Monroe County Master Gardener Association

Ahhhhhhhhhh! It’s Sunday morning and I’m procrastinating. I have new perennials to plant, and a truckload of mulch waiting to be spread. For now, I’m enjoying walking around the yard to see what has changed in the last few days. My  lavender has been blooming the last several days, but it’s really going crazy now! I have Munstead, Hidcote, and Grosso all in one bed, and they’re one of my favorite garden pleasures. Sitting on the front porch in the evening, the fragrance just wafts me away to peace and tranquility. That’s definitely on my agenda after I manhandle all that mulch. The other discovery this morning is that my St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is blooming. I know SJW is considered an invasive plant, even a noxious weed, but the yellow flowers are so cheery I keep it around. (Although there was that year that I kept the pokeweed because the birds enjoyed the berries so much…BIG mistake!) I don’t know anything about SJW’s alleged medicinal value, but sitting in the Adirondack chair next to it in the back yard certainly improves my mood. Here are a couple happy snaps I just took – iphone in one hand and coffee in the other. Natural mood enhancement – yup.