Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

Today, I will talk about more herbs that are definitely worth fitting into your garden. I like to grow herbs with my other flowers and vegetables, as they all benefit each other and look good together. This was a common practice in cottage gardens and kitchen gardens of yesteryear. If you can find any of these in a garden center — plant them now as it is not too late to add herbs to your garden.

Lavender

Lavender, as most herbs do, grows well in a sunny and well-drained spot in most any garden soil. It blooms in late May through June, frequently blooming sporadically throughout the summer. All of the plant, not just the spikes of blue to purple flowers, smells terrific. Lavender's scent is known to be calming. If you feel a bit of tension coming on, go out and inhale your lavender deeply, and feel relaxed and serene for a few minutes.

I always purchase lavender plants, as it can be a bit tricky to grow from seed. Many varieties are available — all are drought tolerant and heat loving, and rarely, if ever, need extra watering.

Parsley

There is curly and there is flat or Italian parsley. The flat parsley is more flavorful in cooking, so this is the one I grow. Parsley is a biennial, so it will grow only foliage one year and have foliage and go to seed the next year. Plant some new parsley every year in a sunny spot. Pick some whenever you serve soup — it will really perk up canned soup and add a lot to homemade soup as well. Wash and cut up some of the leaves and sprinkle on the soup just before serving to add lots of flavor, color and nutrients. Add chopped parsley to nearly any sort of lettuce or vegetable salad for a fresh, clean taste. Parsley is rich in vitamins A and C.

Basil

If you grow tomatoes, you just have to grow basil, too. The flavor of basil and tomato combined is a match made in heaven! I love to just pick a few tomatoes, cut them in wedges, splash on some extra-virgin olive oil, a good balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and add some basil cut in strips, chiffonade style. Basil is an annual and will perish with the first frost, so enjoy it while you can. It can also be frozen in ice cubes or as pesto. Basil is easily grown from seed or purchased as small plants. Basil grows rapidly, but don't harvest more than a third of the plant at a time. Pinch the tips to keep the plant bushy and to keep it from flowering.

Thyme

Thyme is a low growing and attractive perennial herb that works well as edging in perennial and annual gardens. It has very small leaves, and is usually used in sprigs when cooking and removed before eating. The leaves can also be stripped off the stem. Thyme is used to flavor summer squashes and to flavor fish or chicken. Try adding thyme to a marinade for great flavor. My favorite thymes for cooking are lemon thyme and silver thyme. Thyme can be dried for use all year — it is best harvested before it blooms with its tiny pink flowers.

I

ldiko Sherman is a local gardener and columnist. Contact her with gardening questions at Ildiko5@earthlink.net or write c/o The Journal, 52 S. Broad St., Middletown, OH 45044.