Rosemary (Rose) Caspary

It's springtime here now, although at times feels much like summer, with the swings in temperature. Herbaceous plants came out of dormancy and the succession of blooms will continue throughout the seasons.

Carex sprengelii, Long Beaded Sedge, flows along the right side of the walkway.

Shaded area with a variety of ferns and hellebores along the path outside of the fenced in area, as you walk up from the front.

Fragaria vesca ‘Flavorfest’, Strawberry, an early variety almost ready to start picking, just outside of new fenced in area for vegetables. Which is surrounded by other edible plants such as currant, blackberry, and elderberry and herbs like Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa, Tarragon.

Conifers and smaller shrubs line the top of the slope like Amelanchier spicata, Dwarf Serviceberry, Spiraea tomentosa, Steeplebush, and Hypericum kalmianum 'Gemo', St. John’s Wort.

Antennaria plantaginfolia, Plantainleaf Pussytoes and Antennaria microphylla, Littleleaf Pussytoes blooming at the base of Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Filicoides Compacta,’ in the foreground.

At the bottom of the slope behind our house, Eutrochium fistulosum — Tall (Hollow) Joe Pye Weed (on the left) and Eutrochium maculatum — Spotted Joe Pye Weed (on the right) are taking off.

Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum, Giant Solomon’s Seal, flowering, on the right. 

Ceramic ornate garden hands, meant to be in the garden.

Started winter seed sowing in milk jugs some in December, January, and March, total of about forty. Planted a variety of seeds; perennial natives and annual vegetables, herbs, & ornamental plants.

Today, April 16, 2026, I opened and watered them. This is Cucurbita pepo, Cornell’s Bush Delicata Squash started March 16, 2025.

Tropaeolum majus. Glorious Gleam Nasturtium and Brassica juncea, Wasabina: Wasabi Greens, both edible plants.

Radish, really took off, and parsley.

Designed for an outdoor garden, this ornamental woman's head was fired at cone 10, reduction.

Before bisque fired, as greenware.

Smaller version prototype of woman garden head, as a reference for a larger version. Glaze and fired at cone 10 reduction.

From extruded pieces formed a flower sculpture with leaves and two small pinched birds. Glazed and fired at cone 10 reduction. Blends into the garden.

1/2 cup chopped, red onion

5 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped horseradish root

1/4 cup grated fresh turmeric root

1/2 cup grated fresh ginger root

1/4 cup chopped jalapeño pepper

1 organic lemon, sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 quart organic apple cider vinegar, raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized 

Honey, to taste

Place all ingredients, except vinegar and honey, in a 2 quart mason jar.

Add vinegar. Ensure vinegar is enough to cover other ingredients by 1 to 2 inches on top.   

Cover with a plastic top and label.  

Let sit for about 4 weeks, shake jar every few days.  

Strain with a cheesecloth.  

Add honey to taste.  

Place liquid in glass bottle or jars.  Cover and label.  

Wheel thrown donuts also called torus, with a base and etched in designs, sgraffito.

Ceramic wheel thrown pieces stacked to form totems in the garden.

A gnome graces the top of this totem.

Textured designs carved into the clay, called sgraffito.

I began making soap in 2011.  After making several batches of soap, I’ve changed the recipe, using a soap calculator online to get correct amounts.  A month or so before making soap, I make herbal infused olive oil.  In this recipe, I used lavender infused olive oil and added lavender buds at the end of the process.

Equipment: 

digital scale 

4 or 3 ounce silicon molds - 48 ounce total - soap molds

1 cooking thermometer 

2 quart stainless steel pot

1 medium & 1 small stainless steel bowls

1 long handled stainless steel spoon

1 rubber spatula

metal strainer

gloves, goggles

Ingredients:

Oils/Fats

5 ounces preservative & chemical free, raw cocoa butter

5 ounces unrefined, raw shea butter

3.25 ounces unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil

13.25 ounces herb infused cold pressed olive oil

Water & Lye

10 ounces water, filtered tap water or distilled

3.53 ounces lye - food grade microbeads

Directions:

Prepare oils/fats:

Weigh cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil and olive oil.   Heat fats in a stainless steel pot, just until melted.  Let cool until 90 to 110 degrees F, stirring occasionally.

2) Make lye solution:

Weigh water into a medium stainless steel bowl.   Weigh lye into a small stainless steel container.  Using gloves and goggles, add lye in a steady flow to water.  Mixing well, keep face away from lye fumes.   Cool until 90 to 110 degrees F.

3) Mix lye into oils/fats:

Add lye solution to fats, when both are 90 to 110 degrees F, stir with stick blender.   Blend until trace formed, see line when dripped with spoon, sit on top.

4)  Place silicone molds on a tray for support.  Pour mixture, using a spatula to guide, into silicone molds.

5)  Remove soap from silicone molds after hardens, the next day.  Place on a rack to dry for several weeks, the longer the harder the soap and lasts longer.

Leaving many of the perennial plants like Eutrochium fistulosum, Tall (Hollow) Joe Pye Weed, Eutrochium maculatum, Spotted Joe Pye Weed, and Echinacea purpurea, Purple Cone Flower standing until early spring. Conifers offer winter interest as evergreens.

Adding new plants where others were moved to other locations and thinned out some areas. Plant labels make it easier to identify plants.

Propagating current from stem cuttings in the fall. Swiss chard and kale still going strong.

Dividing crowded plants like iris's and sedges.

Trimmed Siberian iris's before dividing them. Pruned lavender and catmint and made some cuttings earlier in the summer.

Composting and hugelkultur (large raised bed) for yard waste. Plants still blooming including roses.

After I did a demo, those who attended started their own, first laying plant material on fabric. A multitude of various flowers and leaves from the garden used creating a dense mass.

The scarf I demoed before I rolled it on copper pipe is on the left. Then someone started another scarf, on right, gathering plant material and arranging on scarf.

All bundles made placed in steamer for one hour.

Scarf I demoed unbundled. Peel away any remaining plant material.

Getting back into eco-printing on fabric. A dress, 75% silk and 25% linen, using plants from our garden.

Dianthus x barbatus 'Pink Magic,' Sweet William; Monarda didyma, Bee Balm; Matteuccia struthiopteris, Ostrich Fern, Onoclea sensibilis, Sensitive Fern, and Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’, Smokebush gathered from garden and then laid on fabric.

Silk scarf with vivid red color from bee balm using copper pipe to bundle.

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ , a cultivar , in the English group of lavender varieties , suited to where we live in New York, zone 6a, is what I grow and propagate new plants from. Already starting to flower, so I harvested the flower stems.

Gathered the stems and made small bushes tied with string and attached to a hanger. Will let dry inside in one of our closets.