How does your garden grow?

Well - half the rosemary survived winter on my windblown terrace, and half did not. Ditto with the (under-the-soil) mint - that one I will have to boost. The bay is doing well. I've not yet attempted to plant basil yet - in a week-10 days I think. The thyme died - I think it couldn't stand the cold winds - so I will have to replant some. The sage didn't do too well, but that is my fault, it was in a pot that was soaking - I will replant that too. The lavendar is doing very well and the heather is flowering...

I use herbs mainly for cooking, to make sweet-smelling things like lavender bags and to look pretty (that's the case of the heather - my little corner of wildness on the 9th floor). I also like the heady smell of herbs when I step outside...

I'm going to a garden centre this week-end to see what other herbs I might plant. The smellier the better, but I need some hardy ones!

Yes, I agree with sharpchick about the Mediterranean herbs in particular. These type of herbs relish a dryish soil and lots of sun - think about where the herbs originate from and try to reproduce those conditions. They don't like to have their feet cold and wet. Also take note of which ones are annual (only last one season and then die down) such as basil, parsley and which ones are perennial (carry on from year to year) such as rosemary, lavender, sage etc. Also some will be herbaceous perennials which die down in the winter but reappear in the Spring eg chives.
Hope this helps a bit.

Before I leave my house here in So Cal, I'll try to post pics.

I've had vast luck with the flower seeds I've purchased from

http://www.flowersoul.com/

They are soooo cheap you can just cast them about. The nasturtiams I started 2 years ago are still going stong, too strong. I love the allysum seeds to filll in here and there. I don't know if they sell internationally and I've whined about my need for bulk herb seeds. This is a very nice lady, btw. And the amount of seed you get for the price is truly amazing if you are only used to those itty bitty packets put up by the major companies.

ciao and happy gardening

I'm going to try my hand at roses, not sure how I will get on but I would love to be able to collect my own petals & buds for spells instead of buying them.

redflash said:

I'm going to try my hand at roses, not sure how I will get on but I would love to be able to collect my own petals & buds for spells instead of buying them.

Click to expand...

Oh, redflash, I love roses, but only the old ones, like my grandmother used to grow. Twenty years ago, I tried my hand at hybrid teas. I am a concientious gardner, but I couldn't garden by a calendar (for spraying with fungicides and regular feeding with a systemic product). They were very high maintenace, and in the winter time, frankly, they look like sticks.

I prefer particularly old climbers, and you can find many that are willing to be confined. I've used 1/2 whiskey barrels, and tied the canes, and had wonderful results, as long as I don't let them get more than about 8-9 feet tall. A lot of old roses have a very heady scent, also and many only bloom once or twice during the season. . . smaller blooms and different from the typical visual image one gets when thinking about roses. If you plant for sequence of bloomtime, though, you can have something in bloom all during your warm season.

I have one rosebush in my garden that was here when I bought the house 4 years ago, I have wood decking outside my conservatory & it just grew from underneath that. It has enormous blood red blooms but for the rest of the year it does look pretty awful ! I really want to get my garden looking good, I want somewhere I can get away from the rest of the world ! I never have much time to do it, what with bringing my little boy up ( he's 3 later this year ), working, keeping the house running, studying tarot / witchcraft / herbs etc etc. There aren't enough hours in the day for me ! But hopefully later this year I will have some nice pictures to put on this thread. xx

We moved into a house with two rose plants already planted. One is a classic red rose, and the other is a gorgeous wild rose. I want to make a trellis for the wild creeper. Nothing elaborate, just something to show her off.

My transplants seem to be doing ok so far, but its only a few days in. I'll post picks as they get a little more photogenic

cheers

how is the garden growing.....

i was dreaming about gardening last night~

I was trying to plant oregano by this tree (!) and it was all swampy (!) and then as i was digging the whole i found a human skull (!!!)

i think i am feeling guilty about my poor oregano, tomato and pepper that are languishing outside in pots waiting to be planted.

Meanwhile, the rose of sharon bushes may yet make it.
The hydrangeas transplanted beautifully.

How about you?

I haven't made much progress on my garden, but the weather has turned lovely so at last I am on with it. I'm about to build a herb rockery & I have decided to put a discreet altar in it aswell. I can't have anything too elaborate as my garden is overlooked by my neighbours, but I want something there as I have nowhere in the house for an altar. I have had trouble with the dwarf lavendar I have been growing from seed, only a few of them have come through. When I get my rockery done I will post a piccie. I have never done gardening before so I'm sort of winging it !

I have honeysuckle at the end of my garden on one side and up near the house on the other, being evergreen its nice for all year and the most glorious perfume in the evenings when its flowering (now!!) Could grow together with rambling roses.

I also grow peppers and tomatoes , the tiny ones in baskets, but they need lots of water and a tomato feed too