The leaves haven't changed colors yet... but there is fall color in my garden!

Summer has quickly passed by and now the warm loving crops have left empty spaces in my vegetable garden. Those empty spaces are slowly being filled by Arugula, Kohlrabi, radishes, and swiss chard.

Despite the change in weather, my herbaceous garden still has beautiful color.  The herbaceous garden is showing more color then ever. The plants that are still performing are the Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm', Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome', and Agastache 'Purple Haze'. All of these are very easy to grow plants and I can not wait to see how they do next year!

Two weeks ago, classes started for my junior class. All of us will be in class for six months, until we are in our next work rotations. We are taking Landscape Design, Floral Design, Business management, Greenhouse management, and Plant propagation. Also, I was able to take a continuing education class on edible plants and perennials. These classes have been much more exciting than our previous set of classes.

With all of this said, I hope everyone gets dirty in their gardens as long as the cold allows and gets a chance to do a little fall hibernation!

Edible gardens, New Jersey bogs, and healthy bees!

My Vegetable Garden!! 

The heat has arrived in Kennett Square and now the tomatoes in my garden are coming fast! It feels amazing not to buy any vegetables from the grocery store, except an occasional onion. I love enjoying home cooked meals from the garden.

Rosemary zucchini cakes and potatoes!

Oh yeah! These are from the garden!

I have had the chance to work with some italian honey bees. Let me just say, I would never be able to keep up with these ladies. 

My herbaceous garden! Yes, that is my corn.

Pitcher Plants at the New Jersey Bog!

This past month, I went to the pine barrens and examined some of the native flora with our masterful guide Jeff Jabco. We saw dwarf forests, bogs, blueberry farms, and of course the beach. With all the adventures, it has given me some time to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Bring on the heat!

View from the south end of my garden!

Classes have ended, the heat has been turned up, and the PG class of 2012 is back in work rotations. This gives us a little more time to play in our gardens.  Now that the weather is warming up, some of my plants are getting very excited!

Relax with my plants!!

Tomato MADNESS!!!.... Can you say homemade  Pasta sauce!

My bee balm, asters, rudbeckia, and grasses are becoming very happy and should be shooting off their blooms by late July to August!

All of my vegetables have been doing very well, especially my bloody butcher corn and tomatoes. I have bushes of basil and started making some homemade pesto! That was a very delicious decision.

Come visit and I'll cook you a dinner from my garden!

Updated Garden pics!!

My Herbaceaous plot!

My summer container!

Sit down and relax with the plants!

Tomato trellis

Entrance to my veggie plot!!

Garden Time!

View of vegetable plot from Northeast side!

It has been a while since I have posted. The reason being, time has been consumed by classes and coursework, but also my garden.  The garden is always in the works and I will update you folks with the progress as it continues. I plan on getting my pathways covered soon to slow down the over excited weeds. Out of everything in the Professional Gardener program, working in my own garden has been my favorite place to work.

View of Herbaceous garden from Southwest!

Updated garden pics to come soon!!

Nature is my classroom!

Mertensia virginica Virginia blue bells

 The first three weeks of classes have passed. Chemistry, Mathematics, History of Landscape Design, Entomology, and Speech and Communications are taking up much of our time. Also, our space for our individual gardens has been tilled and our class vegetable garden for the Terrace restaurant has vegetables started outside!

With all the exciting projects going on, once in a while it is nice to get away and explore the most valuable learning tool, nature itself. Jeff Jabco, our AMAZING teacher, was our guide in the exploration of Shenk's Ferry. This beautiful trail is right along the Susqhehanna river and is presently blossoming with native wild flowers.

Shenk's is a must see and I hope to check it out in the coming weeks for the Orchids that will be popping up!

Erythronium americanum Yellow trout lily

Arisaema triphyllum  Jack in the Pulpit

Pampered plants, Menacing foilage, and italian honey bees!

Beginning in March, I started working in research at Longwood Gardens. I was placed in research during the time of Longwood's unveiling of Clivia miniata 'Longwood Debutante'. The clivia symposium also took place during this time and I took part in cleaning the plants. I have never seen plants so pampered. First to clean a clivia, you must remove dead petals, then clean all the leaves with soap and water, remove any dead foilage, and then massage milk all over the leaves. Longwood's Clivia definitely gets the spa treatment.

In research, they had many projects going on and the one I feared the most was working with the  selenum, a plant that  has thorns over its leaves and stems. This plant is being grown for it's orange non edible fruits. They are a very strange plant.

Now that Spring has begun, it is also time for honey bees at Longwood Gardens. I had the opportunity to unleash some of the gentle italian honey bees in their  new hives. Currently, they are being introduced to their new queen.  As a student, I will have more opportunities working with the bees! 

So, now that my first three months has come to an end,  it is time for my six classes to begin!