Meyer Lemon Blossoms

Our Meyer lemon tree is covered with blossoms that smell like heaven. I pity your nose if it hasn’t yet smelled a lemon blossom on a tree.

I was completely out of commission yesterday with an epic sunburn. Still in pain today, but able to put on loose clothes. Next time I’m in the city in summer, I’ll remember that the sun reflects off asphalt and concrete and basically quadruples sun exposure. Maybe wearing a tube top and cargo shorts to the Pride March wasn’t a great idea. My back is fried. Not good.

We had a great time though, and got to fellowship with thousands of amazing people. The annual NYC Pride March is basically the hottest party of summer. It can’t get better than Manhattan, music, dancing, awesome people, solidarity, great outfits, boundless love, and getting the message out. We hit Zabars and Chinatown after the march. No time for the planetarium, boo. I really miss my hometown.

Here’s the big news: the turmeric rhizomes we planted a few months ago have sprouted! OMG. All the literature is right: it takes a long, long time for turmeric to germinate. This is where patience comes in to play. I just kept watering and tending this pot of soil for months while nothing appeared to be happening. Then yesterday, there were the young plants. Now the goal is to get them strong so they can survive winter in the house.

Our Meyer lemon tree is covered with blossoms that smell like heaven. I pity your nose if it hasn’t yet smelled a lemon blossom on a tree. We have about 25 clusters of blossoms on our tree right now, so I pretty much want to snuggle up to that tree all day long. Each blossom will be a lemon this summer. It’s a healthy and fertile tree. Gratitude to the honeybees for pollinating so beautifully.

We have small summer squash in the food garden. They’ll be ready for picking by the weekend. My husband is waiting to grill it for dinner. He waits for the summer squash each year.

More big news – my gardening friend picked me up two patchouli plants, and threw in a bay plant. The patchouli were the last two plants at the Massachusetts nursery, so they are not in the greatest of shape. But they look disease-free, and after a trim, they’ll be fed a basic 10-10-10 fertilizer, and then they’re going outside in partial sun. The bay will be rehomed in a nice pot that will enhance its elegant shape. I don’t use bay for anything, but it’s a gorgeous plant. I’m going to try some soft-cutting propagation with it.

Patchouli is a feminine earth element with many uses. Aside from its great fragrance, patchouli leaves and roots have been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to soften skin and decrease scarring, soothe sore muscles, lower body temperature, and treat depression. Steam distillation extracts the very potent oil that some people love and some hate. I love patchouli oil in small doses. I’m hoping to keep these plants happy for a long time.

Live in peace.