watermelon boat

due to recent raccoon invasions, swamp monster and friend have started patrolling the murky waters of the fish pond.

lavender tea wand

another post that i meant to write a month or so ago.....
this is easier to make than you would think.
gather 12 or so stems of lavender, cutting them far down the stem, and a few leaves of other herbs you think would blend well (lemon balm, mints, chamomile, lemon verbena, pineapple sage.....).

take up the stems of lavender and hold them just beneath the flower heads.

wrap one stem twice around the others, and then slip the end of the stem through the wrapped parts. this ties all the stems together.

stick the collected leaves into the lavender flower heads.

then, take a single stem and fold it up, and repeat with the others. when done, the stems should enclose the flowers and leaves. push the flower heads behind the stems if they are sticking out, and adjust the stems as needed.

take a single stem, one that is somewhat pliable, and wrap it two or three times around the other stems. then, like before, slip the end of the stem through it's wrapped area, effectively knotting it into place.

the tea wand can be used right away (good for a couple of mugs of tea) or hung in a cool dry place for later use.

how, you too, can grow your own strawberry army

if you grow stawberries in pots, you may have noticed that they send out shoots with little clumps of leaves on the end. these adventure seeking shoots quest for any amount of soil to claim as their new home- be it another potted plant's soil or a neaby plot of dirt. these shoots also make it very easy to propagate strawberry plants, so that the next year your strawberry bounty will double, triple, or even- quadruple! first off, fill a flat with soil. place it next to your strawberry plant(s), and bury the shoots shallowly in the soil. do this if you have a lot of shoots.

if you only have one or two shoots you may wish to bury the shoots in individual pots.

do NOT cut the umbilical cord from the mother plant. time for that kind of mutilation later. water the shoots for a couple of weeks, this allows them time to establish a strong root system in the soil. you can test out the roots after two weeks by GENTLY tugging on the leaves. if they have a good grip on the soil they are ready to be cut loose. simply fill a pot with soil, cut the umbilical cord, and transplant the strawberry start into the new pot. water well, and keep in the dappled shadows for a day. if you buried your shoot in a pot at the first step, all that is required of you is cutting the cord.
you are now well on your way to your very own strawberry army. (for this super thrifty plant pot option, i take home large cans from work....larger than most ceramic pots and free!)

(warning: keep them away from other plants as they will send their shoots over and take over.....)