WOW!  It's August 16th already -- hard to believe that there is so much of the summer behind us already and I am actually being forced to think about the fall.  The Great Barrington Farmers' Market has been such a delight this year (http://gbfarmersmarket.org/index.html) and I've made a lot of new acquaintances and have a lot of happy new users of my unique "Maiden's Glow Herbal Face Cream" made with non-certified organic herbs that I grow right here on our own little plot of land.  (If you haven't tried my face cream, you can visit my website www.mysticalroseherbals.com/store to check it out).  

This summer's project is to turn what used to be the place where two huge Blue Spruce trees used to grow into a garden for flowering medicinal herbs.  What a project!  I was determined to do it by hand, (since I can certainly use the exercise!), so I went at it with a pick and shovel, putting roots and stones that I dug out into the wheelbarrow and hauling them away.  It was awfully slow going and I just knew that there were a lot of roots yet ahead of me...
Thankfully my dear son-in-law came to my rescue with an excavator and a dump truck and took the digging part of the project off my hands!

Now I must amend the soil and then I can begin to acquire plants.  I plan to include 3 colors of Echinacea, Hyssop, Butterflyweed, Wild Valerian, Marshmallow, 3 colors of Yarrow, Yucca, some scented Geraniums, culinary herbs and some old-fashioned flowers like Holly Hocks.  Can't wait!  Here's the progress...not so much to look at yet:

RESCUED!!

>>>Just look at the pile of roots that I would have been fighting with a pick and shovel!  And that's not including the huge root-ball that he dug out later on.

The rest of the summer has been so colorful!  Just look at these shots of some of the flowers surrounding me:

Fragrant Yellow Day Lilies

Anise Mint -- It smells divine!

Eupatorium perfoliatum BONESET with Monardia (wild Bee Balm)

More Monardia

Eupatorium purpureum, a cousin of the Boneset herb (above).  It's called Joe Pye Weed (named after a settler who was from Stockbridge, MA) or "Gravel Root"

Cimicifuga racemosa  - Black Cohosh