We had a mystery plant in the garden last year, just a low rosette of large shiny leaves that looked quite a lot like skunk cabbage. Brooks (the gardener) and I discussed what it might be and whether we recalled planting it. Well, this year it was back with a vengeance; it grew and grew and grew with bright waxy heart shaped leaves and a 'Jack and the beanstalk' growth habit. At long last it began to set blooms and then one day, there they were - about 15 gorgeous creamy white lily blooms with lovely dark ruby red throats and a delicious fragrance. Finally I recalled that my neighbor Sally had given me one of her Cardiocrinum lily babies and the mystery was solved. The very best news is that our baby is now a Mom. She has produced 6 more little plants at her feet which we will carefully dig and divide so we can enjoy the show in other parts of the garden in years to come. Of course this time we won't plant it under a dwarf cherry tree - this spectacular lily grew to 12'

CARDIOCRINUM (kar-dee-o-KRI-hum)LILIACEAE. Giant Himalayan lilies, grown for their striking display.—Cardiocrinum giganteum. 'GIANT HIMALAYAN LILY'. The most magnificent of all lilies, reaching 9 - 12 feet tall, with racemes of 6 - 20 deliciously scented white flowers, each 6" long and nearly as wide. May & June. Large heart-shaped leaves. Himalayas, in damp, shady forest, 7500 to 10,600 feet. Easily grown in light sandy soil. Hardy to Boston. Sow in fall outdoors to germinate and give top growth the next spring. Flowers in 5 - 6 years.

April and Andrea shared the joy of their commitment to each other with friends and family on Sunday June 22nd.
April's bouquet was made up of deep burgundy peonies and sage green cerinthe from the Cutting Garden while Andrea's corsage was a white rose surrounded by deep burgundy aquiligea.

The weather was bright and sunny and the snow on the mountains made a perfect backdrop to the colorful gardens.

Stephanie and Reyes were married on Saturday morning June 21, 2008.
Stephaine chose a cascade bouquet of white, lavender, green and purple which
complemented her tall elegant look.

Ashley and Michael were wed here at the Cutting Garden on Saturday afternoon June 21, 2008.
Their flower colors were blue, lavender and white and we had a great time decorating their cake, their flower basket and of course Ashley's bridal bouquet.

Our seeds from Johnny's and Thompson & Morgan have arrived so Tom and I are building our seed cataloging and seed starting list today. Please let me know if you have a better seed tracking and seed starting scheduling tool http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=prKTQCa3BgcGh3C_57UDtUw&hl=en

I have spent hours scouring the net for seeds for this tall yellow beauty solidago canadensis...there must be a lot of sources for this seed, but I haven't found them. I would be very appreciative if you can tell me where to find them.

Tom and I are riding our bikes more and even with the chilly wind, it's fun to tour the trails and bike paths around Sequim as well as the rest of the Olympic Peninsula. The other day we rode along the Olympic Waterfront trail and enjoyed the eagles as well as a pair of otters swimming near shore.

Clallam County Farm Tour

Does it get better than this? We hope these little ones will long treasure the memories of gathering armloads of flowers on a warm sunny fall day...maybe they will become avid gardeners too and enjoy creating gardens filled with scent, color and beauty just as Tom and I do.

Fall Colors at the Cutting Garden

We have just held our last wedding for the summer of 2007. Though it was overcast and cool, everyone stayed dry and had a great time - impressive since the local weather forecasters were expecting gale force winds and 2"-4" of rain.

Right after the wedding Tom and I and our neighbor Mary Sue took the big top down for the year. We were glad to get it packed away in a dry condition since we expect a solid week of rain between now and next Sunday when we will be leaving for our annual vacation in the desert South West.

Next Saturday The Cutting Garden will once again be one of 9 farms on the Clallam County farm tour. We love to have all the young families come by to cut free flowers. It's our "grand finale" to the season.