Beagle Ridge Herb Farm - July News

Issue No.3 July 2008

Herbal News From the Farm

In This Issue
Critters in the gardens- good or bad?
Upcoming classes/events for the summer
Quick Links
www.beagleridgeherbfarm.com
www.xerces.com
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Summer is here and the scent of lavender is on the breeze. It was great to see so many of you at Lavender Thyme in the gardens on the 21st. Gregg was unable to be with us due to both his parents being so ill and my heartfelt thanks to good friends who came and mowed, helped cook the lunch and even serve for us. My inlaws are on the mend and thanks for all the kind words and prayers. We are blessed to be surrounded by good friends.

We will be open July 3rd. through the 6th, in case you are traveling through for the holidays, be sure to stop by. By all means come help harvest the lavender and cut yourself a bundle to take home. Check out the coupon at the end of this newsletter and bring it with you this weekend.

As we move into summer, the Lavender harvest will begin the 3rd. Provence and Grosso should be harvested this weekend, the Twickle is still blooming. Unfortunately the Royal Velvet which we planted outside the shop should have been cut last weekend but with rain, we neglected it. This and the Grosso we planted on the back side of the barn were spectacular, and a wonderful surprise when it bloomed. I had planted these last fall in anticipation of blooms in 2009- I was thrilled to see it in full bloom this June. Imagine what it will be like next year.

Vera, Grappenhall, White Provence, Fred Boutin, Lady, Hidcote and Munstead will be harvested next. Yes, these are all types of Lavender. We have 14 varieties planted in the gardens and will be adding several types this fall. No matter where you live, there are lavender cultivars which are hardy for you.Just let me know how we can help you, I believe everyone needs Lavender in their garden. Don't you?

Fresh bundles of Grosso Lavender will be available for shipping on July 10th. If you have never experienced fresh cut Lavender you don't know what you are missing. The bundles will contain 100 stems, approx 18" long, wrapped in tissue and are only $14.00 a bundle. What a deal! All our "old" bundles will be replaced by this years crop, the scent is still wonderful but some of the color will fade after a year. Buds will be added to potpourri which will hold it's scent for years. Our sachets will be filled with fresh blooms which fall off during the drying process. Come imagine yourself in Provence for the harvest.
Critters in the Garden- Hummingbirds and more

I thought I would address this due to countless questions this spring about where have the hummingbirds and butterflies gone in my yard and why are they at Beagle Ridge? Well I can share why they are here!

Many of you have noticed that we have lots of them flying around the gardens and drinking from any number of plants but that we have NO FEEDERS. Remember, if you have feeders there is a major maintenance component and of course the need to be refilled. Since we don't live near the farm that is not an option. We decided years ago to let them rely on natural nectars, which is how they would do if the gardens weren't here. For those of you who can't imagine how a hummingbird would survive without your feeders check out the list of Hummingbird plants on the website www.beagleridgeherbfarm.com ( I will post this in the next few days) at the new link under the gardening tips link. I think you will be surprised the variety of plants which they need and many of them are natives.

Hummingbirds arrive in our woods when the native azaleas bloom, usually around the middle of May. We will see some earlier, who are traveling through (as they migrate back up north) and they will visit the Ajuga or even the Primroses in late April. Over the years we keep adding earlier bloomers now that we know they are here.

Another potential problem, is the lack of insects in gardens. I know I can see the confusion on your face - Yes hummers are major insectivores. At least 25% of their diets are bugs. If you keep "sterilizing" your yards with insecticides not only are you eliminating a part of their food source but you are poisoning them. I am not fond of bugs either but they are a very important part of the food chain and food web. Sorry the educator is coming out in me. School has been out for a month and I am still thinking in these terms!

How we handle insects is an important decision which we all need to make for ourselves. We do not spray at Beagle Ridge, and yes we have our share of "bugs", but in theory and usually, in practice we let the good bugs take care of the bad. As the Japanese beetles descend on us, we battle every year, each year the problem lessens. We hand pick them ( yes I do mean it the way it sounds) and I added Milky spore to the compost bin a couple of years ago. This seems to have helped because if you kill the adults there are fewer to reproduce and eventually their numbers will lessen. I am doubtful we will ever eradicate them but I can hope!.

Since we are discussing pollinators l would like to mention bees. I have customers who are scared to death of bees. Well I am VERY allergic to their stings, but over the years I have learned to accept them. I have nothing they want- no nectar, no pollen and as long as I don't have any perfume, scent on) while I am in the garden things are fine. They protect themselves with their stingers and if you don't swat, they don't sting. I know it is easier said than done, but so far I have been able to sit amongst the Lavender during the harvest and the bees will be all around me. Now why did I mention bees?

There is an amazing website www.xerces.org which I discovered while teaching our Master Naturalist class a couple of years ago. The decline in the bee population is astounding and yes it is a problem for us. Since fruits and many vegetables are pollinated by bees, we need to be concerned. They are responsible for the food we eat, this should concern us.
We don't have many honey bees in the gardens at Beagle Ridge but some day we hope to have hives.

Until that day we will rely on the various "other" bees, which include Orchard bees, Mason Bees, yes even Carpenter bees. By providing a nectar source you will attract bees, butterflies, wasps and even bats (night bloomers attract bats).There is becoming more public awareness of the importance of the bees, beetles,butterflies, moths, flies, birds, and bats that are needed to produce 80 percent of our flowering plants and one third of our human food crops. The National Academy of Sciences has reported that there is direct evidence of the decline of some pollinator species in North America. And, recently, Colony Collapse Disorder of honey bees has alarmed the agricultural industry.Did you know that worldwide, approximately 1,000 plants grown for food, beverages, spices, fiber, and medicine require pollination by animals?

By becoming aware of all the critters in the garden you can create a more dynamic ecosystem in the garden. Good bugs eat bad bugs (and some good ones too); some bugs like praying mantis eat butterflies, dragonflies eat them too. This is all part of that same food chain at work. Everything has a niche and for good or bad we need to allow the chains to work unbroken by us. When we decide who can and can not reside in our garden we are interrupting or breaking the chain and then we are constantly trying to fix it. Leave things alone in the first place and we will all be better off.

We do have the electric fence and I do draw the line at deer, groundhogs and the like, they can stay out. We have had three sets of doe and fawns this spring and lots of turkey poults too. As you can see Mama and baby would love to come have dinner in the garden.

We have bunnies which have babies and have lived their whole lives inside the gardens, they do nibble a bit and our customers are surprised I tolerate them. When they get a bit out of hand I sprinkle a bit of bloodmeal, an organic fertilizer, around the plants and they leave them alone and go back to the clover. This way we can live in harmony. By allowing a variety of life in the garden it becomes a magical place for us all.

Upcoming classes/events

Our complete class schedule is still in flux due to waiting for a response about the rain barrel supplier.
So far we have the following scheduled:

July 19- Herbal vinegars and oils- using herbs from the garden learn to blend the perfect herbal vinegars, marinades and dipping oils. Bring a container to take home your creations.

We are hoping to have the rain barrel class the following week- more as we get conformation. If you are interested please let me know because we will have a limited number of participants.

Although we will be closed in August we will be open for classes and groups by appointment.

August 16- Harvesting and preserving what you have grown- how to dry herbs and preserve the flowers from your garden and how to use them.

Sept 13- Fall decorating- Using dried natural items from the garden and woods make fall decorations for the home. All your materials will be included.

FInally we will have our Garlic Thyme on Oct 4th. More particulars on the web at www.beagleridgeherbfarm.com
and more next month.

For those of you who are coming from out of town, please go to our local friends link at www.beagleridgeherbfarm.com for a wonderful variety of accomodations. With 45 minutes we have Cripple Creek Bed and Breakfast Cabins, Trinkle Mansion, the newly opened Collins House Inn and the Davis Bourne Inn. With such a great selection of places to stay why not plan a visit to the beautiful Blue Ridge this summer?

Remember if your club or group would like to schedule a workshop at the farm please email me at beagleridge@gmail.com

Be sure to sign up soon to reserve your space in the classes.
Ellen

Well there's lots to do in the garden, so I had better get out there and get busy. We hope you have a safe and Happy 4th of July Holiday, wherever you are. Be sure to copy the copuon below if you will be coming through our area.
Herbally yours,

Ellen and Gregg
Beagle Ridge Herb Farm
1934 Matney Flats Rd
Wytheville, Virginia 24382
276-621-4511