Garden Chick - Notes from the Garden

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Construction at the Jasmine Moon Shop

The city of Chickamauga where my shop "The Jasmine Moon" is located received a streetscaping grant. This included replacing all the drainage pipes underground, taking up the trees, installing underground utilities, new sidewalks, and new landscaping. The opposite side of the street where my shop is, was started first. While not completed, at least there is parking now on that side of the street. The islands for landscaping are installed, but empty, and the new light post are up. I closed the shop yesterday and today, since they started on our side, and a huge hole was in front of my business this morning when I went in to check for mail, and my voicemail messages. By this afternoon, they had placed yellow police tape on both sides of the door leading out to the road, and had "created" a gravel walkway. I thought this was a great opportunity for me to do some shopping and I traveled to Murfreesboro, Tenn (1 1/2 hours) to pick up some "garden junk" I like to buy old gardening tools, garden gates, and other trash to treasures. I packed the car with a gate, some concrete garden mushrooms, old yellow/red metal bread trays (they will look great on the wall with some black and white photo's tied to them, an old yellow beehive to put in the garden, old metal pitchers to plant hens and chicks in and a few other "treasures". I want to go in early tomorrow to rearrange in the shop, hoping that the construction and weather doesn't keep the shoppers out.

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Sweltering weather

We have had about 3 weeks of daily near 100 degree weather. Our garden is now gone, with only the pumpkins for my granddaughters to be harvested. We planted the "jumbo" variety and they are really getting big, but we still have to water these. I was so tired of this hot, sweltering weather, and trying to keep up with the weeds and watering, that I just mowed down my herb garden leaving only the rosemary bush standing. It's hard to think of gardening in this hot weather, but fall is a great time to plant a new garden and I am looking for a new spot that does give a little shade for the mints. I'm only going to plant things that I use, and focus mostly herbs that I can use for teas and my bath products.

If you have an herb garden you can continue to harvest until Mid October in the southeast.

Here is a simple recipe for bath herbs using your gardens harvest. Mix in equal amounts any or all the herbs. I like to mix in dried milk and some oatmeal to soften the skin.



Bath Herbs for Relaxing

Lemon Balm

Lavender

Chamomile

Roses



Place in a muslin bag and put in the bath while the hot water is running. You can also make a "tea". Place the muslin bag in a cup of just boiled water and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Pour the water and bag into your bath. Use the herbs only once, then rinse and dry the muslin bag.



I am going to place these mixtures in big glass jars in my shop along with the muslin bags so customers can "scoop" their own. *If you are allergic to ragweed, asters, chrysanthemums you may be allergic to chamomile



The lemon balm and chamomile make a great before bed time tea also.

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