Yesterday, in the morning, I started slow and didn't really speed up all day. The first day of summer break should be like that, don't you think?
In the evening, Tim and I picked some more blueberries. The bushes are loaded this year. I'm keeping track and so far we have picked over 6 pounds and they are just beginning to ripen. I put them into containers and freeze them to eat with granola and yogurt throughout the year. There are plenty to eat fresh, too.
The scent of lavender doesn't rank very high on my list. I find it quite astringent. However, a faint wafting of fragrance from the linen closet is very welcome. I make lavender sachets to tuck between the stacks of sheets and pillow cases.
When I cut lavender the other day, I thought I'd make up a couple of pretty bundles and took them to some of my teaching colleagues. The remainder is drying in vases. I don't hang it upside down.
For this year's patio pots I focused on white with some purple-blues. White and pale blue lobelia, white geraniums, and purple heliotrope. I thought it would look cool on hot days.
I hope our hot days are not over. We had a burst of summer weather and now it's chilly. Today it rained. Blah.
Do you plant cosmos? I love their cheerful reliability. They make great cut flowers, too.
I'm always willing to learn more gardening skills, and Jen, who edits Rural Magazine, had a link to a mini-course offered by Floret Flowers. The first of three free lessons arrived this morning and it was all about pinching plants for longer stems and more flowers. Click on the Floret Flowers link to sign up.
I know it's officially summer when the hydrangeas bloom. Common Mopheads are my favourites. This blossom looks purplish, but the bush will likely produce mostly blue in future.
For the remainder of the day, I'll be puttering around house and kitchen. Company's coming! Have a lovely weekend.
Your lavender bundles look adorable, so French! Your white patio plantings are beautiful - happy weekend.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful five. I love your lavender bunches - so pretty. We have more berries on our one blueberry plant this year than ever before:)
ReplyDeleteI have Cosmos on my list for next years cutting garden! We just planted our first hydrangea. It is Endless Summer. I hope it blooms this year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely five this is.
ReplyDeleteBlueberries are one of my favourite fruits.
Lavender, just smells heavenly.
Patio pots look very nice indeed.
Cosmos are great, that's a fabulous colour.
Hydrangeas have always been a favourite of mine.
So all in all a great post which I enjoyed for start to finish.
Thank you.
Have a lovely weekend and a great summer too.
All the best Jan
You are so fortunate to be able to grow your own blueberries! I buy them every week-- they are so expensive but worth it.
ReplyDeleteI love lavender and also dry it to make sachets. Happily, it does well here, and the deer and rabbits leave it alone. I always look forward to see it blooming.
The deer eat hydrangeas and cosmos so I can't grow them but I admired yours today--so beautiful!
When I was a child, my grandmother had me plant cosmos as my first experience in to gardening :) No doubt she knew they were fail safe :)
ReplyDeleteYour garden is filled with beauty. I love the lavender bundles that you made, they are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteThe blue berry photo is pretty enough to frame and the thought of frozen blue berries for yummy healthy snacks is the best. I have been picking raspberries and putting them in the freezer. The birds like them too, so they have been giving me some competition in who gets to them first. Oh, well they have to eat, too :)
Happy 4th of July!
Connie :)
Sorry, I forgot that you are Canadian . . . Happy Canada Day :)
ReplyDeleteI do love lavender but I have to admit, I've never been around an abundance of it growing. Dried is very nice. I think you are just an angel giving the bundles to your co-workers.
ReplyDeleteThe blueberries look wonderful. Wow--you have them growing in such profusion! You must have the perfect soil and conditions. I love them with a dollop of whipped cream and powdered sugar.
Enjoy your summer, Lorrie!
Jane
Enjoy your much earn holiday in such a lovely garden. Amazing blue berries and what a pretty way to use lavender. I love hydrangeas too. We have a few purple flowers this year . Enjoy puttering. Bx
ReplyDeleteYum, blueberries. Your lavender bundles are lovely.Thanks for the link to the flower course.
ReplyDeleteHi Lorrie, All of your plants and flowers look so healthy and well taken care of. I especially admire your beautiful Lavender. Have you made "Lavender Bottles", a European tradition with your lavender.? They are a bit time consuming but so worth it. They release their perfume years later when squeezed. And, when made with beautiful ribbons, make a lovely present.
ReplyDeleteYour lavender looks so pretty! I've tried some lavender teas and desserts and wasn't a fan--too floral for my taste!
ReplyDeleteHappy Canada Day weekend!
I do like lavender and those bundles are gorgeous. I have a big bag of dried lavender that I bought to make sachets but only made a few and that was years ago. Really need to put it to good use. How wonderful to have all those delicious blueberries.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link to the Floret Flowers course. I follow them on Instagram and enjoy their feet. I love your photos of your garden they’re all so beautiful. I really like what you did with your planters with the whites and the blues so pretty and cool looking.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely start to your summer break. I couldn't find any cosmos this year, which is disappointing because I grew some last year for the first time and loved them. However, I do have lavender and I wouldn't be without it. The droning of the many bees which feast on it is the sound of summer for me. x
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are so gorgeous. Enjoy your blueberries and your time off for the summer.
ReplyDeleteSummer and summer vacation looks good at your place. Our blueberries are still green here.
ReplyDeleteHappy Summer! Oh how I love freezing blueberries. I eat them every weekend in my Cream of Wheat. You are so lucky to have your plants. Your flowers look lovely. I hope you get many lovely sunny days. :) Kit
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful five. I like a little hint of lavender and make sachets for the linen, it was a joy to see your little bundles.
ReplyDeleteWe adore fresh Blueberries and Hydrangeas are such a favorite here too. Now then about the Lavender...awe...I adore it. I use it as my fragrance, my shampoo, my hot and cold tea bags, room freshener, linen spray. special sugar for cookies. It's a big world, with so many fragrances and it's funny how one person will enjoy a fragrance, while others may not. I do straight up Lavender, but not with other fragrances to mask the true scent~
ReplyDeleteI'm still catching up from when we were on the road (or in the air) and glad i scrolled back to read this older post. Our daughter sent us home this afternoon with two gallon bags of blue berries from their freezer (and she made us promise to come back and pick that many fresh ones later this week -- a promise I'll be delighted to keep!)
ReplyDeleteHi Lorrie,
ReplyDeleteI haven't visited here in so long, and I do apologize. It's been quiet here this summer, but somehow, life keeps getting in the way of my blogging. :) I so enjoyed these pictures of your flowers and your LOVELY blueberries, my very favorite berry. Your lavender is also gorgeous -- such a rich purple and so healthy looking. I do love Cosmos, but I've never planted it because I haven't been brave enough to try flowers from seeds yet. I'm hoping to do more gardening here soon; goodness knows we need to. Congratulations on the start of your summer break, and I hope you have a good one with plenty of time to do things you want to do.
Have a good week!
Hugs,
Denise