Hayfever season! Who to Blame for Your Misery?

Let's stop blaming the lovely Goldenrod for the misery of hayfever.



Here is an article on the usefulness of this autumn beauty.


Many people love summer but dread the season's end because of the onslaught of ragweed pollen in the wind which can cause seemingly endless sneezing, stuffy or runny nose, itchy eyes, nose and throat. Those with asthma often find their symptoms worse during hayfever season. A ragweed plant only lives one season, but those elongated flower heads are loaded with pollen. A single plant can produce up to 1 billion pollen grains. Those grains are light in weight and just float through the air with ease.

Allergies occur when the body’s immune system treats the allergen as a foreign invader. This starts a chemical reaction which produces and sends histamine throughout the blood stream. These chemicals cause allergy symptoms to develop.

Ragweed is its own remedy for hayfever. Tincture the flowering tops in 100 proof vodka for six weeks. A tincture is when you combine plant material and alcohol to create your own herbal medicine.
Fill a mason jar or glass jar of your choice with the cut flowering tops. Add enough 100 proof vodka to cover the ragweed flowers. Poke a wooden spoon handle around the sides of the jar to release air bubbles and cap. Let the jar sit in a cool location for six weeks, give a little shake daily. Strain off the herbs and put the tincture in smaller glass dropper bottles.
To use:
Add about half a teaspoon of tincture to a glass of water and take daily during allergy season, primarily late July to September.

Below is a video by the very respected Susan Weed on how to make your own allergy remedy.

Here is a Great article on identifying Ragweed.

Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus Ambrosia in the aster family, Asteraceae.
There are two types of Ragweed in North America:
Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) Grows to about 3 feet.
Great or Giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) Grows to a height of about 8 feet.
Common ragweed had much more pinnatifid or deeply cut lobes on its leaves than the Great ragweed.
The Great ragweed's lower leaves have 3 to 5 lobes while the upper leaves are elliptical.
Goldenrod flowers are yellow, whereas Ragweed flowers are green.

Common ragweed

Great or Giant ragweed

Loaded with pollen

In its defense, ragweed is very valuable to wildlife, just showing us that all plants do serve a purpose. Ragweed isn't here just to make people miserable. Doubtful that makes allergy sufferers feel any better. Honeybees collect the pollen from the male flowers, though flower-visiting insects don't usually bother with the plant. There are several moth types who eat the foliage, flowers and seeds and grasshoppers are often very plentiful around ragweed plants. The oil rich seeds are loved by game birds and grain eating songbirds. The spikes of seeds stick up above the snow during the winter, therefore do provide a good food source for not only birds, but squirrels and voles.

Perhaps there is a way to enjoy the end of the summer season without the constant "Sniffle, Sneeze, Tissue Please"!

Ironweed and Joe Pye-Weed, Late Summer Native Beauties

Bees on Joe Pye-Weed

Turns out I'm not the only one who had some confusion in the difference between the majestic New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) and Joe Pye-Weed (Eutrochium purpurem). There are numerous perks for including these plants in our landscaping. The fact that they both are natives to North America means that they are low maintenance plants and have long adapted to weather and water conditions to be hardy perennial plants. You'll be pleased to discover that they'll propagate with little help from you, without being invasive. If they seem to be crowding out other plants, it is easy to just thin them out.

Joe Pye-Weed is a wetland plant with several other  names. It can be called by it's genus name which is Eupatorium, or common names Gravel root, Trumpet weed and Queen of the Meadow. There are two stories of how this plant got its name. Some say that an 18th century Native American medicine man named Joe Pye, traveled around New England treating typhoid fever with an infusion made from the plant's leaves. The other version is that the name is a form of the Native American word for typhoid, which is jopi.

Ironweed often can be found growing in the same vicinity as Joe Pye-Weed. There are over 30 species of this beautiful plant. The origins of this name may be because after blooming, the seed heads turn a rusty brown, similar to the color of iron. Other people suggest that the plant gets its name from its tough stems and long taproot, touch as iron.

Planted to the rear of a garden or as a background accent plant, these plants look beautiful with other natives which are blooming at the same time, July and August. The yellows of Helianthus (wild sunflowers), Goldenrod and Black-Eyed Susan look stunning with the mauves and purples of Joe Pye-weed and Ironweed.

The similarities in these two plants are that they both grow in damp, sunny areas. They can be seen in wetlands but also along roadways, utilizing the water that collects in the roadside ditches. Both bloom in July and August and both grow taller than most plants around them.

The differences include Ironweed usually grows to a taller height of up to 8 feet, has slightly darker leaves, and the flowers aren't as spread out or plumy. Ironweed has purple blooms, whereas Joe Pye-Weed has pinkish, mauve flower heads. Once these facts are pointed out, telling these plants apart becomes easy.

 If you want to encourage butterflies, bees and other pollinators, these are ideal choices. By late summer you'll be fascinated by the amount of insect activity taking advantage of these wonderful sources of pollen.

For those of you who try to choose landscaping plants based on which are deer resistant, you'll be pleased to know that deer generally leave these bitter tasting plants alone.

Grab your camera and enjoy the beautiful shots of color you'll be able to get!

Easter Tiger Swallowtail on Ironweed

A Toast to our Children in the Blessing of Marriage

Weddings are a wonderful opportunity for friends and family to gather, put aside their differences, and focus on the happiness of two people united in love and their new chapter in life. As parents, we can only hope the nervous bride and groom can focus on the service enough to get anything out of its message. The Pastor gave some very important messages for any of us striving for a successful and lasting relationship.

People often view their partner as the missing piece needed to make them whole. We cannot view ourselves as an incomplete puzzle with our partner as that missing piece. It sounds romantic to speak poetic like that but to take it literally puts the partner in the position to feel pressured and in prt responsible for the other person's happiness. We are not a possession of one another.

The secret of a healthy relationship is to not say to ourselves, "Am I loved?", but rather say "Am I loving?". To continually question whether we are loved does nothing but put the other person in the position to feel tested and having to prove his/her love. We are told that love is a verb, which is true. To love is an action, but we have to stop interpreting every little annoying thing our spouse does as failing us in some way. that "if he loved me he wouldn't be so thoughtless" or "if he loved me he would already know that without me having to tell him". That patter of thinking adds to our own insecurity which soon puts a wedge between two people. Insecurity becomes very draining to any type of relationship and the end result is the desire to escape.

To ask ourselves whether we are loving forces us to observe our behavior and how we must appear to that other person. It puts us outside of ourselves in a better position to focus on where our energy is being spent; are we focusing more on giving or receiving.

YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE A PERSON OR A SITUATION, BUT YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THAT PERSON OR SITUATION.
There are often occasions that we are up against the wall and come to realize that we just have to "accept the things we cannot change, have the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference". Once you fully accept "it is what it is", a tremendous burden will be lifted.

When two people both hold their ground over their differences, emotions tend to escalate and things just get worse. Whether the other person is "wrong" or not isn't the point. What matters is that the only thing we can change is our attitude.

FOCUS ON THE FAULTS OF YOURSELF AND THE GOODNESS IN YOUR PARTNER.
Too often we expect our partner to behave as we would in a given situation. It is almost like we wish that person to be a version of ourselves. It is much easier to find fault in someone else or the circumstances of a situation than to stand back and take a hard look at ourselves. It takes work and an open mind to seek self-improvement and self-enlightenment without the defense mechanisms of denial and projection standing in the way.  You'll get much farther with communication if you make an effort to build up that person rather than tear down. The two words you should try not to use are "never" and "always". Those words immediately put the other person on the defensive which can easily send the conversation downhill rather quickly.

TRY TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOUR PARTNER IS A GIFT.
Everything about what makes that person a unique individual is now yours to share and vice versa. Obviously, those traits are what each person fell in love with in the first place. Yet it is so easy to loose focus on any of that once the honeymoon phase is past and life settles into an everyday routine with all the pressures and worries of reality. Make a point to regularly stand back and appreciate this person who actually wants to share a life with you. Once you realize that this person standing before you is a gift from God everything about them becomes more amazing and something to treasure.

Everyone has their own beliefs in the existence of a power greater than ourselves. Relationships are so much easier and stronger when both partners share in those convictions. The world doesn't revolve around us and those who share the security of seeking a higher power for strength and guidance relieve themselves of the drain of worrying about that which is beyond our control.

THE RING IS A SIGN OF THE LOVE AND FIDELITY OF THE ONE WHO GIVES IT. 
That ring was placed on the finger by your partner. Don't think its meaning is simply a love that never ends. It represents the commitment, love and faithfulness of your spouse to you! The wedding rings are never taken off because we're to see it as an ongoing reminder of the promise made to us by that other person.





The tears and emotions flooding through every parent who has witnessed the most memorable, important event in the lives of their children can be impossible to put into words. Years of images topple over one another in a flash of memory as we symbolically hand over our children to begin a life outside of our own.

So now it is time to turn the page and begin another chapter in this book we call life.

A Toast to Our Children in the Blessing of Marriage

Weddings are a wonderful opportunity for friends and family to gather, put aside their differences, and focus on the happiness of two people united in love and their new chapter in life. As parents, we can only hope the nervous bride and groom can focus on the service enough to get anything out of its message. The Pastor gave some very important messages for any of us striving for a successful and lasting relationship.

People often view their partner as the missing piece needed to make them whole. We cannot view ourselves as an incomplete puzzle with our partner as that missing piece. It sounds romantic to speak poetic like that but to take it literally puts the partner in the position to feel pressured and in part responsible for the other person's happiness. We are not a possession of one another.

The secret of a healthy relationship is to not say to ourselves, "Am I loved?", but rather "Am I loving?" To continually question whether we are loved does nothing but put the other person in the position to feel tested and having to prove his/her love. We are told that love is a verb which is very true. To love is an action but we have to stop interpreting every little annoying thing our spouse does as failing us in some way. That "if he loved me he wouldn't be so thoughtless" or "if he loved me he would already know that without me having to tell him".  That pattern of thinking adds to our own insecurity which soon puts a wedge between two people. Insecurity becomes very draining to any type of relationship and the end result is the desire to escape.

To ask ourselves whether we are loving forces us to observe our behavior and how we must appear to that other person. It puts us outside of ourselves in a better position to focus on where our energy is being spent, are we focusing more on giving or receiving.  

YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE A PERSON OR A SITUATION, BUT YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS THAT PERSON OR SITUATION
There are often occasions that we are up against the wall and finally realize that we just have to "accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference". Once you fully accept "it is what it is" a tremendous burden will be lifted, and you'll be amazed how much better you feel.

When two people both hold their ground over their differences, emotions tend to escalate and things just get worse. Whether the other person is "wrong" or not isn't the point. The point is that the only thing we can really change is our attitude about a situation. 

FOCUS ON THE FAULTS OF YOURSELF AND THE GOODNESS IN YOUR PARTNER.
Too often we expect our partner to behave as we would in a given situation. It is almost like we wish that person to be a version of ourselves. It is much easier to find fault in someone else or the circumstances of a situation than to stand back and take a hard look at ourselves. It takes work and an open mind to seek self-improvement and self-enlightenment without the defense mechanisms of denial and projection standing in the way.  You'll get much farther with communication if you make an effort to build up that person rather than tear down. The two words you should try not to use are "never" and "always". Those words immediately put the other person on the defensive which can easily send the conversation downhill rather quickly.

TRY TO ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOUR PARTNER IS A GIFT. Everything about what makes that person a unique individual is now yours to share and vice versa. Obviously, those traits are what each person fell in love with in the first place. Yet it is so easy to loose focus on any of that once the honeymoon phase is past and life settles into an everyday routine with all the pressures and worries of reality. Make a point to regularly stand back and appreciate this person who actually wants to share a life with you. Once you realize that this person standing before you is a gift from God everything about them becomes more amazing and something to treasure.

Everyone has their own beliefs in the existence of a power greater than ourselves. Relationships are so much easier and stronger when both partners share in those convictions. The world doesn't revolve around us and those who share the security of seeking a higher power for strength and guidance relieve themselves of the drain of worrying about that which is beyond our control.

THE RING IS A SIGN OF THE LOVE AND FIDELITY OF THE ONE WHO GIVES IT. That ring was placed on the finger by your partner. Don't think its meaning is simply a love that never ends. It represents the commitment, love and faithfulness of your spouse to you! The wedding rings are never taken off because we're to see it as an ongoing reminder of the promise made to us by that other person.





The tears and emotions flooding through every parent who has witnessed the most memorable, important event in the lives of their children can be impossible to put into words. Years of images topple over one another in a flash of memory as we symbolically hand over our children to begin a life outside of our own.

So now it is time to turn the page and begin another chapter in this book we call life. 

Pretty Petals in Pink

We can easily call flowering plants eye candy.

Flowers that are bright are attractive to birds, insects and animals. This attraction is what the plants need to reproduce and continue to survive. Flower colors of red, pink, blue and purple come mainly from pigments called anthocyanins, which are in the class of chemicals called flavanoids. Flavanoids are what give plants their color, found in the genetic hereditary genome of the plants.

That explains the very practical reason for nature's beautiful visual displays, but for us the symbolism of color goes far beyond that. Color has a very real impact on our minds, emotions and attitudes.

The color pink is the color of universal love. Love of oneself, love of beauty, love of warmth and nurturing others. A quiet color, pink represents friendship, affection, inner peace and harmony. Passion and anger represent the color red, purity and openness represent the color white. Those two blend to give us a gentle tint to lessen feelings of anger and unhappiness and surround us with a sense of love and protection. 

Though pink has primarily been recognized as a feminine color and the sweetness of little girls, this color is actually an important symbol for hope and awareness. We see a pink ribbon and immediately think of the hope to conquer breast cancer. In Japan, pink has a masculine association. The pink cherry tree blossoms are a representation of fallen Japanese warriors.

In color therapy, pink is used for grief, loneliness and depression. Pink, along with the color green, is linked with the Heart Chakra, which concerns love and higher consciousness. The Heart Chakra bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Therefore, it is no surprise why just being out in the gardens is so therapeutic for the soul.

Nature offers us a wonderful selection of pink flowering plants. If you plan on bloom times you can enjoy the comfort of pink throughout the entire growing season. 

Bleeding Heart is a spring blooming perennial, a wonderful plant for a children's garden to encourage imaginary play.
The little blossoms look like dancing ballerinas.
For the romantic in us, they also symbolize a teardrop dripping from a broken heart.

The Carolina Rose is a shrubby bush which blooms pink in the spring followed by nutritious rose hips in the fall.

Cosmos is a sure to please, easy to grow, drought resistant summer annual. This plant sprawls and has a tendency to look messy since it can fall over, break off and still keep on going. Carefree and tough, as the blossoms go to seed they are easy to gather for next season but often reseed themselves.

Cleome or Spider Flower is a summer blooming annual. If given the room this drought resistant, interesting plant is beautiful as it sprawls. Seed pods burst open in late summer, making it easy to propagate and reseed itself.

BeeBalm or Monarda is a summer blooming perennial plant wonderful for attracting bees and other important pollinators.
Usually found amidst the herbs, this plant makes a soothing cup of tea.

Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate is an old-fashioned cottage garden plant. This easy to grow summer annual has tassel flowers that easily reseed themselves and pop up wherever they can. A tall plant, it is best if planted as a background, specimen flower to blend in a carefree manner.

Penstemons are an elegant border perennial summer bloomer. They look like little foxgloves.
Those who want to attract hummingbirds should include these little beauties.




Coneflowers or Echinacea are a drought tolerant, summer perennial wonderful for pollinators and birds alike.
The porcupine-like seed heads are an ideal winter bird feed.

Zinnias are a popular, showy annual flower loved by anyone wanting to attract butterflies.
Easy to grow and easy to save the seed to replant every year, zinnias come in an assortment of colors.

The Rose of Sharon is a beautiful summer blooming bush.
This variety in particular is a huge shrub and is the size of a small tree.

Joe Pye Weed is a native summer blooming perennial wonderful for the natural carefree cottage garden.
A must for someone wanting to attract beneficial insects.

Spirea is a popular landscaping foundation shrub. This variety is in the medium height range of about three feet and spreads about three to four feet wide. Insects love it and it is a showpiece plant.as a summer bloomer.




Sedums come in a variety of types. This one is a dark, magenta color. Sedums are important as a beneficial plant for fall insects after many of the summer blooming flowers have faded.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

Something Lost, Something Gained! Reinvent, Repurpose, Reuse

Nothing lasts forever and this past spring we had to say good-bye to our above ground swimming pool. After fifteen years the pool served its purpose entertaining our kids during the hot summer months but we were getting tired of the cost of its upkeep. With everything being made of either tin or plastic it was inevitable that the effects of the elements would be a constant battle between cracked hoses and the formation of rust. The water intake area formed a rust spot on the side of the pool a few years ago and it slowly spread downward. One nasty winter storm too many and that weak spot burst, causing the collapse of the pool frame.



Wanting to keep as much as possible out of the landfill we found a use for everything but the plastic support columns. The liner we cut up and stored to use later for something, perhaps as walkways in the garden. The plastic rim that went around the top we used to line around my herb garden which was planted using an old winter pool cover to initially cover the ground and kill the grass so the size was the same. The tin sides were cut up and picked up by a local scrap dealer. What a job all that was!

The remaining sand pit remained and we decided to turn the area into a great spot for garden bedding boxes. Already leveled flat and with great southern sun exposure it was the perfect spot for plants needing at least eight hours of direct sun a day. Being the boxes were on sand we wanted a deeper depth so used 12" wide lumber. These boxes are 8' long by 4' wide which is perfect for my needs. You don't want your boxes too wide or it becomes difficult to reach towards the center. We needed almost four yards of garden soil to fill them so to save money we ordered it to be delivered as a truck load rather than individual bags. It was a mixture of top soil and mushroom soil. What a delight to work with great quality soil right from the start!

With limited space, try to make the most of going up. Pole beans rather than bush beans, cucumbers and my birdhouse gourds all climb so the use of vertical supports really increases your possibilities. I even made use of an old wooden ladder for the gourds.

Think succession planting. If you plant onions in the early spring and pull them as scallions, that area can be later used for something else. By August when the summer squash and green beans may be dwindling you can plant turnips, spinach, lettuce, beets, kale, radishes, chard and winter onions. By October you will have room for planting some garlic bulbs and enjoy fresh garlic next July. When the garlic gets dug up there will be space for something else, perhaps a second planting of green beans.

Bedding boxes don't have to be used for vegetable gardens. You can have a beautiful herb garden. Get creative and have a themed garden. Perhaps one box can be for your cooking herbs, another box can be used for medicinal herbs, another can be for herbs used in crafts such as the Artemisias which are great for making wreaths. You can create a garden aimed to attract beneficial pollinators or for butterflies and hummingbirds. One box can be your night bloomers to attract moths. So even with limited space you can create your own, unique, individualized spot to call your own.

June

July
Sprawling all over the ground is just one pumpkin plant!

Lavender Wands, Nostalgic Gift, Centerpiece Idea

Weddings, bridal showers, baby showers are always more meaningful when personal touches are added to the decor. Color schemes and themes add a unique and individualized touch to such intimate celebrations. 

Between Internet sites such as Blogs and Pinterest to give you ideas and instructions, and the availability of supplies from craft stores, it is easy to become excited and look forward to getting involved in party preparations. Don't be so quick to say you aren't crafty. Rediscover the imagination you had as a child and have fun with trial and error. Anything takes practice and what better fun for a craft day than to learn together as a group.

Once you get the knack of how to do these, Lavender Wands are really rewarding to make. Besides being a conversation starter of a centerpiece, having a vase full of lavender wands can benefit anyone near them with their heavenly scent and ability to relax and soothe frazzled nerves.

Not only are they pretty and smell good, they have a very practical use once the event is over. You can keep them as is bundled in a vase to scent the room and add to your home decor. Or you can give them out to your guests as appreciated party favors. Lavender wands can be put into linen or clothing drawers to add a delicate scent as well as help keep out moths. Sachets were very popular in times past as a way to prevent moth damage in stored clothing and blankets. Here is a blog post of the harmful effects of using moth balls and how to utilize herbs as an alternative.

Here is what you'll need to make your Lavender Wands:

Long stemmed Lavender such as the Grosso type rather than the Munstead type used for potpourri and arrangements. 

 An excellent source for bundles of this type of fresh cut lavender is Local Harvest out of Washington state

You want the fresh cut lavender, not the dried. The stems have to still be flexible.

Spools of ribbon in the colors of your choice. Widths of no more than 1/4 inch work best. I found that one roll of 3/16 inch x 6 yards makes about four to five wands if you want a tail of ribbon to drape below the length of the stem. I'd estimate my stems were 8 - 10 inches long. The pictured vase has 24 wands and I used about six spools of ribbon, two each of three different colors.

Below is a tutorial on how to make these adorable lavender wands:

Lavender (Lavandula spp) has been called the 'mother of all essences', and is one of the most well known scents amidst the world of herbs and essential oils. It has often been called the safe "go to" remedy for babies, children and adults alike. Frazzled nerves, sleep troubles, headaches, muscle aches, skin flair-ups, bug bites, first-aid care, the list goes on. 

One of the most versatile herbs, lavender has been used since the ancient Greek and Roman times. It gets its name from the Latin 'lavare', meaning to wash. Its soothing, antiseptic qualities make it beneficial for cleansing and caring for various skin ailments.

Below is a link for the perfect gift for that special someone who enjoys and understands the benefits of this wonderful herb. This gift arrangement includes seven personal care products utilizing the soothing, healing properties of the lovely lavender plant. For the face we have four items: lavender infused honey as part of a honey/glycerin gentle facial cleanse, a raw honey facial mask to perk up tired skin and keep it blemish free, an exfoliating face and body sugar scrub, and a rich moisturizing cream containing lavender and sandalwood essential oils. For the hair, we have a lavender infused apple cider vinegar rinse to add shine, remove build-up and balance scalp pH. Bath time includes relaxing bath salts to soothe away the day's tension followed by a lovely body powder to help one feel dry and fresh. 

Love of Lavender Gift Assortment