Leah Willow

Leah Willow Northern California, Zone 9. Suburban Gardener, Plant Collector & Home Baker. I grow vegetables, flowers & all types of succulents.

Indoors it’s all about the jungle plants.

08/22/2026

Herbal Tea Garden Harvest.

This weeks garden harvest is for tea.

1. Oregano Flowers - antioxidant rich, helps with bacterial infections, reduces inflammation and helps reduce viral infections.

2. Lavender Flowers - for help with sleep, protection for skin from fungal infections and to immune system balance.

3. Strawberry Mint flowers - to help with anxiety and help with focus.

4. Lemon Verbena - to help with inflammation, oxidative stress, stress relief and help with sleep.

5. Sage - for inflammation, high in antioxidants, vitamin K, an antibacterial, anti cancer properties, promotes brain health and mood, and improves blood sugar control.

While I do dry all my herbs and store them in air tight container, I do enjoy them fresh as well for a more vibrant flavour.

08/18/2026

Vertical Pumpkin Patch✨

Last year we grew one pumpkin that overtook our small little garden. So this year I decor try my hand at vertical growing squash. And I couldn’t be happier.

They add such a lovely touch whimsical fun. The kids absolutely love being under it and play around it.

We are growing the Jarrahdale Australian variety. And the Musquée de Provence heirloom French pumpkins. We even have a sneaky acorn squash.

Now that the Jarrahdale is almost done, I’m thinking of replacing it end of summer with another French heirloom pumpkin. That way we can have pumpkin growing there into late Autumn before frost hits.

08/14/2026

Garden picnics with good friends.

This week my friend Volha Piatrouski(Ruskevich) has been helping me with my patio makeover. She’s already done so much for me. (She will be having some baked goodies from me in near future.)

Yesterday Volha brought over these delicious croissants from a local cafe - Lviv Croissants USA .
We got to have a garden picnic together and enjoy the nature.

I liked her idea of adding mint into the black tea when it was brewing. Such a nice hint.

gardenteaparty

08/07/2026

Evening Sun Sunflower 🌻.

If I could recommend one thing to grow on your terrace,patio or a garden. It would be a sunflower. Especially an heirloom variety.

Besides honeybees, the native bees absolutely love it. And apparently a family of praying mantis.
The pollen and nectar they gather is just enticing. I notice they really get covered.

This is my favorite variety. It goes from dark reds, oranges to yellows. And really mimics and evening sun.

If you want to keep pollinator friends happy, be sure to grow some sunflowers. Check your growing zones, it might not be too late to start some seeds and get them going for Autumn.

08/06/2026

August Garden Harvest.

I finally harvested a big batch of Basil. The first big one of the season. I wanted to share some with my Mama and my older brother. And of course make some homemade pesto.

The Dino Kale was looking ready for a harvest too. Some for sharing and some for salad.

I harvested the last of the bush beans, the rest will have to be saved for seeds. That way I can grow them again.

And for the squash family, I was able to harvest one yellow crookneck zucchini and one Japanese cucumber.

Next year I want to find new variety of zuchini similar to the crookneck. Not sure which ones.

Hopefully I can harvest some pumpkins soon.

07/28/2026

Squash Blossom Waffles

You can make your waffles savory or sweet. I opted for savory with smoked salmon and avocado. I love using my pumpkin and zucchini flowers so they don’t go to waste. I get so many this time of year.

I’ve seen the crepe version and decided to give this a spin using the waffle maker. It didn’t not disappoint. Hopefully I have more squash blossom into the autumn season. Nothing better than a farm to table experience. Getting to eat your own food straight from the garden.

07/20/2026

The best summer flower for pollinator heaven.

Evening Sun Sunflowers are one of my top favorites for a summer garden. Their color brings a lot of joy not just to me, but a variety of insects. Last year, my tallest one got to 10.5 feet tall.

And produced 28 flower stems on one plants they grow multiple flower heads, which is perfect for little bees. I noticed the native bees were extra fond of it.

I was able to save seeds from the previous growing season, and finally produced sunflowers from seeds I saved. I even got to share the seeds with family and friends.

And if you live in a hot climate, best part about sunflowers, is that they love the heat.

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6128 San Juan Avenue
Citrus Heights, CA
95610

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