Pinkfusion

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Somehow this year my garden got the pinks. As I worked in the garden this week, I noticed there is a heck of a lot of pink out there.

The coleus cuttings turned out to be many shades of pink and pink accents. A neighbor gave me a left-over flat of pink impatiens so I paired them with the pink coleus.

In pots

and in the ground.

Other annuals - pink cosmos and cleome .

Even the pot of zinnias Giant Flowered Mix and California Giant is predominately pink.

The perennials I’ve planted over the years are many shades of pink. A lot of them were gifts from friendly gardeners.

Saucer sized hardy hibiscus (from a neighbor)

Cone flowers (from a neighborhood school plant sale)

Garden phlox (from a friend)

Mum Clara Curtis (actually bought this one myself).

Crepe Myrtle (from another neighbor).

Pink everywhere. A happy accident.

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Poppy Seeds

I blogged about the Heavenly Angels Poppies (Papaver paeoniflorum) here and here.

Last week I got some garden therapy and collected seeds.

I cut the tops off and let them fall into a shoe box. A little shake and the seeds spill out of the tiny openings at the top of the pod.

After I clean out the leaves, the seeds will be ready to share with friends. I’ll spread some in my garden in December - to fill the garden with brilliant color next June.

It's good to be back in the garden.

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Burnside Plantation

A family emergency will keep me away from gardening and blogging for a while. I’ll keep reading my favorite blogs and answering comments. I hope to get back to the garden and blog world soon.

But I want to mention Burnside Plantation 25th Annual Blueberry Festival July 17 and 18. The annual affair features tours, demonstrations, music, crafts and kids fun. The pie eating contest ends with kid’s blueberry covered faces and delighted smiles. For a complete list of activities click here.
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I visited the Burnside Plantation in Bethlehem in May. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places the plantation is a look into the past. James Burnside bought 500 acres 1748. The grounds and buildings are lovingly restored. An entertaining overview of the farm for school age children (and the rest of us) is located here.

17th and 18th century house and vegetable garden. The garden is cared for by a league of volunteers organized through the Historic Bethlehem Partnership.

The walking trail below the gardens and next to the Monocacy Creek leads to downtown Bethlehem


Bethlehem Police Department horses are kept in the large barn near the house and gardens.

Lehigh and Northampton County Master Gardeners have set up a pollinator demonstration garden. There is lot to explore in this small garden including the turtle shape, a crisscross path, a kid’s tunnel and simple bee hives. Signs help teach the story of pollination.

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The blueberry festival is an enjoyable way to spend a summer day, soak up local history – and taste some delicious blueberry pie.

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