Pineywoods Herb Farm

Blog-Only Special on Plants... LOTS OF PLANTS

2010-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

We have the best variety of plants right now in the entire history of Pineywoods Herb Farm! Well OK, so we've only been selling plants here for 4 years or so, but hey... it's true! And they are all so beautiful and healthy... just waiting to be planted in someone's herb garden, flower bed, planter, garden, where ever there is an empty space.

I'm not going to list them all here but you can go to the "Plants" page on the website... www.pineywoodsherbfarm.com... for an up-to-date listing.

And here's the best part: through the month of October I'm giving 10% off on all plant purchases if this "Blog-Only Special" is mentioned before you pay for your plants.

Get some great plants for fall planting (best time to plant in Texas!) and save some dough. What a deal!

Goodie Weekend... September 24, 25 & 26... Come On Out!

2010-09-22T04:40:00.000-07:00

I've decided that one weekend a month I'll have complimentary snacks/goodies available for everyone who visits. September's Goodie Weekend is the last weekend of the month - Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 24-26th. Regular hours are Fridays & Saturdays 10-4, Sundays noon-4.

Oh yeah... I almost forgot... we have a nice variety of plants available and the guest house is stocked with interesting stuff as well. Check it all out and have something yummy to eat and drink while you're at it.

Goodbye summer... not sad to see 'ya go either.

2010-09-04T18:45:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... finally! I can BREATHE again! The sultry, stifling, steamy, just plain old NASTY HOT WEATHER has finally cried "Uncle"!

Actually, I really thought it was going to be me crying Uncle first. In fact, I came really, really close. Every summer come early to mid-August or so I very seriously start doubting my sanity doing what I'm doing (herb farm, herb beds, parched garden areas... the list goes on) in Texas, no less. The heat has turned my brain to ashes and all I seem to think about (fantasize about, actually) is buying one of those huge, fancy driveable RV's and just drive where the nice, cool weather is. Don't like the weather here? Tomorrow I can be elsewhere! No problem! In my fantasy I would not even own a garden hose. Nice... very nice.

But then, just as I'm ready to throw in the towel, I get up one morning and it is actually... cooler! Only a few degrees mind you, but cooler nevertheless. And then we get a day like today and I can actually WORK OUTSIDE most of the day and it is somewhat pleasant. Not cool by any means, but at least I can stand it and even kind of enjoy it! And I realize, after spending the whole day outside giving a lot of plants a new lease on life (after all, they've spent the whole summer outside, not in the A/C like I have) that I'm actually looking forward to doing this again tomorrow and the next day and the next. And that huge, fancy, driveable RV doesn't look so attractive anymore. Heck, it would take way too much gas to get me where I'd want to go anyway in one of those things, so I just might as well stay where I am doing what I'm doing.

Timely Information with Our New Email Newsletter

2010-08-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Get monthly newsletter updates from Pineywoods Herb Farm via our email newsletter. Timely information on special events here at the herb farm... what's growing, new products, herbal recipes, and the occasional "free goodies" weekend when I feel like cooking up a batch of something and giving it away.

Sign up today!

Southern Herb Growing... THE BOOK!

2010-06-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

I have been trying for over a year to get the publisher of Southern Herb Growing to re-print this book, however they said the "weak economy" prevented them from spending the money to do so. I hounded them every couple of months to see if I could change their mind, to no avail.

I got a call from the publisher in mid-June saying they had found a couple of cases of this book in their warehouse and, "would I like some copies?" "I'll take every single one you have" was my answer. That ended up being 44 softcover and 6 hardcover copies.

This book is my absolute favorite, #1 go-to herb book when I want information on growing or using herbs. I'd be lost without it. I've sold many copies here at the herb farm and when I was out of them I had many customers asking for it. Well, here it is once again until I sell out. Go to the "Products" page on my website, or call/email me for information.

BLOG ONLY SPECIAL: Tell me you heard about this book on my blog and SAVE $5.00 off the softcover or hardcover copy! One $5.00 discount per person please.

Butterflies, Bees, Hummingbirds

2010-06-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

The "Star Bed" here at the herb farm contains plants that are attractive to our flying and pollinator friends, and they are busy early morning to dusk flitting from one flower to the next! The top picture shows Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) which the butterflies are crazy about. Bee Balm (bottom picture) is attractive to bees of course, but butterflies love it as well as you can see.

The bed also contains Mountain Mint which is in full bloom now and has the most wonderful floral scent, Texas Red Sage (hummingbirds love this one), Prairie Verbena, Catnip (very attractive to bees & butterflies when in bloom), Turk's Cap, Pineapple Sage, African Blue Basil, Lamb's Ear in bloom, and Creeping Thyme as groundcover, which produces tiny pink & white flowers through summer.

The Graduate!

2010-06-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 4th was a big day for grandson Ryan. He had a very successful kindergarten year and will be going into the first grade in the fall. Ryan is the one in the middle with the biggest smile on his face! Way to go Little Pup!

2010-04-29T01:59:00.000-07:00

A Special Day!

Our family celebrated Miss Meghan's first communion recently, and it was a joyous celebration! Friends and family gathered after the event for a wonderful meal. The weather was perfect for a beautiful day all around... life is good!

2010-04-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

My first strawberry crop - beautiful, organic & delicious! I didn't even have to fight off the birds for these beauties either. They must have enough to eat right now, or maybe they are waiting for red, ripe tomatoes.

Dogwoods in Bloom!

2010-04-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Visitors to the herb farm sometimes ask about the dogwood trees lining the white fence as you get close to the entrance here. Now that the dogwoods are in bloom I get asked about them quite frequently. There are 29 dogwood trees staggered on both sides of the fence, spaced fairly close together in a span of about 120 feet or so. They are only about 10 years old, with the tallest being about 15 feet high, the shortest about 8 feet high. I don't know why the discrepancy... that's nature I guess!

When my mother and stepfather bought this property in the late '70's there was not one dogwood tree on the entire 50 acres, much to my mother's disappointment. Throughout the years she would buy a tree or two from time-to-time and plant it, but none ever survived. (This will not come as a surprise to many of you!).

My mother passed away in 1995. Several years later I decided to try to grow a few dogwood trees from seeds I collected from a couple of trees in my yard where we lived in the Dallas area. I planted quite a few seeds... probably a hundred or so... and about half of them sprouted. I nurtured those seedlings for a year and in 2001 I planted that row of 29 dogwood trees in honor of my mother. I planted them close together, assuming that some of them would not survive, however not one tree died! They were only about 18 inches high when planted, and of course I have spent many hours watering them over the years to ensure their survival during dry periods. In fact I still water them in the hot, dry summer when necessary.

I like to think the survival of every one of the dogwood trees is some kind of divine intervention. I don't really know how else to explain it, since dogwoods are notorious for expiring during their early years. I'm just happy that this property my mother loved so much now has beautiful dogwood trees blooming every spring... in her honor.

"The Legend of the Dogwood"

In Jesus' time the dogwood grew to a very large size and a lovely hue.

'Twas strong and firm its branches interwoven

For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.

Seeing the distress at this use of their wood

Christ made a promise which still holds good:

"Never again shall the dogwood grow

Large enough to be used so

Slender and twisted, it shall be

With blossoms like the cross for all to see.

As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.

All who see it will remember me

Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.

Cherished and protected this tree shall be

A reminder to all of my agony."

Author unknown

Welcome to the Pineywoods Herb Farm Blog!

2010-03-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

My aim with this blog is to give an insight as to what goes on here at Pineywoods Herb Farm on a regular basis... what changes with the seasons, what plants are really doing well, what special events are going on... kind of an insider's view to the herb farm.

Many times I'll have plants that are exceptional and I want you to know about it... like the wonderful spring veggies I have for sale now... deep burgundy lettuce, fantastic spicy arugula (I can hardly keep from snacking on the leaves as I walk by), and of course the TOMATO plants! I can envision each one loaded with luscious fruit in a couple of months and it almost makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Homegrown tomatoes... life doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Check back to my blog often - you never know what you might find.