sweetness and surprises

Each summer I invite something new into one of my gardens. Stevia made its debut this season. Despite being more than a bit crowded by its herbal neighbors, it became a stocky little shrub. The branches you see below are some of the harvest, resting indoors after a shower. The leaves are headed for the dehydrator.

Despite daily walkabouts there are still plants that like to pop up and surprise me. Sometimes it's those closest to the back door.

Here is an unexpected gift from one of the amaryllis plants summering on the back deck. As it had bloomed a remarkable 4 times last year, and did not produce a bloom this year, I had expected that it was taking a year off.

Nope.