Hollyhock Days

I first learned of Sharon Lovejoy, the author of Hollyhock Days, through Country Living Magazine.

Her herb shop in Cambria, California was featured, complete with pictures of the incredible gardens. Shortly afterward, I visited an old friend who lives in Cambria, and we were able to walk the paths of the Heart's Ease gardens. The herbal fragrances, both in the garden and in the potpourri room, stayed with me. The bright nasturtium, the hollyhocks, the morning glories and sunflowers all inspired me to do more gardening.

When we moved to our current house, the previous owner had put in rodent-proof flower boxes in a terraced garden in the front yard. Each year since, we have moved things around, learning to divide perennials and bulbs and figuring out what annuals can fill in the gaps. Truthfully, our mistakes have been legion (summer heat will kill plants without enough water, for example), and our confusion over soil quality and pest control continues to this day, but each year we learn and the plants come back like old friends who visit each spring and summer.

My daughter expanded the front yard area this year, creating a corner of herbs and flowers where she can read or just be quiet. In a small house with seven people, it's nice to have a place of beauty where you can be alone. Her efforts are being well-rewarded; the mint is growing inches each week, the foxglove, lavender and roses are now blooming, and the scarlet runner beans have grown beyond the length of their tepee poles. Her herb sanctuary is the perfect get-away, made all the more so by today's guest, arriving with a bright pink outfit:


The hollyhock is blooming!