Ask Miss Jean!
Jean Lovell, long-time Resource Central volunteer and former master gardener, tackles your gardening questions!
Submit your question(s) for Miss Jean to: GardenInfo@ResourceCentral.org
Q: My vegetable garden is thriving and I would like some creative suggestions about ways to share its delights with my friends and family.
A: Part of the joy of gardening is sharing – food, favorite plants, information, and gifts made from our gardens. August is a good time to consider plants to give as gifts and plant parts that can become gift sources, and prepare those riches for gift-making.
Here are several ideas for thoughtful gifts:
– Divide some of your favorite spring and summer perennials and pot them in smallish plastic pots. Revisit this past blog post on propagation and division if you have questions! If you are saving them for holiday giving sink those pots into your garden and water them regularly. They may look dead by the holidays but will revive nicely in spring if your recipients transfer them to their gardens in their pots right away and continue watering them through the winter.
– Packets of favorite seeds from your garden.
– Sachets and potpourris both use the same ingredients: dried flowers, leaves, bark, spices, and often essential oils. Sachets are small bags placed in dressers or closets to scent clothing and other materials. This video will show you how to make your own bags for the satchel.
– Potpourris are stored in containers (bowls, jars, baskets) to scent a room; they can be dry or moist. Pine cones and evergreen needles are nice for the holidays.
– Fruit or Herb Jams and Jellies
– Herbal Sugar – for use in beverages or dessert recipes
– Herbal Vinegar – for dressings, sauces, and spreads
