Garden Notes

Here is an inventory of the herbs I have found grow best here, and how many plants I have in my herb/flower beds at the moment.  (I use some more than others, for instance, the chocolate mint is just so nice to grab a sprig of and enjoy the fragrance while out in the yard, but I haven't found a good culinary use yet.)

Lemon Balm (1) This one plant is a survivor of many seasons.  It grows in a pot on the patio, usually with Basil as a roommate.

Lemon balm in the foreground with basil.

Basil (4) There are four basil plants in the garden.  Two of them are in the pots shown above.  Basil is used in many things, most notably the pesto recipe I posted yesterday.

Sage (3) There are three  clumps of sage growing in the gardens.  (One in the pot on the left above, one in the herb bed, and a large clump in the back garden beds.)  Sage is used in many recipes, and looks interesting in the garden.

Sage is in the far end of this nearest garden bed.

 

 

 

The large clump of sage in the back garden.  This has been growing here for about 2 years now.

Rosemary (3)  There are three rosemary plants in my gardens out back, and one in the pot on the front porch.  You can barely see one of the rosemary plants in the first of the pictures above, right between the two marigolds on the right center.

Rosemary growing in the main herb bed in the middle of the yard.

There's oregano behind it, and begonias right beside it.









Lavender (4) There are four lavender plants in my gardens this year.  The one in the picture on the right  is mostly ornamental, and for fragrance. 

This one in the picture on the left is used for many things, including cooking.










Oregano (6)  There are about six clumps of oregano growing in the main herb bed.  They came from a couple of plants that just went native in there.  Mint is the only thing I know more pervasive than Oregano. 

This is but one of the large clumps of oregano in that main central herb bed.  Having fresh oregano is handy when making pesto and also tomato sauces.










Garlic Chives (7)  These have truly naturalized themselves all over the yard.  There's a small clump in the main herb bed, and then six or so in the back garden bed closest to the shed and the north fence.  Every time Matt does the weed eating back in that area behind the shed, it smells like garlic out there for a couple of days. 

All those spiky, grass-like plants are garlic chives.  They grow in that garden bed with basil, and  snapdragons and marigolds, and I think a begonia as well.

 Garlic chives are good for salads, in sauces, and are an important part of the pesto sauce I make.












Chocolate Mint (2)  This year I planted two little pots of chocolate mint.  I have never found a culinary use for it, but it smells so delicious, and is so enjoyable just to pick and carry around savoring the fragrance. 

This on the left is the chocolate mint that is in the center of the main herb bed.  Right at the feet of my little statue of St. Francis. 


Below and to the right is the chocolate mint in the back garden, in the front bed that is next to the shed.  It grows right next to the huge batch of sage,and among a lot of marigolds and a begonia or two.  There is also a clump of very hardy Mother Of Thyme right there.

Thyme  (2)  There are two kinds of thyme in my garden.  German thyme, also called creeping thyme or mother of thyme, and English thyme.  The mother of thyme can be seen just above and to the right of the chocolate mint in the photo above right.  

 And here below is the English thyme in the main herb bed.  

Parsley (2)  There are two parsley plants this year.  One in the corner of the main herb bed, and one in the square raised beds on the south side of the yard.  The photo shows the plant in the main herb bed.

Catnip (2) (Or possibly more)  The catnip is coming up volunteer from many years of previous plantings.  It is only in the main herb bed, and right near the oregano and parsley on the north-west side of that large bed. 

We no longer have a cat, but I guess I can supply my friends' cats with homegrown kitty happiness weed.  Catnip does have other uses, most in folk remedies, which I do not dabble in.

This is the current inventory of herbs in my gardens.  Thought it might make for an interesting post.