Windowsill Herb Garden

 

I was perusing Pinterest in October and found a pin about starting certain herbs from cuttings.  I was very intrigued especially since Rosemary was mentioned as one of them and I ALWAYS buy a new plant every year as they don't winter over where I live.  I have tried and tried to keep them through the winter, even getting them through until early Spring, only to have a late freeze "do them in."  I tried keeping them inside too, but after discarding many Rosemary "corpses" early winter, I gave up.

However, it is known universally that true gardeners never really give up, we only replant.  So, I figured I would try again by trying this method of  taking cuttings and see if I could keep them alive over winter.

 

So I was amazed and shocked to find that the Rosemary seems to happily root themselves in a bit of water.  Just take a clipping of a stem down to the woody part.  Remove the lower leaves and place in container...that's it.  Insta-Rosemary plants...well, give or take a week or two.  However, if you are patient, they will root.  And as you can see mine did.  

And then I planted two out of five of them.  They did well for awhile and then the inevitable came...

more herbal carnage. 

I couldn't show you a picture, because a dead plant is a disgrace to a gardener, even if it's only on a windowsill.

So, I started another cutting and it's happily rooted in water.  Where it's going to stay for now.

I also brought in the "mother plant."  And she's alive and even growing.  

I am fiercely trying to ignore her and only water when I see branches wilt as overwatering is a fast death sentence to Rosemary.

 

This parsley is actually not a cutting but a plant I started in late fall.  I don't think it's going to grow much bigger but I'm determined to keep it alive as I love its leaves.

 

My basil cuttings?  I only had one casualty and that was due to over or under watering...not sure which one it was.  However, the others rooted and were planted and are doing pretty well so far.

I have five more to plant, but am moving slowly on the planting as I don't want to lose any of them and they are still happy in their water.

I even managed to start a few peppermints from the plants in late November or early December.  Two out of five survived but they are making it.

I only have eastern windows, so anything that makes it will have to be especially hardy.

So, this is my winter garden.  Humble but happy.  A happy garden sight for white snowy days.  And the scent is a delicious reminder of outdoor summertime meals.

What's your favorite herb to cook with in the winter?  Blessings! 

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Attracting Butterflies: Plant These and They Will Come...

  

Whenever a butterfly happens to fly near me, I feel like a kid again.  Not that I take off and chase them, although the temptation is always there...!  So, I couldn't allow this summer to fly by without some mention of these fabulous creatures of the insect world.  How do we guarantee their yearly visits?  That's what I'm sharing here from my experience...

There are a lot of lists out there that suggest plants that attract butterflies.  These are a great help for sure, but I've found a few "super-attracting butterfly" plants out there that really fill the bill.  They aren't exotic or difficult to grow either which makes them a huge garden bonus.

I know this post is about the plants and all you see are the butterflies.  Well, the butterflies are the evidence that these plants really do attract butterflies.  And who minds looking at butterfly pics anyway?

 

I actually discovered some of the best plants to grow for butterflies by "mistake" as I was planting a bit of everything and started noticing which plants really drew them in.  Take this beauty of a caterpillar for instance.  Normally, caterpillars are a gardener's nightmare, but this one is special as it turns into a "Black Swallowtail."  Also, these caterpillars are not rampant in the garden.  There's a few here and there, so they don't annihilate all your plants.  Parsley caterpillars host plants include parsley, dill and fennel to name a few.  This one is on dill, so I guess he could be considered a "Dill Caterpillar." Anyway, these are great plants to have in the garden.  They are herbs to eat and to help raise some caterpillar babies....which means, butterflies!

 

I didn't capture a butterfly on this Zinnia "Profusion," but trust me, the little skipper butterflies 

(about a 1/2 long) loved them!  Zinnias are very old fashioned flowers.  However, I truly love them.  They are classics and as reliable as weeds when it comes to growing.  Weeds never looked this good though.  To attract big butterflies, plant dahlia or large zinnias like some of the ones here.  Give them room to grow as the big ones get really, well, you know, big!  They'll reward you with lots of great cutting flowers and the butterflies will love them too.

This brings us to a perennial that is a great flower all around and is native to boot. Purple Coneflower or Echinacea is a classic that should be in every garden.  I've seen so many insects and butterflies on these plants, it's like a fast food restaurant at lunch time.  Also, if you leave the seed heads on, they will attract goldfinches to your garden as well.  They love to eat the seeds of this plant and it's a great economical way to feed the little guys.  I really love watching birds eat "naturally" even though feeders can be fun.

Which brings me back to the subject of butterflies and the last plant pictured here (and with the yellow tiger swallowtail in the first pic.)  This is my easiest and sure fire butterfly attractor plant and one that I refuse to not have in the landscape.  Best of all, it's a perennial, a bush and it's pretty!  Yes, I am referring to Butterfly Bush or "Buddleia davidii."  It totally lives up to it's name and is well worth every penny spent.  I've had mine for over ten years and it keeps on coming back, flowering in late spring well into August - September.  I do randomly dead head the flowers in order to keep them producing.  The flowers just get smaller but keep coming on making a continual butterfly show!  So, from someone who has grown one, this plant is the one to beat for bringing those winged lovelies in to your space.  Here's a site to purchase your own or to find out more info about them. 

Okay, this is the coolest...a monarch and yellow tiger feasting on the same bloom from a butterfly bush!

Okay, that's the low down on what I have experienced as fool proof butterfly attractors! Hopefully it will inspire you with ideas with what to plant in your space.  What flowers or plants have you grown which the butterflies love?  I would really love to hear what you have grown!  Blessings!

Linked to these blogs, Lisa Leonard Designs ,  The Prairie Homestead, Frugally Sustainable

Eat Your Greenies...

     You can only imagine my happiness when I came upon this small clump of parsley in the mulched garden.  A true biennial, which means it grows to maturity in the first year and then goes to seed in the second, it does gives some fresh leaves its second year if you can catch it quickly enough!  And, because of this fabulous, unseasonably warm weather, I did "catch" it!

Curly Parsley

     So, even though it's only a bit of green, it's still green, and that means it is coming inside to my kitchen for lunch!

 
Now to put my herbal "nerd" on...Parsley is not just a decoration.  As a matter of fact, its health benefits outweigh most of the fancy dishes it's used as a garnish on!  Crazy, right?  I would fill up a page on everything it's good for, including your heart, rheumatoid arthritis, as well as being chock-full of antioxidants to boot.  If you can remember that it's rich in vitamins A and C, that should be all the info you need to want to grow, and eat this wonder herb.

                                                    

Yep, I minced these little leaves of health right onto whatever we were eating this day, which happened to be a mix of leftovers.  Case in point, "Chili Baked Potatoes," (a perfect way to use up a glob of leftover chili.)  It helps to give a little bit of nutrition to an otherwise heavy meal. Of course, to get more of the health benefits, eat more parsley, but for now, a sprinkle will do because much more parsley will be on its way in a month or two!

  So, think about giving parsley a try.  It's a strongly-flavored herb, so start with a small amount and work your way up. Don't give up if you don't care for it...it can take up to ten tries before we know we don't like a food.  So go for the ten and eat some green!