What a glorious day! Hundreds of people joined us for Lavender Daze, under gorgeous blue skies. The fragrance of lavender filled the air, as people picked lavender bunches or created lavender wands. The bees buzzed as they busily collected nectar and pollen. The people buzzed as they compared notes, and grabbed treasures from the plant benches. It was a fun day for all. When it ended, our staff collapsed on chairs in the classroom, and finished off the Lavender Fudge!

The gardens are doing well, and change every day. Different daylilies are beginning to open, and it is always exciting to see them for the first time to see if they actually look like the picture! Some of the dahlias are opening, and the old-faithful perennials, like gaillardia, phlox, coreopsis, monarda, and yarrow never fail to please. I think my "favorite" plant at the moment is the gorgeous pink bellflower by the Cottage door--it is one of the Bellringers, and it certainly is! I'll take a photo today, and try to get it on the website soon, so you can see it. It is nearly 3'tall, with hundreds of 1 1/2" pink bells. These are fat, drooping bells that nearly cover the stems. It is amazing!

The revamped Dye Garden is thriving, and even the cotton is starting to grow, now that the weather is warmer, although cool nights are slowing it down. That garden looks better than I thought it would, and the scent of the blooming elders is fabulous. The Sunrise Garden is truly glorious right now, and has really filled in nicely. The petunias in the Cottage Garden echo the bright magenta pink of the rose campion and wine cups, and I really like the new trellis there. The dwarf wood betony in the Fairy Garden has amazingly large blooms of magenta pink, that are really showy. I didn't expect them to be nearly as large as they are, so that was a nice surprise. I've picked a few blueberries from the Cook's Garden, but still haven't planted the blackberries! Now I'll be so busy picking lavender, I won't have time to weed--Oh, darn! :)