Search Results for: blog suggestions for the herb garden

Weird Berries for Your Garden

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You’re a lover of blueberries, an eater of raspberries, and a forager of blackberries. Yes, you adore berries, and your summer-stained face shows it. But have you forgotten a few? Here are some berries that you may already be growing in your garden, but you might be completely unaware that they’re edible! 1. Edible honeysuckles – While you might think of honeysuckles for their fragrance and for their ability to attract pollinators, did you know that there’s a shrubby honeysuckle that’s also edible? It’s called the honeyberry, or Lonicera caerulea edulis. The flavor is a mixture of blueberry, currant, and … Continue reading →

Gifts from the Garden- Part 2

Most people love fresh herbs. Why not give a pot of fresh herbs to someone this Christmas? Of course if you can take a piece of an established plants but one that has roots is even better. You might want to give a selection of herbs like mint, parsley, chives, etc. Basil, sage, thyme, tarragon, and rosemary are other herbs you might want to consider including in your gift. Parsley and mint are great herbs. We have both growing. Both are from rooted plants from our previous house. The parsley is right near our back door on the back patio … Continue reading →

Gifts from the Garden

In the food blog I looked at the idea of handmade Christmas gifts, but what about some Christmas gifts from your garden? If you started off cuttings now, it gives them a few weeks to get established. We have three huge hanging baskets near our back door filled with the most beautiful plant that flower in mauve flowers rather like a violet only larger and they flower all year round in the shade. They look brilliant. They all started from one little cutting from a friend that grew to be enough for one hanging basket. We then took cuttings from … Continue reading →

Suggestions for the Herb Garden

One of the things no home should be without is the herb garden. I use a lot of herbs when cooking to add flavor. Even the smallest garden can have room for herbs. Even if you live in a unit all you need is a sunny spot and a few decent sized pots. So if you’re thinking of planting herbs here are a few suggestions. Mint Mint adds a lovely fresh taste to salads and is also good when added to a fruit salad or fruit punch or cool drink. Mint is better in pots as planted in the garden … Continue reading →

Making a Ring Garden – Part 3

So you’re ready to really start planting in your ring garden in mid spring. Suggested vegetables would be tomatoes 4-5 seedlings of whatever tallish variety you fancy. Mick has alwsy been a fan of gross lisse. By the time the tomatoes grow up the peas, will have finished bearing fruit and been harvested and the remains dug into the compost heap. Other suggestions for the centre ring might be climbing beans. The purple variety of climbing bean is a beauty. You might also try clematis. Yes, even this non gardener knows clematis is a flower. The addition of flowers keeps … Continue reading →

Planting a Pizza Garden—A Great Family Project

As part of my plan to make the most of the long awaited, much anticipated warm temperatures that befall Wisconsin for three short months (okay, two) each summer, I signed my daughter up for gardening classes at our local botanical garden. (Actually, it was a two-day “Kids & Gardens” seminar.) She had a wonderful time and I left with some great kid-friendly gardening ideas. My favorite: “How to Plant a Pizza Garden.” Let’s face it; even if your kids are picky eaters, pizza, is likely a menu option they won’t say no to. Planting a pizza garden allows you to … Continue reading →

Friends Help Each Other

We all know the value of a good friend or buddy. But did you know it happens in the plant world too? Plants will benefit from the friend or buddy system and you will end up with healthier plants that grow better, yield more and attract less garden pests. It’s a matter of knowing which plants will grow happily together in what is called companion planting. As you know I’m not the gardener in our family, Mick is. Mick often uses this buddy or friends system of companion planting. Some are really obvious like where one is a low growing … Continue reading →

Every Home Should Have One

What is it every home should have? Every home should have a lemon tree. There’s something about fresh lemon juice that leaves the bottled kind for dead. The smell of fresh lemons in the house is also great. Added to washing or water for washing floors it leaves a lovely, fresh smell. We have always tried to have a lemon tree. The only place we couldn’t get one to grow was when we lived in Orange and though people suggested the type of lemon that didn’t mind the cold climate, we couldn’t keep one alive. I found it very hard … Continue reading →

Before You Throw It Out

Sometimes you can use the strangest household things for a container garden. Never one to throw anything out if I can find another use for it, we’ve a couple of interesting containers, mainly because buying large containers for plants is often an expensive exercise. If you look at the price of half barrels and kegs they’re not cheap. Price large containers at nursery or garden center and you might come away having second thoughts about the wisdom of container gardening but they are perfect for so many things like strawberries or potted annuals for color, a small amount of vegetables … Continue reading →