The Garden is Getting So Busy!

I seems there's never enough time to do all the things we want to do, wouldn't you agree?

I decided the dead tree and the holly bushes in our front yard needed to go this year so this is what I did.  I cut the dead tree down one limb at a time and then dug as much as I could of the roots.  I eventually had to hand it off to my son-in-law who finished digging it out - thanks Bradley!  The following day I dug the holly bushes out, intact, and offered them to friends on Facebook.  Two of the three were picked up and the third went to the trash, sadly.

My love of herbs (and my dear husbands encouragement) inspired me to plant an herb garden in place of those bushes and tree. It is an experiment.  I watched for a few days to make sure I knew the sun/shade pattern to expect and decided it was worth the try.  I have a well developed herb garden in the backyard but it's in a raised bed and I'm feeling a little cramped.  When I first started the garden I had no idea what to expect and now I see how they grow and spread over the years and understand more clearly why some will have to be thinned or divided.  The space in front looks sparse right now but I know what it will look like next year (God willing!) so I'm able to exercise patience (normally not my strength!).

 My small "mint garden" start.  They're all in clay pots right now and I'm looking into whether or not I can use a masonry bit to remove the bottom.  Because mint is so invasive it needs to be contained and the pots will work but having them in the ground will give them a better chance at long life.  In these pots are orange mint, lemon mint, cat mint, strawberry mint and berries and cream mint.  I have several other mints in containers from previous years that need to be transplanted somewhere.  There are so many varieties of mints that I doubt I could ever go a year without discovering a new one.  The only problem would be finding them available to start!

The beauty my daughter gave me for Mother's Day.  It resides in a lovely "flower" pot in the center of my deck table.  Simple love it.

 The beginning phase of my herb garden - fresh from the back of the van to the deck for sorting and planting.

 An old photo of the established garden in the back yard raised bed.  It has grown even more and why I need more space.

 Another view...

 Sage.  Who knew sage could be so pretty?  I didn't, I'm sure others did but now it's my turn to enjoy and pass it on to others to discover.

 Meadow Sage - in bloom.  So, so lovely.

 Oregano.  Initially I planted three to five types of oregano but one or two have remained and thrived.  The others did well also but at some point it became a big mass and I would need to go look at the cards stuck in the soil around them to tell you and I'm not going to do that right now.  Maybe later.

 Thyme.  Hmmmm

 Curry or Cumin?  I always forget.  I just remember being surprised to find the start at the nursery and adding it to the cart.  It has done well but is quite small compared to the other plants surrounding it.

 Lavender hiding under the columnar rosemary

 Chamomile

 The view under our deck.  Needs some work.  That's last year.  I'll post photos in a few days when we've done a little work :-)

 So much to do, so little time.   With that said, I need to stop here and get to work in that garden!  Today it's some deck work.  New furniture, lights and spruced up so we'll have some additional living space to enjoy our company during the 4th of July!!