Grow Annual Plants

6 Lemon Scented Herbs you need in your Garden

February 21, 2022 1 Comment

Growing herbs is a very important part of gardening that you shouldn’t skimp on. Adding herbs can bring in pollinators and potentially ward off pests in your garden

Lemon scented herbs are a must add to the garden. The Lemon scent smells so fresh and clean and screams spring. Every year you should make a point to grow lemon scented herbs in your garden. They are good for drying then storing them for cooking and teas. If you are a backyard chicken keeper you can also use them in your nest boxes to relax your hens while they lay.

Here are six herbs to grow for the lemony scent.

Lemon Thyme

Lemon Balm

Lemon Grass

Lemon Verbena

Lemon Mint

Lemon Basil

All of these lemon scented herbs are easy to grow from seed. Start them 4-6 weeks before your first frost date and you’ll be harvesting them before you know it! Or you can find them in many of the greenhouses and big box stores.

Ready to start your own seeds? Check out this post to find out what you need!

Drying herbs for storage can be a daunting task but it’s so easy and pretty satisfying once they are dry. You can air dry herbs by hanging them in a shady space outdoors or you can hang them indoor in a space that gets good airflow. You can also put them in a dehydrator or your oven to dry.

*To dry herbs in your oven set your temperature to 200 degrees. Lay your herbs on a flat tray and but in the oven. Check on your herbs every 15 mins for dryness and crispness. If your herbs are burning you’ve left them in the oven too long.*

To store your fresh dried herbs you will want to use an airtight container like a mason jar or any other container with a lid. Storing herbs allows you to enjoy them all year long until it’s time to grow more!

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

HOW TO GROW NASTURTIUM

October 9, 2021 Leave a Comment

Nasturtiums are so gorgeous! They are a great plant to have in the garden. You can start them indoors four-six weeks before your first frost date. Then plant them outdoors after the threat of frost is gone. You can plant them in the landscape, in pots and hanging baskets. What’s even cooler is they are totally edible! Add the foliage and flowers to your salad for a zing!

how to grow nasturtium — Alaska Dwarf Nasturtium

You and easily order seeds online. Once you have a collection of see you can grow from your own stock every year.

Nasturtiums are beautiful trailing over a raised garden bed or covering up a less than pretty space in the garden. They are often used as a sacrificial or trap plant for aphids and squash bugs. Plant them next to your Brassicas and they’ll help keep pests away. If you haven’t started a vegetable garden yet check out my post on how to get started.

Nasturtium’s are not too picky about the type of soil you plant them in so use what you have available. They are forgiving if you forget to water them and they love full sun. They can tolerate part shade but do much better with 6-8 hours of sun.

how to grow nasturtium from seed — Fresh Nasturtium seeds

Be sure to collect and dry seeds for the next growing season! Nasturtiums are heavy seeders and you’ll have plenty to plant or share with friends next year! Nasturtiums grow pretty quickly from seed. Feel free to start them directly in the garden after your first frost date.

Happy Gardening!

Ciearra

8 Garden Flowers to grow right now!

July 12, 2021 Leave a Comment

Your probably wishing you had more flowers in the garden right? We all are. Here are 8 garden flowers you need to grow and what’s even better is that they bring in pollinators!

Hydrangea

Hydrangea blooms are a must for anyone with space to grow. You can grow them in pots or in ground so there is no excuse not to have one someplace in your space. You have several types of blooms to choose from but my favorite are Panicle and big leaf hydrangeas.

garden flowers — Big Leaf Hydrangea bloom

Zinnia

These are my favorite easy to grow from seed flowers! They handle neglect from me and I love them for it haha. They also come in several different bloom types. Zinnias make the perfect garden flowers to grow year after year.

Rose

Roses like Hydrangeas are so traditional and much needed in every garden. There are so many different types of Roses but here is an At Last Rose that’s currently blooming in my garden

Hosta

I know this plant is so unexpected but I have fallen in love with them this year. Mine are booming with growth and the blooms are gorgeous and full of pollinators.

Dahlia

These blooms are so amazing. They come in so many different colors and shapes. My garden will never be without a Dahlia.

Butterfly Bush

The blooms on the butterfly bush are like no other. They are a so gorgeous and come in many different colors. Pollinators love them and they really do attract a lot of butterflies

Amaranth

Amaranth “Love lies Bleeding” is not only edible it’s gorgeous! I love seeing the tassels blow in the wind!

Sunflower

This is a garden staple! Sunflowers scream summer and come in so many different varieties and sizes. There’s one for every type of garden!

Flowers are such a big part of garden design. A lot of us choose plants based on the flowers before foliage and I completely understand why! So what’s your favorite flower in the garden?

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How to Successfully Grow Elephant Ear Plants

July 3, 2021 Leave a Comment

Elephant Ear plants are pretty easy to grow from bulb. It’s medium maintenance plant when in a pot and low maintenance when in ground outdoors. The bulbs are often referred to as Taro and are sold in many exotic grocery stores as an edible root.

(If you plan to eat this plant please do your research first. I have never consumed this plant and am not suggesting that you do)

How to Grow Elephant Ear Plants

Is there anything prettier than seeing those big heart shaped leaves in the garden? When there’s a slight breeze they move back n forth as if shaking their heads.

I’ve been growing Elephant Ear Plants for over 5 years and I think everyone should add them to their gardens

The new Magnum sized bulbs I purchased February

I purchased new bigger bulbs this year and saved my bulbs from last year. I used regular potting soil to start them in pots indoors. I typically start my bulbs in february so that I can get a jump on the garden season.

If you live in a cold garden zone then the earlier you start your bulbs the bigger your plants will be when you can put them in the garden.

To learn how to grow Elephant Ear Plants as Houseplants read this post!

After they are potted I give them a full watering where the water comes out of the bottom of the pot. Then I water them when the soil is half dry.

I water this way to make sure my bulbs do not rot. Keeping wet soil around your bulbs can quickly rot and kill them so be careful with your watering frequency

Elephant Ear Plants — Elephant Ears planted in ground

Elephant Ear plant
Tips

Once it is past my frost free date I move my plants to a shaded part of the garden until they acclimate to the outdoor conditions. Usually a week in the shade is enough time. Once my plants are acclimated It’s time to start planting. I plant a lot of elephant ear plants in ground and some get planted in my outdoor planters.

Planted in ground or in a pot I make sure I keep the soil moist but not soggy. So for my plants in pots I water every other day and in ground I water every 2-3 days unless there’s rain.

I don’t fertilize the Elephant Ear plants in ground except at planting but I do however fertilize my potted Elephant Ears weekly with fish emulsion.

Got Elephant Ear questions? Let me know!

Happy Gardening!

Ciearra

6 Lemon Scented Herbs you need in your Garden

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