The Spring into Summer growing season in this part of New England is short. Starts late and ends early, while elsewhere folks have their first buds and shoots, there is often still snow on the ground here. All the more reason to make time to appreciate the fleeting garden bounty. Living adjacecent to a state forest on the Connecticut Massachusetts state line, on a rocky landscape with a river that crosses the property in two places, provides a favorable foundation for Perennials. Power plants of choice when it comes to great garden growers. Hardy, consistent, reliable and beautiful. Faithful flowering friends. Enjoy the recipes below which are simple ways to savor the garden in homegrown handmade style.
Echinacea is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the Daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called Coneflowers, and it is only found in eastern and central North America. This purple perennial thrives in open wooded areas and attracts all species of butterflies! Leave the seed heads after bloom and you’ll also attract songbirds such as goldfinches. Of course this plant is good for us humans, too, with many medicinal properties. Discovered by the Indigenous people of the Great Plains, Echinacea has been used as an effective herbal remedy for over 400 years. The flowers, leaves and roots, are used to make various concoctions, with the roots containing high concentrations of volatile oils, whilst the flowers and leaves make powerful compounds used for immunity. I dry these flowers and hang them indoors tied together for peaceful healing vibrations.
Calendula, also known by its common name, Marigold, has always been my favorite plant in the garden, for good reason. It produces beautiful flowers from seed in midsummer until frost, attracting honeybees, bumblebees, and other pollen and nectar-seeking insects, as well as hummingbirds. In Spring I plant an heirloom Calendula Seed Mix from Hudson Valley Seed Company to enjoy Summer window box flowers, and end of season garden projects. Our earliest memories of plants, whether from childhood or later in life, become the roots of life-long relationships with plants. Calendula is that plant for me, as it reminds me of my grandmother, who was an extraordinary organic gardener and plant whisperer. Calendula has accumulated an extensive reputation through myth and magic in every part of the world that it is found. And people across different cultures have built very similar relationships and medicinal uses with it. I gravitate toward including Calendula in smudgestick creations to use in the same way folk and native medicine healers do.
Additionaly, according to Witchipedia, Calendula is associated with the Sun, symbolizing love and constancy, thus great in wedding bouquets. It is the traditional he loves me he loves me not flower and is used for love potions. Marigold wreaths are said to keep negativity from entering the home. Also, dried petals make an excellent aromatic addition to dream pillows. From the Hamptoms to homemade. Try this green witch kitchen 3-ingredient skincare miracle, Calendula Plant Milk. Inspired from New York’s Naturopathica, made with skin-loving Calendula and Oats to leave the face feeling fresh.
- 1/2 cup organic oats
- 1 ounce dried calendula flowers
- 8 ounce distilled water
- 4 ounce bottle with spray atomizer
Combine the Calendula Flowers and Oats in a French press. In a small pan, bring distilled water to boil and pour distilled water over Calendula Flowers and Oats. Let steep for 10 minutes, plunge and let cool. Pour into a bottle and cap with spray atomizer. Spritz face liberally and often, even on the go. Keep in refrigerator for added soothing benefits.
Yarrow is a recognized as region-friendly flora in the garden. There’s a reason so many plant people are called to the herbal path by Yarrow. It is truly one of our most ancient plantcestors. Yarrow’s symbolic meaning is traditionally associated with healing which originates from Ancient Greek mythology. Always a smudgestick staple from my garden. Smudge Sticks are bundles of tightly wrapped herbs and flowers that are dried and then burned to cleanse an area. Native Americans traditionally burned bundles of white Sage and herbs in spiritual ceremonies. These customs and rituals were highly religious and performed for a variety of reasons. They make a fabulous garden project to craft for home use and gifting to mark meaningful occasions. This is a deep and beautiful way to connect to the plants in your garden. It requires quiet time and connection to still your thoughts to focus on the plant you will use, and for collecting and choosing feathers and special stones and beads for its creation. As an intuitive and spiritual process. Always ask the plants for permission to harvest. You will be guided accordingly. Give thanks to the plants for sharing their medicine and energy with you, and leave an offering behind.
June & December Forest Green Fern Herbarium Journal. Inspired by Italian Botanical Garden Herbariums and designed to be a keepsake for generations. Pretty linen-covered journal to preserve personal collections of pressed specimens, and memorialize the garden, year after year. Made with high-quality card stock to best save botanical finds. For observing, studying, and remembering what makes them special. Features patterned inside cover details. And printed pages to label, journal, sketch or take notes. For the artist, academic, adventurer, and artful collector alike. They also make a one-of-a-kind heirloom Flower Press and travel-friendly Pocket Press To-Go. June & December design studio is an independent maker of sustainable gifts that tell the wild stories of Nature.
It’s hard to imagine the New England Spring garden without the scentational aroma of Floribunda Roses. Roses are the cornerstone of beautiful gardens here and around the world. June’s birth flower is the Rose. And it’s not surprising that Rose shrubs are often at their very best this month, but many types will flower from late May through early Fall. The Rose has been a symbol of beauty, love, and passion for thousands of years, and it remains true today. Growing Roses can be demanding or carefree. Roses are shrubs of many forms, available for every blooming season and in various colors. Knowing Rose classifications helps understand growth habits and climate preferences.
- Old Roses, also called Old-Fashioned Roses and Heirloom Roses, are the lush, invariably fragrant Roses in old masters’ paintings. Hundreds of Old Rose varieties, whose hardiness varies, provide warm and mild climates choices.
- Modern Hybrid Roses, are sturdy, long-blooming, extremely hardy and disease-resistant, and bred for color, shape, size, and fragrance. The Hybrid Tea Roses, with one large flower on a long cutting stem, are among the most popular hybrids.
- Species, or Wild Roses, are those that have been growing wild for many thousands of years. These Wild Roses have been adapted to modern gardens and usually bloom from Spring to early Summer. Most species of Roses have single blossoms.
Besides smelling wonderful and looking pretty, Roses are super soothing to the skin. Of course, the scent of Roses also helps you relax and can uplift your mood, with inherent therapeutic benefits. Rose Sugar Scrub is a great way to carry on the backyard beauty tradition with handcrafted self-care and old-world style gifting. Coarse brown sugar is often used for scrubs for its exfoliating properties. Sugar scrubs off dead skin cells and in turn helps skin to look bright, refreshed, and smooth. Coconut oil is used for this recipe because it’s easy to find, and becomes a solid oil when the temperature is below 76 degrees. And makes the recipe easy, with less messy to use results because it holds shape well.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic coarse sugar
- 1 cup organic coconut oil, room tempature soft
- 1/2+ cup fresh rose petals, torn into smaller pieces
- 10 drops of rose otto essential oil, optional
- mason jar
Directions
Layer ingredients in the jar starting with the coconut oil, followed by Rose Petals and top with sugar. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy this natural spa-inspired scrub in the shower or bath, depending on the kind of experience you desire having. Rub gently on the skin and rinse well. Also makes a lovely seasonal gift adding a fabric jar topper, some rustic twine for that country cool apothecary vibe, with a custom made with ❤️ tag.
An important feature of all Nasturtiums is their edibility! Nasturtiums’ leaves, flowers, and seedpods have a peppery, almost mustard-like taste, which makes them lovely as a garnish in salads. There are many varieties of Nasturtiums, which are divided into two main types: trailing or climbing typesand bush types. As their names suggest, the main difference is their growth habit, with trailing Nasturtiums forming long vines and bush Nasturtiums remaining more compact. These plentiful plants, with their unique greenery and vibrant flowers, grow well in containers or as ground cover around vegetable gardens. They are also a favorite of pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, and their pretty fragrance makes them a good choice for cut-flower gardens, too. Nasturtiums are grown as annual plants in most areas, though you can get them to perennialize in frost-free zones.
Scentsational Summer Salad Recipe. The garden season isn’t complete without a fresh and colorful, easy-to-make go-to salad. Grow organic gorgeous greens in your garden at home with some pretty edible flowers like Pansies, Violets, Nasturtiums and scented Geraniums, to make this simple, stunning and scentsational salad in different variations.
Ingredients
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves
- 4 cups oakleaf lettuce leaves
- 1 cup field greens
- 1/2 cup garlic chive flowers
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. peeled & minced fresh young ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup safflower oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 12 nasturtiums or other edible flowers
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach, oakleaf lettuce, and chive flowers. Toss gently to mix and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, ginger and garlic. Add the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly until the vinaigrette is well blended. Season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the greens and toss to mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the nasturtiums and other edible flowers. Serve immediately.
Northern Cardinals bring additional splashes of color to the backyard garden. Cardinals are year-round residents in New England, and their cheerful caroling can be heard in almost every neighborhood and farm. The male northern Cardinal is unmistakable, thanks to his rose-red plumage, pointed crest, and black mask. The female Cardinal has a more subdued fashion sense, preferring pale tan and brown with a few rosy accents on the crest, wing, and tail. Both sexes have the same heavy, bright orange bill. Feel so blessed to have cared for several families of Cardinals throughout the years, helping them weather the seasons and storms, as they live and breed in my forest. Symbolic signs appear in many forms, but the Red Cardinal has long been embraced as the most notable spiritual messenger who has been sent by our loved ones in Heaven to watch over us. To this day, Red Cardinals are one of the most common spiritual signs people recognize and receive.
In this neck of the woods, we are fortunate to also have Owls that find habitat in the forest that surrounds us. Northwest Connecticut is known for being home to this beautiful and elusive bird. In fact there are 8 Species of Owls in Connecticut: the Barn Owl, the Barred Owl, the Eastern Screech Owl, the Great-Horned Owl, the Long-Eared Owl, Northern Saw-Whet Owl, the Short-Eared Owl and the Snowy Owl. Their excellent camouflage and secretive nature of roosting in dense woodlands plus only being active at night, tends to make them hard to see and find. Nothing is more memorable and powerful than spotting one or two of these beauties, and hearing them converse at night, to make you feel part of a majestic counsel of feathered friends. Many Native American tribes believe Owl serves as a bridge between worlds ~life and the afterlife. Owls are eternal teachers that represent the energy of wise elders and ancestors who have previously walked the land. If you see an Owl, it’s a sign to pay attention, tap into your intuition, and connect to the spiritual world.
Bloom Where You Are Planted (1 Corinthians 7:20-24). Summer is the best time for a digital detox retreat for mind body soul solace. Digital Declutter Recipe For Renewal: For the love of Nature as medicine explore your inner and outer landscapes this season. Disconnect to reconnect. Forget Facebook. Transcend Twitter. Ignore Instagram. Digital Minimalism. Key to living an authentic life in a noisy world. Get outside. Move. Grow.
Wonder Wisdom Words ╱╲╱╲❀╱╲ 