On the garden front

[ksmith]

...I now have 15 tomato seedlings at various stages of growth. The tallest are 3 and a half inches tall; others are 2-3 inches, or a little shorter. I am thinking of turning the southeast corner of the backyard into a tomato garden--yes, I know it's a little late to be tilling soil and getting it into shape--just to see what happens. Otherwise, 11 of those seedlings will go to waste, and I don't have the heart to trash them.

Herbwise, I now have a rosemary topiary to go with what I think are thyme and oregano, the two survivors of what had been a 5-herb container garden. I keep trying to find images of the leaves online, but there are so many varieties of each herb that I can't tell them apart. Scent doesn't always work either because all I have to compare with is the dried stuff, and the dried stuff doesn't always smell the same as the fresh. Maybe I'll post pictures in the next day or two, and someone can tell me exactly what I have.

Anyway, used the fresh rosemary in Sunday's lamb. It was very good. It will need its own pot, since it's about a foot high now and could reach a height of 2-6 feet, according to the info card. I really don't think I need a six foot rosemary bush, so I am hoping it remains on the shorter side.

Is it ok to transplant a bonsai tree to a bigger pot? I've had this tree for 4 1/2 years. All the leaves fell off recently, which may have been a response to the A/C. I thought it was a goner, but I put it outside on the off chance that heat and sun would help, and it seems to be coming around. Leaves are sprouting. But the trunk has grown and it just looks cramped. Can I transplant it?

I also bought a lavender plant today. I want to keep that inside. Maybe cut some sprigs and dry them.

Comments

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

http://www.freemanherbs.com/pdf/2008Brochure.pdf

The herb garden I bought was the one called "Outdoor Bistro"--it's on the bottom of the page with the other multi-herb container gardens. The two herbs that survived are the ones nearest the viewer, along the front edge of the pot. One had teeny leaves--I think that's the thyme. The other, which is next to it, has larger, rounder leaves that form trailers--I think it's a variety of oregano, but it could be a type of sage as well.

Or I could be completely off base...

[torrilin.livejournal.com]

Parsley is a biennial. It's pretty sturdy, but it likes lots of light and might have keeled over young. Rosemary is rather delicate, and does better as a houseplant even in southern PA. It almost certainly keeled over. And mom never could keep a sage plant alive (which is a pity, because we both love it madly). Sage has leaves that look rather like a GIANT thyme leaf, often 2" long or more, so you don't have sage.

So yeah, the small leaf survivor is thyme, and the large leaf one is oregano :D.

If you like tarragon, I'd try growing it. It's another one on the list of "almost impossible to kill".

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I like tarragon, so if I can find a plant, I'll add it to the mix.