Replacement plants (should I really tell?)

Last year was a "weak" one for me when it comes to the garden. I didn't do too much out there and added very few plants. In fact, I had a goal to spend no money on plants last year, so visits to area nurseries were few. I did come very close to that goal by the way.

This year I have no such goal. The garden is more important this year, and it's time for me to get it back into shape. To some extent I'm not concerned about spending on plants this year... but should I really admit to that?

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Do we have any garlic chives?

"Do we have any garlic chives?" was the question my wife asked me last week. She was baking some savory scones and thought that garlic chives would make a nice combination with gouda cheese.

Asking that question though is almost like asking "Are we growing Perilla this year?" or "Have you seen any deer in the garden lately?" or "Do you still love bamboo?" The answer to all of these questions is an emphatic "YES!".

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A new approach to watering strawberry pots

I'm finally getting to some projects that don't involve cleaning or digging! I've had a couple of strawberry pots for several years, and always have trouble keeping them hydrated during the heat of the summer. Because of this they've sat unused for a couple of seasons now...

...but I've had an idea of how to solve this problem and am finally putting it to the test! I thought of this last year or the year before but other (bigger) projects were always higher priority. I still have a few big projects that I'll start on any day now, but with just an hour or so available last night this smaller one seemed the perfect size to tackle.

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Greenscape Gardens, part 2

Yesterday I started showing you my current favorite nursery: Greenscape Gardens. I left off at the extensive native plant area at the back of the greenhouses.

Today I start where I left off, entering the greenhouse from the back with the native plants behind me.

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Wiethop Greenhouses visit part 1

I'm determined to not only visit more area nurseries this year than I have in the past, but to share the visits with you as well -- something I've not really done over the years. Remember the other day when I gave you a little view of Sherwood's Forest Nursery and my stone supplier Kirkwood Material Supply that was right on the other side of the fence? Sharing the other (north) fence with Sherwood's is Wiethop Greenhouses.

Wiethop is unique in this area of St. Louis as they're 1) open seasonally only, from early April to mid-June, then again September through mid-October  2) a grower, not just a seller of plants. Both of these things combine to make a trip to Wiethop irresistible to me each Spring. (I've never actually been there in Autumn).

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Cuttings, fragrant

One thing that I do every autumn as the first freezing temperatures are forecast is take cuttings of plants with fragrant foliage. I keep them in a jar of water in the kitchen window, just to have them available for an occasional rub and sniff.

Sometimes I get a bonus and the cuttings actually root, but my main goal is not to produce new plants -- it's the fragrance! This year I preserved only two different plants from my own garden this way, but one from my mother's as well.

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Flowering herbs, briefly

I've always read that herbs are best used before they go to flower, when foliage gets all of the plant's resources.

To me though, plants used as herbs are always best once the blooms appear!

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New plants, cheap!

I'm determined not to go to crazy buying plants this year, as for the last couple of years I ended up with too many things to plant -- my driveway was a nursery for most of the year.

Since the harsh winter appears to have taken out plants throughout my garden, I certainly do need to add some new ones though, and to be honest, I couldn't resist buying at least a few plants every spring even if I had no place to put them!

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Feverfew

A plant that is relatively new to my garden, arriving as a gift from another local gardener two summers ago is feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium.

Its tiny daisy-like blooms are brightening up the front walkway garden right now, and I have to say that this plant may have earned a permanent spot in my yard -- although it isn't perfect.

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Clary Sage

Last year at one of the Schlafly Gardenworks events -- I think it was the summer gathering -- I picked up several free herbs. One of them was completely unknown to me: clary sage.

I planted the little thing in a large container in the sunny side garden, and watched it get huge last summer, muscling out the other herbs I had planted along with it. Now, this biennial is blooming.

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Walkway plants, north side

My recent walkway project ended for this year once I got all of the perennials planted. It's time to show you what plants I put here to give the area not only instant impact, but to ensure that it becomes a real thing of beauty and interest in future years.

Today I'll focus on the north side of the walkway, which is on your left as you walk up to the house.

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Bolt!

There is one herb that years ago I couldn't bear the taste of. Actually, I couldn't bear even the scent. Today it's one of my favorite edible plants.

And I can't grow it.

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A little more on the veggie garden

The other day when I gave you a thorough look at my veggie beds, there was one little project I didn't tell you about.

This small bed outside the fence, to the left of the gate. It once had some flowers and Greek oregano growing in it, but that was a few years ago. Lately it's been a mess, and I'm tired of looking at it!

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Veggie bed update

A month or so ago I remade my veggie beds. Again. For the second year in a row.

It appears to be paying off though, as things are getting off to a great start -- but that could be due to the warm weather we've been having.     Let's assume it's all my doing, okay?

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