Tag Archives: thyme

Ye Olde Garden

Coconut thyme! and other plantings

A Tuesday herb sale at Calloway’s yielded a pot of Coconut thyme. This thyme has a lighter texture and stringy habit compared to the upright lemon variegated or the lime thyme I currently have. I took some rooted cuttings in hopes of having a 2nd planting soon. So far, the cuttings appear to be surviving in the bathroom nursery.

The Autumn Embers and Monarch are currently in full bloom. Since we cleaned up the front bed, they are front-and-center the main attraction in the bed, along with the white-flowering loropetalum. Our late bloomer, Autumn Twist is laden with buds but has yet to make a bloom. Given that we’ve only seen two seasons of color last year from this particular specimen, we’re hoping for a good spring show. My guess is that it’s just not as vigorous as the red- or scarlet-flowering azaleas.

Even the Hot Shot azalea sitting in the lily bed is ahead of the Autumn Twist, already boasting some open blooms. The shrub itself has reverted back to a mostly-green foliage, though still a darker shade than all the rest of the azaleas. Of the bargain-priced azaleas, the Macrantha orange has the best foliage, looking completely lush and full despite coming out of a harsh winter season. It sits directly under a crape myrtle, but I can’t imagine what other factors have caused it to appear so vigorous. The Delaware Valley White and the Crimson azaleas are about as spindly-looking as the medium-height Encores in the front bed, and while I anticipate them to flower well this year, I expect them to also look fuller due to early-season feeding.

The hunny got some mulching done, raked up the remaining leaves in the back yard,  planted the white gauras to flank the Midnight Blue Rose, and got the newest oxalis plants into the lily bed. He also managed to redo the border on the rosemary topiary, though I’m not sure if any of the work is justified given the health of the plant. He also made the observation that the japanese painted fern in back of the shade garden looks particularly vigorous, counting out 2-3 more fronds than last we saw it. I’m still concerned that the other painted fern hasn’t made a showing yet.

This Ecosense brand spray from Ortho appears to be working on my hostas. Barely any nibbles since I last sprayed them heavily. Of course, I have yet to put down some bug killer around the base of the plants. If the weather continues to stay dry this weekend, I plan on getting that done.

I have to mark the passing of my red salvia plant. It did not survive whatever caused it damage (possibly weed killer). I plan on replacing it and the soil it sits in with last year’s cutting, which hopefully will grow up fast to fill the void. The other red salvia seems to be hanging in there, though looking a little better than its sibling.

Ye Olde Garden

Arboretum, nurseries, and gardening this past weekend

The Dallas Arboretum was packed this weekend, so much so that we had to circle the place looking for parking. But it was definitely the place to see tulips and azalea during the warm spring weather.

We headed out to Home Depot, Lowes and Strongs as well to pick up some variegated society garlic, 2 Palace Purple heuchera, 2 Wide Brim hostas, 2 Charmed Wine oxalis and several bags of mulch, compost, humus and soil. The honey finally got his rose planted in time to see its first bloom. However we have concerns with the leaf yellowing on the lower extremities of the rose bush.

We got about 6 bags of pine bark mulch in the salvia bed, after I had toiled last weekend putting weed block fabric down. The 2cf bags of pine bark gave enough coverage on the bed, much less bags used compared to shredded mulch. However, I am concerned that 2 of my red salvias are ailing–in fact, looking like they are dying. I suspect they may have received lethal doses of weed killer in previous weeks. I am crossing my fingers that they will survive (they survived sitting in a pot for almost 2 years). Luckily, I have volunteer cuttings ready to replace them should the need arise. I also need to work on getting the Crimson Pirates into this bed…they’ve been sitting on the kitchen table too long.

It’s been exciting to observe the changes happening in all the beds. The blue bed is perhaps the showiest at this time. The yarrows form a verdant mounding backdrop to all the color coming in. The purple oxalis are beautifully robust (and flowering), the violas in full bloom, and the scabiosa gangly and flowering as well. I should remember to deadhead and collect scabiosa seed if possible. I’ve placed the 2nd sinaloa sage into the bed, along with the two variegated felicia. While working the bed, I discovered 2 phlox starts growing up against the rocks–one had a distinctive, pale blue flower that I remembered. I dug them up to grow them indoors, in hopes of that the weed killer wouldn’t affect them. Now I am just waiting to put Sea Breeze salvia seedlings into the bed.

Speaking of seedlings, nearly all but the columbines that I seeded last weekend, have sprouted. Speediest out of the gate were the marigolds. Everything else has followed suit, save for the columbines–which take a few days more than usual. Those petunias and ice plants are particularly tiny! I will need to remember to keep them under the dome a little longer than the others. I’m also happy to report that planting the garlic chives thickly and keeping them covered with a humidity dome has produced favorable results. Now I just need to sow more garlic chives. Since I emptied out our bathroom nursery, I have a little more counter space to work with. But first I have to work on getting the previous wave of seedlings potted and placed outside. The basil seedlings also need hardening off; with the warm weather, it’s time to put them outside. I should sow more of the Red Rubin basil since they will look good in the purple bed. I forgot that I had some Lime Basil seeds to sow as well.

While I’m on the subject of herbs…the herb garden sits still unfinished. I’ve only planted the lime thyme and the golden oregano in the cinder block border. I have yet to move the other oregano, thymes, and pineapple mint. Those herbs planted from last year are now cozy neighbors, jutting up against each other in the corners of the bed. I’m reluctant to move them now since they look so good together, but it’s only a matter of time before the pineapple mint takes over. The rosemary suffered some frost burn this past winter, but there is evidence of a lot of new growth on all of its branches–so I imagine it is doing quite well, unlike our rosemary topiary. I am considering installing the lavender in the herb garden’s back row.

The shade garden in front gathered the most newcomers this weekend. I added one specimen of the Gold Standard hosta, the 2 Wide Brims, and the 2 Purple Palace heuchera. I’m also excited to see that both of the foxtails have prominent plume shoots above ground, and the japanese painted fern in back has also sent out several fronds. The golden hakone grass are back this spring, showing off vibrant citrine yellow blades of grass–really brightening the area. The honey put down several bags of black mulch, which is punching up the color of the new additions. I am hoping the tiger lilies give us a show this summer; in the mean time, I am still debating on what border plants to add to the bed, aside from impatiens.

The front flower bed was the messiest to begin with; overgrown with weeds and in dire need of cleaning and shearing. Most of the vinca remains have been removed, the coreopsis and salvia have been trimmed back and general maintenance performed. The centerpiece loropetalum is stealing the show, drenched in countless white fringe flowers. I am thinking that the nandina flanking it need to be pruned into a rounder shape sometime in the future. The Victoria blue salvia that I’ve left in the bed are sprouting at the roots; so I’m glad to have left them in this bed so they can come back. The compact white ballerina gaura has grown back in force, nearly a foot high after I cleaned it. However, the pink gaura (Cherry Brandy and Passionate Blush) aren’t as vigorous, only still crowning at this time. I took some cuttings of Passionate Blush in hopes of propagating it. Sadly, neither the hakone grass nor the kangaroo paw have made a reappearance in this bed and are most likely victims of our vicious winter. I’m still crossing my fingers that the kangaroo paw may come back.

The only decorative bed in front is the gardenia bed, bordered by kale and viola. Sadly, this winter may have taken a toll on the gardenia; much of its leaves are pale, dry and look ready to drop. We have to take care not to overwater it, but I’m not sure if it’s going to survive another year. It is truly ghastly.

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Ye Olde Garden

Herb garden rebuild and a shade companion

2/28/2011 Golden Oregano Displaying Spring GrowthPurchased 4 cinder blocks from Home Depot this weekend to complete some renovation work on our herb garden. We removed the original white brick border and replaced them with spare cinder blocks that we recovered from the back yard. Going by what we saw at NHG, the cinder block holes will be useful in isolating the pineapple mint which has grown rampant in the herb garden. I also plan on removing the oreganos and thymes to plant into the wall, then raise the soil a few more inches before we plant out our peppers and basils. In assessing the herb bed, I am concerned that the rosemary has displayed some winter leaf burn and hope that it is only that, and not a sign of die off from lack of water.

However, we do have a new rosemary topiary that we picked up from Walton’s Gardens. It is a 3 gallon specimen shaped as a Christmas tree that we got on sale, 30% off I believe. It is nearly 3 feet high and in good health. The man dug up the bed right next to the patio door to provide it a good home with lots of drainage. Here’s crossing my fingers that it will endure in its new place–such a lovely fragrance to walk out to!

2/28/2011 New Oxalis in Lily BedAlso purchased a green shamrock, oxalis regnellii or more commonly known as oxalis triangularis, this past weekend at Calloway’s Gardenfest. I planted it in the lily bed, but I should have thought about putting 2 in the front yard shade bed instead. I’ve been so impressed with the vigor of the purple shamrocks that I hope the green leafed version displays a similar tolerance for our Texas heat.

After attending a workshop hosted by Calloway’s on Bulb Hunter Cris Wiesinger’s picks for southern heirloom bulbs, I am eager to find more shade-loving bulbs that are native to this region for planting in the front yard shade garden.  I have a keen interest in the oxblood lilies, crinum, roman hyacinths and fragrant narcissus (small flowered kind) for planting in the shade garden (added to wishlist), alongside the ferns, hostas, and loropetalum.

Ye Olde Garden

One month later

The winter garden is finally shuttering up the show. The annual holdouts such as the angelonia and the ornamental peppers have given up their last seasonal colors. The man and I had done some diligent pruning and clean up of the front beds, such as shearing back the gaura, removing dead coleus and cutting back the salvias, including the Victoria Blues. I had planted some violas and ornamental cabbages/kale in the gardenia bed, which have been blanketed by fall debris. Too bad we didn’t have a way to compost all the autumn leaves; that’s a project for next year, hopefully. 

The purple garden has been cleaned of the dried out ornamental peppers. I’ve also removed as much of the bicolor salvia as I could. Here’s to hoping that my reseeding efforts will bear fruit in the spring. I’ve sprinkled as much of the seeds closer to the side of the house, where it’s been a challenge to grow anything. The only plant that’s managed to endure in the damp ground that killed off a lavender and a rosemary is the citronella plant  (Orange Fizz) which has soared to a whopping 3 feet high. Time will tell if it can survive the frost. Future plans: rearrange lorapetalum and purple salvias in a straight line, plant Picasso and Devils Wine callas.

I’ve gone ahead and planted the blueberry dianthus in the blue bed, after uprooting and repotting the plumbago and applying a generous layer of mulch. I’ve also taken some rooted bits of Wood’s Blue aster and replanted them. I finished off the bed with plantings of violas. It is perhaps the only color left…the oxalis top growth are turning an unflattering shade of brown.

I am happy to see that the herb garden is thriving, thanks to departure of the basil plants. The rosemary is enjoying good circulation, full sun and perhaps has grown more in the last few weeks than it has all summer. The oreganos, thyme and pineapple mint are sprawling happily…too happily in fact, since I’ve had to shear back the mint. I am hoping to clone the Hot & Spicy Oregano in the opposite corner of the bed, so that I can have a second specimen. The man and I have decided on two priorities for this herb garden in 2011: 1) plant only basil in this bed, and 2) purchase some fencing to keep the pups out. We might just pot up the pepper plants or set them up in a separate bed.

I’ve removed some of the Flame Callas from the courtyard flower bed. The bed is looking rather bare, especially with the annual azaleas dying off. I plan on moving the daylilies in this bed as well as transplanting the rest of the callas out. I hope to get some more red and white dianthus to completely border the bed. Some more of those chocolate ajuga might produce a red, white, and blue border in the spring. The question is: what shrubbery to plant for next year?

Shade garden: more ferns, caladiums and nandinas perhaps. I definitely want to look into variegated liriope as an option. I hope the hakonechloa come back.

Speaking of which, those dwarf mondo grasses bordering our gravel extension are doing quite well. I hope they will grow hardy in time for next summer’s drought and heat.

Ye Olde Garden

Rise of the summer-heat lovers

The spring show is wrapping up…the last Navona lily wears its white crown in a garden bed that is gathering itself for 100+ degree weather. We had made the mistake of laying out some pots of new impatiens that we purchased at Strong’s Nursery on Saturday only to discover that the sizzling heat had baked the flowers off by Sunday.

The plants that we had positioned in the newly prepped herb garden also suffered from the heat. I fear that the pineapple mint suffered the worst, perhaps irrecoverable. The rest perked back up, especially the ornamental peppers, after liberal watering. We also added a few more plants to the herb garden: 2 Thai basils, one Sweet Basil, another Lime Basil, three types of peppers (Fresno Chili, Bonnie Bell, and one whose name I forget at the moment). I also took two of the lemon thyme cuttings and transplanted it into the bed.

I also planted a recently acquired Mint Julep Calla lily under the shade of the burgeoning Hot Lips salvia sitting in the courtyard flower bed. What was once barely a foot high is now a rounded 3-foot specimen of green. It is currently in between flower displays, but I hope it will perk back up soon.

Lastly I planted the Imperial Dark Blue Plumbago by the fence, sharing the bed with the struggling Nepeta and the newly-budding yarrows. Time will tell if the plumbago can stand the partial shade conditions.

Speaking of shade, the crape myrtles providing most of the cover to our corner flower beds have started blooming. In the front yard is a light pink specimen. The myrtle in the courtyard, nearest the fence door, is a “lavender” or purple variety. The other myrtle hasn’t staged a reveal yet, but I’m betting it is purple as well. This revelation was a lot more pleasant than expected–I was dreading that the myrtles would be of the Pepto-Bismol pink shade. Lucky us!