Wade and Gatton Trip 2

A few weeks ago I made a return trip to Wade and Gatton, one of the largest hosta farms in Ohio.  This year I had a better idea of what hostas I wanted so instead of heading directly to the greenhouses, I spent some time wandering through the woods and gardens where they have their hostas planted by the thousands. I happened to meet the owner as I was meandering and during our conversation I asked him how many cultivars of hostas they have on the farm. He said they had over three thousand. WOW!!! No wonder I have a hard time selecting a few.

Hosta "Lakeport Blue"

Hosta "American Eagle"

Hosta "Sagae"

This is a beautiful hosta. I have this one but mine is about a third this size. Love the heart shaped leaves!

Hosta June seen on the left is my favorite Hosta in my garden but it might lose it's position ......

  to Hosta "Liberty". This is one GORGEOUS Hosta! I had to have this one!!

Hosta "Linda Sue"

Hosta "Independence Day"

Hosta "Aspen Gold"

Hosta "Sum and Substance"

I've been wanting a giant hosta so I bought this one. It can reach 30 inches tall by 60 inches wide or more. I love the chartreuse color on these.

Hosta "Guacamole"

I have this one in my garden.

Hosta "Delta Dawn"

I'm not sure why but I ended up with mostly photos of large hostas this year. I guess they just made a bigger impact. The small ones kind of disappear among the large ones. I do love the miniature ones though and I broke down and bought one this year. It seems the smaller it is, the more it costs!

Rhododendron's were in bloom. I love these but unfortunately I just don't have any success with them.

Their Peony Garden was in bloom so I have to include a few of them as well.

I didn't take time to get the names but they were all gorgeous!

Grilled Herb Burgers

It's summertime and that means it time to fire up the barbie and do some cooking outdoors.
I absolutely love anything barbequed but sometimes I like a change and these herb basted burgers are a hit at our house. The flavor of the fresh herbs makes them extra special.

First make your marinade.

Fresh Herb Marinade:

1/3 cup canola oil

3 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

pepper to taste

2-3 Tbsp freshly minced herbs.

 Use whatever herbs you desire or have on hand. I have used Parsley, Thyme, Rosemary, Dill, Chives or Oregano. Cilantro would be okay too.

Stir everything together in small bowl. I usually do this earlier in the day and let the herbs infuse with the oil but that is optional.

 Mix your beef and ingredients and shape into 6-7 equal sized burgers.

1 1/2 lb. hamburger

1/2 cup crushed townhouse crackers or bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 heaping Tbsp. finely chopped onion

1 heaping Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. Fresh Herb Marinade

I like using 80-85% lean beef for burgers on the grill. I find the 90% to be too dry.

Slice your onions and brush with marinade.

You can put them directly on the grill but I think it works better to put them in a cast iron skillet. It will take longer so start them 10-12 minutes before you put your burgers on. I especially love this skillet with ridges, but I'm sure any pan will work.

After the onions are starting to soften and carmelize, get your burgers on and grill just until no longer pink and juices are clear. Baste burgers and onions occasionally with marinade.

Toast your buns if desired.

Add your favorite toppings then enjoy. Wish I would have had fresh tomato's from the garden but it's too soon for that here.

Some freshly grated Parmesan Cheese melted on top is great too!

printablerecipe

 Linking to StoneGable

Bluebird Fledgling's

My bluebirds fledged a few weeks ago but until a few days ago I didn't know if it was successful or not. I tried to watch where the parents went, but didn't spot the babies anywhere. Finally at the end of last week I was sure I saw one and today I saw two of them. There were 6 eggs in the nestbox so I hope there are more, but I'm so excited to have a few make it.

I spotted one sitting on a feeder this morning and.......

another one up on the roof.

I hurried out with some mealworms and sat back and waited. Sure enough, they showed up and started feeding their young.

It looks like the males do most of the feeding, but in the females defense I think she is busy building another nest in the same box. So hopefully there will be another nesting.

Any left for me?

So much fun to watch!!!

I've got the Blues

Blue flowers that is.

Blue flowers are some of the most highly sought-after flowers in the garden and it certainly is one of my favorite colors. Although a lot of flowers are labeled "blue"  what I call true blue is a relatively rare color.
Here are some of my favorite blues. I'll cheat a little and include a few of the purple-blue flowers too.

Blue Flax

Blue Flax is a lovely, airy plant with blue-green foliage and true sky blue flowers. Buds open shortly after sunrise and last just part of the day depending on how sunny the day is. Each bloom lasts only a day but the plant is loaded with new buds for the next day.

Evening

Morning

Another gorgeous blue flower is Nigella.....

aka as "Love-in-a-Mist"

Nigella is an annual that self seeds and blooms in varying shades of light blue to a darker periwinkle color.. The plant has lacey fern-like foliage and a unique mist of fennel-like bracts surrounding the flower.

Bluestar Amsonia

A rather uncommon perennial, Amsonia has powdery ice blue star-shaped flowers that bloom in clusters on tall stems. This plant takes full sun to part shade and turns a beautiful golden yellow in the fall. A very low maintenance plant it deserves a place in my garden.

Veronica Georgia Blue

This is a great ground cover or edging plant. It forms a nice mat and doesn't get invasive or out of control. The flowers are a beautiful cobolt blue and resemble Forget-Me Nots. This ground cover does a good job of blocking out weeds and does well in hot, dry conditions. Also pretty in containers.

Veronica "Crater Lake Blue"

I love the intense blue color of this plant but bloom time is very short. Most Veronica's prefer full sun but will tolerate a little shade.

Siberian Iris

A more purple blue flower but it has a blue center so I'll include it here.

Baptisia Australis

Or more commonly known as Blue False Indigo, is a standout because of it's striking blue colors. It's a member of the pea family as you can see by the resemblance of it's foliage and flowers. It takes a few years for this plant to get established and start blooming but it's worth the wait. Blooms are followed by 2-3 inch long black seed pods giving this plant another interesting element.

Do you have a favorite blue flower?