Herb/Tea Garden

Alls you need now is some fresh fruit, some berries, crushed ice and a bottle of vodka : )) of ya, a crucible to crush some herbs

Mint is evil and will take over everything. Plant with caution, generally in an concrete encased enclosure. Add to it as you can get pineapple mint, orange mint and lemon mint.

-- but for one rose, love endures

What an inviting and beautiful herb garden you have created, Joel! I like the way you made the divisions with the white stone (or tiles?); it draws my eye back into the garden giving it depth and definition. I also enjoy the way you have your artwork tucked in and around. Best of all, your delicious herbs are lovingly watched over by your wonderful guard dragonfly.

As for mint uses, don’t forget mint tea…. I am thinking your daughter would enjoy having a mint tea party with Gnorman and the fairies living in your garden. They could eat violets and nasturtium petals and sip cool tea made from crushed mint leaves…..

Your garden invites people outside and makes them want to stay and play.

-- "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." M. Gandhi

I love the whimsy in your garden, and the humor in your writings! You are missing one crucial mint though – chocolate mint. I have a bunch I could send you. Then you could smell like a Girl Scout cookie…

-- ~ Cindy, Virginia Appalachians, UDSA Hardiness Zone 6 ~

Looking great Joel, I am very jealous of your gardens, they look like a wonderful place for you and Gnorman to lose yourselves!

-- My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~H. Fred Ale

beautiful edible whimsy!

oh I wish I had your vision.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

What a great job on this area, JustJoel! Your herb growing looks very successful. You will have fun trying out new recipes to use those herbs. I love the look you have achieved, very whimsical and fun.

BTW, I notice an addition to your arbor…...Are those clear glass plates you have inserted in the sides? What an amazing idea! Good job!!

-- 'To plant a Garden is to believe in Tomorrow'

Iris, yes, I added the plates this spring – was kind of waiting to see if someone would notice. I was hoping to use/find some green depression glass cheap, like the stuff my mother used to collect (and now has two complete sets of), but dad wouldn’t give any up (he IS 600 miles away and they’re worth like $25 each) and I hadn’t found any locally by the time I found these blue ones at a thrift store. Had to design and “manufacture” 16 little sheet copper clips to hold them in place.

-- There's a box?

Very cool look! Can you switch them out with others if you find the green ones? Although I really like the blue ones.

-- 'To plant a Garden is to believe in Tomorrow'

Yeah, I could, but I’ll not likely got to the trouble. Plus, as you say, I like the blue ones just fine (though I wish they refracted more sunbeams) – plenty of green around.

-- There's a box?

You’ve done a great job on your herb garden area Joel.Looks good.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Meant to include this image in the original group of photos.

-- There's a box?

so, so, so pretty!!
(I had to say “pretty”, just coming from Vince's story)

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I was going for “charming”... :-)

-- There's a box?

that’s a pretty charming little vignette you have created!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

It looks so orderly in your latest photo. My question is, will the herbs behave themselves and stay in their little sections?

Very nicely done, Joel. I hadn’t noticed the plates before and I think they are lovely. I can just imagine how they must look when the sunlight hits them.

-- "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." M. Gandhi

With the exception of the mint, the herbs are mostly staying in place, horizontally. I have to keep the cilantro and basil trimmed back of course, but I have plenty of takers for those cuttings. The most trouble I had was from the bird feeder that is in the left-front corner; so many seeds, mostly sunflower, volunteered when I was waiting for what I had sown to sprout, that it was hard to know what was what, but I soon learned to identify the offending seedlings.

I’m excited because the chamomile and nasturtiums are about to flower (just in time for a big party at the end of the month).

The plates just don’t sparkle like I had hoped, but they are still nice – thanks Robin.

-- There's a box?