Beautiful weather is expected today in North Georgia. It is already sunny, and 52 degrees with an expected high 0f 72. I can’t wait to get outside. My perennial bed is covered with weeds as well as my herb bed. I plan on weeding, mulching, and planting several herbs that were left over from my garden show a couple of weeks ago. Garlic chives will go in the garden, but I plan on potting pineapple sage (which I have been unable to overwinter here), and orange mint. The leaves of both of these plants (pineapple sage and orange mint) are wonderful to flavor tea. You know how we southerners love our sweet tea, and a great tea can be made by making your tea as usual, then pouring over a pitcher packed with the leaves. The pineapple sage leaves give it a light pineapple taste. You can float the red flowers in it as a garnish. I hope mine will be large enough to get leaves for tea at my open house. I want to have refreshments using the herbs, and sell the herbs along side it. The freeze did not kill my strawberries like they did in most gardens here, but my blueberries are lost for the season. I am also going to pot a number of scented geraniums (chocolate mint and rose) to put down at the shop to liven it up.
Yesterday was a long day. I attended my first meeting of Ladies Who Launch, in Atlanta. (2 hour drive). This is a business incubator for women who want to start a business or grow their business. The group of six women will meet for 4 Fridays, to present, discuss, and get ideas from their group. We left with homework to bring back to the group. Stating your ideas for your business to a group of people somehow makes you accountable to make it happen. This was a very varied group of women, all with great ideas. We all presented a project for our business, some were looking for manufacturing of their product, some need outside help to take their business to the next level, and one with finding the materials for her idea and taking it to market. My project is to market my garden shop which is located in a small town. Each person brings back ideas for the others in the group, and they all bring back ideas for you. It was a great experience being in the room with such talented women. The idea for the Ladies Who Launch Incubators was that women do not traditionally start and run a business like men and have unique needs. The incubators are in 35 cities in the US and have been developed in 3 additional countries. You can find out more about it at www.ladieswholaunch.com
I left Atlanta and drove an additional 100 miles to Gracie’s in Blairsville Georgia, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can buy wholesale iron garden decor there. Packed to the brim, my Mitsubishi Montero, started the 2 1/2 hour drive back to Chickamauga to deposit my purchases at the store.