Last Herb In and Trough Replant!

Here is the fairy trough for another year. Kept the Victorian rosemary. Just cut it back. Added a Lemon Frost Thyme and a compact sage. And drum roll please! Here is the last herb plant to be planted yesterday. It is a lavender called 'Javelin' compact blue. I don't think it is hardy and this trough doesn't go inside. Maybe The Herbal Husband will dig it up to come in anyway! By the way, that trough below looks like it's hanging on a wall! Well, I'm off to cut some 'Munstead' lavender. See you later.

Is There A Heaven For Chives?

Well, if you saw my home page and this photo, you will notice that the chives are mostly gone! The Herbal Husband said in the end it needed to be done! He went upstairs while I was working trying to get them all out! I thought he was upset. I guess he just needed a siesta and really wanted me to do the work instead of him. Well, even though we are getting company soon hopefully the new plants will have a jump start and fill in the spaces! I need your positive energy! Hope you have a great weekend!

OMG! We Have Ladybug Eggs and Babies!

Do you see what I'm seeing! They are ladybug eggs! NO KIDDING! A couple of weeks ago I was hoping to move the tansy to the compost pile! NOT ANY MORE! I would still like to move it to the back of our garden, but this is so exciting! The ladybugs seem to be around every other day and are really active, wink, wink! So active, we already have ladybug babies that look like tiny red and black alligators! Here is a picture! So be careful what you wish for because you may be displacing an important part of the balance of the garden!

It's Travel Thursday--La Concepcion Botanical Garden

We spent a beautiful afternoon in La Concepcion Botanical Garden outside Malaga. The entrance plaque and other plaques throughout the garden were Spanish tile which I loved.
The gardens had beautiful views like these. Pictures are worth thousands of words! Hope you enjoy it.

D-Day for Chives!

I have too many chives. Never thought I would say that! They do multiply not quite like lemon balm, but close! Some of the chives have been given to a new home and some are out in our front garden where there was space developed by The Herbal Husband. He has separation anxiety! Well, I'm taking a break today, but tomorrow or Friday, I will be working to get them down to a reasonable number.

Alfred de Dalmas I Hardly Know You!

One of my favorite roses is blooming in my garden. I thought until this moment that it was an 'Alfred de Dalmas'. If you look at the Heirloom Roses website, you may agree with me that I don't have 'Alfred'. It said it's a repeat bloomer and disease resistant! It is neither of those.
It is a beautiful flower though and has a wonderful fragrance. I'm going to dry some petals and add them to my tea blends. Remember all roses that aren't chemically treated are edible. I just would not eat florists' roses because they are from other countries which may use chemicals. I'll have to do a little research and let you know what I think it might be. If you have any ideas on what this rose might be, I would love to hear from you!

Our Arizona Bell is Ringing!

One of my favorite parts of our Arizona trip last fall was the visit to the Cosanti Bell Factory in Paradise Valley. We finally got the bell out of the wrapping paper and into the garden last week. This bell has a distinct sound and I will think of the wonderful time we spent on our trip when I hear it.

Pinwheels to the Rescue!

I love gray plants. The sparrows also love my gray plants! It's not what you think though. You're thinking like I was that it was for their nests. Wrong! They just clip the leaves and leave them on the ground. These are mini plants so they can't take much clipping! We brought out a secret weapon, our delightful pinwheels! They seem to work as far as when the wind blows, they spin and keep the birds from clipping. It is in the morning that we will see how they really worked. We may have to get bird netting until they get a little bigger! They really are trying my patience! Just like kids! Still planting plants! Hope to be done tomorrow! Another gorgeous day here! Hope it was good for you also!

Herbal Patchwork!

We are still working on planting the herbs I bought. I actually went and bought some more herbs and flowers this morning! This is the new part of my herb garden. I think it is going to look good. From the bathroom window, it looks like a herbal patchwork quilt! It has compact sage, Nazareth sage, curry plant and Provencal thyme and of course mini boxwoods. An herbal experiment! The linear-leaf thyme is in full bloom. Will take another photo later in the season if it looks good! I'll take a photo either way.

We also worked on getting some tender herbs in containers like an African Blue basil, grey French lavender and in the right hand corner a Peruvian flower called heliotrope! Wonder why we got that? Oh, the Herbal Husband! We had a beautiful day here in the garden! Hope it was great where you are!