Bellevue Botanical Gardens...

Bellevue Botanical Gardens

is one on my favorite places to

spend an afternoon...

 

 

it is a free public garden,

with self guided tours...

 

I never fail to find something

new to me...

 

which is fun

because in the gift shop

they always have a few plants for sale...

 



 

mixed in with the new to me plants

 

are the favorites...

 



after seeing the Pink Lilac,

I know I must find a place in my garden

 for one or two...

 



 

the plants I really hoped to find in the shop

were these Fringed Primula...

 

I didn't have any luck

this time...

 

a big Tree Peony...

 



 

in bright yellow...

 



and a couple Herbaceous Peonies...

 

like this softer yellow...

 



 

and this deep red...

 

 

Rhododendron is our state flower

here in Washington State...

 

and a common sight...

 



 

I hope you had a lovely time

on my little tour...

 

Thanks for coming along...

Violet Petal Sugar...

 

When I shared tea with you

in my last post,

I told you I would be back

 with a tutorial for the Violet Petal Sugar...

 

So here we go,

it could not be easier...

 



 

first step

is picking the Violets...

 

you want these to be clean and organic...

 



 

if yours are damp with morning dew

(or rain)

put them in a vase or spread them on paper towels

until dry...

 



 

remove the petals from the stems...

 

discard the green parts...

 



 

I mixed my petals

with an equal amount of sugar

(I just eye balled it)...

 

you could adjust the amounts

and adjust the depth of color...

 



 

mix the two together in a food processor

(I used a Magic Bullet)

 

it will now feel like wet sand...

 

turn your oven on for a couple minutes

just to warm it

then shut it off...

 

spread the sugar mixture on parchment paper

and let set in the oven an hour or two

until completely dry...

 

I have read it will keep for a year...

 

that's it!

wasn't that easy?

 



 

as for the flavor

of the Violet Petal Sugar...

 

when the Sugar is fresh

it had a light Violet taste...

 

I made my sugar a month ago

and now the flavor is gone...

 

but,

is still such a pretty color

and I like that the coloring is natural...

 

Wishing You a Sweet Day...

Tea in the Dappled Sun...

We had the most beautiful day,

so beautiful it felt more like Summer than Spring...

 

I spent most of the day gardening...

 

 

but

at the end of the day,

when the shadows became long

and the sunlight became dappled behind the trees,

I set a little table...

 

I deserved a treat today...

 

 

I filled a double bucket

with blooms

as I tended the plants today...

 



I brought out

my Violet themed dishes...

 

and picked

 what will be the last

 of these fabulously long stemmed Violets for the season....

 



 

a plate of cookies to nibble,

with a secret ingredient...

 

 

last month

when Violets were in full bloom...

 

I made a batch of Violet Sugar

using Violet Petals...

 

these cookies are frosted with Royal Icing

and them sprinkled in the Violet Sugar...

 

I am going to share a tutorial

on how you can make your own...

 

it is so easy!

 



 

a pretty tea towel

does say Spring doesn't it?

 

I had thought

it was tea for one today,

but,  Daisy decided to join me...

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today....

Empty Nest Syndrome...

Over the years,

I am sure

 I have shared a few photos

of my Mount Fuji Cherry Tree...

 

 

of all my trees,

I would say it is my favorite...

 

the buds start a fabulous

soft blush tone...

 

and then pop open the purest of whites,

it glows!

 

even better still,

the tree is right outside my kitchen window...

 

I could watch the hummingbirds feeding in it for hours,

it makes doing dishes almost a pleasure...

 



but,

this blurry story is more about this...

 

and

 it started last year,

when an eager squirrel tried to nest in our attic,

she ate a whole right in the side of the house!

 

after evicting her

we hung this nesting box for her...

 

hoping for a compromise...

 



 

then one day

this Spring this little head popped up,

wobbly for a couple second

and quickly tumbled back down...

 



I was fixed to the window...

 

he grew so fast!

 

I did some research

 and learned that here he was probably

about 5 weeks old in this pic....

 



 

after a couple weeks

you could tell the box was getting crowded...

 

mother squirrel

spent most of her time hiding out on the roof...

 



 

then things get really blurry,

cause they happened so fast...

 

she popped out and started moving them...

 

 

I was so sad

and afraid I had intruded...

 

a little more research

told me at this age

they usually move to a new nest...

 

I was so relieved!

 

it has now been a month since they moved out...

 

mother squirrel still comes each day

for some sunflower seeds

and a drink from the pond...

 

I am keeping an eye out for her to bring

the little ones along...

 

 

Happy New Week...