Herbs in the Landscape

Each spring I teach an herb workshop that requires preparing several herbal dishes for the participants to sample. I like to use fresh, organically grown herbs. No problem! I just go out to my garden and clip whatever I need – spearmint for one recipe, rosemary, garlic chives or Greek oregano for another.

Some of my other reliable perennial herbs such as pineapple sage, lemon grass, Mexican tarragon and lemon verbena are usually dormant in early spring but reliably sprout back as the weather warms. Basil is a warm weather annual that must be re-planted in April.

All of the herbs mentioned in this article are very easy to grow; not one is finicky as long as it is planted in the right place. You do not need a special herb garden in order to grow herbs. You can place them in the existing landscape or grow them in containers.  I planted a bay laurel as part of our foundation plantings at the front of the house. The rest of the herbs are mixed in with butterfly, hummingbird and bee plants in a garden in the sun.

Most herbs such as rosemary, creeping thyme and Greek oregano need at least six hours of sun each day and well-drained soil. If you are starting a new garden by preparing a bed, mix in a generous amount of mushroom compost or homemade compost to condition the soil before planting. If your soil is mostly hard-packed clay, you may be better off planting in large containers or in a raised bed filled with a good topsoil/compost mixture.

Some herbs, like lemon balm, spearmint and others in the mint family can handle more shade. Most mints spread aggressively. For this reason, I confine my spearmint to an antique black kettle on my front steps. The kettle has a crack in it, which provides necessary drainage.

Herbs are among the prettiest of plants in our yard. Prostrate rosemary cascades over the edge of our limestone rock wall and is in bloom just about year round. Bumblebees are regular visitors to the small blue flowers. Pineapple sage sports showy red flowers in autumn which attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Bronze fennel and parsley are hosts to the caterpillar that will become the graceful black swallowtail butterfly.

Herbs are easy to grow, fragrant, attractive to wildlife and useful in cooking. They are also quite pretty in cut flower and foliage arrangements. Choose one or two herbs and get started today – you will be glad that you did.

Blueberries are easy to grow!

We planted blueberry bushes in 1983 as a present to my father-in-law for Father’s Day. It is hard to think of any plant that has consistently given us so much pleasure over the years as these blueberry bushes. And for so little care! Jack is no longer with us, but the blueberry bushes continue to delight.

Now they are 7-8 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide. In early June, they are covered with green berries that gradually turn blue as they ripen. Bring on the blueberry cobbler and fresh blueberries over vanilla ice cream.

Blueberries are easy to grow. Plant them in loose, well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. Ours are planted in a large bed that they share with tall pines which provide a nice dappled shade. They do not like wet, mucky spots and will not thrive in heavy clay soils. Blueberry bushes do well in our naturally acidic soil. Blueberries like the same kind of soil as azaleas; if azaleas do well in your yard, chances are blueberries will too, providing you have enough sun. Plant them at least six feet apart unless you are trying to create an informal hedge.

Plant at least two different varieties as they need to be cross pollinated to provide lots of fruit. Blueberries are pollinated primarily by the Southeastern blueberry bee, which looks like a small bumble bee. In addition to the hybrid rabbiteye blueberries that produce large tasty fruits, we also planted native highbush blueberries. The berries are darker and smaller, but also very tasty.

We fertilized ours yearly with an organic azalea-camellia fertilizer when they were young but now that they are mature and in large beds with natural mulch that slowly breaks down and provides nutrition, they don’t seem to need any fertilizer.

My mother-in-law, Sue Walthall, always reminded her grandchildren to get out early to “beat the birds” to the ripe berries. Of course, it’s always cooler in the morning for picking! I have such pleasant memories of picking blueberries with her and our children over the years. One child always took pride in filling up the bucket as fast as possible and the other always had a very blue mouth attesting to the fact that she ate as many as she picked.

For efficient picking, Betty Komarek from Birdsong Nature Center taught me long ago to cut open a plastic milk jug and attach it to my belt. This frees both hands for picking and you don’t have to bend over to reach the bucket.

Water, especially in the early years, is critical. Blueberry bushes produce berries while they are young, but you will not get a big crop for several years. My advice is always the same to anyone who is interested in producing fruit – get started as soon as possible and be patient! And don’t forget to water!

Jody’s Best Blueberry Cobbler:

Heat oven to 400
6 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3 T. melted butter

Combine blueberries, sugar and cinnamon. Pour into 9X13 baking dish, well greased. Mix remaining ingredients until blended and drop by spoonfuls onto fruit. Bake 15 minutes at 400; reduce heat to 350 and bake 10 minutes longer. Top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Create a Secret Garden using Woodland Wildflowers

I have always loved secret gardens. There is something enchanting about passing through an archway or space between two shrubs into a little clearing surrounded by wild violets, deep green ferns and fragrant wild azaleas. Picture yourself entirely surrounded by evergreen shrubs, blue sky above, sitting in a comfy chair invisible to the rest of the world.

We have been working on a secret garden at Native Nurseries for several years. The major backdrop is formed by some large mountain laurels that were planted in the early 1980s. When we started the garden a few years ago, we had to plant 3 more mountain laurels and a Florida anise to make the rest of the backdrop and they have not filled in yet; this is a work in progress. There is also a magnolia and agarista that help form the secret garden as well as a homemade cedar/bamboo fence along one side.

We created a short path and small stone patio on which sit two chairs and a low table. We added wild azaleas, native ferns, lots of Indian pinks, wild phlox, bloodroot, Jack-in-the-pulpit and other woodland wildflowers. This is a quiet retreat where my husband Jody eats lunch on a busy Saturday. Once I noticed that one of the chairs was missing from the secret garden and I soon found the chair along with Jody deep inside one of the big mountain laurels which enveloped an excellent hiding place. He was reading his book in peace.

You don’t need to have a secret garden to enjoy a wildflower garden. To start your own woodland wildflower garden, select a shady spot in your yard. Dig into the soil. Is it well- drained? Is it easy to dig down? If not, you may need to add organic matter to the area. If the shade is high (large pines or hardwoods), you may want to plant a native shrub or small tree. A wild azalea, Florida anise or Ashe magnolia would make a nice centerpiece. Then plant a variety of woodland wildflowers around it.

One of the shady islands in our parking lot is fun to watch throughout the seasons. It is anchored by an Ashe magnolia tree which sports huge leaves and equally huge white flowers with purple markings in April. The wildflower parade begins in late winter.

First up are the mottled green leaves and deep maroon flowers of trillium and the dainty white flowers of bloodroot. Wild violets are blooming at the same time, as are the bright yellow trout lilies. Soon to follow are the green hooded flowers of Jack-in-the-pulpit. Woodland phlox is just beginning to bloom; by March its purple masses will be very showy. About the same time, the red and yellow bells of wild columbine will appear over taller fern-like foliage, attracting the first of the ruby-throated hummingbirds to return this spring. By May, Indian pink is in full bloom, its red tubular blossoms also attractive to hummingbirds.

Bloodroot

Wild Columbine 

Rue Anemone

Woodland Phlox

Do not mulch the garden except with the leaves that naturally fall there. This will enable the wildflowers to spread by seed over time. If they are happy, they will spread! Set up a chair or bench nearby to enjoy your tranquil garden.