Gardening in My Rubber Boots

Dec 17

First Herb Garden Based on a Song? Why Not!

It all started over nine years ago when I planted my first herb garden when living in the Beaux Arts cottage. Not knowing what herbs to start with, I decided to plant Parsley, Sage & Thyme since there was already a HUGE Rosemary bush in the garden and the phrase “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme” was stuck in my head. I figured it was from a song — I just didn’t know what song.

This system of picking herbs actually worked out great for me. Not only do I still grow all four of these herbs, but I’ve since added Oregano, Cilantro, Dill, Basil, Chives, Mint, Bay and Bee Balm to my garden. It gave me a great foundation of easy to grow herbs without being overwhelmed.

Now, some of you are probably still SHOCKED that I didn’t know what song these herbs were mentioned in. (At least I knew it was from a song.) Anyway, just the other day I remembered how I picked my first herbs and decided to find out what song it was from.

And, well, you guessed it. I had the 1966 song by Simon & Garfunkel called Scarborough Fair/Canticle stuck in my head. Which was based on a ballad from the 1800’s. What’s even better (according to Wikipedia) is that the pegans believed by combining these four herbs together you could create a love charm. Good thing my “young & stupid” self didn’t know this or I may have tried it.

Here’s how the song goes:

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needlework
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)

Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Washes the ground with so many tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine

Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
(War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they’ve long ago forgotten)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine

Dec 15

5 Comments

What’s NOT Blooming December 15

I thought I’d mix it up a bit this month. Since it was DARK and all my plants are hibernating, I took pictures of my winter interest plants (and a couple fun things as well).

1. Urn filled with Boxleaf Hebe, Black Mondo Grass & Scarlet Leader Cotoneaster 2. Oak Leaf Huechera 3. My Lion
4. My Espalier Apple Arbor 5. Side of Apple Arbor 6. Japanese Maple
7. Old Fashion Rose 8. Red Twig Dogwood 9. Ginkgo Tree
10. Wisteria Vine 11. Glass Balls (rescued from frozen pond) 12. London Pride
13. Holly Berries 14. Euphorbia 15. Stella
16. Euphorbia 17. Euphorbia 18. Scarlet Leader Cotoneaster Berries

Dec 12

6 Comments

I Need More Short Plants in My Garden

When you look at my garden in full bloom during spring and summer, it appears I only like tall/medium height perennials and shrubs. I say this because I really only have a couple short perennials and ground covers in the garden, with the exception of my hostas, heuchera and hellebores (all planted in the shade garden). Because the main part of our garden redesign includes removing the hedge from our front walkway and adding a new front path, I’ll have a lot more room (and need) for full sun short plants and ground covers. As you can see in the picture, I also have a new garden space to the left of the grass that will need some shorter plants too.

So far my plant list includes bergenia, hardy geranium, ajuga and creeping jenny (along with more hostas and heuchera). I’d love to hear what short perennial/ground cover plants you recommend (hardy to zone 8a) that I can add to my full sun and part shade gardens.

Our front yard will have much better flow when we’re done. I got a little ‘hedge crazy’ when I first moved in, so we’re removing the small hedge that runs along the walkway to the front door. Don’t get me wrong, I still love hedges, just in a larger yard/garden than mine.

Leaves = New Garden Bed

I’d like to get working on our redesign, but the ground is still frozen. Until then, here are a couple of my inspiration pictures for our side yard that I took at Remlinger Farms a couple months ago.

Update

So far I’ve receive quite a few great recommendations from Twitter.

@AnniesAnnuals has a great online catalog everyone should check out! They gave me the following plant recommendations: Heirloom dianthus: http://bit.ly/6eVrFm, http://bit.ly/58wPov ; Alpine strawberry w/ chartreus foliage: http://bit.ly/6sxoZL ; almost turquoise CA native penstemon: http://bit.ly/6lRZcr goes perfect with this CA native poppy: http://bit.ly/6QTX7z , scabiosa is a bee magnet & bloom machine: http://bit.ly/7CXMor ; sidalcea for some height! http://bit.ly/72Bp2m ;geraniums would be fab, especially the more unusual ones: http://bit.ly/6RTS64,http://bit.ly/1LTX9X, http://bit.ly/7hBKXx.

@marykir recommended I try helianthemums in the sunny spots and epimediums in the shady spots. There are also some agastaches, salvias, coreopsis, and teucriums that are supposed to stay under 18″. Someone near Queen Anne library has slope covered with varieties of golden/reddish groundcover sedums, short grasses, and heuchera.

Dec 10

3 Comments

2009 Recap in Red

Starting at top left: blueberry bushes this fall; chicken coop and rain barrel; summer night dahlia; audrey grace dahlia; red rubber shoes; double peony; radishes; raspberries and blueberries; raspberry tart; vine ripen tomatoes; veggie harvest

Dec 5

2 Comments

Two Silkie Hens = One Egg a Day

My two Silkie hens appear to be sharing the egg laying duty. One will lay an egg daily for a couple weeks, while the other doesn’t lay any. Then they trade. I almost never get two eggs a day. Then again, I hear that Silkies aren’t known to be great egg layers. I love them just the same.

Now that it’s getting dark early they have a lamp with a regular bulb that comes on from dusk to 10 p.m. This is supposed to keep them laying eggs during the winter months. So far it appears to be working since we’re still getting eggs (one a day). Then, since the last couple of nights have been so cold (upper 20’s), I replaced the regular bulb with the red heat lamp so they’ll stay warm.

Since I’m already talking about my chickens. I’m happy to report that Brownie is getting along with his two hens and the four pheasant in his run at my mom’s (being good keeps him out of the soup pot). In case you didn’t know, I had to take Brownie to my mom’s this past weekend because of his crowing. You can read more about him here.

Because we only have one rooster now, Buttercup, Hazel and Henny Penny are more active in the coop and in the garden. This is a huge relief. Buttercup is still being a good city rooster. He only crows one or two times daily and it’s much later in the morning and not as loud as Brownie.

My original plan was to have four hens (not two hens and two roosters), so I’m already thinking about getting a couple more in the spring. I’m not sure if they’ll be Silkies or Polish hens. Thoughts?