Loving Lavender & Rosemary, too

I was in the greenhouse today just to hang out with a couple of my favorite plants, Lavender, with its beautiful gray-green foliage and aromatic flowers, and Rosemary, darker green and a bit more prickly. We can sell as many of these plants as we can grow, and every year, I tell John, “we need to grow more”. Last year I started a Rosemary Topiary, shaped with a ball at the top. I kept putting a ‘not for sale’ sign on it, but people kept trying to buy it anyway. I finally had to take it out of the greenhouse so our customers would not be upset. I think I will start some more this year. It is pretty easy. Papa Genos has some handy instructions for making your own topiary, http://www.papagenos.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=140 and you can come by our greenhouse and get a plant to start with.
Lavender and Rosemary are easy to grow as long as they have good drainage and full sun. In most places, you will need to add sand or gravel to your soil as well as a small amount of organic compost. This is to match the Mediterranean conditions. Sage and Thyme are in the same category and are also amazing culinary herbs. I actually love spending time in the garden with this collection as they all smell so amazing. I often pick them fresh and throw in to my salad with the regular greens.These plants also grow well in containers and if you live in the Northeast like us, you can ensure they make it through the winter by bringing them inside. We often plant Lavender and Rosemary in a terra cotta (unglazed) pot and put that in the ground. The pot keeps the plant moist over the summer. When the weather gets colder, just pull the pot out of the ground and bring the plant in to the house or a protected porch. And, there is nothing like running your hand across the top of one of these plants to release their wonderful fragrance in your home in the dead of winter. I tend to do it at least once a day!