Claude Monet: Painter of Gardens, Poet of Light

Pathway in Monet’s Garden at Giverny (1901-1902) Public domain.

 “And through the open door I see
The garden, filled with summer light..."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — The Garden (from Kéramos, 1878)

Claude Monet (1840–1926) was not only the founding spirit of Impressionism, but also a man whose very soul seemed stitched together with flowers, water, and shifting light. Born in Paris but raised in Le Havre, Monet showed an early love for drawing. He began by sketching caricatures, but under the mentorship of Eugène Boudin he discovered the open air—the sea, the skies, and the fleeting moods of weather—that would come to define his life’s work.

A Garden for a Canvas

If paint was his medium, the garden was his muse. Monet’s home in Giverny became not only his sanctuary but also his grandest masterpiece. He designed it as carefully as he composed a canvas: winding paths bordered by hollyhocks, irises, roses, and poppies; a Japanese bridge arching over a lily pond; willows leaning gracefully over still waters. Monet cultivated his gardens with the eye of an artist and the heart of a gardener, arranging them to catch the sun at dawn and the shimmer of twilight.

It was here that he created his legendary series—Water Lilies, Haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and more—each painted again and again to capture light’s endless variations. His gardens and his canvases were inseparable; to walk through Giverny was to walk into a living painting.

Influence Across Time

Monet’s brush reshaped the course of art, giving courage to fellow Impressionists and later inspiring modernists to embrace color and perception over rigid form. Yet his influence did not end with painters. Gardeners to this day look to Monet’s Giverny as a model of harmony between cultivation and creativity. The informal, painterly style of cottage gardens owes much to his vision: plants spilling over borders, colors mingling like pigments on a palette, the garden as both sanctuary and spectacle.

A Legacy Still Blooming

Claude Monet once said, “My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” Nearly a century after his passing, his lilies still float, his poppies still blaze, and his vision continues to stir both artists and gardeners. To paint like Monet is to chase the light; to garden like Monet is to paint with living color. And in both pursuits, he whispers across the years: beauty lies not in permanence, but in the fleeting shimmer of the moment.

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Erucarum Ortus (1717): Johannes Goedaert’s Window into Nature’s Transformations

When we leaf through the pages of Erucarum Ortus—translated as The Origin of Caterpillars, Worms, and Flies—we glimpse a world caught between art and science, beauty and inquiry. Published in Latin in 1717, long after its author’s death, the work is one of the first systematic attempts to document the life cycles of insects. Its engravings, drawn from life by Dutch painter and naturalist Johannes Goedaert (1617–1668), remind us of the wonder that comes from watching closely, patiently, and faithfully recording what nature reveals.

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A Groundbreaking Work

Before Goedaert, insects were often treated as curiosities—mysterious, bothersome, even demonic. Natural histories typically relied on hearsay or speculation. But Goedaert took another path: he observed. In his modest garden in Middelburg, he raised caterpillars, kept pupae, and recorded their metamorphoses into butterflies, moths, flies, and beetles. Each insect was drawn alongside its host plant, offering not just an isolated specimen, but an ecological relationship.

Erucarum Ortus was revolutionary in three ways:

1. Empirical Observation – Goedaert watched nature unfold rather than repeating secondhand accounts.

2. Artistic Precision – His engravings united botanical and entomological detail with an artist’s eye.

3. Public Accessibility – Though a painter by trade and not a scholar, his work was published and circulated, reaching an audience beyond the universities.

His book stands at the dawn of modern entomology, bridging the gap between medieval wonder and Enlightenment science.

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Biography of Johannes Goedaert (1617–1668)

Johannes Goedaert was born in Middelburg, a bustling Dutch port city and a center of art and trade. Trained as a painter, he supported himself by producing works for patrons, but his passion lay in the miniature dramas of the natural world. With no formal scientific training and lacking instruments like the microscope, Goedaert turned to simple yet rigorous methods: he bred insects, observed them daily, and kept careful notes.

From 1660 until after his death in 1668, his notes and illustrations were published in Dutch, and later Latin, as Metamorphosis Naturalis and Erucarum Ortus. Though his work was sometimes criticized for lacking the exacting taxonomy of later science, his contribution was profound: he showed that ordinary men and women, with patience and dedication, could contribute to natural knowledge.

Goedaert’s influence was far-reaching. His work inspired Maria Sibylla Merian, whose own studies of metamorphosis would take her to Suriname. Together, these artists-naturalists helped transform Europe’s view of insects from pests and portents to creatures worthy of study and admiration.

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Goedaert’s Legacy

Today, Goedaert’s engravings are treasured not only for their scientific importance but for their artistry. Each plate captures a harmony between plant and insect, a reminder that life is interconnected and cyclical. They are time capsules from an age when natural history was both art and devotion.

For collectors and admirers of botanical and entomological art, Erucarum Ortus offers more than historical interest—it offers perspective. It shows us how much can be discovered by attending to the small and overlooked, and how beauty and truth often grow together.

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Coreopsis - The Cheerful, Easy-Care Plant for Summer Color!

 

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Nicholas Culpeper’s The Complete Herbal – Thomas Kelly Edition of 1750

 

Nicholas Culpeper’s The Complete Herbal – Thomas Kelly Edition of 1750

In 1750, London printer Thomas Kelly issued an illustrated edition of Nicholas Culpeper’s The Complete Herbal: To Which Is Now Added, Upwards of One Hundred Additional Herbs — a book that, by then, had already been in circulation for nearly a century. Kelly’s edition included a series of engraved plates that gave readers visual access to the medicinal plants described in the text. It was not just a medical manual; it was a bridge between learned medicine, folk practice, and the common household.

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Who Was Nicholas Culpeper?

Nicholas Culpeper (1616–1654) was an English physician, herbalist, and astrologer. Born into a family of modest means, he trained briefly at Cambridge before abandoning a formal clerical path. Instead, he apprenticed with an apothecary in London, where he gained firsthand knowledge of medical practice and herbal remedies.

Culpeper lived during a period of deep social and medical inequality. The practice of medicine was dominated by the College of Physicians, whose treatments were expensive and inaccessible to common people. Motivated by compassion, reformist zeal, and sometimes outright defiance, Culpeper sought to make medical knowledge freely available. He translated the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis — the official Latin text of the College — into English so that ordinary men and women could read it. This act, considered radical (and even seditious) in its time, democratized medicine.

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Why Did He Write The Complete Herbal?

Culpeper’s Herbal, first published in 1653, combined descriptions of English plants with their medicinal virtues, astrological correspondences, and recipes for use. He believed that God had provided a remedy for every human ailment in nature and that access to these remedies should not be limited to the wealthy.

By writing in plain English and including plants readily found in fields, gardens, and hedgerows, Culpeper made medicine practical for everyday people. The Thomas Kelly edition of 1750 preserved this mission while adding engraved illustrations, making the book even more approachable for readers who needed to identify herbs in the wild.

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Culpeper’s Influence in Botany and Medicine

Culpeper’s work spread widely across Britain, Europe, and eventually the American colonies. Farmers, midwives, country healers, and householders relied on his Herbal as a reference book. Its mixture of folklore, observation, and prescription influenced folk medicine well into the 19th century.

Botanically, Culpeper encouraged the careful observation of native plants. Medically, he insisted that healing was not the sole property of elites but a communal inheritance. His integration of astrology into medicine may seem quaint to modern readers, but in his day it was part of a larger worldview in which the cosmos and the body were deeply connected.

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Culpeper’s Relevance Today

Four centuries later, Culpeper remains a cultural touchstone. His work speaks to:

• Accessibility: Making medicine understandable and affordable.

• Holism: Treating the patient as a whole person rather than a set of symptoms.

• Natural Remedies: Renewed interest in herbalism and plant-based medicine.

Modern science has indeed validated some of his observations. For example:

• Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), which Culpeper recommended for certain heart conditions, later gave rise to the drug digitalis.

• Willow bark, a traditional remedy for fevers and pain, became the basis for aspirin.

• Milk thistle (Silybum marianum), which Culpeper prescribed for liver complaints, has shown promise in modern hepatology.

Not all of Culpeper’s prescriptions hold up under scrutiny, and some of his recommended herbs (like hemlock and henbane) are dangerously toxic. Yet his belief that many common plants contain genuine healing properties has proven true in case after case.

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Will Modern Medicine Return to Culpeper?

While medicine today rests on clinical trials and biochemistry rather than astrology and folk knowledge, researchers are increasingly re-evaluating traditional remedies. Ethnobotany, pharmacognosy, and integrative medicine all look back to herbal traditions for leads on new treatments. Culpeper’s Herbal provides a window into centuries of empirical observation — notes gathered long before randomized trials but rich with potential insights.

It is unlikely that modern medicine will adopt Culpeper wholesale, but it may continue to mine his observations for inspiration. His legacy remains: that the green world around us holds secrets worth studying, that healing belongs to all, and that knowledge should never be hoarded by the few.

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Nicholas Culpeper’s The Complete Herbal — Thomas Kelly’s 1750 edition — stands as both a work of science and a work of justice. It is a reminder that medicine grows not only in laboratories but also in the hedgerows, gardens, and meadows of daily life.

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Delosperma "Ice Plant" - Drought-Proof Color Splash

 

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Bringing the Garden Indoors: The Power of Floral Art

When autumn deepens and frost pulls the color from our borders, we can still invite the spirit of the garden inside. A simple floral painting, a botanical print, or even a poster of a favorite bloom can preserve that sense of growth and abundance through the darker months.

Art has long been recognized as a companion to mental health. Research shows that simply viewing nature scenes—whether real or represented—lowers stress, improves mood, and restores attention. A landmark study by Roger Ulrich found that hospital patients with a window view of trees recovered faster than those facing a wall (Ulrich, 1984). More recent work has confirmed that art depicting natural elements evokes similar calming effects (Frontiers in Psychology, 2021).

Floral art also nurtures a positive attitude. The Journal of Positive Psychology reports that exposure to images of nature can increase feelings of vitality and reduce anxiety (Ryan et al., 2010). Even a framed watercolor of sunflowers on the wall can act as a daily reminder that growth is ongoing, seasons turn, and beauty.

Practical Ways to Bring the Garden In

• Hang a floral canvas or poster in a high-traffic room—kitchen, hallway, or entryway—for a burst of color in daily life.

• Rotate botanical prints seasonally, just as a garden evolves. Poppies in summer, chrysanthemums in fall, hellebores in winter.

• Pair art with live elements: a painting of lavender above a vase of dried lavender intensifies both sight and scent.

When your garden is sleeping, its spirit doesn’t have to be silent. A well-placed painting, poster, or botanical sketch keeps its presence alive—nourishing peace of mind and steadying the heart until spring returns.

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Healing in Bloom: How Garden Art Nurtures the Mind

Here’s the straight truth: garden art—sculptures, plaques, mosaics, even a humble hand-lettered sign—doesn’t just pretty up the beds; it can steady the mind and lighten the spirit when paired with living green.

Researchers have long shown that exposure to nature lowers stress and improves mood and attention; classic work even found hospital patients with a window view of trees recovered faster than those facing a brick wall. That’s not romance; that’s data. PMCPubMedScience

Layer art onto that natural setting and the effect often deepens. A systematic review reports promising reductions in stress and anxiety from simply viewing visual artworks—with physiological changes to match—though authors rightly call for more rigorous trials (we like skeptics). PMCBMJ Open

When programs combine horticulture with creative, arts-based activities, participants report gains in wellbeing and social connection—exactly the cocktail most of us need after a long season. Think of it as attention restoration with a chisel or paintbrush. PMC

More broadly, horticultural therapy—guided gardening with purposeful tasks—shows measurable reductions in depressive symptoms and stress, especially for older adults; it’s not a fad, it’s a field. PMCFrontiers

How to put this to work in your garden

• Create a focal point. A small statue or cross-shaped trellis gives the eye a place to rest, supporting the calm, “soft-fascination” that restores attention. Place it where morning light touches first. PMC

• Weave art into tasks. Paint plant markers, lay a mosaic stepping stone, or carve a verse for a bed edge. The making is therapy; the finished piece anchors the space. PMC

• Pair art with seating and scent. A bench beside a sculpture and rosemary hedge invites slow breathing and longer, restorative pauses. PMC

In short: cultivate beauty with purpose. The plants tend the body; the art tends the soul. And together they give the mind a quiet, well-ordered path back to peace.

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Exciting garden-related events for September, 2025

 

 

Here’s a nationwide roundup for September 2025—split between botanical garden happenings and Cooperative Extension programs. 

Botanical garden events (U.S.)

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden (NY) – Gardens for Peace — Sat, Sept 6. Free programming around the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden as part of NAJGA’s annual initiative. Brooklyn Botanic Garden

• Birmingham Botanical Gardens (AL) – Fall Plant Sale — Fri–Sat, Sept 5–6. Hundreds of plants grown by Friends volunteers; proceeds support the Gardens. Birmingham Botanical Gardens

• Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis, MO) – Gateway West Gesneriad Society Show & Sale — Sat, Sept 6, 9am–5pm. Plus extended evening hours on Sept 4, 11, 18, 25; special programs through the month. Missouri Botanical Garden

• Fort Worth Botanic Garden (TX) – Fall Gallery Night: The Hidden Beauty of Plant Patterns — Sat, Sept 6, 11am–3pm (at BRIT). Fort Worth Botanic Garden

• Desert Botanical Garden (Phoenix, AZ) – Flashlight Nights — Sat, Sept 13, 7–9:30pm (recurring). After-dark trails and desert creatures. Desert Botanical Garden

• Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (IA) – Fall Bulb Sale (starts) — Sat, Sept 13, 10:30am; plus “Fern Friends” that day and evening happy hours Sept 16. dmbotanicalgarden.com

• Chicago Botanic Garden (IL) – Patterned by Nature Walking Tours; Mosaic Workshop — Tours run weekdays through Sept 19; Mosaic class series begins Thu, Sept 4. Chicago Botanic Garden

• New York Botanical Garden (NY) – NYBG 5K Fun Run / Climate Week — Sun, Sept 21 fun run kicks off NYC Climate Week (Sept 21–27); month view shows ongoing exhibits/markets. New York Botanical Garden+2New York Botanical Garden+2

• Missouri Botanical Garden – Member Speaker Series: The New Romantic Garden — Tue, Sept 23, 11am–12pm; other dinners/performances throughout the month. Missouri Botanical Garden

• North Carolina Botanical Garden (Chapel Hill, NC) – Fall Native Plant Sale — Sat, Sept 27 (members’ preview Fri, Sept 26). North Carolina Botanical Garden

• WSU Master Gardener Advanced Education Conference (virtual, hosted in WA) — While Extension-run, it functions like a garden conference: Fri–Sat, Sept 26–27 (“Cultivating Resilience”). Master Gardener FoundationMaster Gardener Foundation

• People’s Note: Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail announced for NYBG and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Austin, TX) starting Sept 25 (runs into Nov). Family-draw, heavy foot traffic. People.com

Cooperative Extension & Master Gardener events (U.S.)

• Purdue Extension (IN) – Master Gardener State Conference — Sat, Sept 13, Hendricks County; tours, container design, planning, more. Purdue University

• Cornell Cooperative Extension (Columbia–Greene, NY) — Sept 13 Wildlife Enhancement Woodland Walk (Siuslaw Model Forest); Sept 17 Pickling in a Water Bath Canner; Sept 20 Fall Gardening Day; Sept 27 Minimizing Deer Impacts; Sept 28 Composting Made Easy. Cornell Cooperative Extension

• UNH Extension (NH) – Beginning Gardener Series: Gardens in the Fall — Workshop on season extension and fall planting (Sept, date posted under Yard & Garden tag). Extension | University of New Hampshire

• UW–Madison Extension (WI) – Foundations in Gardening (statewide online) — Starts Sept 7 (runs to Dec 6). Good credential-builder for staff/volunteers. Extension Dane County

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Wood County Herb Festival — Sat, Sept 13, 8am–2pm (education sessions, vendors, food trucks). Texas Master Gardener Program

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Smith County Herb Fest (Quitman, TX) — Sat, Sept 13, 8am–2pm (Master Gardener event). Smith

• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Plant Party (South Texas Rangelands webinar) — Wed, Sept 17, 10–11:30am CT. South Texas Rangelands

• UF/IFAS Extension (FL) – Palms Workshop (Orange County, Orlando) — Thu, Sept 18 (in-person workshop covering biology, diagnostics, care). What's Happening Around Florida

• UF/IFAS Extension (FL) – Regional Fall Plant Sales & Programs — Sept 19–20 Florida Museum Fall Plant Sale (Gainesville); Sept 20 Okaloosa MGV Fall Plant Sale (Ft. Walton Beach); ongoing Sept series in the Panhandle. Gardening Solutions

• UC Cooperative Extension (Riverside County, CA) – Home Gardening 101 (in-person) — Three Saturday sessions in September (9am–1pm). UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

• Texas A&M AgriLife (Williamson County, TX) – Hands-On in the Garden: Fall Lawn Care — September session outdoors at the Georgetown Demo Garden. Texas Master Gardener Program

• Guadalupe County Master Gardeners (TX) – Lunch & Learn: Hobby Greenhouses — Wed, Sept 10 at the AgriLife Extension Office (Seguin). Guadalupe County Master Gardeners

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Mandrake - The Screaming Root of Myth, Medicine, and Magic

 

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Here's a gardener’s to-do list for September, 2025, tailored for each region of the United States.

 

September is a transitional month, a sweet blend of waning summer heat and the cool promise of autumn. It's a time of preparation, planting, and tidying. Let’s get our hands dirty:

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Northeast

• 🌿 Plant: Spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils, tulips, crocus; cool-season vegetables (spinach, kale, lettuce).

• 🍂 Clean up: Remove spent annuals; divide and transplant perennials.

• 🍁 Lawn: Overseed bare spots; fertilize with a slow-release formula.

• 🌾 Harvest: Apples, pears, late tomatoes, squash.

• 🧤 Prep: Start planning garden protection for frost (row covers, cloches).

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Midwest

• 🌱 Sow: Lettuce, radishes, turnips, spinach for fall crops.

• 🌷 Plant: Spring bulbs before the ground freezes.

• 🪓 Cut back: Deadhead perennials and remove diseased foliage.

• 🍎 Pick: Apples, pumpkins, late peppers, and beans.

• 💧 Water: New plantings deeply before frost sets in.

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Southeast

• 🥬 Plant: Cool-season vegetables — collards, cabbage, carrots, and beets.

• 🌺 Flowers: Add pansies, violas, snapdragons, and mums.

• 🌴 Prune: Remove dead limbs from trees after summer storms.

• 🐞 Pest Watch: Treat fire ants, spider mites, and caterpillars.

• 🍌 Tropical Care: Fertilize bananas, ginger, and other subtropicals for one last push.

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Southwest

• 🧅 Plant: Onions, garlic, broccoli, and leafy greens.

• 🌼 Add: Marigolds, calendula, and chrysanthemums for fall color.

• 💧 Irrigate: Monitor for dry spells; adjust irrigation for cooler temps.

• 🌵 Desert Zones: Begin planting native perennials and cacti as soil cools.

• 🧹 Cleanup: Rake up summer leaf litter and mulch.

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Pacific Northwest

• 🥗 Sow: Arugula, mustard greens, overwintering spinach.

• 🌷 Bulbs: Plant tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils.

• 🌧️ Mulch: Apply mulch to retain warmth and suppress weeds.

• 🌿 Divide: Iris, daylilies, hostas.

• 🪣 Drain: Empty and store rain barrels before heavy fall rains.

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Mountain West

• 🪴 Plant: Garlic, hardy greens, and cover crops in veg beds.

• 🧹 Prep: Clean up debris to prevent overwintering pests.

• 🧤 Protect: Wrap or shield tender plants from early frost.

• 🧪 Soil Test: Now’s a great time to check soil and amend for spring.

• 🌾 Harvest: Potatoes, beets, apples, and squash.

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California

• 🍓 Plant: Strawberries, fall vegetables (brassicas, greens, peas).

• 🌸 Color: Add fall annuals like cosmos, snapdragons, alyssum.

• 🌴 Prune: Light pruning on shrubs and hedges.

• 🚿 Irrigate: Deeply water trees if the dry season continues.

• 🪓 Cut back: Dead or spent summer flowers and trim back overgrown vines.

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Each region dances to its own rhythm in September. Wherever you are, it’s a season of reckoning and readiness. The best gardens aren’t just grown—they’re tended with foresight.

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Six Edible Ornamental Flowers and Recipes to Savor the Garden

 

 

 In every well-tended garden, some blooms do more than delight the eye—they tempt the palate. These edible ornamental flowers offer beauty, fragrance, and flavor, bridging the gap between the flowerbed and the kitchen table. Here are six lovely blossoms that can be grown, admired, and devoured—with a simple recipe to highlight each one’s charm.

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🌼 1. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Peppery, bright, and cheerful.

Flavor: Slightly spicy, like watercress.
Garden Use: Sprawling border filler, hanging baskets.
Recipe: Nasturtium Cream Cheese Spread

• Mix 8 oz softened cream cheese with 2 tbsp chopped chives, a dash of lemon juice, and ¼ cup chopped nasturtium petals. Spread on crackers or cucumber slices.

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🌸 2. Viola / Johnny Jump-Up (Viola tricolor)

Whimsical faces in cool weather hues.

Flavor: Mild, sweet, grassy.
Garden Use: Edging flower beds, container gardens.
Recipe: Candied Viola Garnish

• Paint petals with egg white, sprinkle with superfine sugar, and dry overnight. Use to top cupcakes or custards for a romantic, old-world effect.

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🌺 3. Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Tropical beauty with a tangy bite.

Flavor: Tart, cranberry-like.
Garden Use: Bold statement plant in sunny locations.
Recipe: Hibiscus Iced Tea

• Simmer ½ cup dried hibiscus petals in 4 cups water with a cinnamon stick and 2 tbsp honey. Strain, chill, and serve over ice with orange slices.

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🌼 4. Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

The “pot marigold” with a saffron soul.

Flavor: Spicy, slightly bitter, like saffron or arugula.
Garden Use: Companion plant in vegetable beds, attracts pollinators.
Recipe: Calendula Rice Pilaf

• Stir 2 tbsp chopped calendula petals into cooked jasmine rice with sautéed garlic, peas, and a pinch of turmeric. Finish with a pat of butter and fresh parsley.

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🌸 5. Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

Wild, shaggy flowers with minty magic.

Flavor: Citrus-mint, slightly spicy.
Garden Use: Pollinator magnet and deer-resistant border plant.
Recipe: Bee Balm Honey Butter

• Mix ½ cup softened butter with 2 tbsp finely chopped bee balm petals and 1 tbsp honey. Serve with cornbread or hot biscuits.

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🌺 6. Borage (Borago officinalis)

Sky-blue stars with a cucumber kiss.

Flavor: Fresh cucumber.
Garden Use: Self-seeding herb with tall, fuzzy stems and electric blue flowers.
Recipe: Borage Lemonade

• Muddle a handful of borage flowers with lemon slices and sugar. Add water and ice. Optional: a splash of gin or vodka for a garden party.

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Planting edible flowers is like weaving poetry into your garden—each petal a verse, each flavor a stanza. Let beauty be more than skin-deep this season. Grow these edible ornaments, and let your table bloom with every bite.

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Sedum - Drought-proof Color for Tough Gardens

 

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Chasing Dahlias in the Pacific Northwest: A September Garden Road Trip

 

Portland Japanese Garden - 

Image by Abhay Bharadwaj from Pixabay

September in the Pacific Northwest is ablaze with color, when dahlias burst into their full glory and gardens spill over with late-season abundance. Here's a suggested itinerary for you. This week-long loop carries you from Portland’s elegant gardens to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby, through orchard country in Hood River, and up to Seattle’s serene arboretums. Along the way, you’ll gather blooms, sip wine, and walk landscapes where wilderness and cultivation meet in harmony.

Sept 6–14, 2025

Day 1 (Sat, Sept 6) – Portland, OR Arrival

• Fly into Portland International Airport.

• Evening stroll through the Portland Japanese Garden or International Rose Test Garden.

Day 2–3 (Sun–Mon, Sept 7–8) – Canby, OR

• Anchor Event: Swan Island Dahlia Festival (peak bloom!)
  Acres of dahlias in riotous color, tuber sales, floral design classes, and local vendors.

• Explore the nearby Woodburn Tulip Farm (off-season but still worth a look for specialty bulbs).

Day 4 (Tue, Sept 9) – Hoyt Arboretum & Downtown Portland

• Wander among 2,300+ species at Hoyt Arboretum.

• Visit the Lan Su Chinese Garden, a hidden oasis in downtown Portland.

Day 5 (Wed, Sept 10) – Silverton & Salem, OR

• Day trip to Oregon Garden in Silverton — 80 acres of themed plantings.

• Stop in Salem for wineries or local farm markets.

Day 6–7 (Thu–Fri, Sept 11–12) – Columbia Gorge & Hood River, OR

• Drive the Columbia River Gorge. Hike among waterfalls framed by late-summer wildflowers.

• Explore Hood River’s lavender farms, cider houses, and orchards.

Day 8 (Sat, Sept 13) – Mount St. Helens, WA

• See post-eruption landscapes reborn with lupine, fireweed, and alder.

• Visit the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center for ecological interpretation.

Day 9 (Sun, Sept 14) – Seattle, WA

• Morning drive north.

• Tour the Washington Park Arboretum and Kubota Garden.

• Evening departure from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

   Pack your camera, clear space in the car for tubers, and set your course for Oregon and Washington this September — the dahlias are waiting, and so is the road.

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