for the fall. This time, though, I didn’t do them in pots instead I put them right in the ground. Continue reading
Lavender may not be the first herb that comes to most people’s minds when they start thinking about what to grow, but it’s a beautiful and fragrant addition to any garden.
I like having lavender mixed with other plants in beautiful pots, as well as letting it grow in a planter on its own so I can harvest it. It’s so nice to breathe that lovely, soothing scent when I’m watering the plants. In this final post in my summer garden series of 2013, I’m going to share how to grow and harvest lavender and some ways to use it. Continue reading
There is nothing quite like the scent of fresh rosemary – many in our neighborhood grow it in their yards and I love getting big wiffs of the crisp, pleasant aroma on my nightly walks.
In this post in my summer garden series, I’ll share with you how easy it is to grow this plentiful herb so you can enjoy its aromatic benefits as well as its uses in the kitchen any time you want! Continue reading
Tomatoes are the epitome of summer foods – bright, fresh, versatile and full of flavor, and they seem to go perfectly in every single dish I make this time of year.
Last year, I tried to grow tomatoes in containers on my balcony with no success. I got big plants and plenty of yellow blooms, but no fruit.
I was disappointed, but determined to try again so I’m going to share with you in this summer garden series post what I did differently this year Continue reading
While some of my veggie plants may be struggling with all this rain, for the most part many of my herbs are not. Another food that’s doing pretty well are the chives – which is great for me because I love putting them in just about everything. Their low-maintenance needs for growth are perfect for a container garden. As part of my summer garden series, I’m going to share with you just how it easy it is to have fresh chives on hand all the time. Continue reading