July and August are all about flowers at the Victory Gardens for Diversity plot. The bumble bees have gorged on the nectar of the lacy phacelia and collected the dark purple pollen in their baskets to feed the larvae in their nest.
We've been tidying up the garden in the continuing struggle with bindweed and horsetail and as ever, we are grateful for the help of our volunteer Barry who weeds and waters the garden for us every week.
The nasturtiums are feeding the bees and the hummingbirds who can fit their tongues right into the nectar spurs in these spicy flowers.
The lady bugs and beetles are pollinating the yarrow and keeping it free of aphid pests.
We are harvesting the marigolds, calendula, and coreopsis for our art workshops coming up in the fall.
I've experimented with saving some marigold petals with the seeds and some without. These will be used for making paper.
These are Coreopsis tinctoria, and they are harvested and dried for dyes.
The purple dragon head seen at the back is also blooming and the blossoms and leaves are being dried for lemony teas.
I've also experimented with drying the calendula petals on and off the base of the flower.
This is what they look like after they've been dried on the screens.
The screens allow airflow under the petals to ensure they are completely dry.
Here are some dried calendula heads packed into a jar and then infused in olive oil to make skin salve. They will infuse for at least three weeks.
