You can check out the Lemon Verbena Lady at her blog http://lemonverbenalady.blogspot.com.

The summer is almost over and the herb garden has been in its prime, but I'm already thinking about next year's herb garden. You should be as well. I must admit for the most part, I am an herb plunker or plant plunker. Here is a section of our back garden. 

This is our multichromatic herbal backyard garden.
Photo by Nancy Heraud

I took a color class when I studied for my horticulture certificate and I remember the teacher saying it was harder to design a multichromatic garden than any other garden. You see a lot of different flowers, textures and colors in the first photo. Even though I may be a plunker, if you are overwhelmed by the whole picture, pare it down to a small herbal vignette.

Anise hyssop, 'Berggarten' sage, 'Moonshine' yarrow and rue in a small herbal vignette.
Photo by Nancy Heraud

In the second photo, you can see the anise hyssop on the left and the 'Berggarten' sage, 'Moonshine' yarrow and rue. You could do multiples of each of those herbs to make a big statement.  I decided to add red-flowered sage, black-eyed Susan, which was an existing plant and pink-flowered bee balm. In the big picture, I think it is an herbal combination that works.

My fellow blogger, Patsy Bell Hobson, showed us a beautiful variegated sage called 'La Crema' in her post last week. I thought I might have the same plant that has thrived in my garden for the past two seasons. I have discovered that I have a variegated 'Berggarten' sage, similar but not the same as 'La Crema'. I would say that the leaves are as oversized as they are in a regular 'Berggarten' sage.

You may also lose the focus of your herbal design when aggressive herbs crowd out the real herbal stars of the show. My variegated sage was being crowded out by my pineapple mint, comfrey and lamb's ear.

Aggressive herbs are trying to take over my herbal stars!
Photo by Nancy Heraud

Here is a cleaned up version of the small herbal vignette.

'Berggarten' sage, broadleafed thyme and creeping thyme shine in an herbal vignette.
Photo by Nancy Heraud

I love herbs because of their sizes, textures and colors. This is the variegated 'Berggarten' sage, a broadleafed thyme and a small creeping thyme. Hopefully when you start with a few herbs in small herbal vignettes in your existing design, you will not be overwhelmed by the herbal design process.   

If you have herb questions, please feel free to leave me a comment or e-mail me at lemonverbenalady@hotmail.com. Talk to you soon.

Patsy Bell Hobson is a garden writer and a travel writer. For her, it's a great day when she can combine the two things she enjoys most: gardening and traveling. Visit her personal blog at http://patsybell.com/ and read her travel writings at http://www.examiner.com/x-1948-Ozarks-Travel-Examiner.

Hort Couture is a company that offers "the most sought after new plants and genetics from the world's best breeders and plants people," according to their website. One of their more popular plant collections is Culinary Couture, a line of fashionable heirloom vegetables and herbs. 

So far, I've grown the following plants with panache this summer: Salvia officinalis 'La Crema', 'Black Krim' (an heirloom tomato) and the worldwide hit ' Tomaccio' (a new dried snack tomato). I'll share the results of my tomatoes later this year. (It will be more than a month before I'll have dried tomatoes and a final report.)

One of my favorite herbs from Culinary Couture is ‘La Crema’, a fragrant, variegated sage that is currently thriving in my Zone 6 garden. Reminiscent of the familiar common garden sage, 'La Crema' is aromatic and beautiful enough to be in the flower garden. 

Look for 'La Crema' in independent garden centers next spring.
It is thriving in my humid, Zone 6 garden.
Photo by Patsy Bell Hobson

What I'm most excited about is using this flavorful herb in my family's cornbread and sage dressing this Thanksgiving. I suggest that you use this sage as you would any other garden sage. Low-growing sage can grow as a border plant in a perennial garden. In spring, blue sage flowers appear about the time chives have blossomed. The flowers also make a pretty bouquet or can be used as an edible garnish.

  
Photos by Patsy Bell Hobson

Hort Couture is the fastest growing plant brand in North America. Their plant collections include Avant Garde Annuals, Prêt a Porter Perennials, Tres Chic Tropicals, Culinary Couture and Sunny Succulents. 'La Crema' is from C. Raker & Sons, a wholesale plant propagation specialist based in Litchfield, Michigan. C. Raker & Sons is in partnership with Hort Couture, the fashionistas of the plant world.

Photo by Patsy Bell Hobson

Have you ever bought herbs from Hort Couture? What do you think of their products?

Since my first blog on fighting aphids almost two years ago (When Aphids Attack) I have received dozens of questions on how to kill the critters when nothing else works.

So, if you’re suffering from an infestation, you’re not alone!

In May, one of our readers, Janie Iglesia, of Fisher Island, Florida, wrote:

"I have a young plant of 'Ají cachucha' (also known as sweet pepper) that was given to me to grow and to use for condiments. I got the plant in great condition free of any bugs, so I bought two bags of dirt to be used for vegetables at a local Home Depot. I planted my 10-inch tall plant in a big pot.

"A few days later, I noticed millions of white little bugs that will not go away. I was told to spray the plant with a water previously prepared using 1 gallon of water and 1 tap of Clorox—this did not help. I also sprayed the plant with Sevin ready-to-use, and still nothing. I was reading your article about using rubbing alcohol, which I will try today, but I wonder if these are in fact aphid pests?"

BEFORE: Reader Janie Iglesia noticed millions of white little bugs on her sweet pepper.
Photo by Janie Iglesia

Janie included this picture and, as you can see, this plant is, in fact, infested with aphids. The white “bugs” are actually skin casts from the growing creature. Creature is too nice of a word—these bugs are a nightmare!

Because she wasn’t having luck with any chemical solutions, I suggested that instead of using the rubbing alcohol mixture, which I usually suggest for small infestations, Janie experiment with ladybugs—the most natural and effective means of aphid, scale, mealybug and mite termination. After almost three months she reports that her plant has been saved!

AFTER: After three months of experimenting with ladybugs, Janie's plant was saved.
Photo by Janie Iglesia

In an effort to secure the ladybugs on the plant and prevent them from flying away, Janie created a net using tulle and two metal hangers opened up to create two arches that poke into the soil.

Ladybugs are cheap, effective and better for the environment than pesticides.

You can buy 1,500 live ladybugs for under $15 on Amazon. (Check out The Lost Ladybug Project.) You must release them at night at the base of your plant. If there is ample food, they will stay and even lay eggs killing every bug in sight. Genuine ladybugs will not harm your plants; however, you should always wash leaves any insect touches before consuming.

Lastly, if you are currently suffering from an aphid infestation, you may appreciate this bit of information I just found online: “A [ladybug] larva uses its sharp jaws to crush an aphid's body and sucks out the aphid's juices.”

Wicked, but somehow pleasant. Good luck!

Patsy Bell Hobson is a garden writer and a travel writer. For her, it's a great day when she can combine the two things she enjoys most: gardening and traveling. Visit her personal blog at http://patsybell.com/ and read her travel writings at http://www.examiner.com/x-1948-Ozarks-Travel-Examiner.

A plastic picnic knife makes a great gardening tool. I tend to be a frugal person and my frugal gardening suggestion this time is to recycle plastic forks, spoons and knives to make plant markers and plastic bag openers. In the summer season, you will probably use plastic flatware at a picnic and, unfortunately, most of it will go into the trash.

  
Plastic bags open quickly with a plastic knife.
Photo by Pasty Bell Hobson

But, you can recycle plastic flatware from picnics and to-go purchases. (It isn't considered recycling if you buy flatware specifically for this purpose!) So, if you happen to use plastic flatware this summer, recycle it for garden use and you will keep one more thing out of the landfill.

Recycle plastic picnicware into plant markers.
Photo by Pasty Bell Hobson

Do you recycle household items in your garden? Let us know!

According to The New York Times, terrariums are more popular than ever. These captivating worlds filled with small plants (and even small animals such as frogs or lizards!) can add a little bit of the outdoors to any room. Plus, they are fairly low-maintenance for someone constantly on-the-go.

These miniature gardens can go for a bundle of money at a market; why spend a load of money when you can make one at home? Follow these easy (and fun!) steps to create a little garden with your own creative style.

Here is a great example of a closed "egg" terrarium.
Photo by ex.libric/ Courtest Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/exlibris/

You will need: an empty glass container, gravel, activated charcoal (if you're using a container with a lid), moss, soil, seeds and optional decorations.

Here are the basic steps to building a terrarium, according to the Terrarium Man.

1. Choose a container. It can be anything you want! It can range from an old fish bowl to a glass bottle.

2. Place a layer of gravel, sand or pebbles on the bottom of your container. This allows the water to drain and cycle properly in the terrarium.

3. If you are making a closed terrarium, add a thin layer of activated charcoal. This is the same stuff used in aquariums, so you can find it at any pet-supply store.

4. Add a thin layer of moss. This acts like a water filter.

5. Add a layer soil. Any kind potting soil will do the trick. You only need enough in which to embed your seeds.

6. Finally, it's time for the fun part. Add your plants or seeds! Just make sure you don’t over-crowd your plants. The Garden Helper website provides a whole list of terrarium-friendly plants. Depending on the size of your terrarium, keep the plants small. Herbs like parsley, mint, chives and oregano are great choices because they are tough, small plants. Plus, they add a little bit of fragrance to your terrarium. If you want a punch of color, try the Miniature African Violet to brighten things up. After planting, you can add fun, small garden decorations.

7. After everything is placed, add about an ounce of water. Be sure to not add too much. (You don’t want a moldy terrarium!) Keep the terrarium out of direct sunlight so you don't accidently boil your little garden. You need to spray your terrarium every few weeks to keep everything nice and hydrated.

Check out the Terrarium Man’s website for a lot of interesting information on how to create a terrarium. This website provides easy DIY instructions for creating many different kinds of terrariums in various containers and climates, such as a desert terrarium. (You can even learn how to make a terrarium waterfall.)

According to The Terrarium Museum, Dr. Nathanial Ward, a British doctor with an interest in botany, "accidently" invented the terrarium in 1827. He experimented with various cocoons in closed jars and noticed that the plants in the contained jar flourished. He called them "fern cases" because ferns were the first plants he used. Terrariums were also known as Wardian cases in honor of the inventor's name. These terrariums become extremely popular in the 1860s, with every respected Victorian household containing one, then cycled around again in the 1970s. Luckily for us, it looks like the little garden cases recently began to bloom again.

Have you made a terrarium? Do you have any tips on how to make one? Let us know!

During day two at The Herb Society of America's 2010 Educational Conference & Annual Meeting of Members I had already done a lot of garden touring!

Our first stop was breakfast at the Centennial herb garden, which was donated and created by the Nashville Herb Society. The garden sits within a walled courtyard at the back of the Centennial Art Center, which also houses a full-scale replica of the ancient Greek Parthenon, originally built for the Tennessee 1897 Centennial Exposition. The garden featured lovely, mature lavender and some beautiful hyssop plants.

This facility used to be a swimming attraction. The pool house is now the Centennial Art Center and the swimming pool is now the gorgeous herb garden. These are some pictures of the herb garden, which sit in the shallow end.

The art center has parties and weddings at this facility. How much fun would it be to have a dance floor in an old deep end?!

Last, here are the plans of the herb garden that sit in the "shallow end."

Photos by Allison Martin

Kathy Amen would like to thank her dear friend Kari Loth for giving her a subscription to The Herb Companion magazine. 

The Herb Companion magazine has so many creative ideas and valuable information that I can't wait to try. What immediately threw me outside into my herb garden was reading your article "Herbs to Repel Insects" from the May 2010 issue. I live near the Sutter Buttes in California, which is surrounded by beautiful rice fields that draw a lot of mosquitoes in the area! (The beauty here is worth the battle.) In the past years I've tried using mechanical equipment to ward them off, but my equipment broke last year. Your advice regarding this subject was very much appreciated! I will soon have mint and rosemary flourishing here with strategic bouquets of them on my deck patio! 

Photo by Kathy Amen

My personal experience with herbs comes from my cooking passion. Fresh herbs always takes the dining experience to another level of joy to share with friends and family. Last week, I made Rachel Ray's Chicken Marvasala with fresh rosemary. IT WAS TO DIE FOR! It just seems to me that if you're not using FRESH HERBS, you're not tasting the Heart and Spirit of the meal you're preparing.

I am happy to tell you that The Herb Companion has inspired me to plant more herbs! I even built a greenhouse for them out of old windows that I salvaged. Nature photography, cooking and gardening, next to my pomeranian, are my true passions. So I'm happy to send you photos of how I've tried to accomplish all this every day this spring. (With my puppy overseeing me, of course!) Enjoy these pictures of my gorgeous garden, the beautiful rice fields and my puppy. :)

Photos by Kathy Amen

You can check out the Lady Lemon Verbena at her blog http://lemonverbenalady.blogspot.com. 

I hope that wherever you may have an herb garden, you don't have this herbal pest: the Poecilocapsus lineatus. This four-lined plant bug started my Penn State master gardening volunteer efforts over ten years ago. I was having damage on my herbs and had never heard of a pest that made the kind of damage I was seeing. So I took a specimen of the bug and the damage to my local nursery and was told I had slug damage. I remember it was a nice dry, hot summer and I couldn't believe that slugs were the culprits.

So, I made a trip to the local book store and found The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control (Rodale Books, 1996), edited by Barbara W. Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley. On Page 329, there was my pest—the four-lined plant bug. I learned it is a true bug, meaning it has two stages—nymph and adult—and only has one generation a season, thankfully. Their damage is not life threatening to your herbs, but you may think it is once they start feeding. They love members of the mint family: mint, oregano, sweet marjoram, lavender, savories, sage, hyssop, horehound, lemon balm, catnip, and even basil, rosemary and thyme! All of your favorites! (Ironically my favorite, lemon verbena, is not one that is favored.) 

The damage done to my oregano plant.
Photo by Nancy Heraud

My nymphs this year are red or black. They can also be yellow. The eggs are laid in the twigs of woody plants in the fall. The adults like to lay their eggs on forsythia, deutzia, dogwood and weigela. I have all of these plants in my garden! These are just some of the ornamentals they can be attracted to. The nymphs usually hatch in late April or early May when the forsythia is leafing out. The nymphs have piercing-sucking mouthparts feeding on tender new growth. 

 A favorite food for the four-lined plant bug—peppermint!
Photo by Nancy Heraud

The damage also looks like the leaves are shrivelled or burned.

My summer savory looks like it has been burned.
Photo by Nancy Heraud

Just today I was out in the garden and most of the nymphs have morphed into adults.

I've put the four-lined plant bug adult in a safe place!
Photo by Nancy Heraud

Controls include insecticidal soap (nymphs only), pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide, a combination of rotenone and pyrethrins and Sevin (carbaryl). Personally, I like to squish both the nymphs and adults by hand, with gloves or without. Get the kids involved. I hope they will have fun spotting them and squishing them as well. The nymphs and adults tend to "run" over the edge of the leaf and drop to the ground, but it is very satisifying to squish them between two leaves. Fortunately at the end of June, they are gone for the season and you can cut back the damage for regrowth before the end of the growing season. Just keep squishing and the four-lined plant bug season will end early, I hope! You won't even know they were around!

I hope you do not have this damage on your herbs, but if you do, remember that you can take appropriate action with my tips to protect your herbs! 

I am attending The Herb Society of America's 2010 Educational Conference & Annual Meeting of Members this weekend; this year the conference is being held in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee.

Last night we gathered at Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee. The plantation, which was built in 1826, features gardens filled with medicinal and culinary herbs and heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits and ornamentals. Here are some gorgeous pictures from my experience at the conference. And this is only day one!

Photos by Allison Martin

Stay tuned for even more beautiful photos, live from Tennessee!

You can check out the Lemon Verbena Lady at her blog http://lemonverbenalady.blogspot.com.

I was recalling a favorite article from The Herb Companion today. Ten years ago I was looking for big herbs that would take up space but still add a punch to the herb garden. The January 2000 article Big is Beautiful, by Rob Proctor, has a fabulous chart at the end of the article that gives a tremendous amount of information on big herbs for any region of the country. Here are three big herbs in my herb garden.

1. Angelica

You often hear the phrase "Timing is everything!" I believe that this is true in my herb garden this year. We had such a snowy February, but my herb garden is thriving despite the snow. I should have removed some of the angelicas in March when they were small, e.g. herbal timing. The Herbal Husband said to me "The roots go to China!" as he tried to move some of them a few days ago. What I really want you to see is that many angelicas are a little too much.

More angelica is a bit too much in my herb garden.

More is not better. I am going to work in the next days to remove some especially the ones in the front. Angelica is a biennial, or a short-lived perennial, that likes morning sun and afternoon shade. It also needs more moisture. However, some of these angelicas are in the shade in the morning and the sun in the afternoon! They may not do as well with that combination of sun/shade. This is a shot from last season when they were in bloom.

Blooming angelica makes a statement in the herb garden.

The seeds drop to the ground and help to produce many seedlings for the coming year. If you collect the seeds, you must use them right away. Angelica does not grow from old seed. All parts of this plant are used fresh as tea, in salads, as a flavoring and candied. I read that angelica leaves pair nicely with fresh lemon herbs such as lemon balm, lemon verbena or lemon thyme.

2. Borage

This second big herb only becomes big and a bit of an herbal space hog when fully grown. Borage is very easily started from seed.

Borage seedlings will take over if you let them.

In this photo there are hundreds of seedlings. The recycle bag had a faint smell of cucumber. One of the main reasons to grow borage is for its beautiful edible flowers. They first start pink and then turn blue, which is a color very desired in the garden. There is also a white variety available. You can use the flowers in ice cubes to give your lemonade or iced tea a special look or use them in salads because of their cucumber flavor. Just remember to give this wonderful herb plenty of room to thrive.

Beautiful pink and blue flowers emerge from my large borage plant.

3. Tansy

The third big herb is tansy. Unlike the other herbs, which reseed themselves, tansy is a running herb and can be aggressive if not controlled.

This block of tansy has buried several other herbs.

The Herbal Husband got a portion of this "herbal block" out today and we discovered a fairly healthy, but leggy, oregano and a Russian sage that had been buried. I really became a fan of tansy last season because we found lots of ladybugs living on the tansy leaves. The bees are also fans of the furry yellow button flowers. Tansy leaves repel ants and moths and the flowers are used in everlasting wreaths and arrangements.

These tansy flowers are a haven for bees.

Tansy should not be used in teas, food or medicine because it can be toxic.

Hopefully, you will add a big herb or two in your herb garden to add another level of herbal interest. Sometimes, though, it is too much of a good herbal thing!

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage (www.theherbcottage.com) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

Spring is slowly, slowly showing signs of beginning. Much of February had cold, rainy, wintery weather. Today, March 1, was sunny and around 70 degrees by late morning. Now, mid-afternoon, the clouds have moved in and we're experiencing a shower. So, what's happening in The Herb Garden here at The Herb Cottage?

Roses are definitely showing new leaf growth. My big Little Pinkie climber has tipped over its copper trellis. Somehow, I'm going to have to right the trellis without being eaten by the plant!

There is a lot of new growth from the yarrow patch. 

Herbs in the beds are beginning to show some size, even though most of the potted stock plants are in desperate need of sun for growth. Root systems are gaining size and strength due to diligent feeding, but top growth of herbs and tomato plants is very slight. It's as if the plants are just waiting for sun before they really put on new leaves. I guess this is their way of survival in the cooler temperatures.

Soon we should be able to tell what actually was killed off by the deep cold we had back in January. I'm looking daily at more of the plants, which generally die back for the winter and re-appear in spring, to see if they, indeed, shall recover. In my last blog post (Growing Herbs in Texas: Early Spring Planting), I wrote about my ramie plant showing new growth. That new growth has stayed the same size. But, it survives!

Green pepper basil  (Ocimum selloi) is returning to life.

I'm seeing new shoots peeking out from the frozen stems of the Mexican mint marigold, also known as Texas (or Mexican) tarragon. This is a fabulous perennial for landscape use and for cooking. The leaves are used as a substitute for French tarragon, which just does not like our Gulf Coast conditions. I like to use the leaves in tea, too, and the flowers add a cheery yellow to salads.

Mexican mint marigold in full flower.

One plant in my herb bed, lemon eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora), is an herbal tree. The freeze really affected the leaves, although they are now just beginning to drop. I know, however, the tree survived because it is shedding its bark, as it does every year during the spring growth spurt. The bark that is shed seems thicker this year, perhaps due to the extreme cold. This year we experienced the coldest temperatures since I've had the tree in the ground. Even though the tree has only been in the ground about 7 or 8 years, it's already attained a height of about 30 feet!! 

Lemon eucalyptus trunk. (Old live oak in the background.)       

Way up there!! Cleaned, new trunk with shredded bark above, ready to be discarded.

What's going on in your gardens? One day, we'll look out at the gardens and realize that spring is in full swing with flowering herbs, fragrant roses and lush vegetable plants. The gardens will be a riot of color, scents and buzzing, busy insects. Until then, bask in the sunny days when we have them, plant some basil seeds in preparation for summer and enjoy the winter flowers.

For the bees, I planted flowering arugula (white flowers) and minutina (yellow flowers). On sunny days, the bees are a-buzz in these flowering tops.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." —Marcus Tullius Cicero

Someone once told me that, in any good relationship, there is a gardener and there is a chef. If you have read anything I've written you probably understand that while I can tell you that asparagus is spindly in its first few years, a long time ago, when a friend handed me a butcher knife and said, "Take. Cut. Prepare." I shrugged out a nervous giggle before trying to explain that I wasn't even really sure which end to eat.

Thankfully, now when I am confronted with a new vegetable I have grown but never before prepared I respond with, "You know, someone once told me that, in any good relationship there is a gardener and there is a chef."

I am a single man. A bachelor. And while I have given it many honest attempts, I've only ever had one really successful relationship. I am not proud of this fact, and while I have a number of good friends who CHOOSE TO BELIEVE it was "them" and not "me," I can't help but feel a little guilty for morphing into a total bat when I become involved. But, eventually, when things do come to a close, for better or for worse, I pick myself up, dust myself off and hope that the next attempt will bear much sweeter fruit.

It's important for me to tell you before I go on, that at this moment in the game, I do not go on blind dates and say, "You know, someone once told me ... that in any good relationship, there is a gardener and there is a chef. So, c'mon, quick, which are you?" But I will admit to you, that everytime I meet someone for that nervous first dinner or that awkward first movie, I always sit and think to myself, "I wonder what this person would do ... if I handed them an artichoke."

For the record, I have since learned how to pick and prepare just one asparagus dish. And here, I'm sharing with you, my simple little recipe that any gardener without his chef could easily make. I hope that in return, in the comments section below, you leave a little recipe you think even I might be able to handle.

Photo by Esteban_Cavrico/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36179943@N00/

The Asparagus Recipe Every Gardener Should Have

• 1 bundle asparagus
• 2 cloves garlic
• Olive oil

1. Pick up a bundle of asparagus with unwrinkled stalks and tight leaf tips. Smell the heads: Good bundles will have a fresh clean smell, while spoiled or aged bundles will have a fishy odor.

2. Take one spear from the bundle and snap off the woody end. (This is usually where the stalk turns from green to white.) Put it back with the rest of the bundle to use as a guide point, and chop the rest of the spears for quick preparation.

3. Lay spears on a cookie sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper and mix with your hands. Bake at 325 degrees until tender with a fork. Eat and enjoy!

About asparagus: Asparagus enjoys a long herbal history as a plant with plenty of nutritional purpose. It is said to help prevent heart disease, aid the digestive system, re-energize the body, and serve as a low-calorie, healthy source of folate, potassium, vitamin C and beta-carotene. Asparagus also pairs well with tomatoes in companion planting, both preventing eachother's most common pests.

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage ( www.theherbcottage.com ) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

Our unusually long and pleasant fall season continues here in south central Texas. I believe we are being rewarded for sticking it out during the challenging hot, dry summer we experienced this year. Warm season herbs still look good due to occasional rains and lots of sunshine. Today, the clouds have moved in and the forecast is for rain tomorrow. We could use a little rain, but no strong winds please. I do believe I'm getting spoiled by this near perfect weather.

So, what's going on in the herb garden since I last posted? Well, my helper and I cleaned out the one bed where I plant and grow only herbs... and the occasional patch of Coastal Bermuda grass and a few weeds. It really didn't take that long with two of us working. The Bermuda wasn't too entrenched. Mostly, there was spent purslane and new small grasses.

The borage that self sowed is looking very happy and vigorous.

Borage

After we cleaned the bed out, mulched it with Cotton Burr Compost and brought the wheelbarrow load to the chicken yard for the chickens and ducks to peck and scratch at, we planted some new herb plants.

The thyme varieties I planted are lavender, which is delicious in teas and baked goods; English, which is the more traditional flavor; French, which is a bit sweeter than English (in my estimation) and a little woodier shrub; and more lemon, which I believe you can't have too much of. I love thyme and, if planted in the fall in a well drained bed, it has a better chance to make it through the summer because the roots are well established. This year I want to remember to harvest and dry the thyme to use during the hot weather in case the plants do not survive.

Tiny thyme plants

I wanted herbs that I knew would do well in the cool and even cold weather coming up. Besides the thyme, chamomile, French tarragon, salad burnet, chervil and lovage went in. The lovage and chervil went in a spot shaded by a big climbing rose because here in our climate, even in the winter, they like some shade. The lovage likes moisture, so we mulched heavily around it. I've never tried lovage before, but since I had requests for it, I seeded it a couple of months ago for sales, and thought I'd grow some myself. In most places lovage (Levisticum officinale) is perennial. I think it will be difficult for me to keep it alive during the summer. We'll see.

Photo courtesy of HERBALPEDIA^TM 
Lovage

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) is a favorite of mine. It grows ferny, finely cut leaves and delicate white flowers. The whole plant has a mild anise scent and flavor. It is not used a lot here, which I think is unfortunate. The flavor is light and not overpowering.

Read more about chervil.  

Photo courtesy of HERBALPEDIA^TM 
Chervil

I used to have chamomile (Matricaria recutita) surprise me with plants all over the garden. But, over the years, I've dug and cultivated various beds so much that I lost my reseeded plants. I'm hoping to reestablish the chamomile in the herb bed. Aside from using the flowers for tea, the whole plant has a fresh and delightful fragrance. It's very hardy in spite of its soft look and feel.

Read more about chamomile.  

  Photo courtesy of HERBALPEDIA^TM 
Chamomile flowers

I planted chamomile around a favorite herb that blooms in the fall: Mexican Mint Marigold (Tagetes lucida). It is a summer, heat hardy herb with a fabulous flavor and neat and welcome garden habit. The plant grows more upright than outward, and rewards us with edible, bright yellow blossoms each fall. When the weather turns cold, a freeze knocks it down. Come spring, it grows out of the crown with ever more stems.

Mexican mint marigold

Salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is a cucumber flavored herb that grows best in the cool weather, but it will survive most summers. It has a mounding, rosette form with deeply cut leaves. The taste is refreshing in salads, herb vinegars, dips and spreads. It's quite attractive as well as tasty.

  Photo courtesy of HERBALPEDIA^TM 
Salad burnet

I couldn't resist a picture of my Confederate rose, which is really a type of hibiscus (Hibiscus mutabilis) that is only about 4 feet tall and has had big puffy blooms on it for a couple of weeks. The pink flowers eventually turn white then fade. Seed pods are formed where the blossoms were. It is easy to grow from either seed or cuttings.

Confederate rose

I hope you've been able to get into the garden these last few weeks. With the holidays coming up, there might not be as much time to work in the garden. I hope you plan to use lots of herbs from your gardens for your holiday meals. I am traveling to the San Francisco area to visit my family for Thanksgiving. You can be sure I'll write about the gardens I see upon my return.

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Garlic is easy to grow, and while it is relatively hassle-free, you will reap some pretty awesome rewards at the end of the growing season. 

There is no time like the now-time (late fall) to think about planting your bulbs, and I have a couple quick tips to get your garlic garden started!

1. Get the grocery store goods: You could pay a bundle for a bulb or two of garlic at your local nursery, and it might grow.  But, if you just want to have some garlic to spice up your kitchen and are unconcerned with knowing the exact variety, there is a much easier and cheaper way to get started.  Go to the grocery store!  All you need to plant garlic is a garlic bulb, and you can buy a pack of 10 or 11 for under a buck, or buy a string at your local farmer's market!  But, make sure to pick the organic variety - other bulbs may have been grown with artificial fertilizers or be pumped with hormones that prevent new growth.

The garlic you buy in the store is a garlic bulb. Buy an organic bulb, and you're well on your way to growing garlic! Here are some I harvested this summer that came from an organic Mexican variety.

2. Split up the bulb: A garlic bulb is typically composed of about 8-10 cloves. Split up the bulb and set aside the smallest cloves for kitchen use. With your four or five remaining UNPEELED cloves, head out to the garden and find an optimum spot that gets plenty of sun.  Most of garlic's growth is vertical, and it can get quite tall, so cloves can be planted near eachother - about five inches apart without issue. It's important to plant garlic in the late fall or early winter (in most climates) because it needs a very long growing season. In the winter, it can work on developing its roots and forming its bulb and in the summer, it will begin to grow.

3. Plant the cloves: Dig a small hole 6-8 inches and, with the pointy end up and the stout end down, push the garlic directly into the soil. If you have any leftover coffee grounds, a handful on top of the clove will help it grow, as garlic likes an acidic soil pH. But, if you are not growing the garlic near a sidewalk, a foundation or in a rocky area, this shouldn't be a concern. Cover the clove with soil and a bit of mulch to keep it insulated over the winter. 

4. Sit back and relax: Garlic needs very little attention except attentive weeding. Move the mulch aside when temperatures are warm. Water it normally, holding off in times of rain. Garlic flowers are large, beautiful ball-shaped blooms, but if you let your plant flower, the bulb will likely not grow as large, so cut off flower stalks as you see them.You may notice over the winter that bulbs may begin to sprout - but do not be concerned. Even if they die down in the frost of the winter, they will come back next spring, and will be ready to harvest in the fall.

5. Harvesting time: When the leaves have yellowed and died, it is time to dig up your cloves, which are now ... tada ... garlic bulbs!

Garlic flowers are very beautiful. But if your main concern is harvesting the largest possible bulb, you should snip off flower stalks so the plant can focus its energy into bulb growth. I plant several cloves each year so I can enjoy both the beautiful flowers and the larger bulbs.

And it really is just that simple. Garlic may very well be the easiest herb to grow.

For more information about garlic, read these Herb Companion articles:

• Dancing in the Kitchen with Garlic
• Garlic Obsession
• The Goodness of Garlic 

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

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage ( www.theherbcottage.com ) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

I can hardly believe how beautiful the weather has been this past week or so. Since the rains moved on, the skies have been clear and sunny with low humidity and near perfect temperatures. I'm spending every possible minute outdoors to enjoy these perfect Texas fall days. After so much rain, and now with the sun beaming down, the garden is putting on it's best show since spring. To enhance the picture, there are butterflies everywhere flitting from flower to flower. And, thankfully, they have a lot to choose from.

Orange cosmos with butterflies

There are blossoms of cosmos, podrangea, porterweed, basil, morning glories, Texas olive (Cordia boissieri) and now I've planted a few violets and pansies in the herb garden because, of course, these are edible flowers to add to salad mixes.

Podrangea blossom with dragon fly...or are there fairies in the garden?

I also added a few more herb plants to the herb garden. I had lost all my thyme over the summer, so I added a couple of lemon thyme plants. Lemon thyme is a wonderfully fragrant lemon herb to use with fish, chicken, soup, in tea and herbal vinegars and in a fruit salad dressing. Its tiny, bright green leaves with pale edging bring a sparkle to the herb bed. I planted it in a raised area so it should do better next year when the weather turns hot again.

Coral Porterweed with butterfly

Another plant I lost during the long, hot summer was my garden sage. It lasted until August and then just gave up the ghost and faded away. With Thanksgiving almost here, I know sage is one herb we'll be looking for in the garden. Sage is an herb that really shines during holiday cooking for those of us who roast a turkey or even a goose for a special meal. Sage has a strong taste and goes well with the pungent flavor of fowl. We simply stuff the bird with handfuls of sage along with rosemary, savory or thyme, garlic cloves and quartered onions. We use the same herbs to flavor the broth that moistens the dressing and to make gravy. One year, I thought we used too many herbs inside the bird, but the flavor of the turkey came through with the herbs as underlying flavors. Very nice!

Variegated Lemon Thyme

We'll be using lots of the savory herbs from the garden as fall moves into winter. Soups, stews and other hearty dishes call for rosemary, bay, sage, parsley and winter savory—an herb not used very much, I find, but is so flavorful. It's like a blend of thyme and rosemary, almost, and grows so well in winter and summer. Winter savory (Satureja montana) grows into a little woody shrub. The small, dark green leaves are a welcome addition to meat dishes as well as blending well with vegetables, rice and fruit deserts. It's easy to grow in full sun to partial shade. Seeds are slow to start, but worth it. If you can find a plant to purchase, that's the easiest way to go.

Photo courtesy of HERBALPEDIA^TM 
Sage (Salvia officinalis)

I hope you are all taking advantage of the fine fall weather to work in the garden, plant, prune a little, remulch or whatever you can do to enhance your gardening experience during these sunny days. Even pulling and hoeing weeds is pleasurable on these bright, sun-filled days.

Photo courtesy of HERBALPEDIA^TM 
Winter savory (Satureja montana)

I'm off to the garden to weed and plant more herbs.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
—Marcus Tullius Cicero

If you love the frightening allure of zombies and vampires, why not try a Halloween decorating scheme with the next best thing—black flowers. The somber flora in Black Plants, written by Paul Bonine who is the co-owner of Xera Plants, are far from the withered, dried image you’d normally equate with black flowers.

Instead, Bonine lists 75 species of black plants that range from distant and exotic Dracula orchids to the more familiar black hollyhocks. These flowers can add mystery and intrigue to your flower garden all year long. But most importantly, they work great for creating fabulous Halloween bouquets.

Photo Courtesy of Timber Press, Inc.

If you’d like more tips for creating a spooky Halloween garden of your own, check out Geraldine A. Laufer’s article Spooky Halloween Garden and get a head start on next year's Halloween decorations.

Photo by spike55151/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spike55151/

Have you grown black flowers in your garden before? What are some of your favorite Halloween plant decorations? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage ( www.theherbcottage.com ) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

The early fall continues with ups and downs in temperatures and humidity. Nothing unusual for this part of Texas this time of year. Today it's very warm and humid with a moist southeast wind right off the gulf. If I didn't have a calendar, I might think it was still summer. That is, if I didn't look outdoors at the herb garden.

With the shorter days and the cooler nights we've had, plus all the rain, the herb plants are growing in leaps and bounds. My Greek oregano, which was pruned heavily in August, is now almost as large as it was before pruning, minus the flower stalks. The garlic chives ,which were looking very puny during the drought with very small clumps and no new growth, are now big and healthy. Some are even starting to put on flower stalks. The ones I dug and potted for sales are looking great, too. Garlic chives are such a hardy herb. It's sometimes called Chinese leeks. In Chinese grocery stores, the budded flower stalks are sold as "Gow Choy". I use the flowers in salads and herbal vinegars and I use the leaves in tuna salad, eggs, soups, green salads, potato salads, and baked potatoes.  

Another herb that is growing profusely is soapwort (Saponaria officinalis). It is a low-growing, ground cover type of plant that runs as vigorously as mint, if not more so. It puts on a pretty pink flower in the late summer most years. This year, I guess the heat was just too much for it because it did not flower much. I did cut it back to the ground in August because it was looking very peaked. Now, the growth is thick and lush green. It spreads by underground runners and is intruding into the salad bed I planted nearby.

Original soapwort bed. See it creeping out!!

The leaves and roots of soapwort are not edible, but the leaves and the roots are used to make a mild soap. The roots have the highest concentration of the soap-making component called saponin. The most common method for making soap is to add two handfuls of the plant, with or without the roots, to about 3 cups of water and simmer the mixture for about half an hour; strain out the plant matter. You now have a soapy liquid you can use as shampoo, as soap for the bath or to wash antique linens and lace.

Soapwort flower.

It is said that the Romans used soapwort to soften water in their baths, the Syrians used it for washing wool products, and the Swiss used it to bathe their sheep before shearing. The National Trust in Britain used soapwort for decades to clean delicate tapestries and linens because most modern detergents were too harsh. It has also been used as a treatment for psoriasis and acne.

The soapwort is coming up at the base of this licorice plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra).

The plant can be somewhat invasive if it is happy in the garden. It is hardy to Zone 6 and is evergreen in my garden. I like it even though it likes to come up in neighboring areas. It does quite nicely in a big pot, and that's a good way to grow it to keep it under control.

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage ( www.theherbcottage.com ) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

Well, it's October. I love the month of October. In my area it's still hot some days... like today, for instance. It's quite warm, near 90 degrees and very humid. I'm hoping for a rain shower today as it is clouding up. As October continues the days become noticeably shorter, cooler and the sun has a golden glow that infuses the garden and landscape with a warm feel. Soon, it will be time to put cold tender plants under cover for winter.

With all the rain we've had recently, almost 7 inches for the month of September, the yard and gardens are blowzy with growth and new flowers. It looks like it did in spring after we had almost 7 inches of rain in 3 days.

  
Podrangea in full flower after the rains at The Herb Cottage.

So much new growth. Climbing pinkie rose in background with new leaves (flowers to come) at The Herb Cottage.

The roses have put on new leaves, as have the fig trees. Everything is growing so quickly. It's as if the energy from the sun stored in the plants over the summer is surging out due to the rain. Perhaps the plants know cold weather isn't too far off and they want to grow as much as possible in order to strengthen the root system and be strong for next spring.

As I wrote last issue, the weeds are also enjoying a resurgence. For instance, I have a bumper crop of purslane (Portulaca olearacea), also an edible weed like the Lamb's Quarters I wrote about last week.

Purslane, Portulaca olearacea.
Photo courtesy of www.wildmanstevebrill.com

Purslane is not so much a seasoning herb as it is a vegetable-type plant. The leaves are eaten fresh in salads, and steamed, or sauteed, as a side dish. The flavor is a bit lemony, some say peppery, and the texture is crunchy. One of the most amazing properties of purslane is that it is very high in calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids (five times that of spinach). Also, the stems are high in vitamin C.

Purslane buds and leaves.
Photo courtesy of www.wildmanstevebrill.com

In Latin America, purslane is known as verdolaga and it is very popular. It is also commonly used in the Mediterranean in soups and salads and is also found in the cuisines of Africa, Australia, China and India. In fact, it is used worldwide, and is just beginning to be known in America as anything other than a weed.

The crispy leaves are easy to prepare fresh with just olive oil, a bit of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Some added basil doesn't hurt either! Purslane can't really be preserved for future eating, the texture of the plant doesn't hold up. But, the leaves can be dried and used in soups, etc. Just 10 grams of dry leaves provides 500 mg of elemental calcium, which studies have shown to increase bone density in less than 18 months, according to information adapted from books by Dr. James Duke and an article by Sukhi Hertz.

So, while you may not want a whole garden filled with portulaca, it is a prolific reseeder and creeper. You might want to grow it in a large container away from your garden beds or keep a patch or two for kitchen use. It's good for you, it likes Texas heat and humidity, it grows with little water....and it's free!

Cucumber-Purslane Yogurt Salad

• 5 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into quarter-round slices
• 1/4 pound purslane, large stems removed, washed and drained well
• 2 tablespoons each, Fresh chopped mint, cilantro and chervil
• 4 cups whole milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, puréed with the blade of a knife
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• Kosher salt
• Ground glack pepper

1. Place the cucumber, purslane and herbs into a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, olive oil and garlic, coriander and season to taste with salt.

2. Add the yogurt mixture to the vegetables and mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper.

3. Taste the dressed cucumber-purslane salad for seasoning, adding a little more salt if needed. Serve chilled.

Copyright © 1999 StarChefs All rights reserved 

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage (www.theherbcottage.com) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

Yesterday was the first day of autumn, and we had a lovely cool, cloudy and rainy day. I know the hot weather isn't over yet (it's supposed to get up into the low 90s this weekend), but even that is a relief from our brutal summer. For now, I'm enjoying the cooler weather and the rain.

My newly planted bed has responded to the rain with a growth spurt of everything—including weeds! Well, what did I expect, you might ask? I've been wishing for rain and watering when it didn't rain. Those weed seeds were just waiting for some moisture to show themselves. And, show themselves, they have.

Weedy crops

Guess which one is the weed? Why the most prolific one, of course!

The most prolific weed I'm seeing is only a weed to some. To some, it's a salad or a braising leafy green. I also feed it to my chickens because it's healthy for them, and they love it. It's a relation to our more common weed known as pigweed. It's got a pretty green leaf with red accents. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed Lamb's Quarters, you'd be right.

Lamb's Quarters, (Chenopodium album) is a nutritious wild plant that grows almost everywhere throughout North America. The leaves can be harvested and steamed or braised like spinach, chard or kale. Young leaves are added to salads. Lamb's Quarters is also related to Quinoa (Chemopodium quinoa) the grain we eat. It is also related to beets and our common spinach.

Small Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)

A large Lamb's Quarters plants can take the form of a tree with quite a large central stalk. The stalk of Lamb's Quarters, or Goosefoot, as it is also known, due to the shape of its leaves, has been used as a walking stick for centuries. According to Wikipedia: "In China, the stalk had been used as a walking stick since ancient times. For example, the following passage comes from Romance of the Three Kingdoms/Chapter 1: ... the old man had a youthful countenance, and was carrying a walking stick fashioned from the hardened stalk of a goosefoot (Chenopodium album) plant. (Wikisource translation)"

Tree-like, large Lamb's Quarters plant.

Like the common pigweed or amaranth, Lamb's Quarters throws lots of seed. And, I mean lots. The bed I just planted is near a large plant I keep mostly to feed the chickens. So, the new bed was literally covered with tiny seedlings after I started watering. I've hoed quite a bit of it, but since I direct seeded the bed, I could not get too vigorous with the hoe where tiny seeds were just a quarter inch or so below the soil. So, I've been waiting for the new seeded crops to emerge so I could weed around the new seedlings and not have a whole bed of Lamb's Quarters instead of the nasturtiums, parsley, spinach and minutina that I planted on purpose.

And, so it goes. The plants we want with the ones we don't. Who said something like: a weed is simply a plant in the wrong place? Now that we're getting some rain, I'm planning to transplant some of the Lamb's Quarters out to the chicken yard so it's closer to the chickens. I'll plant it where they won't have free access to it, or it would never survive!

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage (www.theherbcottage.com) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

Rain. Rain. And, more rain! We here in central Texas couldn't be more pleased with the change in the weather. It's cooler and the roadsides, pastures and lawns are actually turning green. As I look out the window by my computer, the overall look is greenish rather than dusty brown. What a lift for our spirits as well as local gardeners, ranchers and farmers. If this keeps up, and I hope it does, we may have to mow the grass this fall.

As I mentioned last week, I hoped that I would be able to plant parsley in one of my beds soon. Well, I did get a chance to plant the parsley and I couldn't stop there. Since the bed is right outside the back door, close to the kitchen, I decided to also plant some spinach, minutina, nasturtiums, and a mesclun mix as well.
 
Johnny's Selected Seeds says this about minutina:

"Minutina (Erba Stella)
(Plantago coronopus)
Especially for winter salads.
Along with Sylvetta arugula and Claytonia, a cold-hardy salad plant for fall, winter, spring, and summer production. Small plant with a rosette of slender green leaves. Provides a crunchy texture to salads without fiber. Flower buds are edible. Regrows after cutting, but succession sow for best quality and appearance."

 
Photo courtesy of Johnny Selected Seeds 

I've never grown minutina during the summer, but it would be worth giving it a try, especially if you live where it's a little cooler.

So far, a few nasturtiums have poked their big leaves up; the minutina and mesclun mix is up; and a few thin leaves of new spinach are showing. Parsley takes somewhere from 14 to 21 days to germinate, so I'm not surprised that it's not showing yet. And, if the seeds somehow get disturbed from my guinea fowl poking around in there, I'll have potted parsley plants in about 4 weeks that I can put in.

I just love the winter herbs and vegetables. Here, everything grows so well, stays a rich green due to the cool weather, and most winter herbs and vegetables are quite hardy for our mild winter. If you live in the more northern or western part of the state, your season is more limited, but you still can have a fall crop of cilantro, chervil, cutting celery and dill. The winter salad vegetables that grow so well with herbs will do well with some protection in your area. Spinach is very hardy and even if it freezes it'll come back. Arugula is another one I find to be very hardy.

And, don't forget about the edible flowers. Nasturtiums are frost tender, but violas, pansies and even calendula can take pretty cold conditions and still grow and bloom to add color to your salads. Just make sure you grow them without pesticides if you're going to eat them... just like you do your herbs. 

An easy way to grow winter herbs and vegetables outdoors in a cooler winter climate is to make a simple cold frame. If you have access to hay bales, you can make a square out of them with about 6 bales and cover it with an old storm door or windows. You could even cover it with plastic weighted down with bricks or boards. Make sure you can lift the lid, not just for harvesting, but to keep it cool on those warmer, sunny days. It'll get really hot in there otherwise!

Here's a picture of a hay bale cold frame with leaves piled on the plants inside to really insulate the contents during a hard freeze. This is done instead of using a glass or plastic cover. This could be covered with glass or plastic for more protection and to keep wind from blowing the leaves out of the area. If you live where it is cold with high winds, which will really dry out your plants, hay bales are a good way to protect the crops.

You can make your area as large as the number of bales you have available or however large you need the space to be. Then, in the spring, use the hay for mulch in the garden beds.

Growing herbs and salad greens in pots is another way to go, of course, for the winter if you are concerned about crops freezing. That way, you can move the container to a protected area during a cold snap.

There are as many ways as there are gardeners to grow a fall/winter garden in Texas. Look for seeds of easy to grow fall herbs such as cilantro, dill and arugula. Lettuce and other salad greens grow easily from seed as well and combine beautifully with herbs to make an attractive as well as tasty winter garden.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
—Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage (www.theherbcottage.com) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state. 

Well, much to my delight, we had rain this week! Two inches fell yesterday and it's raining lightly now as I write. I couldn't be more pleased. The leaves on the grapefruit and blood orange trees have finally unfurled after months of being curled up to prevent transpiration as best as they could. Poor things... they were so stressed.

What about the herb garden, you may ask? Well, I had cut back more herb plants about a week or so ago and already they are showing new growth. Of course, I have been watering them, too. All the cooler season herbs I seeded in flats are doing great: cilantro, thyme, dill, chervil and arugula are all almost ready to pot up.

If it stops raining later this afternoon I'm going to seed parsley, both curly leaf and flat leaf, in one herb bed. I'm going to do the curly variety as a border, with the flat leaf behind it. Later, I'm going to plant lettuce and mesclun greens in that bed since it's near the back door, handy to the kitchen.

The large potted plants, big basil specimens, blue spice basil — a great butterfly attractor when in bloom — olive trees (yes, the olive is considered an herb) and rosemary look so much better with the rainwater rather than the well water they've been getting. Rainwater is so soft compared to our mineral-rich well water, the plants prefer it. Alas, I wish I could give then rainwater each week, but that is not how it's been going here, as you know.

I have a couple of large lavender plants outside the yard near some olive and pomegranate trees I put in the ground; this is my little Mediterranean garden. Lavender sits in the middle of the area with pomegranate on the right and olive on the left in the background behind the lavender group. I have not watered any of this area at all during the drought. Now, I'm a little concerned about the lavender. Here in our area, after lavender has been growing in very dry conditions for a while, rain can cause fungus to attack the plant and eventually compromise it so much it dies. I hope that doesn't happen!

With the rains, the bay laurel looks a lot happier, like it can relax and enjoy being alive rather than being stiff and closed up to keep what little moisture is in the leaves. I know I feel more relaxed and  a lot happier with the rain. And, I have more hours in the day to tend  to plants, seed more flats and do other things — like write — because I don't have to spend time watering. I hope, if you need rain, you're getting what you need. And, I hope you're enjoying the late summer with your herbs.

This is my little water garden with raindrops. The pipe on the left attaches to the gutter on the house and brings rainwater into the pond. We set it up when we think it's going to rain. Notice how completely brown it is around the pond. That should be green, growing grass. But, not this year! Of course, it cuts down on the mowing!!

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
—Marcus Tullius Cicero

We seem to be over the hump here in south-central Texas for summer heat. The temperatures have remained in the high 80s for the last week or so, just reaching into the low 90s by late afternoon for just a short time. The night temperatures have dropped, too. Plants are less stressed, flowers are beginning to bloom again and herbs in gardens and pots are putting on new growth, looking decidedly perkier than they did just a few weeks ago. What a difference cooler weather makes!

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, gardening with herbs and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage (www.theherbcottage.com) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state.

It's still hot and dry here in my part of south-central Texas. We had a couple of showers last week, but the tiny bit of rain made very little difference to the overall conditions. It is mid-August, however, and it's time to look ahead to the cooler days of fall (and perhaps even some rain). So, what to do in the herb garden this week?

Well, this week I'm doing lots of seeding of herbs and vegetables for fall!

Even though it's still very hot, by the time any herbs started now are ready for the garden, it'll be late September soon, and somewhat cooler. At least the days will be shorter and perhaps the nights will be a bit cooler. So, what to plant?

Cilantro, a favorite herb in this part of Texas, loves the cool temperatures of fall. And it's one I get requests for at every market, even in the heat of summer. Sadly, cilantro, or coriander as the seed is known, just does not perform well in our summer heat. The seed will sprout but the plant will bolt, go to flower and then seed almost immediately. There won't be any of those spicy, flat, flavorful leaves we love. This one has to be grown from fall into spring. Or if you're in the northern part of our state, in the fall and then again in the spring until the weather gets very hot. (Click here to read more about cilantro.)

Dill is savory, piquant and a must for potato salad, egg salad and with salmon and other fish. Dill thrives in the cool weather of fall. If you live in the northern or western part of the state, dill will not overwinter for you, so now is the time to direct seed it in beds or in containers so you'll have enough to harvest for winter. Dill is very easy to preserve. You can dry both the leaves and flowers—they hold their flavor well—or simply clip the leaves and flowers, place them in a plastic baggy and pop them into the freezer. (Click here to learn more about drying herbs.) When needed take out the parts you desire, close the baggy and put it back in the freezer. Chop or tear the dill and add it to your favorite recipe. (Click here for our recipes for dill.) If you have a long enough growing season, and enough seeds, dill makes an excellent addition to breads and seasoning mixes. If you had a dill patch in the spring that flowered and went to seed, simply water the area and you will be rewarded with new dill plants. If you've been getting rain, perhaps you are already seeing baby dill sprouting. Lucky you!

Chervil is under-appreciated, but so flavorful and dainty looking. (Click here to read more about chervil.) It sometimes goes by the name of French parsley, has a mild anise flavor that compliments fish dishes perfectly, has finely cut leaves, and is very ornamental. Try it planted with lettuce, mesclun mix or edible flowers for a winter salad garden. In the southern part of the state, chervil appreciates a little afternoon shade, but will do well in a mostly sunny spot in other areas over the winter. (Click here to try our Lemon-Butter Sauce with Chervil.)

Parsley is a highly nutritious, multi-use and indispensable herb. If your parsley didn't make it through the summer, this is a perfect time to start new plants from seed. Be patient though as parsley seed can take from 1 to 2 weeks to germinate. If you direct seed it, plant fairly close together so you have a nice, thick row. (Click here to read more about parsley.)

Curly parsley is a very attractive ornamental herb for the winter with its rich evergreen color and complex leaf shapes. Flat leaf, or Italian parsley, is not as ornamental but many people favor it for its culinary uses over the curly varieties. I suggest, "Why not plant both?"

If you've had a challenging summer with your garden, do not despair. Fall will be here, so in the meantime get a head start on your fall and winter herbs by seeding now. If you're very successful, you might have plants to share with friends or you might just have to expand your own herb plantings.

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.

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, gardening with herbs and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage (www.theherbcottage.com) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state. 

I was checking to see if there had been any comments on the blog post I wrote last week, and saw a link in the section Related Content called Lucious Lavender: A Guide to Growing and Using Lavender. What a wonderful article Kathleen Halloran wrote! Although the article was written in 1994 the content was as fresh and up-to-date as, well, a bouquet of lavender flowers. I could picture the areas she talked about in New York, Oregon and Hollywood, California where people had planted their lavender to beautify various locations. I was looking for information on growing lavender in Texas—of course—and there was a little bit at the end of the article. Kathleen referenced Madalene Hill and Gwen Barclay, our beloved Texas herb gurus. Had the article been written about five years later I believe Kathleen would have also been writing about the Texas lavender industry.

Although it's still in its fledgling state, Texas now boasts the Blanco Lavender Festival in Blanco, Texas, and a Lavender Festival at Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, Texas. Also, there are numerous lavender growers in the Texas area who are both commercial and recreational. 

Lavender Hills in Blanco, Texas 

Lavender Field at Becker Vineyard in Stonewall, Texas

Growing lavender in Texas is a challenge, especially if you live close to the Gulf Coast where the summers stay humid, as well as hot, or in eastern Texas where the soil is very heavy "Texas Gumbo" soil. The summer atmosphere dries out a bit in the Hill Country and northern Texas, so growing lavender is a lot easier. If you love lavender as much as many of us herbies do, you must have lavender growing somewhere—in your herb garden, in your container garden or even in your house—no matter how difficult.

Spanish Lavender (L. Stoechas)

The variety you choose to grow should be determined by your location. If you live where it stays humid in the summer and rains a lot—most years, anyway—the lavandin lavenders do well. These are the hybirds such as 'Provense', 'Grosso' and 'Sweet'. Spanish lavender (L. stoechas) is another lavender variety that tends to do well for me.

There are many more choices if you live in the western or northern part of the state. Many of the L. angustifolia varieties do well in these locations and will even survive the winter, as long as you can protect them a little from the drying winds of winter.

Spanish lavender can be successfully grown from seed and will flower the first year. The others, the lavandin, must be purchased as transplants or propagated from cuttings taken from a friend's plant.

Here are some links to good lavender growing information for Texas:

• White Acres Farm 

• Back Yard Gardener- This website offers more general information, but it is very complete. It explains the most common diseases found in lavender plants.

Lavender Flower, courtesy of White Acres Farm

One thing I have learned about growing lavender in southern Texas is that a good gravel mulch goes a long way to helping your plants along. This is only practical, of course, in a smaller garden setting, or even in a container garden. The idea is that the gravel helps dry the air around the plant on humid mornings, which we usually have during the summer. The other benefit of the gravel mulch is that it keeps soil from splashing on the underside of the plant, which can help keep diseases down. 

If you love lavender, don't despair, no matter where you live in Texas—there is a lavender that you can grow! Even if you have one pot on your deck or patio, you'll still be able to enjoy the aroma, pastel look and even, perhaps, be able to harvest a few flowers to make Lavender Lemonade.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
—Marcus Tullius Cicero

My good friend, Cecilia is moving into her first apartment in a few weeks. Her mind is racing with color themes, furniture measurements and the overall design flow of her apartment. When we discussed her grand plans along with her creative ideas, one project really stuck out in my mind: Making a terrarium.  

Regardless of how big a space is or what room it is in, terrariums polish a space off and they incorporate nature into a room.

What you'll need:

• Spray bottle
• Glass container (a large open top will be easier for routine maintenance, however you can also have a closed terrarium)
• Gravel or small rocks
• Charcoal
• Cactus potting soil
• A few succulents (the number will depend on how big your glass container is) or ferns
• Moss or ground cover
• Decorations (rocks, glass or metal birds, sticks or sea glass)
• Water

Directions:

1. Terrariums do not have a drainage hole like a potted plant, so a false drainage system is necessary. Add 1 to 2 inches of gravel or small rocks to the bottom of the container. This will prevent the plants from sitting in too much water and eventually rotting.

2. Next, add a thin layer of charcoal. You can substitute sand for charcoal but keep in mind that charcoal will prevent mold from growing and it also keeps the soil fresh.

3. Add cactus potting soil. It should take up roughly1/3 the size of the container. If you are using ferns you can substitute cactus potting soil for normal potting mix.

4. Before planting, make sure you remove any dead leaves or pest infestations. Place the largest plants first as they will take up the most space; plant the others next. Make sure the leaves are not touching the glass sides. This measure will prevent unnecessary condensation.

5. Add a thin layer of moss or ground cover.

6. Place any garden decorations on top of the moss.

7. Using a spray bottle, add about a shot glass worth of water to the terrarium for the finishing touch. Don’t add too much water.

8. Keep the terrarium out of direct sun as the heat will fry the plants.

Read more about terrific terrariums: Herbs Under Glass.

Cynthia Meredith has been gardening with herbs, reading about herbs, gardening with herbs and discussing herb gardening in Texas for more than 20 years. She has owned The Herb Cottage (www.theherbcottage.com) for over 10 years, selling herb plants to people all over our state. 

It is still very hot here in my part of Texas. Day after day the temperature reaches 100 degrees or above with no rain. I was in town this morning and two people stopped me to ask how to keep their plants alive in this weather. It surely is a challenge.

Two things I think will help preserve plants are pruning and mulch. If you live where there is water rationing, you might have to sacrifice some plants to save others. Annuals are generally the biggest water-users—even in the herb garden. The sweet and succulent basils that I wrote about last week definitely are not considered drought-tolerant. Harvest your basil, make pesto or make flavored vinegar and think about replanting it early in the fall for a later crop. Save your water for your big rosemary plant or your favorite antique rose. Basil grows quickly from seed; you can usually find transplants in the southern parts of Texas to plant it early in the fall. If you live in the northern part of Texas, you can take cuttings now. Root them in a glass of water in the kitchen and plant them indoors for the winter.

Also, prune those leggy oregano plants if they're wilting too quickly every day. If they've already bloomed, prune them back by about half their size. The following picture is before I pruned back this Santa Cruz Oregano.

You can see how leggy it is—it looks unhealthy and not very attractive. The next picture is after only about 15 to 20 minutes of work pruning. How much better the tractor tire bed looks.

My lemon balm looks very poor even though it gets afternoon shade. I generally prune my lemon balm during August, and this year I'm doing it earlier. When the weather cools down it'll grow out and againprovide me with wonderful leaves for tea and Lemon Balm Quick Bread (a favorite with anyone who's ever tried it!)

The other very important step that will help your plants through this hot, dry spell is to mulch, mulch, mulch. I stepped barefoot on a spot in my yard underneath the full sun that is not mulched. Yeow!! The soil was really hot! Imagine how the roots of the plants feel with that heat around them. Also, we all know that mulch conserves water as well as tempering the soil temperature.

I know other parts of Texas have been getting rain. I'd love to hear from some of you in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area or east Texas. How do your herb gardens grow this summer??

And, just so we never give up hope, here's a picture of the flowers that recently bloomed on that tough plant—garlic chives.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."
—Marcus Tullius Cicero

You can check out the Lemon Verbena Lady at her blog http://lemonverbenalady.blogspot.com.

When The Herbal Husband and I said yes to a garden tour this summer, I had envisoned taking out a huge clump of tansy that was trying to control my herb garden. 

The suspect plants are pictured in the left and part of this photo.

Then I started to see signs of life—beneficial life at that! So much for jetisoning the tansy! As the tansy was growing and swallowing up more and more of the back of my herb garden, I noticed the ladybugs were moving on to the Russian sage. 

They were taking a small tour of my herb garden. The ladybugs were nowhere to be found on garden tour day. I was hoping to show them off to the visitors in the garden. Maybe because it rained, they moved under the leaves to keep dry. They were back in full force today with the hot sunny day and welcomed visitors in my herb garden. I have joined the Lost Ladybug Project and uploaded my photos to their website. They identified my little darlings as multicolored Asian ladybugs (Harmonia axyridis). So think twice and check carefully before you want to take out that aggressive herb that is taking over your garden!

I think I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m an awful cook.  Desperate, really. But with a backyard of herbs, it’s tough not to do some experimenting and, with me, desserts are the way to go!

Here are some great recipes I’ve made, perfect for any mint-grower. And believe me, if I can make them, you can too!

Candied Mint Leaves:

Serve these easy-to-make candies as an after-dinner mint or a garnish to a sorbet. They’ll leave you with a surprisingly refreshing taste like you’ve never experienced.

My candied mint leaves were a big hit at my 4th of July party. I served them aligned in rows on a platter I bought from Natural Home magazine (which is now on clearance!)

• 1 egg white
• Small amount of water
• Handful of rinsed mint leaves (chocolate-mint, spearmint, peppermint, lemon-balm, orange mint and/or cinnamon-mint)

1. Beat egg white with water.

2. Dip or brush mixture on to mint leaves.

3. Coat mixture in granulated sugar.

4. Cool in refrigerator for one hour and serve. 

“Hint of Mint” Dark-Chocolate Truffles:

So easy to make and always in demand, these dark chocolate truffles can be a bad-cook’s best friend!

Inspired by truffle mushrooms, good chocolate truffles should have a fresh-from-the earth look. Pictured here are a few of my truffle variations rolled in cocoa: mint, orange-almond and coffee. I served them with a sprig of chocolate mint and I used a recycled glass bowl from Natural Home magazine (which is also on clearance!). 

• 1 large handful of freshly-cut chocolate-mint leaves (substitute peppermint leaves)
• 1 pound dark chocolate baking chips or baking chocolate bar, chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Rinse mint leaves and crush in a mortar and pestle until smooth. You can also chop them using a food processor or  just crush them with a spoon.

2. Pour chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate bars) and crushed mint leaves into a mixing bowl

3. Bring cream to boil in saucepan and immediately pour over chocolate chips. Let cool for 60 seconds

4. Next, take a whisk and, beginning in the center, very gently stir the mixture at the surface in small circles. As the cream melts the chips, you can continue to stir deeper and more quickly until the mixture is even and shiny. This smooth, almost pudding-like mixture is called a ganache.

5. Now, you should let the ganache chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. When you remove the mixture, it will have firmed and can be sculpted.

6. For my truffles, I used a small melon-baller to scoop spheres and rolled them in cocoa powder as a coat. You can also roll in crushed cookies, graham crackers, hot chocolate powder, or you can coat with chocolate syrup that hardens.

Substitutions:

By simply substituting other ingredients for the mint in this recipe, you can completely transform the flavoring of your truffles for a wonderful mixture of candies.

- Lemon Truffles: Substitute lemon balm and a pinch of lemon juice for the chocolate-mint leaves to punch up a citrusy flavor.

- Lime Truffles:  Peel, chop and mix-in half a lime and all its juice.

- Lavender Truffles: Crush and chop finely a handsome bunch with a touch of mint leaves to taste.

- Orange-Almond Truffles: Substitute freshly-chopped orange zest or orange oil extract and a small bag of chopped almonds.

- Coffee Truffles: Use instant coffee and a bit of cinnamon to taste. A little can go a long way in terms of flavor.

- Spicy Truffles: Add a few shakes of cayenne pepper (I would half this recipe with another variation of truffle if you’re not sure you’ll like it).

The variations really are endless, try ginger, white-chocolate and saffron, peanut butter, etc. Any basket of truffles would make for a thoughtful, homemade gift.

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

Continued from 7 Tips for Everday Outdoor Gardening, Part 1 and 7 Tips for Everday Outdoor Gardening, Part 2. 

15. Sprout your Seeds – A lot of people ask me about growing peanuts, moonflowers or pumpkin seeds because they have trouble getting them to germinate.

Resolution: Place seeds inside three or four wet, stacked paper towels and set on a plate in the sink. Keep the seeds moist, cool and dark; check after 72 hours for the sprouting of cotyledons or seed leaves. Once they have grown, plant the seed in a small paper cup or empty egg carton of dirt and set in a sunny window.

16. Strengthen your Seedlings – Frequently, seeds started indoors will germinate weak stemmed seedlings, because the plant invests only as much energy as it thinks it needs in holding the plant erect.

Resolution: Lightly brush your hand back and forth over your seedlings a few times a day, helping them become accustomed to stem movement.

17. Explore the Benefits of Bugs – In Tip 13, I explained a simple, organic way to control pests – but let’s say your infestation is a bit more severe than just out-of-control.

Resolution: Many garden-dwelling insects are harmless to our plants, and do us a service in terms of pest control. Before spraying your vegetation with toxic pesticides that kill both good and bad insects, ask your local nurseries about beneficial bugs. Mantids, for example, will eat nearly any insect they catch, including aphids and mosquitoes, while lady bugs are used especially for aphid infestations that would be difficult to control with chemicals or soap-washes. You can also buy predatory bugs specifically bred to kill spider mites, larvae, worms, thrips and mealybugs; however, these insects can be difficult to control.

18. Be Aware of Toxic Plants – If you have children, becoming aware of the toxicity of, what may seem like common plants, is very important. Many indoor tropical plants are toxic to both humans and animals, such as philodendron, pothos, spiderplants and mistletoe.

Many common outdoor varieties can cause abdominal pains or cardiac complications, such as sweet pea, iris, clematis, foxglove, poinsettias, amaryllis, hydrangeas, lilacs and vinca. (For a more complete list, visit this website: http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/toxic_plants.htm)

19. Make Propagation Easy – You’ve tried seeds, you’ve tried seedlings, you’ve given them everything short of blood, yet nothing seems to make them grow! 

Resolution: Plants can also be grown from cutting, layering or dividing.

• Cuttings – With several plants, you can take a cutting from just below a leaf node and stick them in water or the ground to produce new roots. Mints and pothos plants can both be grown effectively from cuttings. In fact, pothos plants, which are often mislabeled as philodendron by florists, are hydroponic, meaning they will thrive in water. Make sure to remove any leaves from the part of the stem submerged in water.

• Layering - Some plants will send out stolons or “runners,” which are prostrate stems that have the ability to root the plant elsewhere. These include mints, many shrubs and even strawberries. For example, forsythia, a very common leafy shrub that is bright yellow in the spring, can be propagated by layering. Simply bend one end of a stem to bury in the ground. In a few weeks, roots will develop and the bent stem can be snipped from the mother-plant. With strawberries, runners can be pinned to the ground with a rock to encourage rooting; snip them when they show signs of growth so they don’t leach nutrients from the parent plant. Dig and transplant as needed.

• Dividing – Digging up and dividing roots is one of the most effective means of propagation. Lilies, especially, can be divided and transplanted. Dig them in the fall after the flowers are spent, and replant where desired for re-growth in the spring.

( The Herb Companion Guide to Propagating Herbs ) 

20. Consider Using your Hair – Occasionally, orthodox solutions just don’t work for curing your garden of rabbits or skunks or strays.

Resolution: Take a bag of human (or cat) hair clippings and spread around the yard. Many beauty salons will give you a bag of clippings but with a sideways look. Garden-dwelling animals are sensitive to predators and will be discouraged from invading marked areas. Another option, and one that I have found most effective, is to spray a hot pepper-wax or essential oil solution on plants, making them unsavory.

21. Never Over-water –A flooded plant is a dead plant. 

Resolution: It’s better to underwater a plant you’re unfamiliar with, rather than overwater. It seems like, ironically, our concern for life causes us to kill – so take it easy with the hose next time you water your favorite new flowers.

And that does it! If you have any suggestions, comments or additions to this list, leave a comment below. If you've got a question, I've got your answer! Shoot an e-mail over to tmiller@ogdenpubs.com.

Continued from 7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 1.

Also read 7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 3.

8. Use Newspaper to Line Garden Beds – Unlike plastic tarps or cloth weed killers, newspaper is a great solution for lining garden beds.

Resolution: When the paper is wet, it mats down grass and weeds, killing them in a few short days. This gives you a fresh canvas in which to plant, and it breaks down quickly, to assure you aren’t harming nature in the process. Lay down newspaper and attach to the ground using garden staples (or dry-wall nails - see the next tip!), wet with your hose, wait a week, cover with top soil and begin planting your new, weed-free garden.

9. Think Outside the Garden Box – However, funnily enough, if you ever HAVE used garden staples, you know what a pain they can be: one side goes in, the other bends out of shape and you push and push with all your might, but your efforts fail.

Resolution: I’ve discovered that, where possible, using dry-wall nails is an excellent substitute. The nails come in boxes of hundreds (compared with the 30 or so that come in a box of garden staples), puncture the soil more easily than garden staples and keep your weed-cover down more securely because you can use more of them per square foot than with a garden staple. Tada!

10. Bring Back Healthy Tulips, Lilies and Daffodils – When spring flowers fade and fall, it can be tempting to cut back the green foliage nature left behind, but don’t. A plant invests a lot of energy building greenery before it blooms, and it needs that energy restored in its roots to come back at full strength next year.

Resolution: Wait until the leaves of the plant begin to yellow, and then snip away.

11. Water in the Morning or the Evening – During warm summer months, you may have to obey certain city water ordinances, especially daytime “curfews” allowing you to water only during designated time slots.

Resolution: Watering early in the morning and early in the evening assures your plant absorbs the maximum amount of water before it evaporates off, meaning you’ll use less water for the same plants than watering in the heat of the day.

12. Know Your Mulches – Mulching is an essential part of any garden. It prevents weeds, retains moisture, deters some pests and can add a finishing touch to any pleasant garden.

Resolution: Say you have a flower garden you want to garnish with a beautiful mulch: Choose un-dyed cedar. The warm brown hue creates a palette from which your flowers will pop – plus, insects hate it. Cedar mulch also lasts longer than other mulches, and smells amazing, making it an investment for any long-time flower garden.

Now let’s say you have a vegetable garden, and you want to add as much organic matter to the soil as possible. Here, you should choose pine mulch, which breaks down much quicker than cedar, inhibits weeds and also helps to insulate the soil from extreme heat or cold, protecting your plants.

13. Easy Pesticides – You have animals you’d like to keep, and bugs you’d like to … sleep. (Sorry, best I could do.)

Resolution: Ants hate cinnamon. Sprinkle it around infected plants, under potters, along the side of your house. It is easy, safe and healthy to use around family members of all ages and breaks down easily in rain without infecting our water sources – reapply as needed.  

Spiders hate cinnamon oil. Mix a little cinnamon oil with water and spray on annoyingly placed webs. While some spiders are dangerous and others just scary-looking, killing them off could make other, more annoying, pests worse. Just divert them where possible.

Aphids on the other hand, should die, and at the hands of rubbing alcohol. Mix 1 part rubbing alcohol with 2 parts water, spray directly on the plant, around the plant and make sure to spray the undersides of leaves. Reapply twice a day for two weeks, then taper off over the next three. (read more about killing aphids, in my blog post: When Aphid's Attack)

14. Mulch your Grass Clippings as Often as Possible – It is very tempting to want a "Brady Bunch lawn," but there is a smarter solution.

Resolutin: Your grass and your back will be happier if you use a mower-plug to shoot clippings out the side of the mower instead of collecting them. The residual grass clippings are rich in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, breaking down to add a  quarter of your lawn’s fertilizer needs and a wealth of moisture back into your soil.

Stay tuned for part 3! UPDATE: Also read  7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 1  and  7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 3 . 

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

Culinary herbalist, cookbook author, writer and food photographer, Pat Crocker is passionate about food and herbs. Visit her at www.riversongherbals.com.

How should I communicate the joy, peace, friendship, grace and love I experienced at the recent Herb Society of America Educational Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan?

With few words and many pictures.

The annual event represents for me, an opportunity to spend time in beautiful gardens with some of the country's most experienced gardeners, chefs, artists, writers and botonists. At the two-day conference we learn from each other, from intensive seminars, from workshops and from touring gardens.

This year, we visited some public and private gardens in beautiful Michigan. As always we were greeted with warmth and enthusiasm.

On both the pre- and post-conference garden tours, there were both quiet and secret places for humans

…and birds.

There were serious teaching gardens..

…and there were places of pure whimsey.

We saw cottage gardens...

…Asian-inspired gardens...

…and the 4-H Children's Garden at MSU.

We ate..

…and we drank.

And as always, the herbs were in focus.

Also read  7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 2  and  7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 3 . 

1. Kink Your Hose – Ever been dragging your hose around the garden, just to have it kink right before you get to the plant you want to water? “I just want to water that flower right there…no.” And then you shake the hose like a jump rope dreading to walk those 10 or 15 feet to the kink, don’t you? Or, do you have difficulty rolling up the hose in a nice circular pile when you’re through, ending up with something more closely resembling a five-pointed star than a circle?

Resolution: The trick is to keep water pressure in your hose so it maintains its shape. Just kink the end you’re holding or use a water nozzle that shuts off the flow of water while you're moving from plant to plant or rolling it up. It’s not fool-proof, but it works pretty well!

Photo by Eric Vondy/Courtesy Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/vondy

2.  Enjoy Summer Nights Bug-free – You’re sitting on the patio, enjoying the cool breeze from a warm summer day. Frogs are croaking, crickets chirping and June bugs are smacking you in the face.

Resolution: String large-bulb lights around the garden away from your lawn furniture. You get to enjoy the pleasant twinkle of the lights from afar, while your bugs enjoy them up close and away from you.

3.  Keep Dirt from Under Your Fingernails – Let’s not front, garden gloves are good for your hands, but you lose a lot of dexterity through that thick cloth. That in mind, you also want to keep your fingernails shiny for a night on the town later.

Resolution: Scratch all your nails on a bar of soap before going into the garden. This will seal off spaces under your nails, and will wash out more easily than dirt. Plus, you’ll be clean!

4.  Easily Train Vines – Say you have some up-growing vines like morning glories or Virginia creeper you want to train around a doorway for that cool, welcome-to-my-cottage look. You’ve tried sticks and twisty ties, but they’re just not cutting it.

Resolution: Use jute twine! Texture from the twine makes a great growing medium for most vining plants, blends well with natural foliage (especially if you use a green), and bends easier for a customized look. Tie down the ends to a rock or nail for extra support; the jute can be trimmed and sometimes removed after the vine is trained.

Photo by jozephine/Courtesy Flickr www.flickr.com/photos/7790557@N07

5.  Fresh-smelling Cars Go Great with Dried Herbs – Your car stinks and you need some dried herbs in a jiffy.

Resolution: Cut herbs as desired, lay in a single layer on a newspaper on the front-seat of your car and leave to set in the sun.

6.  Worm Poo Works! – Let’s say you're growing food and want to fertilize your garden more organically.

Resolution: Worm “castings” as they’re called, are rich in nitrogen and certain bacteria, which help your plants grow, and the best bit, they don’t stink like other manure! You can buy a worm composter (like this one) and use your kitchen scraps to cultivate healthy, rich organic material that your flowers and herbs will love. You can even compost things like dryer lint or used tissues! Wild!

7.  Encourage New Blooms – Some tips may seem common sense, but many people wouldn’t know that more blooms can be encouraged if spent blooms are removed.

Resolution: Cut off the dead flower stems to the base without removing any leaves like with geraniums or daisies. With day lilies, pinch off only the flower leaving the green stick for texture. When the plant fades in the fall, the stick will brown and can be easily pulled from the ground for fun crafts, like this authentic-looking witch’s broom I made for Halloween.

Check back next week for seven more outdoor gardening tips! UPDATE: 7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 2 and 7 Tips for Everyday Outdoor Gardening, Part 3. 

If you've got a question, I've got your answer! 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.)

Even though we’re still having hard frosts, sigh, our garden centers and nurseries are already beginning to sell herbs and plants, and I’m having trouble restraining myself. You see, it used to be that I was an emotional eater, and to a certain extent, I still am. But now, I think I’m an emotional plant buyer, and it’s been a LONG WINTER.

Check out my latest additions:

1. MINTS: I have always had a lot of success with mint, especially because, when I first planted mint (catnip) during my freshman year of college, I planted it directly into the ground. Big mistake – it spreads like a weed. On any given summer night, you can still catch me chasing cats from the yard or watching as Pitters and Janie (my two fancy felines) flirt through the dining room window with the drunk kitties of the night. 

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)

So far this year, I’ve bought chocolate mint (Mentha piperita cv.), spearmint (Mentha spicata), and peppermint (Mentha × piperita). Read about all kinds of mints from the article Many Mints: Recipes and Growing Tips for Mint, found in the latest issue of The Herb Companion by herb expert, Jim Long.

I grew spearmint and peppermint last year, so I’m excited to experiment with chocolate mint this year. It is said to leave an Andes Chocolate Mint flavor in your mouth. Here’s a recipe I found from Mountain Valley Growers:

Chocolate Mint Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 extra large eggs
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/8 cup dried crushed chocolate mint
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and butter loaf pan.

2. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, banana and vanilla. Add flour, soda, salt, chocolate mint and nuts. Mix well.

3. Bake for about an hour – a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. Freezes well and mint quantity can be adjusted for taste.

2. PINEAPPLE SAGE (Salvia elegans) and LEMON THYME (Thymus × citriodorus): Still excited about the idea of dessert herbs, I added these two really fragrant herbs to enjoy when the weather starts to warm up, which, I hope, will be happening soon-in the very NEAR future. Ahem, anyone up there listening?

I was introduced to pineapple sage my first day working for The Herb Companion and was fascinated with the potent fragrance – I’m looking forward to using it in some dishes this summer, like this one from a 2005 article in The Herb Companion, Sizzling Summer Treat: Herbs on the Grill. 

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)

Tropical Chicken 
In early fall, when the rest of the garden is drifting into slumber, this 6-foot-tall herb ignites the sky with a lipstick-red flower that’s just as tasty and heady as its leaves.

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 20-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 2 sprigs cinnamon basil, chopped, stems removed
• 2 red peppers, cut into chunks
• 12 large pineapple sage leaves, torn in half
• Skewers
• 1 handful pineapple sage flowers

1. Wash chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside. Reserving juice, drain pineapple chunks. Set aside. Mix pineapple juice, brown sugar, rum and basil in a medium-sized glass bowl. Place chicken in mixture and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Thread chicken, pineapple chunks, red peppers and pineapple sage leaves onto skewers, alternating ingredients.

2. Place skewers on prepared grill, away from direct heat. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side, basting with marinade. Garnish with pineapple sage flowers.

Lemon Thyme Cookies
Makes 3 to 4 dozen

This recipe is from a 1995 article in The Herb Companion, Herbs in the Cookie Jar. 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons freshly snipped lemon thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the ¬butter with the sugar until fluffy, then add the flour and thyme. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes (we like stars). Place the cookies on ungreased baking sheets and bake 10 minutes. Cool on racks.

3. CILANTRO: Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) is an essential herb for most dishes of the Mexican food variety, my other emotional crutch (which also happens to be what I gave up for lent). I have a sad face right now, but I'm thinking it’s going to be a nice summer.

Photo by Ciordia/Courtesy Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciordia/ 

Here’s a cilantro recipe I found from a 1998 article in The Herb Companion, The Cilantro Seduction. 

Shredded Chicken in Cilantro Sauce (Pollo Encilantrado)
Serves 8

Serve this dish with small bowls of chopped cilantro, chopped white onion, chopped serranos, and lime wedges. It’s also good with rice instead of corn tortillas or tostadas (deep-fried tortillas). Any extra sauce keeps for several days in the refrigerator. Tomatillos look like small, green-husked round tomatoes. They have a sweet-tart flavor and are widely used in Mexican cooking.

• 2 pounds (about 20 medium) tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
• 1/2 white onion, quartered
• 13 cloves garlic, peeled
• 10 to 12 serrano chiles, stemmed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cilantro sprigs, packed
• Pinch of sugar (optional)
• 5 teaspoons canola oil
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded into bite-sized pieces
• 20 corn tortillas or tostadas

1. Place the tomatillos in a pot with enough boiling water to barely cover along with the quartered onion, 4 garlic cloves, serranos, and salt and pepper; reduce the heat and simmer for 7 minutes, or until the tomatillos lighten in color and become soft. Don’t cook them so long that they burst open. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

2. Puree the cooked ingredients in a blender with the chopped onion, 6 garlic cloves, and 3 to 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Add the cilantro and coarsely blend. Season to taste with sugar, more salt, or additional chopped serranos. Set aside and keep warm.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large pan; add the green onions and remaining garlic, minced, and sauté briefly. Add the chicken and toss over medium heat for 2 minutes.

4. In a large saucepan, heat the remaining oil and add the cilantro/tomatillo sauce and cook for about 3 minutes on medium heat.

5. Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour about 3 cups of the warm tomatillo sauce over it. Serve over tortillas or tostadas. Pass the remaining sauce.

4. FRUITS: I also added a few brambles (raspberries and blackberries), some blueberries and a self-pollinating cherry tree I'm particularly excited for. I have also purchased a few perennials, ferns, hyacinth and columbine as well as a beautiful exotic indoor orchid, The Jungle Monarch (photos of which will be posted when in bloom!)

So, that's what I've been up to so far this spring, how about you?! Any exciting experiments?

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

Q:  Taylor, my question is multi-layered. I live in the Western NC mountains (Waynesville) at about 3500 feet. Last summer, I put out two upright rosemary plants in areas with Eastern exposure, also a winter-hardy gardenia and a trailing gardenia, none of which survived our winter this year. I learned a very expensive lesson. Therefore, they're going to need to be pot plants. My question: What dimensions/depth should the planters be for:

• Upright gardenia
• Trailing gardenia
• Upright rosemary
• Trailing rosemary
 
Also, finally, how long could they each stay in their respective planters at these dimensions?  How will I know they're unhappy?
 
Thank you so much for your help,
–Lanie

A:  Admittedly, I’ve never grown gardenia plants before, but like I say to users who submit questions, either I will have an answer, or I’ll go out and find one for you. So, I spoke with a couple gardening experts, did some heavy reading, and arrived at a few learned suggestions for Lanie and the blogging community regarding gardenias, which are some of the most beautiful, most fragrant white flowers out there.

First, the quick answer: Pick a pot 2-4" wider and 4-6" deeper than the rootball of the plant you buy to start off the summer. You'll need to transplant them before the summer is through. Find out how to tell when they're ready, below.

1. Know your growing environment: 

Gardenias originated in an oriental environment with mild winters and warm summers – so in a region 6 growing zone, even when labeled “hardy,” if they aren’t in a protected area, they’ll freeze. So, at least with the gardenias in your area, you’re right to pot. (Note: Gardenias will thrive in warmer growing zones throughout the winter.)

While outside, your gardenia will want bright, filtered light (not direct sun), and it will want to stay at a temperature around 73 degrees Fahrenheit. When you move it indoors over the winter, however, it will need the brightest window.
 
2. How to pot: Gardenias are very finicky and like acidic, moist (but not TOO moist) environments, like azaelas, so it’s smart to mix your own potting soil rather than using a standard “garden variety” like Miracle Gro.

Fill the pot half way with organic top soil and then add a handful-or-so of coffee grounds to lower the PH level (make it more acidic). Mix thoroughly. Now add a third more top soil and find some dead leaves to mix in. Leaves will help the plant with moisture, but more importantly, this organic material will help the soil retain acid from the coffee. Finish with enough top soil so that the plant sits right below the mouth of the pot.

Gardenias will want an acidic PH level between 4.8 and 6.2. When mixing your own soil, especially when it’s this specific, it’s best to make only enough for what you need at the moment. Occasionally top soil will come with a PH reading, but if not, any garden center should be able to test the soil for you if you are really concerned with a correct balance. You will also want to refertilize your plants in mid-summer, near the end of June. This can be done with either more coffee grounds or an azaela fertilizer that's commercially available.

Most resources say that, outside of over-watering, an alkaline soil environment will kill your plant fastest, or prevent root formation, which inevitably stops the plant from coming back in the spring. Although they may have been fine during the growing season, it is possible that the plants had stored most of their resources in their leaves and could not grow back from their roots.

(About PH: A soil PH of 7 is neutral. Anything below is acidic and above is alkaline. Stones and building materials like limestone, gravel and concrete are alkaline and can affect the surrounding soil, so if you plant gardenias into the ground, it is best to plant them away from the foundation, walkways and driveways of your home to avoid difficult PH balancing.)  

3. Don’t over/under water: Water your plant every second day, because unlike most outdoor plants, gardenias are very susceptible to root rot, so you only want to water when they are nearly dry. On the second day, you’ll want to soak them well but make sure the plant is not sitting in water (drainage holes in pots are essential with gardenias), and saucers should be emptied.

The best way to ensure that your gardenia is watered (but not overwatered) is to mulch. Using a cedar mulch around the base of your plant will discourage pests (which are common with this flower) and will hold mositure in for a long period of time. This moisture is released more slowly into the soil, so the roots aren't sitting in a pool of water.

Some say that misting gardenias is important, which is in a way, true. Gardenias need humidity - but if they are over-misted and water begins accumulating, their leaves may also begin fostering black fungus, so take it easy with the misting, if you do it at all. Much like with indoor orchids, a better option when you bring the plant inside is to set it on a pebble tray filled with water. (Note: Do not sit roots in the water, instead set the pot above the pebble tray using a small clay saucer turned upside down).

When is the plant unhappy? You will notice that your plant needs to be upgraded to a bigger pot when the soil dries out very quickly because of the size of the roots eating up all the water. Gardenias like to be tight in their containers but not root-bound. And they should be transplanted when necessary, perhaps a few times throughout the growing season, to encourage the maximum amount of growth.

Several sources say that the best gardenia flowers for pots are the more vigorous growers, such as Belmont or Miami Supreme.

About your rosemary:

Herb Companion garden columnist and herb expert, Jim Long, said that it is possible for you to raise rosemary outside your home in your growing zone in North Carolina, and may be preferable to potting it. He said he learned an important lesson about rosemary from one of his mentors, Madalene Hill, late president of International Herb Association: It’s not the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter, but how you treat your plant.

Clipped directly from Jim’s blog:

“[Madalene] went on to explain that rosemary plants have very small root systems and suggested I try this: Plant the rosemary plant in the garden in the spring, regardless of what size the plant is. Grow it all summer and after the first frost, dig the plant, repot it and bring it indoors. Keep the plant in an unheated room, with light, like a garage window or unheated back enclosed back porch. The following spring, unpot and plant the rosemary back in the garden, then leave it alone. And by golly it works! I followed her advice and have rosemaries in the garden that have been there almost 10 years, growing quite happily.”

After reading that, I think it’s still important to exercise caution with your rosemary plants. So, try an experiment; plant two rosemary plants directly into the ground and two in pots following the instructions above. You might find that, when the plants are sown directly into the ground, they will develop larger and more fully than those grown in pots. It is also very difficult to give rosemary the requisite amount of humidity it needs when planted indoors (and not allowed to go dormant).

Plant rosemary in full sun, or slightly filtered light, allowing the potting soil in containers to almost dry before watering; it’s also important that your potted plants have good drainage. Transplant at the same depth as they were growing in the nursery, with a neutral soil PH. Cactus soil with a bit of perlite is your easiest option

You can read more about growing rosemary in challenging conditions from Jim’s post and check out his blog.

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

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Admittedly, I have a tough time finding house plants that are safe around my cats. Because, for the most part, my cats are well behaved and prefer to bite eachother rather than the plants (playful bites, not PETA bites), but occasionaly my three-legger, Pitters, has a hanerkin' for something green.

Recently, I bought a 3- or 4-foot yucca cane plant to put in my bedroom window—something that could go well in an ecclectic "folkloric" room. I found out after I bought it, and went through the hundred battles necessary to transport it in my car, "Yuccas are bad for cats." 

Great. Well, the quick fix for my cats has always been to mist the plant leaves and sprinkle with either cinnamon or cayenne pepper.  It works for me, and it very well may work for you, but like I said, my cats are well trained.

If your cats are simply insatiable, but you'd still like to have a nice houseplant, there's good news—buy an orchid!

My dining room, which has effectively become a conservatory!

Orchids are classified safe by the ASPCA, and in some cultures, orchids are used in dishes. The vanilla bean plant is an example of a comestible orchid (but isn't normally eaten directly).

The root-like parts of an orchid, called tubers, are composed of a starchy substance called Bassorin.  This substance, being a part of a type of gum (no, not dental ones) called tragacanth, is insoluable in water, but swells when wet.  The short version is, it likes water - it likes being moist - but it can drown.

Bassorin is one of the primary ingredients of the old-world hot drink, saloop - or salep - the olden-days version of Starbucks coffee. Because the starchy substance is so highly nutritious, the drink was used as a backup ration for sailing-ship crewmen centuries ago, and it is still used in some herbal folk remedies. The starchy, gooey material can be used for the treatment of stomach problems - coating the GI tract in a manner similar to the more common Slippery Elm Bark.  Apparently orchid tubers were even used in some spells and potions to promote love. Funny that, so many years later, it's a different part of the plant that's the present.

Anyway that's the good news—the bad news is that, of all the plants I've ever had the orchid is the only thing I've ever killed. I've heard so many rumors about ways to raise and care for orchids—crazy things like watering the orchid in the shower, setting ice cubes on the moss to water the plant slowly and soaking the orchid in a pot of water. Like with any internet search, two sources provide suggestions that are in complete opposition.

But, for the most part, it seems that the orchid has basic needs: it needs to be moist, not soggy; it needs to have bright, indirect light; it needs a lot of humidity (which can be provided by putting the pot over a tray of water filled with pebbles); and it requires a quick draining potting medium. However, your orchid probably will not need to be repotted, as they prefer being root-bound, so buy a decorative outer potter instead, setting your orchid and its native pot inside.

Orchids are not big fans of soil, because, natively, they do not grow in soil. Their roots grow air-exposed, climbing the bark of a tree or near other porous materials that can provide water. If you do need to repot your orchid, some retailers have specific media that should be used.

To water, take the native pot to the sink and water completely, letting it drain over night. Do not get the flowers wet. Return the orchid to your decorative potter and repeat whenever the growing medium is nearly, but not completely dry. When the orchid is flowering, it will need more attention, and this can last up to 12 weeks. Even if the flowers have fallen, the plant isn't necessarily dead. In this stage, it is important to give your orchid light, food, and patience, constantly watching for new stalks to grow from the base.

By the way, it's been several weeks, and the flowers are still continuing to grow (I have 16 flowers now!). The cats have left it alone (I bought them some cat grass), and I'm almost counting down the days until I kill it (and, yes, a PETA kinda kill).

Have any of you had the luck of the orchid? Any suggestions for me?

I'm very exciteable today. One of my colleagues, Hank Will, editor of Grit Magazine, had received an electric incubator to sample from a company.  In jest I said, "Oh, you should raise me some chickens for my townhouse!" He smiled at me very seriously and said, "Yeah, totally! You could totally raise a couple chickens in your backyard - and between two of them, you might get about 10 eggs a week."

I had never thought of raising chickens in the city - Was it legal? Would they have enough room? What do chickens eat?

These were all questions to which I was excited to find the answers. But my biggest concern was where would I put these living, breathing, winged animals?

That's when Herb Companion Editor KC Compton sent me a link about urban chicken raising. Who knew?!

On the site, I found information on how to build a MOVING COOP! They call it "the chicken tractor," and you can move it around your yard so your chickens don't peck at just one spot - genius!

So, I have a few months before I'm going to actually have the birds - time in which, I suppose, I'm going to have to build this contraption. Sure, it looks easy enough - a few boards nailed together with some chicken wire and wheels, fine. But, I'm sure I'll find a way to screw something up. And with images of escaping chickens fleeing from a running me, I'm sure this is going to be a bumpy ride.

Also - I'm brainstorming clever names. Like Popeyes or Strips. Any suggestions?

Like herbs, evergreen trees have a powerful fragrance, some even with medicinal properties, and with a few simple steps, you can find the perfect tree to keep safe from fire and fresh throughout the holidays.

1. Aroma is everything. Balsam fir, Arizona cypress and Virgina pine are three of the most fragrant varieties. Balsam fir, a relative of the Fraser fir, has a sharp, rosemary-fresh scent, and its pitch, or the sappy resin that makes a tree sticky, is a natural anti-bacterial and an astringent that was used to treat wounds during the Civil War. Arizona cypress has a steel blue tint and a lemony-mint smell while Virginia pine has the traditional piney-holiday scent classic for the holidays

2. Get it fresh. When selecting a pre-cut tree, pinch a branch near the trunk and pull toward you. If several needles dislodge, the tree is dry and may be dangerous in your home. Next, bounce the tree and notice shed needles – paying special attention to the edges of the tree. More needles should fall from the interior; this is normal.

3. Cut the base and water well. Saw at least an inch off the trunk of your tree when you get it home and place immediately in a sturdy tree stand with a large water reservoir. Trees are amazingly thirsty and can absorb nearly a gallon a day, so check frequently, especially in the first few days. Never let the water level drop below the cut; if it does the pitch will seal the trunk and the tree will not be able to drink.

4. Recycle when you first notice dryness. While a wet, well-watered tree is very hard to set on fire, dry trees are extremely flammable. As you can see in this video, a dry pine left unattended can destroy a living room in under a minute.

Most communities have a tree recycling program, but if not, you can reuse your tree in your garden as a bird feeder, as mulch or even as a weed killer.

While some sites suggest chopping and burning your used tree DON'T! Most trees have something called creosote, which, when burned, even responsibly, can leave deposits in your chimney and can be carcinogenic.

A better option is to use the tree in your garden and adorn with bird feeders - or save the needles to scatterONLY ONweeds as an herbicide. You can also strip the tree of its needles, dry them outside and use them in muslin fabric for a rich, fragrant punch.