Apple Butter

My apple tree bears fruit in July, I call it my Fuji apple tree, but I'm not really sure what type of apple. I just love my tree especially when the blossoms appear and the scent of apple blossoms fill my back garden with their fragrance.

I planted this tree in honor and memory of my Grandfather, Gene Coke, in 1989. It took about 15 years for my apples to taste good and sweet enough to can apple sauce or apple butter. This year I made apple butter.

First, I cleaned the organic apples, cut them and boiled them until soft. Then I put them through a hand turned sieve into my crock to simmer over night, with the spices added and sugar, the following morning I canned my apple butter, mmmm good.
Great gifts for dear ones and friends.

Glechoma hederacea

This is my "Creeping Charlie" hanging in my back garden in the shade. What I knew about the plant was that it preferred the shade and moist soil, and it likes to be trimmed. This is the first time I have ever had one that grew this big and produce these orchid like flowers. Yesterday I was cutting some of my roses to make a center piece for Sunday, and I went to my "Creeping Charlie" to cut some vines for my arrangement, and I saw these tiny minute sweet flowers. I was so excited I took a picture and called my mother. They are so little and darling, I knew this would be my next species right from my back garden.

What I learned about this Plantae Species is my "Creeping Charlie" is called Glechoma hederacea from the Family: Lamiaceae - "Mint Family" Common Name: ground ivy, a difficult to control weed that most often frustrates professional lawn care operators.

Ground ivy is characterized by its coin shaped leaves with scalloped edges and square petioles (the blade that attaches the stem to the stalk) and stems. All plant parts have a strong mint oder when crushed or cut. Ground ivy's orchid like purple flowers appear for a short time in mid May. The flowers can easily be overlooked as they are often exhibited below the turf canopy. Which is probably why I never saw them before this.

It spreads by stolons or by seed. Part of the reason for its wide spread is this rhizomatous method of reproduction. It will form dense mats which can take over areas of lawns, and thus can be considered an invasive or aggressive weed.

Cultivation and Uses:
Glechoma is sometimes grown as a potted plant, and occasionally as a ground cover. A variegated variety is sometimes commercially available.

While often thought of as a weed because of its propensity for spreading, Glechoma has culinary and medicinal uses which were the cause of its being imported to America by early European settlers. The fresh herb can be rinsed and steeped in hot water to create an herbal tea which is rich in vitamin C. The essential oil of the plant has many potent medicinal properties; the plant has been used for centuries as a general tonic for colds and coughs and to relieve congestion of the mucous membranes. The plant has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been claimed to increase excretion of lead in the urine.[citation needed]

Its medicinal properties have been described for millennia, Galen recommending the plant to treat inflammation of the eyes, for instance. John Gerard, an English herbalist, recommended the plant to treat tinnitus, as well as a "diuretic, astringent, tonic and gentle stimulant. Useful in kidney diseases and for indigestion." It is also useful as a "lung herb".[1]

Glechoma was also widely used by the Saxons in brewing beer as flavoring, clarification, and preservative, before the introduction of hops for these purposes; thus the brewing-related names, Alehoof, Tunhoof, and Gill-over-the-ground.

Lacecap Hydrangea

I thought this hydrangea in my front garden was having trouble blooming, I kept feeding it and probably over watering this perennial plant, but today I know different after learning about the Hydrangea macrophylla, I know now, this sweet plant is called "Lacecap". I read on the web, the Lacecap Hydrangea petals of the flower symbolises the mask of love. Lacecaps with their flat, round flower heads are a great addition to a garden.

If you cut flowers like I do, and put them indoors, submerged them completely in cool water for about an hour and then place in water filled vase. If you do not do this, the flowers quickly wilt. But by conditioning them, they will last for days. If they start to wilt in the vase, submerge them again, and they will revive. I love having arrangements of them in my dining room, especially on Sundays.
Many believe the name Hydrangea, with it origin in the word hydra, means that the plant requires massive amounts of water. Actually, the name was given because the seed capsules look like water pitchers.
What a nice morning learning about Hydrangeas.
Bloom for the KING!
QB

Hydrangea Macrophylla

"Endless Summer"
This Mophead hydrangea is in my back garden, the blooms are so big and beautiful this year, that I am going to dry the flowers for the very first time. What I knew about hydrangeas is, they love the morning sun, and lots and lots of water! I also knew they would change colors depending on the soil balance. This is my third year with this shrub you see in the picture, the previous years I had it in the shade, this year I moved it so my shrub would feel the morning sun with shade in the afternoon, and I watered it twice a day, which I did not do last year or the year before. This hardy plant proved to be in it's perfect spot for showing off it's beauty, don't you think?

What I did not know was the name and type, "Endless Summer" mophead hydrangea macrophylla, a deciduous shrub. Most mopheads set their blooms in August, September, and October, just like azaleas. A mophead hydrangea can bloom on old and new wood, which I did not know either, very interesting. For hydrangeas a good fertilizer would be the balance of NPK (10-40-10) nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Using a soil acidifier will lower your soils PH for beautiful blue blooms. The flowers can be white, or range from blue to purple to pink depending on the soils PH. In more acidic soils the flowers will be blue where alkaline soils yield pinkish bloom, white flowered varieties do not change color regardless of soil PH. I am now interested in trying to grow a white hydrangea called the "Blushing Bride".

100 Species Challenge

I found a fun idea I'm going to try: The 100 Species Challenge, this sounds wonderful, I wonder how many different species I have in my own back garden?
Here are the rules:

1. Participants should include a copy of these rules and a link to this entry in their initial blog post about the challenge.

2. Participants should keep a list of all plant species they can name, either by common or scientific name, that are living within walking distance of the participant’s home. The list should be numbered, and should appear in every blog entry about the challenge, or in a sidebar.

3. Participants are encouraged to give detailed information about the plants they can name in the first post in which that plant appears. My format will be as follows: the numbered list, with plants making their first appearance on the list in bold; each plant making its first appearance will then have a photograph taken by me, where possible, a list of information I already knew about the plant, and a list of information I learned subsequent to starting this challenge, and a list of information I’d like to know.

4. Participants are encouraged to make it possible for visitors to view their blog to find easily all 100-Species-Challenge blog posts. This can be done either by tagging these posts, by ending every post on the challenge with a link to your previous post on the challenge, or by some method which surpasses my technological ability and creativity.

5. Participants may post pictures of plants they are unable to identify, or are unable to identify with precision. They should not include these plants in the numbered list until they are able to identify it with relative precision. Each participant shall determine the level of precision that is acceptable to her; however, being able to distinguish between plants that have different common names should be a bare minimum.

6. Different varieties of the same species shall not count as different entries (e.g., Celebrity Tomato and Roma Tomato should not be separate entries); however, different species which share a common name be separate if the participant is able to distinguish between them (e.g., camillia japonica and camillia sassanqua if the participant can distinguish the two–”camillia” if not).

7. Participants may take as long as they like to complete the challenge. You can make it as quick or as detailed a project as you like. I’m planning to blog a minimum of two plants per week, on Saturdays, complete with pictures and descriptions as below, which could take me up to a year. But you can do it in whatever level of detail you like.

Thank you Carmen, Bloom for Our KING! QB

Voice of the Martyrs

In March 2008, Pastor KhamLa Namheng and seven Khmu pastors from Udom Sai province in Laos were arrested when entering Thailand to attend meetings. VOM contacts report, “They went the wrong way trying to avoid a police check point. When the police later searched their bags they found two Bibles and some letters. The police claimed the letters were written against the village authority reporting persecution.”
Pastors’ Kham Chan Konekham, Kham La Namheng, Siphone Namheng, Khamnath Namheng, Serth Naphok, Khou Phouphone, Thong Soun Namtam, and Houng Mokbooc were arrested on March 18 when they entered Thailand and were followed by the Laos police. When they were searched two of them had Bibles, and everything they were carrying was confiscated. This arrest was the latest after 15 Hmong families were arrested in Bokeo Province on February 22.



I'm writing KhamLa Namheng today, with words of encouragement, to let him know I'm praying for him and the others with him. My letter will be sent to Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Bloom for our KING!