This is my patch of lemon thyme.  Karen invited me to come over and dig up some thyme that was taking over her garden.  That was about 5 years ago, and mine just keeps spreading too.  Last winter it got a little sad, and big areas died off, but I trimmed out the dead stuff, and it came roaring back.  I love it.  Thanks, Karen, for sharing.

 

The best time to harvest most herbs is right before they bloom, so I'm keeping my eye on it for flower buds.  Then we can harvest and hang little bunches in the kitchen.  Lemon thyme adds both lemon and thyme flavors:  it is awesome.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is last year's Mullein in the driveway.  Like ox-eye daisies, Mullein establishes a rosette of leaves the first year, and blooms in its second year.  Unlike ox-eye daisies, it gets huge!!!!  This plant is almost as tall as I am, and the base is at least 10 feet around.  I LOVE IT!!!!  

 

So, of course, last year when the old one went to seed, I walked all around the yard shaking the seed heads.  And, this year we not only have this big one in its bloom year, we have lots of little ones all over the place.  

 

Here is my driveway:

 

 

Baby Mulleins coming up all over.  And just think:  next year they will be 5 feet tall, and 10 feet in circumference!!!!  I love my life on the mountain.  We have lots of space to grow whatever we like.  OK, maybe we will weed some of them out.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

As I was walking up the stairs, I glanced down at the big pot of marigolds.  And look who I saw.  

 

OK, here's a little perspective for you:  That leaf is a marigold leaf, and see the flower bud?  Marigolds are kinda small, so you can see that this praying mantis is just a baby.  3 inches:  max.

 

Who needs the Nature Channel?  We have it going on right here.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I know I've shown you ox-eye daisies in our yard, but I usually take pictures of it in bloom.  I love those flowers.  Well, here's an interesting thing.  Ox-eye daisies bloom the second year.  Their first year is spent growing a rosette of leaves.  This one is in the midst of a bunch of buttercups, and other junk, but the ox-eye daisy is the rosette of scalloped leaves in the center of the picture.  

 

We will look for blooms next spring.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Over the winter, so much of the sage died back.  It looked terrible.  I thought it might be dead.  So I cut it WAY back, and look at it now.  Maybe I should prune it harshly every winter.  It looks GREAT!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Our Rosemary suffered a little this last winter, but she's back now.  I trimmed off the tips of nearly all the branches, and now each branch is leafing out times four.  I call that a real comeback!!!  

 

I will harvest some stems when they get a little longer, and hang them in the kitchen window to dry.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This beautiful spread of Purslane showed up in my Marigold pot this spring.  Of course, I didn't pull it out:  I want to see how big it will get.  And I think it's pretty.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I thought you might like to see our Clematis, now that it has gone to seed.  Those funny little swirly things are the seeds heads.  They kinda make me think of "Cousin ITT."  I guess that dates me a bit.  ;)

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I started these seeds in little plastic cups a couple weeks ago.  And on a nice misty, rainy day, I transplanted them into the garden.  I could have started the seeds in the garden (it's called direct planting) but it's harder to keep them evenly moist in the garden.  In the little cups on the deck, it's easy to control the moisture.  So that's how we do it.  

 

I will show you them again in a couple weeks, and you will be amazed at how fast they grow.  These three plants will fill this space, and flop over into the walk path.  

 

But don't think for a moment that I only planted three zucchinis.  Oh, no!!!  I planted 18!!!  There are six hills of zucchini.  

 

So be sure to lock your car doors:  because when we are swimming in zucchini, we get real creative as to how to distribute them.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

The Borage is huge.  It planted itself from last year's seeds.  Of course it planted itself all over the garden, but we only kept some of the ones on the hills.  The rest had to go, or they would have taken over the whole garden.  It's pretty and useful, but we can only eat the flowers.  The leaves are too prickly.  

 

But we DO love it.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!