Seed Saving

Oh my, am I having fun in the garden this week.  

I guess it shows something about my character the way my garden grows...  I get really excited for Spring to come and have spent all winter dreaming dreams about which varieties of this and that I wish to plant.  Spring comes and I plant about half of those varieties.  Summer hits and I get busy doing things, or the heat makes me lazy and the garden takes off.  By the time September gets here, the weeds are so big, you can build a house underneath them, and somehow, I have neglected myself into a place I don't even recognize.  Luckily, the fall air hits me and I get energized to nest and to put away for winter.  Which leads me to today's topic:  seed saving.

This year seems so absolutely abundant in seeds that I have a hard time ignoring it.  More and more, each year affords me the pleasure of having things reseed themselves in places throughout the garden.  It kind of justifies my tendencies to have untidy gardens.  Who knows which weed could be some amazing herb, vegetable or flower from last years planting...  This year I had a cleome seed itself on the beach, making a huge display of pink and white blooms all summer.  This years plant was actually more prolific than the plant I bought last year, that this seed must have come from.   

This year, however, I am purposefully saving seed in little paper bags.  I don't really have to do this.  Nature is the best gardener.  But I thought I can leave a little for nature to reseed for me and then I have some to share.  Sharing is one of the best things about gardening.  You always cherish that seedling or plant you received from a friend.  (Unless you're a jerk, lol)  

As you know, I did a seed giveaway in my last post.  I am hoping to do this often to inspire others and to thank you all for reading and interacting with this little blog.  I appreciate and am grateful for you.

Until next time.

Cleome that reseeded itself.

Black Turtle Beans from my friend Martha that I cherish!

Morning Glories are easy to save seed from

Giving Thanks and Being Grateful

I've taken a short break from writing, just to cleanse and rest my brain.  It's getting to that time of year when I like to stay home, decorate, clean, nest, cook and bake.  Mike and I both love to have the house fill with scents of anything homey and warm.  We love our tart burners, essential oil infusers, candles, incense, and simmering spices.  The pot on the wood stove always has something brewing in it.

I've also been giving some thought to the things I'm thankful for.  I think it's important to be thankful all year to keep everything in check.  It simply makes me happier to be always thinking about the things that I'm grateful for.

My followers and readers of this silly little blog are such a source of joy for me.  Most of you share my interests in the things I feel compelled to write about, and I always look forward to hearing from people.  So, I am doing a little seed giveaway.

I have an abundance of certain seeds that are very important to me and I have enough to share.  All of these seeds are from plants that have thrived on this property at least three years.  That means that no seed company has been involved to corrupt these seeds, no chemicals have been used, and nature has been in complete control of the reproduction.

Amaranth in full bloom

The first seed I have to give away is amaranth.  I have written a lot about amaranth as a dried flower, a vegetable and a really unique ornamental garden plant. The young leaves and seeds are edible.  They grow about 5 to 6 feet tall and couldn't be easier to grow.  I don't know why they aren't more popular in landscapes.  But they will be now!

Amaranth seedlings about a foot tall.

All I did to establish my amaranth patch is to leave it in the garden and let it reseed itself.  I have had the same plants 7 or 8 years.  Each plant will make thousands of seeds, which you can collect and share, eat, or leave them to reseed in the garden for next year.  I have had them growing in pots also, but they do not get as tall.


Another plant I talk a lot about is Calendula.  Calendula is one of the happiest flowers I know of and once established in your garden, will flourish and be super abundant for whatever you want to use it for.  Like amaranth, it has many uses.  I dry the flowers for a medicinal tea.  It's used in face creams and other cosmetics.  It's also a beautiful landscape annual.  It flowers early and keeps flowering all summer and into the winter.  It will tolerate light frosts.

Calendula in the garden early in the spring

So, as for the giveaway.  Here is what we will do.  I will mail a bunch of both of these seeds to the first 3 people to send me their mailing address and name.  You can send it to my email address: theblueladyofthelake@gmail.com.  Each additional name and address I receive with then be put in a hat and I will pick 3 more people to receive seeds.

The deadline will be Tuesday, September 4th, 2018 and I will pick the names that day and mail them.

Thank you all for supporting me and my ramblings.  Have a wonderful happy, healthy day.

Calendula, lemon balm and comfrey in my bath water

Calendula Seeds

Making calendula infused oil

The Journey We Are All On

It has been quite some time since I've written a blog post.  This morning I had a few minutes to read some of my readers comments and messages and found some beautiful inspiration from you.  My reasons for stopping my writings have been a detriment to me, as I really find great joy in connecting with you all in this way.  After all, it's a journey that we are all on, to be as healthy as we can be, mentally and physically, and to find happiness and joy along the way.  So, here are a few photographs I took yesterday that I hope will be a gateway to more frequent posts in the future.  I hope they inspire you.  Have a happy and healthy day.