Berries In The Forest

              This is cowberry (or lingonberry), is juicy and tasty wild berry. It's a big harvest in the forest this year. My neighbors gardeners invited me to their company to gather cowberry. You might remember that I had gone with them to the river where they were fishing (here). I love to eat cowberry, it has a sweet-sour taste, is perfectly stored with sugar and is very useful, especially in the cold season.

We went out after breakfast and walked into the forest, a few miles from my summer house. At first we had passed a swamp, where Jerusalem artichoke (Heliánthus tuberósus) grew with yellow flowers. Its rhizome can be eaten, but I had never tried it. On a small lake I've seen ducks, they were hiding.

Our route passed by tall trees. I love to consider high and old trees. They've seen a lot in their long life!

Finally we were in the woods. This was a pine forest, quite clean and dry. I could see many pines in a distance.

Often large granite boulders could be found in such wood. They stayed lying there since a melting glacier passed by thousands years ago. The blueberry bushes grew under the pines. But blueberries have already dropped, there was a little left on the bushes. 

 

The cowberry bushes are not high. I found them around the boulder, among the fallen trunks and in moss. There were a lot of berries. It is necessary to bend down or to squat down to gather cowberry. It is so tasty that the hand with berries moved in my mouth. Oh, no!, it should be collected in a bucket!

Having come back to the garden, I put the bucket with berries and took the picture.

Do you like cowberry (or lingonberry)? When did you gather it and where? Do you make cowberry jam?

Thank you!

Mirabel Gardens in Salzburg

         The city of Salzburg ("City of Salt") is located on the banks of the Salzach River, at the northern foot of the Alps in western Austria. I was traveling by a train that sped along the slopes of the Alps. Wonderful landscapes opened from the window. I started taking pictures right through the window glass of the train, here are some alpine views on the way to Salzburg. Mountain landscape in the south contrasts with plains in the north.

 

 
 

















Arriving in the city, I decided to see the famous Mirabel Garden, a sample of Baroque style park. The Mirabel Garden is one of the most visited attractions in Salzburg. Despite the fact that it is located away from other famous places of the city, on the other bank of the river Salzach, its very popular.

I will briefly tell you the history of the Mirabel Palace and Garden.
Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau built a small mansion for Salome Alt in 1606. But after a few years von Raitenau was imprisoned in the fortress Hohensalzburg. In 1612 the mansion was rebuilt and named Mirabel Palace. The Mirabel Garden was designed later, in the 20s of the XVIII century in the Baroque style. In 1818 great fire was in Salzburg and the Palace burned down.

 
 
















Now restored Palace has a clean look. The Mirabel Garden is a typical example of the Baroque style garden. Terraces, flower beds, a rose garden, marble statues and fountains make it very bright and lush. Especially park is beautiful in the summer. When I arrived, there were many visitors, even on a weekday. 

In the center of the park is situated a fountain, surrounded by sculptures. They depict scenes from the myths of ancient Greece. The baroque Mirabel Gardens were used as a movie location for “The Sound of Music”.

Stunning views open from the park to the fortress Hoenzalburg (in which the first owner of the Palace and Garden was imprisoned). 

The Old Town is located on the left bank of the Salzach river, there the towers and numerous Baroque churches rise. Talking about Salzburg, I can not recall the famous Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was born on January 26, 1756 in the Old town of Salzburg. Later the Mozart family moved to the right bank of the city. I think the young Mozart was inspired by the beauty of nature, the Gardens and the Alps to create his gorgeous music.

 

GBBD in August 2013

The time goes so quickly, we're in August, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is today. What blooms in my northern garden in mid-August ?

Of course, clematises bloom despite of the cold snap, particularly cold nights and early mornings. There are Clematis varieties ‘The President’ and ‘Madam de Coultre’.

In spring I planted the Impatiens (Balsamina) seeds directly into the flower bed and they had survived, had plenty of space are blooming now.

Phlox started flowering in early August and is still blooming in white and purple inflorescence.

In May I potted a few Begonia tubers. They had been growing in the greenhouse until the weather became warm, then I've put the pots in the garden and in the hanging basket. The varieties are: white 'Non stop','Illumination Rose’ pendula,  red 'Non Stop Fire' and ‘Rose Petticoat'.

  

Beautiful Hydrangea Grandiflora grows 8 years in my garden and flowers permanently. I planted a few cuttings from it and now I have more new Grandiflora.

 

Roses bloom the second wave. The red-silvery rose ‘Anadia’ has recovered and is blooming well. Another one is pink rose ‘The Fairy’, it never rests, blooms continuously from June to frost.

Sweet peas were planted in a large container near the pergola; their fragrance is spread in my window now. In the front garden Ligularia (dentata), variety ‘Othello’ is blooming too. Bees, butterflies and bumblebees love its yellow flowers.

 

Most of my lilies have faded but these two are still in bloom, have strong flavor!

I hope to show you some flowering plants despite of cold weather and rain the next GBBD in September.