Surprising Benefits of Gardening

Source by Loch Ness Water Gardens

Happy Halloween from Chickamauga, Georgia





October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Have you scheduled your mammogram?

Knock Out Roses

My Dad planted this knock out rose for my Mom several years before he died. My Mom has never been a gardener and has pretty much left this rose bush to "fend for its self".  She did water it a few times during the hot summer, and apply a rose spray when

the leaves turned yellow, but other than that, it seems to have flourished all on its on.  This was taken yesterday when I dropped my mom off at home. There is a smaller one behind it, and she has asked me several times to dig it up and take it home. I am going to do that this weekend. I have said several times in my blog to take flowers from someone you love to remind you of them when they are gone, and I have regretted a number of times I did not do that.

This is the smaller one, in front of the chrysanthemums my father planted.  Chrysanthemums were his favorite.

Wonder what you can do with these wonderful rose petals before winter gets here and they all fall to the ground:?
 Here are a couple of ideas. 

Candied or crystallized flowers

1 cup roses, washed and dried on paper towels

powdered egg white or meringue powder, mixed with water to equal 1 egg white

1 cup superfine sugar (or process regular sugar in the blender for a few seconds)

1 small artist's paintbrush unused

sterilized tweezers or forceps

waxed paper

Line a tray or sheet pan with waxed paper, sprinkle with sugar to keep the flowers from sticking.  Holding a single flower by the stem with tweezers or forceps, paint its entire surface with the egg mixture.  Any area unpainted will turn brown.  Sprinkle with sugar to coat thoroughly on both sides.  Place on waxed paper to dry.  Repeat until all flowers are coated with sugar.  Allow to dry till crisp, which may take several hours to several days depending on the size of the flower.  Store in an airtight container. Use to decorate cakes, petit fours, puddings and other deserts.

                                                             Romance of the Rose

1/2 cup rose petals

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup cranberry juice

2 cups vanilla ice cream, slightly softened

Whirl rose petals in a blender for a few seconds with lemon and cranberry juices.  Add ice cream, and pulse a few times.  Serve in stemmed glasses with fresh or candied rose petals for garnish.

These recipes came from a small booklet  "The Fairy Home Companion" it can be purchased at The Essential Herbal













candied rose in sugar from http://www.feteetfleur.blogspot.com/
candied rose from http://www.ediblecrafts.craftgossip.com/

Spooktacular Halloween yard decor

Every year I look forward to seeing what Gay Crane has done with her skeleton friends.  Driving by her yard every Halloween season brings a good laugh. Will they be in wheelbarrows pushing one another? Soaking in the bath tub with their shower caps on?

I was walking in Chickamauga last week and I called Gay up to ask if I might take some pictures of her latest skeleton "antics"  Here is what was in store for passerbys.  (This looks really great at night with the spotlights on!)



You must of course first enter through the graveyard



Mr. Skeleton is sitting at his desk with a nice cup of tea just waiting on the trick or treaters. I would be a little scared to trick this guy!

Billowing pumpkin ghosts await you in the ivy covered corner of the yard.

and a spider web covered skeleton swings from the trees... his captor eagerly awaiting dinner.

"Ichabod" Pumpkin guards his skinny friend.

Gay is a talented artist, displaying her crafts of recycled treasures in numerous crafts shows.  Visit her website The Spotted Crow to see her creations.

Fall is Finally Here




Fall has finally arrived! Gone is the sweltering heat of the summer, and arrived is cool nights and pleasant days. The grass is green and many of my flowers and plants have become rejuvenated.

My herb garden was overtaken by weeds, but I discovered one columbine plant had survived along with a foxglove.  I feel guilty that I had neglected the gardens and yard, but if it wasn't scorching hot, the mosquitos would eat you alive.  My yarrow has taken on new life around the rusty old discarded tricycle. (My friends give me junk they find on the side of the road. Thank you Sandra!

.


Kendall

 My granddaughters dragged out the crochet set again, which had
been put away due the heat and never ending swarm of mosquitos.
I sat out this game, they were mad at me for winning 

Mackenzie

My lantana and pompas grass love this cool weather!

If only they had looked this good all summer.





And finally......

The garden has been put to bed awaiting another spring.