Great blue lobelia, crazy cosmos & gigantic holy basil

It’s September, yay! Before I even knew the date, I could smell something slightly different in the air. A hint of freshness. A tiny preview of fall, complete with dried up sycamore leaves scattered in the yard. It makes me rise up out of my summertime sluggishness. I notice the great blue lobelia blooming and my energy level rises. 

Great blue lobelia, a late summer beauty

So much gets away from me in July and August that now starts the catch-up, and I’m not even talking about all the work ahead of me with the preserving, prepping and winterizing. Right now I’m only talking about the flowers and herbs, after a summer of nature running free in this muggy, lush hollow. That, and my mistakes such as planting cosmos in a raised bed full of compost. They grew crazy, like Jack’s beanstalk. Eight foot plants covered with its pretty, fern-like foliage but not a blossom in sight. Never even got a single bud. Fluffy little trees. 

Crazy 8-ft. cosmos with no flowers

And then there’s holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), an innocent looking little plant in a 3-inch pot on Mother’s Day that ended up a 5-foot wide mound just two months later! A huge bugger, smothered my creeping thyme, my precious mother of thyme.

One holy basil plant took over 25 square feet!

It is lovely, though, isn’t it? And in its defense, here’s some info about holy basil, or tulsi: It is an adaptogen in Ayurvedic medicine, used most often for treating stress. It originates in the tropics of Southeast Asia and is considered holy by the Hindus. That’s where the name holy basil came from. It is also edible, having a strong anise flavor similar to other basils (early in the season), and makes a nice tea. I dry it for a winter tea that helps counter the effects of seasonal affective disorder. I’ve read that it self-sows easily so I will never have to buy it again.

A funky old fence

Because I love historical details and the old-timey look, I don’t hesitate when I

am offered salvaged architectural stuff like antique windows or old picket fencing. My friends Melody and Randy dropped off a big pile of that fencing one day. I love the look, don’t you? You drive onto my property and come down into the holler, into the woods, and suddenly you see this quaint old fence and behind it, my tiny log cabin and even tinier greenhouse. Looks like it’s been here for a long time.

A 4-foot high picket fence now goes across the front of the cabin. Even though the cabin is a quarter mile into the property, it feels good to have that definitive border, an additional barrier. I now have a nice spot inside the fence for a small medicine wheel garden. That will be a fun project for next spring.

When I visit the kids in their city homes with amenities, I usually catch some television like HGTV. Last time I was there I saw a show about tiny houses and one designer who came up with the cutest idea to take various lengths of 1x3s, paint them in primary colors and use the pieces to panel a wall. Bright and colorful, fresh and cheery. I have a room that needs walls…and a pile of left-over picket fencing. A fun winter project, I think.

A special thanks to Melody and Randy Strickland –oh, and Tiffany! I hope things are going great for you in Vermont—for the fencing, and to Keith Strickland for all his hard work putting it up.