My Herb Garden

Ten years ago, newly divorced with two young children, I bought a nice house on a corner lot with a large yard. It was there that I discovered I could actually keep plants alive. The key for me was to grow the plants outside, not indoors in pots. (I had a 100% kill rate for indoor plants.)

I dug in the soil: Some plants came out, other plants went in, soil was amended with Black Kow. When I needed muscle, helpful neighbors pitched in. The whole place looked better.

My favorite plants were, and still are, herbs. Thanks to the robust soil with its cow manure, they grew lush and fragrant in two large beds outside my backdoor. I cooked with freshly harvested sage, rosemary, basil, tarragon and thyme - after a time, even my children knew which was what and could snip sprigs for me while I cooked. Because I planted herbs more for their appearance and scent than for my ability to cook with them (e.g., tarragon), I sought out new recipes that featured them (did you know tarragon is delicious with mushrooms or chicken? and the blooms on tarragon plants are edible?).

I also used my herbs around the house; in my bath (rosemary sprigs and lemon slices are refreshing, while lavender is soothing) or floral arrangements. They were so plentiful that I could share them with friends. I sold the house and moved three years ago, but still have memories of that wonderful herb garden and the joy it brought me.

I haven't had time for gardening at our new place, except for a large pot outside our front door that I change several times a year. A recent cold snap . killed a poinsettia that I planted in the pot two months ago, but the dusty miller I planted along with it survived. Earlier today I removed the dead plant and began pondering what to do now. Maybe some trailing plants (or an herb like thyme) in between the dusty miller and a tall herb in the center? Rosemary might not be exactly right. Not certain about lavender, either. Tarragon? Hmmm.

I'll noodle this over for a bit, but not too long. Herbs will start appearing in nurseries soon and the memory of my old herb garden inspires me to give it a go. Looks like Spring fever is catching me early this year.

Photos by Zsuzsanna Kilián; top - thyme; bottom - tarragon