We had a late start with the new herbs. Cilantro was a bust, with the volunteers from last year blooming out fast and sowing the new seeds too late, but we have a huge amount of new seeds from the volunteers for next year. Onward and upward.
This lavender plant is in its second year, and doing nicely. I planted two more this spring as well. The first round of lavender didn’t survive winter, so this one’s triumphant return is well received.
The dill are all volunteers from last year’s planting, about a half dozen in all. The seeds were harvested for pickling last year, so these are from seeds dropped while collecting last year’s crop. The lemon basil behind the dill is from seeds washed down the slope from last year’s planting, about four feet away.
The purple basil sat in its grow pot for entirely too long, with most of the new herbs this year. It was leggy and had been sun fried on occasion before planting, but is finally recovered and beginning to thrive.
The lemon balm and sage are in their third year. This rosemary is only half the size of its sibling down the strip, having waited weeks longer to go into the dirt. The basil was a last minute panic in response to the first buy wilting so much during the delayed planting, it is slow to grow but otherwise healthy.
Pineapple sage is our favorite herb we’ve yet to eat. It grows big and produces stunning red funnel blossoms late in the fall until the first freeze, offering welcomed late color. The first planting survived its first winter and came back from the root clump, but didn’t survive the most recent winter.
This traditional sage is the bigger of the two planted in our first year at our wabi-sabi cottage. This is the third summer for them and the Greek oregano. They are both surviving the bugs better than last year.
The basil plants are all thriving after a late start in planting. The lemon basil in front is a clump of three volunteers from last year’s planting. The original plant was located past the sweet basil…
Here is the first rosemary in the ground this year, about the only new herb in the ground in a timely fashion, such is the demand of life. Immediately out of the frame is the three year old lemon thyme plant, the only herb I forgot to photograph during yesterdays walk through the garden.
We hope to play with window pane boxes and other such insulating cover to get more of our herbs through the winter. We are still learning to use them in our cooking more often, and planning to chop and freeze them in olive oil for use through the winter…
These are the flavors of our wabi-sabi life: bold and lush and of a wide variety.
