Floral Flag

The Fourth of July brings an abundance of blooms and I couldn't resist featuring them here in my patriotic ode to Independence Day.  Not only are these flowers blooming right now, they also happen to be the colors of red, white and blue.

Bachelor's Buttons, an annual flower that is a true blue in the garden, represents the blue:  Feverfew, an herb known for helping to ease migraines, stands for the white and Monarda with it's spiky firecracker type petals proclaims the red of Old Glory.

Seems like even the flowers will be celebrating this day...

Happy Fourth and blessings!

Linked to these amazing blog parties... Farmgirl Friday
Wildcrafting Wednesday 

Celebrating at the Holden Arboretum

This recent July 4th had to have been one of the hottest days of the year so far.  However, the idea of being inside any building for most of the day just doesn't feel right on this special holiday, at least  for me!  So, even with the threat of hot, humid weather and severe thunderstorms lurking about, we decided to take the risk and visit one of our favorite spots in the area.

The Holden Arboretum contains preserved land with over a 1000+ acres and over 100 acres are accessible to visitors who come to this unique place.  With twelve collections of lilacs, trees, bushes, etc intersected with cement and gravel paths; there's something new to see around every corner.

As you can tell by the photos, the rain held off even if the temperatures were unrelenting!  We had a great picnic with some great friends and then set off exploring.

Here are just a few of the snapshots caught before the mid day heat set in.  They are all of the Butterfly Garden which is located right behind the Visitor's Center.  Knowing how much I like gardens, I think you'll agree that these flowers are just a little bit of heaven!

Monarda or Bee Balm, explodes in a fire cracker red.

The water feature section of The Butterfly Garden.

 A bee burrowing into a Stokesia flower. Notice the pollen sacs on it's legs.

Daisies are the essence of summer.

I really wanted to sit in the middle of that running water!

Another butterfly plant...I didn't see too many butterflies that day, I think they were smarter than us and stayed "in!"

A perfect shady spot for a little friend to dream...

It was a beautiful day all in all.  We had a fun 4th and took a two mile hike where we saw not one but TWO Great Horned Owls in a tree.  Amazing!  

Hope you had a super holiday as well...blessings to you all!

For more information on the Arboretum, click here.

Tea-licious with Lemon Balm

It's official, today is the first day of summer and what better way to celebrate than with a glass of iced herbal tea made with Melissa Officianalis, aka...Lemon Balm.

I've been making this tea for some years now and we all enjoy it during the summer.  This isn't just a delicious tea though, Lemon Balm has long been used as a general health tonic.  The list of ailments it has been used to treat over the centuries is amazing.  Everything from anxiety/depression, ADD, fever, colic, digestive issues, to bee stings; this herb is a must in everyone's herbal garden.

We just love to drink it.  I figure it is good for the body as well as the senses, so here's a look at how I make it into a tea known as my "Summer Tea."

Lemon Balm

I grow this herb on the sunny south side of our house.  It gets pretty hot there and the soil isn't too great.  That's probably a good thing, because this is one herb that loves to spread.  So, if you plant yours, give it full sun and room to grow.  You'll appreciate it's health benefits and well as its summery flavor.

I only use the very tops of each branch.  These have the best flavor.

I make a dry mix base for my Summer Tea.  I use Green Rooibos which is mineral and antioxidant rich.

I also add (from top left, down to right) rose hips for flavor, hibiscus and lemon grass.  These give it a fruity citrus taste and the hibiscus gives it a pretty ruby color.

I use equal parts of all the ingredients except for the green rooibos, I use 2 parts for that.  So, in other words, one cup of rose hips, one cup of hibiscus flowers, one cup of lemon grass and 2 cups of green rooibos.

  

Add a half of a cup to the dish you'll be steeping your lemon balm.

Let steep for at least 20 minutes to get the maximum health benefits from the balm. 

When done steeping, strain your tea into a one gallon sun tea jar container.  If the tea water is still hot, I add cold cold water to my sun tea jar (about half way filled) so the jar won't crack with the hot water.  Top up the sun tea jar with fresh cold water and wha-la!  You have a gallon of Lemon Balm Summer Tea!  Add ice and sweeten (I use Stevia, another great herb with health benefits) and drink away...so delicious and so refreshing AND it's great for you!

It's tee-rific!  Okay, no more tea puns, but seriously, you'll love it!  Blessings!

Check out Frugally Sustainable for more great ideas!  Their link is here.