Well, recently it has actually felt like spring has arrived and our plants should start to feel like bursting forth in to growth. I thought I would do a catch up on the herb garden that I planted last year.
Considering how crazy the weather was last year I don’t think the new garden did too badly, but there have been a few changes to make this year. Some herbs like Sage and Motherwort have done extremely well, a little too well! I think I under estimated how much space they were planning on taking over! So one motherwort plant has been taken out and is moving to another exciting herb garden project – which I will tell you about later. One Sage plant has also been moved to allow the Vervain to get more sunlight and air circulation.
Last year I harvested a lot of Sage and Rosemary which I have made into herbal vinegars. I have used the Sage vinegar as an effective gargle for a sore throat and the Rosemary vinegar has mainly been used as a final rinse for my hair. Both vinegars have been used in salad dressings too.
Last year I put my Marigold and Chamomile seedlings in the ground too late and because of the lousy weather they took their time to flourish. Having said that, I did manage to keep harvesting Chamomile flowers through the late summer enough to dry for a few aromatic brews through autumn. This year I plan to grow much more and aim to be Chamomile self sufficient !
The garden has had a few casualties though. I have lost two thyme plants and one Rosemary. I think this is because of the heavy clay soil, even though I dug plenty of gravel in – it obviously wasn’t enough! Also a bit of over crowding and lack of sunlight may have played a part (that would be my fault then!)
This is what we look like so far in 2013.
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| Looking a little scruffy around the edges but nice and green! |
There is a new Herb garden project happening down at Archway House Natural Health Centre in Market Harborough where I am a Herbal Medicine and Reflexology practitioner, more to follow.
Have fun in your herb garden.
BotanicalBird - Julia
