Because our Red Shiso is an essential crop for our Flower Essences and because Red Shiso is very frost sensitive, we always wait to plant the Red Shiso until June 1st when danger of a frost is very, very low.

This morning Staff Goddesses Indigo, Sam and Elizabeth headed off into the gardens to plant the Red Shiso. This crop (like everything else here) gets moved around the different gardens on a three year cycle. For this season, there will be a couple of rows of Red Shiso down by the main vegetable garden while the bulk of the Red Shiso is in the garden which sits inside the ring of Apple and Pear trees.

Here’s my artsy shot of the trio with Woad in the foreground. Until the introduction of Indigo from Asia, Woad was the European dye plant for blue. This Flower lights up the gardens with its vibrant wands of yellow. It is beloved of bees, and the hum coming off the Flowers is loud and wonderful. I love Woad Flower Essence’s strengths as both a support to ease depression and “the blues” as well as support us find new purpose when an old one is gone. This is what Woad had to do for itself when Indigo arrived on the scene and replaced it as the primary dye for blue.

Woad volunteers around the gardens making its own conversation with other plants. Here it has grown cheek by jowl with a Tree Peony in a zesty tableau.

While making my way down to the trio planting the Red Shiso, I visited with a few other Flower friends.

Here is Chives. It may be small in stature but this Flower has a big presence in the garden. I went back to look at my Flower Essence description for Chives and didn’t think it did justice to either the Flower or its Flower Essence, so I rewrote my description this morning. It still doesn’t do justice to Chives, but it is better.

I also visited with the first of the Roses, the Yellow Rose of Texas. I love this Rose so much, and I love its Flower Essence too. Such a support for solving our most difficult and seemingly insolvable problems.

The trio has just come in from the gardens to report that the Red Shiso seed is in the ground and watered in. Always a great moment to get this crop planted. Now we will wait with bated breath for the seeds to germinate and begin their season with us.

Much June Love to one and all from all of us here at Green Hope Farm.