Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica)
A low maintenance native of the American southwest and northern Mexico, Yerba Mansa is an attractive trailing plant that grows along creeks and in shallow water
25
07, 2023
30
06, 2021
So That’s Why It’s Called Bee Balm
After a two-year wait, the bergamot (monarda) finally flowered. I thought it would bring butterflies, but now I know why it's called "bee balm".
15
06, 2021
When is it too much Basil?
I think basil might not be bound by the laws of physics. I planted just six 4-inch pots where I planted 18 the year before. The results were the same.
10
06, 2020
Serial Catnip Crusher Suspect
BREAKING NEWS: There's been a breakthrough in the serial catnip crushings that have been occurring lately. Be on the lookout for this suspicious character. He's a "fur person of interest" for local authorities.
24
02, 2020
Fresh Cilantro Hung to Dry
We have so much cilantro in the Keyhole garden that we're having trouble eating and/or giving it away (and I live in an area of the U.S. where Cilantro is used in everything). The end of winter is fast approaching and some of it is start to bolt. Rather that let it all go to seed, I cut the plants back to the first set of leaves, bundled up the cut plants and hung them to dry. If you're not [keep reading...]
11
12, 2019
Terri’s Fresh Rosemary Bread
Finding things to do with all the herbs, fruits and vegetables Sage grows around here, can be a challenge (what does one do with a pound of Borage?), but one use that’s always guaranteed to be a big hit is fresh rosemary from the garden in my homemade rosemary bread. It’s actually a simple bread recipe, but when it’s spiked with a little biga and finely chopped fresh rosemary, it makes a nutty, woodsy, slightly chewy bread that’s great all [keep reading...]
24
11, 2019
Photo of the Day: Thai Basil
Unlike its Mediterranean cousins, my Thai basil (Ocimum basillicum) seems to be getting along just fine in the cold and wet of November. I don't recall what the original source for this seed was, but the plants grow 12" - 18" tall and produce purple flowers with a sweet spice aroma that reminds me of clove or cinnamon. I grow two batches of this each year, the first I start in late winter / early spring, and the second I [keep reading...]
23
05, 2014
Field of Chamomile
Years ago I got a seed packet of German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) which I planted because my wife thought it'd be neat to have some for herbal tea. Since then it's nativized itself in section of the yard and so every spring I have a field of chamomile in which our ducks nest and plenty of critters hide. Even though it's kind of a pest, the flowers and sweet smell are kind of nice. There are worse weeds.
5
05, 2014
If I Could Save Thyme in a Clay Pot
This is exactly what it would look like.