I was on my way back from an errand for the company when I realized I was going to be within three blocks of my favorite nursery. It’s May 19th and I had not yet purchased tomatoes and herbs and bedding plants. In this part of Illinois, the general rule of thumb for planting tender annuals is to wait until May 15. We’re already 4 days past the frost free date! I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to purchase, so my visit was less than 30 minutes. I was able to find everything I was looking for, and a bit more, of course! *G*
Dear Husband cleared a portion of the herb garden that was being overrun by feverfew, and he dug two good-sized holes for the tomatoes, then he went off to mow.
I planted the tomatoes, a “Big Boy” and a “Sweet 100” cherry tomato. The nursery was sold out of the miniature yellow pear tomatoes that I really wanted. I worked my way around the garden adding 5 sweet basil, a purple ruffles basil, purple basil, and a miniature purple basil, 2 rosemaries, a curly parsley, 2 scented geraniums, and three sage plants. I worked on cleaning out some of the volunteers in the walkway before it was time to go in for dinner.
In the herb garden, I have dill, lemon verbena, another lemon geranium, and some mums left to plant. My mint had died off. I’m not surprised, because It’s been growing, sequestered, in the same pots for easily four years, and had to be root bound. I bought a chocolate mint, a curly mint, and a pineapple mint to replace them. Tomorrow, I’ll empty the pots, refill them with new potting soil, and get the mints planted. I have a Scottish spearmint that smells heavenly, planted in a flue pipe in the herb garden, Next to that I have a salvia that will need to be supported. It’s beautiful this time of year, but before long it will become top heavy and spread out from the center.
Both of the roses and the clematis that are next to or in the herb garden have come back nicely. The smaller of the roses will bloom about the time the lavender blooms. Scent is a large part of my herb garden. As I planted today, the scent was heady! I had visions of pesto, sage stuffing, roasts with rosemary, and mint juleps! Everything I brushed added it’s fragrance to the blend.
This was one of those days that make me happy to be a gardener. *S*