The Royal Academy and A Flowering Afternoon Tea!

The Royal Academy

The Park Lane Hotel

You Know I Can Find a Bay Tree!

Wild Blossom Champagne Cocktail

Special Tea Sandwiches

Scones and Very Special Desserts!

Scones, Scones and More Scones!

My Favorite Part of the Flowering Afternoon Tea!

The Gnome Looks Soo Lonely!

My English Herbal Companion and I spent Monday in London at the Royal Academy of Arts in the morning seeing the exhibit of George Bellows, an American artist from the turn of the last century who was known for his paintings of boxing matches and the gritty urban landscapes of early 20th century America just to name a couple of themes.   I did my tea shopping at Fortnum and Mason and then we went for a special flowering afternoon tea at The Park Lane Hotel.  Here is the menu:  

Selection of sandwiches:

    Poached Scottish salmon, cucumber and fennel crème fraiche, mini muffin (cucumber flowers)

    Orange blossom honey, wholegrain mustard roast ham, candied tomatoes and watercress, white bread

    Roast corn fed chicken, walnut, celery, red onion and nasturtium mayonnaise, granary bread

    Smoked trout and confit trout, citrus cream cheese, radish and herb leaf salad, crostini

    Goats cheese, asparagus and lemon verbena tartlet, soft boiled quails egg

Scones:

    Traditional plain and apple and raisin scones served with lemon verbena curd, clotted cream and seasonal preserves

French pastries:

    Chocolate hanging basket with spiced Chai tea mousse and chocolate soil

    Honey orange blossom pain de gene with mango compote and edible honey bees

    Rosewater and raspberry mousse with crystallized rose petals on a rose macaroon

    Pistachio and hazelnut chocolate financier “garden patch” with chocolate ladybird

Tea will be served with a Wild Blossom Champagne Cocktail

We each had a plate of sandwiches and we shared (very diplomatically) the sweets.  It was a wonderful tea with beautiful harp music playing in the background.  A fabulous day.

It is a beautiful summery (finally) day here in the 'Burgh.  Hope you're having a great day.  Talk to you later.

Always Excited When We Have an Herb Return!

An Apple Scented Geranium Poking Itself Leaves Out of the Ground!

I know it doesn't look like much, but it's an apple scented geranium returning in the garden.  Thank goodness, I didn't put it out thinking it was a weed.  I weeded this bed before I went to England so I think it must have sprouted after I left.  Whew!  The Herbal Husband leaves everything and I tend to pull out and ask questions later!  The lemon verbena is making good progress coming back as well.  It is so exciting to have herbs return when they aren't exactly supposed to.

We have had a good amount of rain, and everything is looking good.  The Herbal Husband has transplanted some sunflowers out of the herb garden because they would have dwarfed every other plant.  Hope you are having a great day.  Got to go cut some more chamomile flowers.  As you can see by my banner photo, my elder is in bloom.  Need to make some tea.  Will talk more about that in a later post. Talk to you later.

A Sunday at the Chelsea Physic Garden!

Founded in 1673

Reminds Me of Our Entrance at Home!

An Herb Garden in Boxes

Remembering that We are in London

Hans Sloane, Their Main Benefactor

A Sign on the Education Building

Oh, I Have These and Maybe You Do As Well!

They Have Wonderful Vertical Plant Holders!

Wardian Cases Were Used to Get Plants from Around the Globe!

Was Very Happy to See This Change!

Sunny days don't come too often in London.  So instead of spending time at the V & A Museum, I went to one of my favorite gardens, the Chelsea Physic Garden.  Chock full of history and lots of design and favorite plants, I happily spent the day outside enjoying.  The last photo was especially wonderful, because they had mismarked one of my favorite scented geraniums and called it 'Robert's Lemon Rose'.  I discussed it in this post called Is It 'Robert's or Rober's Lemon Rose' Scented Geranium? a couple of years ago.  So all is well at the Chelsea Physic Garden and if you ever are in London visiting, you must stop by this historic garden.  You won't believe you are in the heart of London.

Rain on its way.  Hot and muggy.  Like a summer day here in the 'Burgh.  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.

Herbally Blooming in June!

We used to Have a Bunch of Angelica.  Now Only a Couple!

Lovage in Bloom!

My Favorite Rose, The Apothecary's Rose!

Three of my favorite herbs this time of year.  The angelica was like a hedge several years ago.  Now we just have a couple in the herb garden.  Be careful on a sunny day not to cut it back because if you are photosensitive, you will get a rash like I did in this post for Herb Companion now Mother Earth Living called Contact Dermatitis Causes in the Garden.  The arm shot is mine not from the Mayo Clinic!

The lovage is in full bloom as well.  This herb tastes like celery on steroids.  I use it when I make The Herbal Husband's favorite chicken stew recipe.  Here is that original post called A Good Night for Chicken Stew!  The last time I made it, I just used 2 cups of chicken broth because orange juice and I don't get along any more!  It worked just fine.  My stomach was much happier!

The apothecary's rose is a very ancient rose, 10th or 12th century.  Every herbalist back in Medieval times had it in their gardens.  If it hadn't rained so much I would have made some rose petal jelly, but here is the post with the recipe called Well, It's More Like Jelly if you would like to make it with your rose petals.  Just make sure they are organically grown.  We are having rain with typical humidity for the 'Burgh.  Hope you are having a great day.  More England in the next post.  Talk to you later.

Derby Part Two--Herb Plant and Book Collector and Poppy!

Debs'  Herb Collection Starts Inside with a Cardamom Plant!

Her Garden is Jammed Packed with Personality!

A Very Nice Seating Arrangement!

My Goal To Have a Greenhouse!

She Has Several of My Favorite, Lemon Verbena!

A Pineapple Sage in Bloom!

Mints for Her Upcoming Article in Garden News!

More Plants in a Cold Frame!

The Herbal Library!  We Have A Lot of Herb Books in Common!

The Entertainer of the Day, Poppy!

Well, I couldn't let my visit with Debs and Simon in Derby, England go by without showing you her collections both inside and outside.  Her herb garden is very charming and chock full of herbal goodies.  She has a greenhouse and two cold frames that house her unique and tropical herbs and plants that haven't found the exact home.  You have to live with The Herbal Husband, Debs.  He would find homes for those plants!  She has great passion for herbs and she writes about them almost every day in some way.  While I was visiting her latest article in Garden News came out.  She also mentioned me and my strawberry mint in her latest herb article which I think is out either this week or next.  If she gives a link on Facebook, I will link it here. Finally, that entertaining cat, Poppy.  I don't have actual footage, but I personally saw her playing with a ball of paper to the delight of all.  Inside Hardwick Hall photos in a later post.  Herbal sisters forever!  Hope you are having a great day.  Has been raining here so we are very lush and green.  Talk to you later. 

Some Plants You and I Almost Missed!

The Herb Garden-Late May

A Lean Basil Year

Lady's Mantle in Bloom

German Chamomile is Just CRAZY!

You're Getting Sleepy!  The Valerian in Bloom!

The First Strawberry!

Almost Missed The White Rugosa Rose!

The Unknown Rose in the Herb Garden

The Rue in Full Bloom

While I was visiting England, the weather in the 'Burgh was several wild swings up and down for ten days.  The poor Herbal Husband was planting plants and repotting them literally.  The poor man planted his tomatoes one day and the next day dug them up and brought them inside when a freeze was predicted.  He had his hands full.  Really with his love and attention, the gardens survived.  You have proof in the photos above that we had successes.  It is supposed to be a beautiful day here and then the rain is going to come.   We need it though.  I'm going to clip some chamomile flowers before the rains come.  Also cutting chive blossoms that are spent.  Always something to do in the herb garden.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

My Day in Derby with Debs, Simon and One Very Entertaining Cat!

Hardwick Hall

The Layout of the Hardwick Hall Herb Garden

The Design of the Hardwick Hall Herb Garden

Debs and Me in the Herb Garden

A Beautiful House Surrounded by a Lovely Garden

Tea Sandwiches

My favorite, Lemon Verbena Cake

When I planned my trip to England way back in the summer of last year, one of the events I wanted to have happen was to meet some English blogging friends.  Debs Cook just happens to live in Derby where The Herbal Husband and I visited in March of 2009.  I was just starting to blog and had not met any bloggers from England at the time.  When I made plans, she was very excited to meet.  I asked if Hardwick Hall could be part of the agenda.  She said absolutely!

I had a lovely train ride from St. Pancras, London to Derby and had a delightful conversation with a very tired young (Anyone is young once you reach 60!) man who had just arrived from Hong Kong.  I said to him you must be exhausted, but he said he wasn't and we chatted until I left the train in Derby.  Hope to meet up with you again, Dave.  Thanks for the pleasant journey to Derby.

Debs was waiting for me at the station and off we went to Hardwick Hall.  It was a very crisp (freezing) day, but NO RAIN which was the bit we all liked.  After lunch we toured the house.  Simon took the inside photos.  I'll share some with you soon.  Bess was very resourceful.  She married four times and ended as the Countess of Shrewsbury.  What I loved about her was her love of textiles.  The collection she amassed was exceptional.  The house is massive and very historic.  What I didn't realize is that she built Chatsworth House as well.  Sounds like the next trip to Derby! 

Then we went to the herb garden and while not lush like it would be later in summer, the design of the garden shone through.  Again, I don't think you have to have as massive a garden as Hardwick Hall to be successful when you are designing your herb garden.  You can make a great herb garden with several containers.  Don't forget to add vertical elements to the mix as well.  I also want to mention that many herbs go by many different common names and so learning the botanical names of plants is crucial.

Then we headed off to The Cooks residence to have afternoon tea, sandwiches, salad and cake.  I also met (from a distance) their very entertaining cat, Poppy.  In the next post, I'll share Deb's passion for herbs in her garden and collection of books (Yes, Leslie Postin I made it to the inner sanctum!)  and maybe even a photo of Poppy.  Still getting back on the correct time.  Getting close to being back.  Much cooler here in the 'Burgh, but it is going to be in the 40's again tonight!  Ugh!  It looks like we are going to have a Seattle kind of summer this year.  Going to mow my field (the lawn) today.  The Herbal Husband couldn't get everything done while I was gone!  Talk to you later.

St. Paul's and Bea's of Bloomsbury

St. Paul's Cathedral

Thanks to Debs Cook!  It's John Wesley!

A Furry Friend Putting On A Show

Tea and Coffee Menu at Bea's of Bloomsbury

The Afternoon Tea Tray at Bea's

Had to Have Lemon Verbena Tea!

Well, here is the beginning of my trip.  My English Herbal Companion wasn't going to arrive until Sunday so I had to come up with some extras to do.  Easy, peasy!  I decided that I hadn't visited St. Paul's Cathedral since I was first there in 1966!  Very, very inspiring space.  I sat in the domed area for a couple of hours.  It's easy to do.  I even lit three votive candles, one for The Herbal Husband's family, one for my family and one for our friends.  I mention this because my best friend had a diabetic episode after I left and could have died.  So that candle may have helped get her through.

Always interested in afternoon tea in England.  This is a more contemporary take, by a woman from Maryland.  Yes, I came to London to have tea done by an American.  She is known for her cupcakes and they didn't disappoint.  Bea's of Bloomsbury has two locations at the moment and is working on opening a larger place soon.  Very savory sandwiches on mini baguettes and sweet treats, including a delicious cupcake.  Mine because I can't have chocolate was passion fruit with a vanilla cake.  It was delish!  Had a very spirited conversation with a young couple from New Jersey and I told them I wouldn't hold it against them!  They are expecting their first child shortly and I wish them every happiness.  They were on their way to Paris.  One of my favorite places.  He quizzed me on Presidents (because he is a teacher) and I think I did pretty well!  At least he was impressed.  So there you have it.  My first full day in London.  As I'm still getting used to being home, I'll be back with a garden post in the coming days.  Hot and muggy!  Summertime weather in the spring!  Talk to you later.