Tuesday, April 14, 2009

My Garden

There's a potted planter full of scented geraniums around the side of the Casita which are blooming bountifully. I ordered these as tiny slips from Papa Geno's nursery in Nebraska, I think last season...or maybe two seasons ago. They're in just the right spot in the garden and must be feeling the love here in sunny Southern California because they are healthy and gorgeous. (Click on the pictures to see them in greater detail.) Mmmm! The fragrance is delightfully refreshing. My favorite is the rose geranium which I planted separate from these, in the front, in my little herb garden. A-a-choo! Papa Paz thinks these are all "stinky" but he has allergies so it's to be expected. I study herbs for their medicinal as well as culinary uses and I feel overwhelmingly fulfilled when I can gather those things I grow to cook with or make use of. There's calendula, mint, sage, rosemary, basil, thyme, lemon thyme and, of course, lavendar in my garden. Sounds like quite a plot, but it's actually very small, quite manageable and very self-sustaining during the times I get caught up with my quilting and forget to go outside. But of course, Papa Paz put a drip system in for me with a timer, so the garden waters itself...lucky me.