Today, I would like to take you to the east side of my garden. It contains the enclosure for my tortoise and my herbal garden. One of the most impressive plants in my garden is a beautiful willow. I planted it 19 years ago when we moved in. It was removed and replanted twice. For several years it stayed just the same until all of a sudden it began to literally reach out to the sky. We cut it last year because it grew too big and almost touched the house.

The willow stands right inside the enclosure of my tortoise, Hercules. In that enclosure, there are also two black currant bushes and one of my three summer lilacs. I am reaping lots of berries every year. Those black currant plants are doing great every year, regardless of the kind of summer.

Here we go with the other two lilac bushes. All three are having a different kind of purple color. They are not growing as high as they used to. Maybe the crucial time for them to grow was too wet or too dry. Usually, they reach about twice my size, almost like the big hibiscus which I planted about 18 years ago. It has grown from a really tiny plant to a giant.

There are always lots of butterflies visiting. This kind of butterfly used to visit the most but has been rarely seen during the past 5 to 10 years. It is a peacock butterfly.

The last section is my herbal garden. I created it just this late spring. It was the former spot of our guinea pigs’ enclosure. We broke down the big shelter since we don’t have any guinea pigs for three years. There is still room for plants in my herbal garden. So far, I planted hyssop, thyme, lemon balm, milfoil, peppermint, savage, garden lovage, chamomile, calendula, buckwheat, and some strawberries and basil I got from friends. There are more plants on my list. I am reaping those plants and drying the parts for making tinctures, oils (on the further run balms and creams), tea, or I am using them in the kitchen for salads, general meals, or making herbal salt. On a different place in my garden, I am also having rosemary and more healing plants for use in my therapy practice.

Just a reminder, these pictures were taken on different days between May and July. That’s why some same plants may appear different in size and development.

Have a lovely day!

In Love and Light