Random Review, Installment 5- Hopes and the Herb Garden

I am not sure if this post is random because it was the day for that type of review and my herb garden was uppermost in my mind, or if the post is random because that is the style of gardening that best describes me, but I suppose either way if the shoe fits I might as well wear it!!!

The fact is, I have come to realize that I am not a professional gardener!

Rather, my planting and plucking tends to be whimsical at best, disorganized at worst!!!

Instead of consulting my herb books (and I do own several reputable ones!) and making organized & alphabetical lists, I go to the greenhouse, feel inspired by all the lovely options, and begin choosing plants and putting them in the cart according to what catches my eye, which means that when it comes to herbs, especially, that is just about everything!!!

And then I get home and realize I already had a garden sage.

Sometimes my random approach begats plants that thrive and even come up the next year (which is always a pleasant surprise!) and at other times there is a definite failure to thrive and the plants, well, cease and desist, to put it kindly.

And yet...

Even with my mixed bag of success, it is always the highlight of spring-time to start digging in my herb garden, and since hope springs eternal, I am pretty sure that this year will be my best one yet!

For a little history of the herb garden, and for a picture of what it looked like in the fall of last year, go to this post. It will also remind you why I have more sunshine and a little more room to play this year (and I am loving the improvement!!!)

And while I am thinking about the beginning, I thought I would show a few pictures from the past:

Dreams turning into reality! Wesley first began turning the lawn into an herb garden by removing the grass...

Elasa & Gavin were as eager to help then as they are now!

The herb garden at the point where we had removed grass, measured and taken out some dirt...

Spreading sand...

Elasa trying out a small rake so she can work like Daddy...

Wesley laying brick...

Yes, this is Gavin! Honing his walking skills on a mower! 

Nearly four years after building the spot, the bricks have sunken somewhat unevenly, and we have discovered that the ants really like to dig in the sand under the bricks, but I have decided that all of these things just add character to the spot.

Just as I think every home should have an herb garden, I also think that herb gardens should look "aged,"  and I am very pleased with mine, imperfections and all!

In fact, it is one of my favorite spots on the property and I have endless fun out there!

Care to have a look around?

Let me start by telling you what was brave and hardy enough to come up after our hard winter: several Lavender plants (which are nearly ready to bloom!), Chives, Ladies Mantle, Greek oregano, Garden Sage, Russian Sage, Comfrey, Hibiscus (the large plant behind the bench), several purple coneflower plants (otherwise known as echinacea), a lily, and a few unidentified little plants that I am watching with interest.

I am afraid I went a little overboard at the greenhouse this year, but I did have some extra space to fill in...(and all those lovely colors, textures and smells were a bit irresistible!)

The case in point being five different kinds of basil.

Here is what two evenings of family time in the herb garden look like:

Monday...

Tuesday...

And here are the specific additions to the herb garden:

Three kinds of Oregano: Italian, variegated, & golden

Calendula

Two kinds of Dill: Fern Leaf & Bouquet

Two kinds of Thyme: English & Wedgewood

French Tarragon

Curled Parsley

Two kinds of Rosemary: Tuscan Blue & Arp

Sweet Marjoram

Cilantro

Three kinds of Sage (on top of the two that I already had!) Golden, Mexican Bush, & Garden

Vicks Plant

German Chamomile

Lemon Balm

Bee Balm

Five kinds of Basil: Nufar (sweet), Lemon, African Blue, Purple Ruffles, & Spicy Globe

Four kinds of Lavender (on top of the four plants I already have and believe to be Munstead): French, Fernleaf, Goodwin Creek and another Munstead.

To add color and variety to what can be quite a bit of "green" I added some Calibrachoa ("mini famous neo-white"), purple sweet potato vine (the ornamental kind!), white geranium, Easy Wave Blue Petunia (which look quite purple to me!) some yellow Osteospermum, and two mother's day gifts: a lily from Wesley and a pink petunia from Parker.

Last but not least, the largest plant was an Everlasting Summer Hydrangea, which should give me nice pink mophead blooms all summer long (or blue ones if it doesn't get enough acid!)

We put together two hanging baskets for the side porch, but in attempt to save money, I did not buy new "grass" inserts for my wire baskets, and now the dirt is spilling out the sides, so they may need to be redone.

This view shows the herb garden from the position of standing on the front sidewalk with the driveway to the left...

And this shows the herb garden from the front porch looking out toward the driveway...and Parker!

The yellow, daisy-like flowers in pots on either side of the porch steps are Osteospermum...

This year the chimney tiles hold English Thyme, Wedgewood Thyme and sweet potato vine in one...

And French Tarragon, Curled Parsley and sweet potato vine in the second one...

I do not have pictures that show the final results, as the planting finished up at dusk and I was watering and sweeping after dark, but I did get pretty much everything in the ground and was happy and hopeful with how it looked!

If springtime is the season for hope...

Then the herb garden is my favorite place to find it!!!