Zoe, I do have a tiny Hidcote.
Rosemary, I'm having a hard time growing my hedge plant in water, I just need one more plant.

I have had great success rooting plants in vermiculite .
I find it produces a better root (not just a water root )
downsize is you cant see the root size so extra patience is required.

Two seedlings have appeared that I'm not certain about. This first smells like feverfew I think... it's been a long time since I've smelled it. I threw out seeds 2 1/2 (maybe 3 1/2?) years ago with no success and not in this bed. A slow developer, maybe?


This has no scent that I can discern. Such a common form but I can't place it. Thoughts?

second one looks like rag weed
i always mistake them for marigolds but the marigolds have a very distinctive smell.

Hm. I've never had ragweed that I know of. I'll keep an eye on it. I don't need anything to contribute to my allergies this year!

Here's most of my herbs for this year minus chives, garlic chives, oregano, chocolate mint, 2 lavenders and 2 aromatic sages (for pollinators).



There's 6 types of bail, sage, thyme, parsley, and maybe more.

Nice selection , will they go in-ground or do you grow in pots?

I'll stick to pots. That lets me move them as needed and find where they are happiest.

I grow basil, cilantro, oregano, and garlic chives. I have grown some others in the past, but I find I don't end up using them! Since I'm in an apartment with a covered balcony, my grow light space is at a premium. So I only grow the ones I use a lot, and that are worth it to me (the ones that are significantly better fresh than dried).

But if I had more space I would add more basil varieties (I have two by accident--the seed packet contained two varieties), and additional cilantro plants, so I always have a mature one. Also another variety or two of oregano, plus thyme and maybe parsley. I like the idea of having rosemary, but I rarely use it.

I also grow some greens and vegetables which grow just as quickly and easily as herbs: Spinach, leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce, radishes, baby bok choy, and now I'm trying some fingerling carrots.

Oh, I forgot to add to my list Borage. I love the blue flowers and the plant's other benefits. Pollinators love them, too. Here's this year's seedlings just coming up in a pot in my back yard. It's in dappled sun, so it's very happy, especially with our mild temps & near daily rain for the 2 weeks or so.

I just cut a huge borage plant down, I composted the whole plant, that's a guarantee they will come back in my garden next year.

(August 2020)

I too love the looks of the borage flowers
only found two volunteers this year.

Beautiful photo, Cinda. They volunteered like crazy in my NoCal garden. Tried them here once, not too successful; I think the heat was too much for them. I used to put the sweet blue stars in salads and other dishes.

Here in Central TX I have had the best luck planting them in 20" pots in front of my kitchen sink window (full sun) alongside the jasmine and yellow gerbera daisies also there. That way I can't forget to water them, as they aren't near the auto-sprinkler system. With adequate water, They withstood the scorching heat Texas has in summer. No reseeding happened in the pots. Those pots sit on a rear paved driveway/patio area, so no reseeding happens in this setting. But here in the city, I plan to just sow seeds direct in outdoor pots each year treating them like annuals (as they germinate/grow so fast) and have my two pots out there. I like looking at their blue flowers when I'm sorking at the kitchen sink.

Down at our rural cabin, I'm going to start them in pots on the porch and then set them out into the pasture when large enough to withstand wind and elements. Last year I tried to direct sow along chain link fence around cabin front yard but they apparently didn't make dirt contact even watering them in. None germinated. Pre-germinating in pots will insure they get going this year.

Had brunch at Los Poblanos lavender farm yesterday. Beautiful setting. They also grow veggies, herbs and fruit for the restaurant. Lovely spot.

OMG, brings back olfactory memories of our 1980 6-weeks vacation to the British Isles. We rented a car and drove all around. I swear I could smell the lavender fields miles before we got close to any of them when the wind was right. Love that scent, so I'm envious of your nearby place to enjoy it.

Thai basil is going nuts.



Genovese basil is taller than my water fountain.

I just removed my melon beds and my herbs have been growing with them, they are so fragrant.
So I decided for my front bed, in between stepping stones, I will throw in some herb seeds, creeping thyme, broadleaf sage, marjoram. As long as they don't get too big, it will be nice to brush against them.

Cut 2 of my herbs, Thai basil, and Genovese down to the stem, hopefully they will emerge next year. Going to move some of my sage plants to the front, HOA should not complain, they are not vegetables.

Basil and dill are my favorites.