Rosemary in my Courtyard

I am planting this lovely Rosemary plant in the decorative pot you see between my hot pink geranium and Double Delight roses. I think the silver gray stems will look stunning in the pot, and contrast nicely with the colors of the other leaves. The placement was not easy to decide. I knew it would look lovely anywhere in the courtyard, but I wanted to make sure it received enough direct sunlight during the day to stay healthy.

Too little sunlight would result in a weak plant. Herbs need about six hours of direct sunlight each day, hard to come by in a courtyard boarded on all sides by the walls of my house and garage. I watched this spot for several days. It seems to be fine.

I will put potting soil into the pot, of course, and then the transplant. I know Rosemary likes some moisture, but does like the soil to dry a bit. I’ll keep that in mind. I hand water the plants in the courtyard. So I can keep an eye on the plant.

I bought Rosemary specifically because I thought it would be yummy on baked chicken. I’ll look up some other recipes once the plant is established in the pot. Since I don’t cook for many people, I won’t need to snip much from the plant, and not very often. I don’t intend to cut sprigs and let them dry. I intend to use it fresh. I’ll only cut what I need right then.

I have not grown herbs for decades, way back when I was a gonzo gardener in Rancho Cucamonga. Not likely I will do that much gardening ever again. Just a pot or box of flowers, vegetables and herbs here and there. I have three more types of herbs to plant. I’ll get to them in a few days. Everything in moderation!

Until next time,

Elizabeth

Flower Power instead of Veggies

I admit that patience isn’t my strength. Neither is putting up with frustration. I have been reluctant to plant vegetables in the flower boxes I bought, although that was the plan. I do not want to go to all of the effort to scoop two large bags of soil, plant vegetables, water, and care for the plants unless I am able to harvest lots of vegetables to eat.

So I have opted for the instant gratification of flowers. I went over to the local Armstrong store where they treat customers so well and bought three six-packs of pink Impatiens. They are three different colors which complement each other. I watered the Square Foot Gardening soil which I had placed in the flower boxes and waited until the next day to transplant the flowers.

I put the deepest pink in the center of each box as a unifying element. Then I planted a lighter color on each side. The two on the ends are the same color. Since there are three boxes on the right side of my short wall, and three on the left, I alternated the colors to create a pattern. Why not? It was fun and easy.

The picture above was taken the day I planted the flowers while I was standing on the patio itself. I can also see the flowers from inside the house. They look gorgeous from the kitchen, dining room and living room. I can even see them when walking down the hall. Maybe I won’t turn these boxes into vegetable planters next season, as I had planned. I still have two large pots and wheeled saucers I bought before the plumbing disaster. I can fill them with soil and plant tomatoes, zucchini and/or lettuce. I don’t really need to use these boxes.

I can put the two large pots on the patio where they receive full sun most of the day, and filtered sun until about five o’clock. This spot is not visible from inside the house. Maybe I would prefer that. But while I was at Armstrong, I saw their herbs. Hmmm. I still have four empty pots in my courtyard. I think I should put herbs in them. After all, this spot is right next to the kitchen, perfect for herbs.

Until next time,

Elizabeth

Planters on the Edge

I realized that the courtyard wouldn't be such a good idea a little while ago. I bought planter boxes similar to those of a neighbor and intended to fill them with Square Foot Gardening Soil. But then I stopped. I had to leave my home for a few weeks while a plumbing issue was resolved. So everything just sat and waited for me.

When I came home, I had to unpack my bags, of course, but also put everything that had been in both bathrooms back in place. Then I had lots of laundry to do, not just what I had been wearing, but all linens and towels in my bathrooms and master bedroom.

So what you see above is what I have been able to do since coming home. It isn't much, but something is better than nothing. I am just concerned that I have lost much of the spring growing season. Oh, well.

Until next time,

Elizabeth

Chunky Plant Markers are Best

 

While roaming around my local Armstrong Garden Center I almost fell prey to an impulse buy. I saw the cutest ceramic plant markers. They had white backgrounds and painted pictures of each type of vegetable or herb, plus the name. They weren’t cheap, but I figured they were permanent. The problem was that they didn’t have all that I wanted. So my garden markers would look hodge podge. Then, of course, I would have to buy the metal rods to hang them. Lots of expense here, if I was to do it right. 

Then sanity reigned. This is just silly. Put down the cute plant markers. Think of something else. So I did Popsicle sticks. I even mentioned them in an earlier blog post. They are super inexpensive and you can find them at any chain big box store, Target, Wal-mart, etc. But they are so tiny, and I want my plant markers to be big enough to read without getting down on all fours. 

I was at Green Thumb nursery talking to an employee who showed me what they sold for this function when a better idea showed up. Wooden tongue depressors. They look like larger Popsicle sticks. They would function in the same way, but be bigger. That’s the ticket. I looked online and found several medical supply stores that would ship me a massive amount of sterile depressors. No, thank you. Kept looking until I found exactly what I wanted, just in a rather large quantity.  

In two short days I was the proud owner of a box of 500 very inexpensive wooden, non-sterile tongue depressors. I found a smallish box in my closet and scooped up a bunch of depressors/plant markers and sent them to my sister. She has four square foot gardens in the backyard of her house. I still have more than I could use in my lifetime. Perhaps I will share them with someone else who likes to raise their own veggies. 

Now I have an ample supply of wide, smooth wooden plant markers. I’ll use a permanent marking pen and write whatever I like on them. I’m thinking the front should be plant identification, and the back should be the date I put the plant in the ground. This way, I won’t need to keep a notebook. All the data will be handy and in plain view.  

Until next time, 

Elizabeth