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Post by whisker on Feb 22, 2012 12:35:36 GMT
When you take your first look at your garden in Spring - the prospects of getting it into shape can be rather daunting! But challenging! That's where the fun lies! Any work put in now will pay fantastic dividends. Think of all those lovely salads and veggies. All those lovely flowers to give joy to your heart! It's all worth it!
Dream on, whisker! It's all in the future!  ;D
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Post by whisker on Feb 22, 2012 12:50:07 GMT
I went out this morning to take a look at what Winter has left for me to tackle. Hard to know where to start! LOL!
To begin with, my herb bed - while it does look like it's producing lots of herbs - is out of control! The sage, which has served me very well all year, has now taken over. Drastic action will be needed to tidy up this herb bed. I think all of the sage will have to come out because it is now "leggy" and sprawling all over the place leaving little room for any think else.
What can I do? Shame to pull it all up!
To tide me over, I may try taking some branches of it indoors and drying, so that i still will have sage for cooking - which I can't do without!
Also I may try taking cuttings from what's there and see can I root them in water. I know it's the wrong time of year for that - but that's what gardening is ll about. You never know until you try! Wish me luck! ;D |
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Post by alphacat on Feb 22, 2012 16:27:09 GMT
I do indeed. I don't have a herb bed but if I decide to start one which herbs would you recommend?
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Post by whisker on Feb 22, 2012 20:10:10 GMT
You can try all of them, but the most usual ones are thyme, sage, mint, parsley, oregano, bay-leaf, rosemary. Bay-leaf and Rosemary could be classified more a shrubs than your regular herbs. Mint - there are several types. The one used mostly for mint sauce, that's used with lamb, is spearmint. Mint is invasive in that it takes over wherever it is planted, sending out roots under the ground, so it needs to be contained IE in a bucket in which holes have been drilled - or something of that nature. the beauty of growing herbs is that they can be grown just as easily in posts on a patio as in a bed in the ground. The main thing they like is plenty of sun.
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Post by alphacat on Feb 22, 2012 21:05:11 GMT
Thanks Whisker, I'll give it some serious thought.
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Post by joebert on Feb 22, 2012 21:32:24 GMT
I planted something years ago at our old house and it smelled like chocolate. Can't remember what it was called but right by the front door always smelled nice.
Here it's almost time to go outside and start clearing the last oak leave that came down during winter. Today probably would have been a good day as it's sunny and in the mid 50's. The daffodils are coming up as are the tulips.
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Post by whisker on Feb 22, 2012 21:34:54 GMT
I know that chocolate plant, JB - and it is lovely - but do you know, I have never been able to cultivate it, because , within a day, insects have it eaten up!
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Post by penny on Feb 22, 2012 21:39:36 GMT
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Post by whisker on Feb 22, 2012 22:11:56 GMT
Thanks , penny! This was the one I had - chocolate cosmos. Probably the mistake I made was buying it in full bloom from the garden centre on a hot sunny day. Once it was put out in the garden, the scent immediately attracted insects, which couldn't resist it and ate it up. Would you blame them? ;D Two years in a row I bought it and the same thing happened. Maybe if I had planted it from seed, it would not have come to such a sad end.  |
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;D
