The Herb Companion has an impressive 20-year history, and a celebrated staple in our magazine is the department "Garden Spaces, which features beautiful illustrations and detailed maps to get your gardening started with inspired and efficient designs.

When I pieced together the book Creating Custom Garden Spaces last year from our dozens of magazines, it was packed with 20 intricate designs, charts, gardening tips and tricks and some conventional wisdom passed down through the years on the myriad uses of herbs. 

I was so animated by this process, that I was able to easily reproduce one of the larger designs, the Mexican herb garden, in my backyard. I have reaped both reward and regard from it.

This four-square garden contains all the bold flavors that have made Mexican food wildly popular.
Illustration by Gayle Ford

The designs are fully customizable and can be adapted for any space large or small. You’ll read about companion planning, building raised beds, and the library of medicinal uses your new plants will provide for you; it is really an excellent resource, and while I may be biased, I think it will make an important and unique addition to your herbal library.

Here’s a peek at just some of the designs in Creating Custom Garden Spaces:

• Mexican herb and green salad food gardens
• Medicinal herb gardens
• Gardens for pots and tight spaces
• Fragrant and flowering herb gardens
• Gardens for children
• Gardens that prevent deer
• Fence line and mailbox gardens
• Hammock and walkway gardens
• Gardens designed for use with a rain barrel
• Gardens that attract birds and butterflies

Creating Custom Garden Spaces is available for digital download or on CD-Rom. Order now. It’s only $10 for a digital download and $20 for your very own CD. 

If you've got a gardening question, I've got your answer! Shoot an email over to tmiller@ogdenpubs.com.

Herbs, essential oils and aromatherapies seem to have endless benefits. And just when you think they’ve thought of everything, someone comes out with a product that, well, knocks your pants off.

I’ve discovered, since I’ve worked here, that certain issues or subjects are difficult to discuss while maintaining a preferred level of professional decorum. Among these are the issues of the digestive tract. We’re conditioned to shy away from this subject, to become uncomfortable by it. Even in early childhood, we're encouraged to call them, “Number 1” and “Number 2.”

But, what I have noticed is that the older I get, the more comfortable the people around me feel discussing their … bathroom situations. I’m not sure what I do to encourage this toilet talk, perhaps it’s just the most notable news of the day, but for whatever reason, eventually, someone brings it up.

This is especially true of my parents, so I’m sure you can imagine the delight on my mother’s face when she presented me with her newest find: Poo~Pourri.

“Spritz the bowl before you go, and no one else will ever know!” she read from the label before she handed it to me, darting a glance in my father’s uninterested direction. “It really works, too!”

These kinds of gifts are typical of my mother, and while at first I might seem unenthused or, in this case, slightly embarrassed, ultimately the reward has … a much sweeter smell.

Reading the label, you’ll discover that the formula is a blend of citrusy essential oils that when sprayed on the surface of the water, create a barrier to trap out the odor. And, to anyone concerned with such things, they have blends that are more manly and blends that are more feminine.

Oh, and for the record, it really works.

From the website: 

“Poo~Pourri bathroom spray deodorizer does more than eliminate bathroom odors - it is forever changing the bathroom experience. Just picture this...Last night's buffet was the best you ever had, but today at the office, all that eating is catching up to you. As you walk out from your second visit to the restroom, you nearly collide with the handsome lad from two offices down. You both pause, staring at each other. Just then, the door shuts behind you. A rush of bathroom air fans past. "Mmmm, citrusy," he says and walks away. You pat your purse and smile -- Poo~Pourri bathroom spray deodorizer, it keeps your dirty little secret.”

While we’re on the subject, here’s one of my favorite comedy routines from Ellen DeGeneres and her experiences with airplane lavatories. 

“You go to the bathroom and constantly lit [is] ‘Return to Seat’ or ‘Return to Cabin’. … Why do they think that needs to be lit? Like, if it wasn’t lit we’d relax in there for a little while?  …

‘Miss, bring my peanuts in here please!’ (to herself) This is beauuuutiful.

I don’t even wanna go. I could be the only one to get up out my seat to go to the bathroom—everyone else is sound asleep when I go. I’ve been in there for what I think is 30 seconds. — you have no concept of time when you’re in there; it’s like a casino, there’s no windows, no clocks, you don’t know how long you’ve spent in there.  Now, I open the door, everyone on the plane is lined up, looking at their watches, making me feel like I’ve been in there forever.

Now I’ve got to explain the smell that was in there before I went in there. …

Has that ever happened to you? It’s not your fault, you’ve held your breath, you just want to get out, you just wanna leave, and now you open the door …. Oh! (nervous giggle)

(uncomfortable pause, eyes darting from impatient passenger to impatient passenger)

Listen, there’s an odor in there and I didn’t do it.  It’s bad. … You might want to sprinkle some club soda.”

Check this out! It's called the Floating Garden - the newer, more modern version of the Peace Lily betta*.

The floating garden eliminates fish waste and keeps the tank clean by filtering the water over a sand-filled device and absorbing nitrates from fish poo to fertilize the plants.  Pretty cool, huh?

From the press release:

"It gives concrete form to a ‘passion for waterworks’ shared by Benjamin Graindorge and Duende Studio. What with Graindorge’s ‘Domestic landscapes’ and the ’Local River’ project developed with Mathieu Lehanneur by Anthony van den Bossche, it only needed one step more (and a lot of experiments) for the principle to be turned into a commercially-viable product, realistic but full of poetic potential. Elegant design associated to extended function make ‘Floating Garden’ an object rich in paradox – thoughtful and forward-looking."

Because of how the tank is created, each is unique in design, and will begin being sold in spring of 2010. And I imagine for a mighty price tag.

*Peace lilies, also called Mauna Loa or The Closet Plant, are easy to grow with exposed roots in water. However, this is not, nor has it ever been, a reccomended environment for a fish, especially a betta, which needs to come to the surface to breathe.

Economic and financial issues plaguing the globe have spawned a new wave of interest in sustainability, fostering the need for more urban gardeners. For those living in such a densely populated area, growing space is often limited, and you need to think creatively and maybe even squint your eyes a little to make it work.

Such space concerns are why vertical planters are becoming increasingly popular. A year ago, I picked the top Top 8 Gardening Products for Fall 2008, and among them listed the Living Wall by ELT.

This year, another company sent me a different kind of wall-hanging potter called the Woolly Pocket, which prides itself in adding a touch of class to any home (and it does). The long, almost windowsill-type potters are made out of a dense fabric that feels like a wool peacoat, and they come in coated and uncoated varieties, depending on if you’re planning on using it indoors or out.

I requested the coated version so it would not leak, but opted to set it up outside for the summer – and maybe clean it for reuse indoors for the winter. The Pocket was easy to install and within a few months tomatoes were producing and producing well in the Pocket compared with those on the ground. This is a major advantage if you’re wanting to keep animals away from your plants, especially indoors where most common houseplants are toxic to your pets.

The Woolly Pocket website gives detailed information on all of their planters with colorful photos like this one that make you see both the company and the product as unique. While the imagery with the naked people doesn’t really bother me, nearly every plant shown in this photo is toxic to animals (we’ll hope the dog wasn’t hungry), so I wouldn’t recommend using a sitting planter if you have an indoor pet.

The fabric of the Pocket, unlike with the Living Wall, prevents scratching on your walls and is a better safeguard to leaking because of the inner-coating. The coating covers the inside of the planter, protecting your walls and floor from leaks that may come from overwatering. However, this is a particular concern, because those of us that tend to give our plants more water, will be more likely to kill a plant or create an environment susceptible to root rot.

So, if you were planning on using the Pocket indoors, I might suggest lining the bottom with 2 or 3 inches of Perlite for the best possible drainage.

Other than that, the Woolly Pocket, which comes in many shapes and sizes, would make a great gift for anyone and everyone with a bright, empty wall considering starting a new garden or consolidating some of their favorite houseplants.

It may be the thought of winter – the death, the icy roads, the erratic temperatures … the ridiculous decorations – that makes me want to protect my garden indoors every autumn. The thought of that perfect pot of mint, that fragrant rosemary or even those tangy chives sullied and soggy under the lush Kansas snow is too much. Woe is winter.

But I’m a realist – there are only so many things that can survive indoors, and without a lot of experience or a gardening expert on your side, it can prove difficult to predict what will and what will not work.

Fortunately for us, we live in the golden age of technology, and there are tools in our belts fit for such a project. Meet EasyBloom, your plant diagnostician in a box.

The premise is easy – plant, plug and play. Plant the EasyBloom anywhere in your garden, indoors or out, for 24 hours, plug it into your computer, and download a reading of all the environmental conditions for that particular spot, including soil moisture, light exposure, humidity and average temperature.

Then, EasyBloom’s website will generate a list of plants that would grow well in those conditions, helpful when you’re planning for next year’s garden. Explore thousands of plants in its extensive database and connect with other like-minded gardeners from amateur to extraordinaire.

After you’ve downloaded the information from one spot in your garden – say, where your mint pot lives – then, try different sites inside your home that might be environmentally similar. You will not find conditions that are exact and you are bound to lose some plants no matter what you do. But with the EasyBloom you can figure out where in your home might provide you with the best probability for survival or where to shelter your plants for the cold to come.

Cool, huh?

This late in the summer, conditions are ripe to begin testing environmental conditions indoors and out, so you can plan on starting the great plant migration in late September and early October.

The EasyBloom is easy-to-use and relatively affordable, considering how much you have probably already invested in your plants, and it could only be improved with the ability to test soil acidity or pH. But, all in good time, I suppose.

The EasyBloom retails on the company’s website for $59.95 and makes a great gift for any age.

For a full list of tips and tricks on indoor gardening, check out my post, Five Tips for Indoor Gardens, or, for any gardening question, shoot an e-mail over to tmiller@ogdenpubs.com.

Way back in September, I requested some exotic bulb samples from Dutch Gardens. This spring, I have been impressed by the results the freshman tulips and hyacinth have produced. They are both way more vibrant and fragrant than any pre-grown perennial I've bought at local nurseries.

But, don't take my word for it, have a look for yourself! Here are some photographs I shot in my backyard garden.

Early in the fall, I planted the bulbs in the new garden I built based on an Herb Companion garden space design, Mexican Herb Garden. The design uses a four quadrant grid with a tree in the center. I built mine around a honey locust and built a circular garden in the middle that I covered with these tulip bulbs. Find more intricate garden space designs in our new book, Creating Custom Garden Spaces, available in e-book format or on CD-ROM. 

This is one of the hyacinth flowers that came up this spring, I should have taken the photos a little earlier in their bloom, because here, they have become a bit spent. However, even with our strong Kansas winds and some invading rabbits, these compact flowers have weathered well and still smell more fragrant than any I could find for sale early this spring.

Several of the tulips are multi-colored, are striped or have differently colored petal tips. I had several people ask me where I found such unusual varieties, different from the solid yellows and reds they had in their own gardens.

I would suggest these bulbs to anyone who asked - the service was prompt, the flowers bloomed immediately and they weathered the freezing temperatures, the rain, the wind and ... the rabbits with class. Visit DutchGardens.com for more details and ordering information, just in time to collect some flowers to plant this spring! 

If you've got a question, I've got your answer! Shoot an email over to tmiller@ogdenpubs.com

(Photos used with my permission for this blog post only. Please do not use without consent.)

Working with a bunch of green magazines, I get to have the distinct joy of playing with products all day long – both in-house items (ones we loved so much we decided to sell) and products that companies around the world send me.

When these products are unusual and innovative, I can’t help but to spread the word. And it might sound like a shameless plug, but sometimes the best of those products are ones we sell here at The Herb Companion, such as our Natural Radius Grip (NRG) gardening tools.

All plugs aside, I was tickled to see the unusual NRG hand trowel and hand cultivator set while perusing our shopping site one day. When I intercepted a pair and saw the neon green handles, I thought that they’d have to be impossible to lose in the yard, which many a trowel hath suffered. It has a kind of color intensity that’s noticeable yet not quite strong enough to sore my sight. The curvature of the handle seemed unusual to hold at first, but with good reason – it’s ergonomic and shaped to maximize power!

Normally, when you hold a gardening tool, you hold it with your hand bent slightly downward, which causes stress on the wrist and makes it more difficult to get leverage. With the Natural Radius Grip handles, you hold the tool straight on, and your wrist is not strained as you dig.

The tools are hefty, but lightweight – a far cry from the cheap-o Wal-Mart ones that have actually broken in the thick of my Kansas clay. They’re rust proof, durable, fun, funky and come in lots of shapes and sizes for various functions.

Now, brace yourself for some shameless marketing: I’ll make no apologies: This is a fantastic product, one that all should have. Sure, you could buy a $4 one at Wal-Mart, but would it be ergonomic, rust-proof, light-weight, brightly colored, super-durable and come with a handle and a hook? You get what you pay for. These tools are $12.99 each or $24.95 for the set.

Find more about the entire line of NRG Hand Tools.

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If you've got a gardening question, I've got your answer! Shoot an email over to tmiller@ogdenpubs.com!