Author Archives: thesalemgarden

I love to garden, and blog about gardening, horticultural therapy and gardening adaptations and Salem Massachusetts!

Another Great DC Stop–Georgetown Cupcake!

We visited lots of great museums, monuments and places of historical importance on our trip to Washington DC a few weeks ago. At the end of the day, after seeing all of those amazing places, it was all about the cupcakes for us!  As I mentioned in yesterday’s post it was really, really hot. 108 degrees is hot!  In spite of this, we still found some energy to check out the Georgetown Cupcake shop, home of the hit TLC show DC Cupcake.   As we left the National Mall and drove a mile west the temperature went down eight degrees according to our car thermometer. Suddenly 100 degrees felt like air conditioning! We thought we could do anything! So we found a parking spot right on the Potomac River and took a hike up the hill to find the famous cupcake shop.

It looked just like it does on the TV show. The man in blue is a security guard and I suspect that he would have been very busy if it had been a little cooler.

 
My gang was ready to check things out!

Here’s a view of the inside… many, many boxes and many, many cupcakes! It seemed like a pretty tight space. We wondered if there was a larger kitchen/baking area to the right…


This young man was very patient with us.  It took us awhile to order.

I think that’s because these were the choices. It was just a little bit difficult for anyone to make a decision.

Here’s what we came home with. Yes, there are six cupcakes for seven people. That’s because our oldest daughter is severely allergic to nuts so she had to pass on the cupcake.  She’s a huge fan of the show and was okay with visiting and getting a t-shirt instead of a cupcake.  She loves to bake and uses the recipes from their cookbook all the time.


We did make it back to the hotel eventually and  had a cupcake feast (and a nap if needed)!

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A Great Stop in DC—The US Botanic Garden, Children’s Garden

We were in Washington DC a few weeks ago and I treated myself to a walk in the US Botanic Garden.  I would have taken my  family with me for my walk but it was literally 108 degrees that day. They stayed in the cool air conditioned Smithsonian while I enjoyed the garden. Needless to say I had the whole thing to myself and it was glorious! I spent about 45 minutes relaxing and taking in every nook and cranny. One of the highlights was the Children’s Garden. It’s a beautiful child friendly oasis in the middle of all of the DC action.

The Children’s Garden is located just outside of the huge conservatory.

The plants are so varied.  The  shapes, colors, sizes and textures are really engaging.

The posted rules are simple and child friendly.

I saw pots of plants waiting for kids to put into the ground themselves.

Unfortunately I missed the photo, but I loved the concept!

There’s a fountain (pictured on the left) that children can play in and use to water plants. There’s a wonderful green-roofed playhouse!Along with places to hide and run…and to pretend and just “be”…It was easy to get lost in the whimsy and fun.

I hope that next time my children are in the photos too!

They would have enjoyed this… it’s a great place for families to learn, relax and spend time together while enjoying Washington DC.

I could have stayed for hours!

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What’s Happening In the Garden– July 20th

It’s time for the Rose of Sharon to bloom!

These are  everywhere right now.

Mine are extra special to me because my sister sent them in an envelope a few years ago when they were about nine inches tall.

We had two Rose of Sharon trees growing in this little spot. We moved one last fall (more on that in a minute)..

This one needs to be moved out away from the Hemlock tree, centered to the left, and the area cleaned up.  Our neighbors took a very large arborvitae tree out of that corner recently.

Sounds like a good fall project!

Just below is a photo of the Rose of Sharon that we moved. It’s kind of hidden behind the swing set and fell off of my radar screen in the hot, dry weather.

Now it’s a bit yellowed and worn. This is a good reminder to water often for at least a year or two after transplanting a tree or shrub!

These are quite hardy so I’m sure it can be saved but I need to get on it and stay the course.

Over in the garden, the carrots are coming right along.

See the little cleome plants in there that are still re-seeding from a few years ago?

Michael put one pumpkin seed in the ground “just because” and here it is!

I saw bees pollinating it recently. I’m hoping that it’s not too late for pumpkins to grow on that vine. I’ll keep you posted…

The snapdragon that I planted in front of the chicken coop poofed up!

The asparagus is now a beautiful fern. We just couldn’t eat any more asparagus and there are  other veggies to enjoy.

The red day lily is blooming. I love this color!

The plant in the center is a pretty chrysanthemum. We’ll see it blooming in a few weeks.

And the butterfly garden is thriving. It’s always a little wild and in need of some thinning but the butterflies seem to love it!

What’s blooming in your garden this week?

Share in the comments section… I love to hear about how things are going for all of you!

Enjoy Everything!

Love,  Michele

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Tornados in Salem?

Yesterday afternoon we had a tornado warning here in Salem. Seriously, here, in Salem, Massachusetts…on the coast of New England, where we don’t get tornados.

Blaire sent me this photo from downtown as the warning was issued.   Thank you Blaire!!

Just as Blaire sent me the photo above, our cell phones sent my girls and I messages warning us to seek shelter and my husband called to relay the tornado warning that he had also received and to ask me  how things were going. Below is a photo of what I think  was the cloud as it worked it’s way across our backyard.  I took this shot kind of early on as it approached.  I should have stayed with the camera as the wind, rain, lightening and hail went through. I really couldn’t though because I was distracted by the nine children who were playing in my house at the time. They were fine, but I was running from window to window trying to discretely keep an eye on things and thinking about where to stash all of these kids should an actual tornado make it’s way through my neighborhood.

  The news broadcast later in the day reported that a funnel had been spotted in Peabody and Lynn, less than a mile from here. Yikes, that was a little on the close side!

Fortunately, all is well.  There’s no damage to report at our house. The garden is fine and so are the people, pets and property.  Some residents of Salem experienced flash flooding, wind damage and power outages. I hope that things are settling down for all of them today.

We are truly blessed.  It’s good to be reminded of that sometimes.

.

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It’s a Small World

or maybe it’s a small blogosphere?

There are lots of things that I’m enjoying about my little blog, but one of the most interesting and unexpected is the range of places in the world that people visit from.   It’s kind of amazing to me that someone in French Polynesia is checking out what we’re doing here in Salem, Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Coastline (NASA, International S....

I’ve also had hits from Australia, Germany, Croatia, Russia, Haiti, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland.

I have frequent views from England, Canada, the Philippines and Hong Kong.

I often hear people say that the world has gotten so much smaller since the internet.  I don’t think that could be more true.

I hope that over time a community will grow here at The Salem Garden. It’s fun to raise chickens and children and gardens together.

We all have so much to learn from each other. Our world is very, very small indeed!

Thank you all for  joining me on my crazy journey! I’m honored every time I see that someone visits.

Enjoy Everything today!

Michele

5:17 am Chicken Call

Is that not an early hour to be woken up by squawking chickens?

Michael went down there to check on them and they were upset because a small part of their shelf had fallen down…

He fixed it, gave them some birdseed (have I mentioned that their a little bit pampered) and went back to bed.

I was up and awake…

The good thing about that was it gave me a few minutes to wander around the garden and enjoy the early morning.

I got to see this…

and this

and say good morning to the ladies

I could do all of  that at 5:45 tomorrow though, or even 6:17 if I’m really lucky?

It’s going to be in the 90’s and humid here in New England today. Stay cool out there!

Michele

Grandma’s Garden in Delaware

We were in Delaware a few weeks ago, visiting my mother-in-law.

There’s so much to do down there, beaches, shopping, great places to eat… one of my favorite things about our trip is always her beautiful garden!

The garden is breezy and fun, it’s always changing!

This year the larkspur was wonderful. We caught it after its peak but it was still beautiful!

There’s also dill and echinacea  and other surprises…

Birdhouses…

and ornaments…

This is how rosemary grows in Delaware.

Remember my little rosemary plant from the other day? I was so proud of wintering over a one foot tall plant.

Maybe the little angel is helping.

Her dill has always reseeded and flourished, it took me forever to just let mine go.

I used to look at this dill and wonder how it happened.

Herbs grow on the deck too.

This guy keeps an eye on everything.

Here’s our view during morning coffee or after time at the beach.

It’s always hard to leave, but we’ll be back to enjoy it again soon!

What’s Happening in the Garden — July 14th

July is kind of a funny month in the garden. It’s in-between in terms of blooming and beauty but it’s so hard at work!

I love watching things grow and change at this time of year.

Our potatoes are flowering! I didn’t know that potato flowers were this pretty.

I have to apologize for the less than clear shot, my camera focus has a mind of its own and this is what it was doing for potatoes this morning.

The Black-eyed Susan are ready to pop!

This is Scarlet Runner Bean climbing on the trellis. It’s ornamental and so pretty.

If you live locally give me a shout if you’d like some seeds for next year.

We have peppers!  There are lots of buds… I hope they make it! I’d better reign that cucumber vine in if I want that to happen.

The dill is ready for pickles. 

Here come some Kentucky Pole beans that I planted as the  peas were winding down.

I hope they make the little leap over to the fence/trellis and start climbing.

This Rosemary plant wintered over. We covered it with a bucket on the coldest days. I usually pot Rosemary up in November and bring it in. It makes it until the middle of January, then I forget to water it just once and it dies immediately.  I had the great pleasure of hearing Adelma Simms speak about herb gardening at Caprilands many years ago. I still remember her saying “a dry rosemary is a dead rosemary”.  I find that to be true almost every winter.

In the coop, the younger side of the chicken flock is still favoring the corner.

They do come forward to eat and drink and their all interacting a little bit more every day. It just takes time.

The tomatoes look happy!

Balloon flower is blooming… such a fun plant!

Kids really enjoy it.

The Liatris bulbs that I planted in June popped up.

They went in kind of late but I think we’ll see some blooms.

As I looked through these photos I saw one common denominator… can you guess what it was? Here’s a hint, there’s some weeding to do  🙂

Thanks for stopping in! Have a great weekend!

Michele

Awesome Camping, Right Here in Salem!

I love camping! This week I decided to pack the kids up and head down to Winter Island for a few days.  Winter Island is a city park that is an island (connected by a causeway) right on the ocean.  It has a few amenities like a very rustic bathhouse and a camp store but it’s really all about the beach, the water and a little bit of history.

We’ve been going to the beach there for twenty five years but had never family camped. I was amazed that I could be so “on vacation” this close to home.

Our campsite was wooded and spacious.

And  the  views are spectacular!

This is looking in toward Derby Wharf and the city.

The island was historically a fort and more recently a coast guard base.

Here’s a post about it’s history that was written by  Salem blogger Beth Melillo a few weeks ago:

http://connectshore.com/2012/07/03/winter-island-a-personal-and-public-history/

There’s always something interesting to ponder.

Was this building used to store munitions or was it used for holding prisoners?

We really need to research that and figure it out.

Here’s the old sea plane hanger…

and a view from the back with one of the Salem Community Gardens sites in the foreground.

There’s the old barracks. I’d love to see this building restored and used again.

My kids have grown up playing at the playground.We used to go down for an hour before lunch and nap time when they were little.

There are flowers blooming all over the island.

One of the former caretakers loved to plant things and his handiwork is everywhere!

Casey’s gardens make me feel right at home.

The kids spent lots and lots of time exploring the tide pools…

Here’s a close up of some star fish that they found.

My little guy spends hours out there.

We did have to watch out for the critters that came out at night.

There were ground hogs and wharf rats. One night a skunk wandered right through our site as I was tucking the kids in.

We knew it was time to head home very early yesterday morning when Michael caught a raccoon pulling a bag of marshmallows through this hole that he (the raccoon) had chewed in our tent!

A little duct tape to repair the hole is nothing compared to wonderful family time and views like this!

Whether you spend a few hours or a few days, Winter Island is a perfect place to relax and get away!