Bulbs

Flowering season is pretty much over for all my bulbs, but I'm so excited for next year cause I have some new ones.
Heres a list of all the bulb flowers I have:
Ornithogalum dubium - Sun Star
Narcissus papyraceus - Paper Whites 
Narcissus asturiensis - Miniature Daffodil 
Muscari neglectum - Grape Hyacinth 
Polianthes tuberosa - Double Tuberose 

 Narcissus papyraceus - Paper Whites

 Muscari neglectum - Grape Hyacinth

 Ornithogalum dubium - Sun Star

Narcissus asturiensis - Miniature Daffodil 

Polianthes tuberosa - Double Tuberose 

Pressed leaves

Trifolium pratense, Red Clover, from my garden dried in a book and pressed in glass in a drift wood frame (:

Summer projects

This Summer I plan on making lots of different herbal soaps, lip balms, salves, alcoholic infusions/liquors & candles. I have a bunch of other herbs in my garden that I'm planning on drying and using as well :)

"Make Your Place: affordable, sustainable nesting skills" & "The Mental Health Cookbook: Creating a connection with food and herbs"

Bergamot Mint drying on paper towel

Camomille, Jasmine, Chocolate Mint, & Lavender

2lbs of unfiltered, unprocessed bee's wax

Valarian Root Valeriana officinalis

Marsh Mallow Althaea Officinalis

Japanese Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica

Woodland Strawberries

First two Woodland Strawberries of the season. They are about the size of peanuts.

Fragaria californica 

!!! >:(

Something, I don't know what, pulled up ALL 6 of my beet plants last night. Beets that I had spent a month and a half germinating and weaning and just planted in the ground last week. I am so pissed! It could have at least left one survivor.  UUUUURRGGH!!


* 2 survivors were recovered from the wreckage.

MINT!

Mint is one of my favorite herbs. I have been collecting as many different species as I can find for a few years and now have about 9 different species.

Mints Species!: 
Mentha citrata - Bergamot Mint 
Mentha × gracilis - Ginger Mint 
Mentha × piperita - Chocolate Mint (steril hybrid)
Mentha niliaca - Egyptian Mint 
Mentha spicata - Spearmint  
Mentha × piperita - Peppermint 
Mentha spicata var. crispa - Curly Mint 
Mentha arvensis - Banana Mint 
*Mentha longifolia subsp. schimperi - Eastern Mint  

Others in the Lamiaceae family:  
Nepeta reichenbachiana - Cat Mint 
Clinopodium douglasii - Yerba Buena (Cal. Native) 
Clinopodium chandleri - San Miguel Savory (Cal. Native) 
Pycnanthemum californicum - California Mountain mint (Cal. Native)  

Pictures coming soon!

*I spent months trying to track down the exact species name of this mint. I cloned it from a plant in my friends yard and discovered that it is fairly rare and originates from somewhere in the Middle East. It has a very intense, almost pungent minty sent. It is quite prolific, as is common to most mints, so I keep it in a pot. It's flowers are white to light light purple and grow on a 3 to 4 pronged spike inflorescence. Very popular with the bees.

More wire garden markers

I'll eventually paint these too ( :

Wildflowers!

Just sowed in a bunch of wildflower seeds today in front of my Woodland Strawberry patch ( :

Native California seeds including:
-Abronia villosa - Desert Sand Verbena
-Baileya multiradiata - Desert Marigold
-Linum perenne - Blue Flax
-Lupinus bicolor - Miniature Lupine
-Nemophila maculata - Fivespot
-Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis - Desert Bluebells
-Salvia columbariae var. columbariae - Chia
-Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua - Apricot Mallow
-Amblyopappus pusillus - Pineapple weed
-Eschscholzia californica - California Poppy

Non-native seeds including:

-Trifolium pratense - Red Clover

-Helianthus - Dwarf Sunflower

-Aquilegia - Columbine

-Papaver orientale L. - Oriental Poppy

Lupinus bicolor - Miniature Lupine

Baileya multiradiata - Desert Marigold

Nemophila maculata - Fivespot

Amblyopappus pusillus - Pineapple weed

Salvia columbariae var. columbariae - Chia

Sphaeralcea ambigua var. ambigua - Apricot Mallow

Phacelia campanularia ssp. vasiformis - Desert Bluebells

Aquilegia - Columbine

Trifolium pratense - Red Clover