Borage 101

The seedlings in this photo are borage!  They can't stay here!

Borage is a beautiful plant but it can also take up valuable space!

Here is the back of the borage hedge where the greens are flourishing!

I decided to answer some of your questions that you wrote in your comments with another post.  Yes, Tracey Steele, borage does get way bigger from the young seedlings you see in photo one.   Now that you have seen mine, you will be able to space yours better.   I think FlowerLady asked if these were from seed.  Yes and no.  I think I got my first two plants from my neighbor and herbal companion, Bonnie.  So when I want to discuss taking plants out, the borage becomes "Bonnie's plant".  Sorry Bonnie. 

For the most part, as long as you remember that borage does get huge, it attracts beneficials which is always a good thing and the pink flowers that turn blue are coveted by gardeners (Yes, I did think I had the wrong plant at first because the flowers are first pink and then turn blue!).  The downside as you might be able to see in the second photo, borage springs up in the pathways and crowds out other plants.  Borage is blocking a maintenance path and I'll be getting in there soon and taken the extras out.  So we did get a package of seeds at some point (I think from a German audience member at one of my talks!) and planted more borage with seed, FlowerLady.  I think we are cruising on self-sowing at the moment.  And yes, PeggyR, sometimes no matter what or how you plant it, borage does not come back.

The last photo is of the back of the borage hedge.  As you might be able to see, the greens are shaded by the size of the borage.  One other point, borage is hard to transplant.  The Herbal Husband when I tell him it can't be transplanted just does it to prove me wrong!  So I would try to transplant it as small as you can and keep it watered.  Like the small seedlings in the first photo would work.  In a nutshell, once you plant borage whether it is plant or seed, it should self-sow for you.  I think that harsh winters can end the self-sowing cycle of borage.

We are very hot today and tomorrow and then we are going to cool down.   Check out some of my blogging buddies, they have great blogs.  You may find a new one to read or follow.  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.

Second Chance Magazine Winners!

After a week of waiting and not hearing from the last two winners of the first drawing, we pulled out the cheese making basket to keep trying for winners.  The Herbal Husband drew these two names:

FLOWERLADY

CAROL

These two ladies have been faithful readers of my blog for a long time.  So I'm thrilled to have them win.  Please ladies you know the drill.  Send me your mailing information and I'll get them in the mail to you.  Maybe tomorrow if you are quick!  Congratulations!  I have everyone's information now and the last magazine will be in the mail tomorrow!  Thanks for participating!

A Hedge of Borage!

I just want to show you what an herbal space hog that borage can be!  I love the cucumber flavored edible flowers.  I have a few seedling coming up in my herb garden that I have to compost because they will get much too big.  The young leaves are OK for salads.  When the leaves are big, they have the fuzzies and are not very tender.  Also borage in large amounts is not a good thing.  Another blog called Root Simple had this post about Borage:  It's what's for dinner.  In my case my lettuce and other greens are behind the "hedge."  My master gardening friend, Shelley, thinks that the hedge is protecting from the deer browsing my peas and other greens.  Maybe so.  Again, inside when I should be outside.  Hope you have had a great day.  I will be having a Second Chance drawing for the remaining Herb Companion magazines later this evening and you will see the results here on this post.  If you commented on the original magazine post and didn't win the first time, you will have another chance tonight.  Sorry comments are closed.  Stay tuned. Talk to you later.

Continuing Talking Herbal Containers!

We are always running out of space here in the herb garden.  So again think container.  This is a gray fringed lavender that would not be hardy in southwestern Pennsylvania without being planted in a container.  I would use at least a 12" or 14" diameter container.  If you are going to pair the lavender with other plants I would go to a 16" size.  It is a beautiful day and here I am inside typing this post!  Playing hooky!  Hope to get you my review of the next Timber Press book soon.  The weather has been too nice to be inside typing!  Ha and here I am doing just that!!! Well, I hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.   Also, I'm still looking for two winners of Herb Companion magazines.  If they don't send me mailing information by tomorrow, June 8, 2012 at 10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, I'll draw two names from the remaining people who commented.  Talk to you later.

Always More Room Here and a Milestone!

Always Room for Nasturtiums in Containers!

I Took This Photo Over the Weekend!

This Photo Was From the Garage Just Now!

I guess I'm trying to remind you that you don't have to have a whole herb garden to have herbs.  It just takes one container.  I got carried away with the seed packets of nasturtiums.  Since we have a Peruvian in the house and nasturtiums are native to Peru, it makes sense that we would have a lot of choices.  Nasturtium seeds are great to plant with your kids or grandkids.  They are big and fit right in the hand of a child.  They come up quickly and as long as you water them, they will produce flowers.  Unlike some other herbs in containers, you don't need to fertilize nasturtiums.  You'll end up with more leaves than flowers, but remember both leaves and flowers are edible.  The flowers are my favorite filled with The Herbal Husband's famous guacamole dip.   I will have to get The Herbal Husband to write it down so I can give it to you.  Here is a recipe from Alton Brown of The Food Network for guacamole.  I will say that The Herbal Husband does not use spicy heat in his guacamole because I can't eat anymore.  It is chilly and gray.  Sorta of like late fall or early winter!  It's spring and we go from hot to cool!  Now we're having March weather in June!

The milestone is that Miss C graduates from 8th grade tonight!  Yikes!  Time really has flown by!  She is off to high school now and a public one at that.  What I love about Miss C is that she is fearless.  She will try anything at least once!  I was a painfully shy child and I so admire kids that take the challenge.  Her brother is in the running for a job (maybe one of several jobs).  We are keeping all appendages crossed for his success.  I think I'm going to stay inside and take a break and work on my review for Timber Press and my post for The Herb Companion.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be.  Talk to you later.

A Special Day for One of My Favorite Herbal Friends!

This photo is a favorite of mine because the Reppert sisters of The Rosemary House were actually visiting Pittsburgh with one of their fabulous bus trips in 2010.  I got to join them for one of Nancy's fabulous lunches at Rodef Shalom's Biblical Botanical Garden.  So the special day belongs to Susanna on my right.  She is 50 today!  Just a number Susanna!  We all have lucky lives and you have the luckiest to be embraced by your family and a whole community of bloggers and herbie people.  Have a wonderful, wonderful day, Susanna.  If you have a chance go by their blog, Rosemary's Sampler and wish her well.  It is a cool crisp day in the 'Burgh.  Got to keep weeding and planting.  Mailing some magazines today.  If you haven't e-mailed me your information, please do so.  Talk to you later.

An Interesting Visitor in the Herb Garden!

We have some cool visitors that stop by the herb garden from time to time.  This little guy was fast, but then it just stuck around and let me take its photo!  This is a common whitetail dragonfly!  Who knew?  It was supposed to rain early in the day, but I got a bit more accomplished than I thought.  So hope you had a good day.  I've heard from two of the magazine winners.  So please if you are a winner, e-mail me your mailing information.  BTW, I added a little list of chores with photos on the right hand side of the blog that are going on in my herb garden especially for those of you who are in the mid-Atlantic states, but hopefully it will be helpful to other parts of the US as well.  Talk to you later. 

Drum Roll Please! And The Winners Are...

Had To Use The Greek Cheese Making Basket

In Case You Don't Have Your Glasses On!

I think this is the order that The Herbal Husband drew the names:

 LINDA

MAIRZIE

HERBAHOLIC

COMFREY COTTAGES

KATHIE BRYANT

DOROTHY

I thank everyone who gave me such kind comments.  I appreciate and am inspired by everyone who reads this blog.  I have been so blessed the last almost four years to have "met" so many great people who are interested in herbs.  So you know the drill.  Please e-mail me your mailing information and I will get your magazine in the mail by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.  I'll try to chase you down if I don't hear from you.  If you want me to autograph it for you, please let me know that as well.  There are probably more giveaways to come.  So please stay tuned.  Congratulations to the winners!

Blooming and Making the Garden Smell Good!

This has been an excellent blooming year so far and I have to keep remembering it is just June!  There will be a lot of nonblooming times this summer because so many of my plants have bloomed early and often.  This valerian has been very beautiful and fragrant.  I had a reminder to myself to purchase more if I could find them.  I have three now because it has happily cloned itself in other places.  Glad it did because I would have had to do mail order.  It is known as a sleep aid and its vanilla scented blooms are enough to make you sleepy.  Valerian does take a bit of shade.  All of mine have morning shade and afternoon sun.  They would probably do well with morning sun and afternoon shade.  Got to run.  Don't forget to get in on the giveaway for The Herb Companion magazines.  You have until 10 PM tonight.  So I will be back later to announce the winners.  Off to lunch and the movies to see Snow White and the Huntsman or is it men?  I'll let you know.  Talk to you later.