An auto accident and a bicycle accident and suddenly my August is over! Getting to work has been a challenge since the squishing accident that wrecked my Lumina. Then I got hit riding my bicyle as well. In both cases no damage to me, but the vehicles did not fare as well. The car was totaled and the bicycle had to be repaired, but all is fixed now and I can get back on track.
It is that time of year where I spend all the time I can harvesting herbs. I have had great success with my Lemon Verbena this year. It got wind/frost damage in late sping from freak storm. All the leaves darkened and fell off and in their place grew new STEMS. The plants are incredibly bushy. Then I started taking off branches, not too many becasue Lemon Verbena wilts when you cut it. At each cut, three stems emerged from the leaves. I have decided to cut at least one stem everyday so I get a short but even more bushy plant to bring in next month. It will be a great addition to my indoor winter garden. I am also bringing in the Lemon...
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Tags:
crafts, geraniums, harvesting herbs, lemon verbena
Posted at: 10:07 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
I have previously sung the praises of scented geraniums, but it is worth repeating.
Pelargonium plants are in a different family from true geraniums, but they are known commonly as scented geraniums. I love this plant as the variety of colors, leaf shapes and scents is almost limitless. However the lemon-scented varieties are my favorites. These native South African plants grow wild and can reach 10 feet. But in the areas north of Zone 9 they are gown as annuals and fit well in small pots as houseplants. I always bring mine in for the winter, being careful to wash the leaves thoroughly to not bring in whitefly. They prefer a sandy soil. I usually add an extra part of sand to my traditional potting soil mix. (6 parts top soil, 2 parts compost 1 part sand). They can withstand heat and dry conditions so they are a great sunny patio plant. The flowers of these plants are small and relatively insignificant, but the foliage has a rich scent that activates by touch, I always set them near doorways and stairs so you brush against them releasing the scent. As...
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Tags:
gardening, geraniums, herbs, lemon
Posted at: 10:22 AM | 0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink
