Chris is still hogging the photo-editing computer. . .

. . .and this weekend was exceptionally busy (I got to meet Diana from Garden on the Edge!) so here are some photos of the amazing herb garden at Old Sturbridge Village that I have been saving for a rainy day.




And speaking of rain, it actually has been raining! Today was a gorgeous, wet, cool Autumn day. The first of the trees have tipped into glorious colors.

I think we had three rainfalls all summer, total. I am so done with droughty summer.

But anyway, the herb garden. It's not in the village, but the exit from the park dumps you right there. The village itself is worth many posts of its own. After an afternoon chasing a toddler through reenactments of 19th-century life, I was about ready to drop from exhaustion, but this garden inspired me to snap just a few pictures as we stumbled our way through in pursuit of restrooms.




This was like walking through a perfect magazine garden! I wonder how many gardeners work to keep it weed-free every day?




The smell of the garden was amazing - and I don't usually notice smalls.




When we go back I will have to spend more time looking at the individual plants. In passing, I noticed many types of basil, some sort of gnarly-stemmed rosemary, and stinging nettles. (And having never touched it before, I was tempted to ignore the warning sign for the experience.)




I also noticed an apple tree, hops, and this: horsetail fern, a.k.a. scouring rush. This is a particularly good inclusion given that this is a historic park, and historically, this stuff was used for scrubbing pots. The silicone in it is gritty enough to deter toothed animals from eating it, but makes an excellent abrasive.

I have heard garden professionals recoil in horror at the idea of planting this in a garden. It must take some significant weeding to keep in check. Nonetheless, I wish the wild ones under my poison sumac would spread a little more.




My two very tired adventurers wave from what Gabe calls a "gizzy boat".