One of the first joys of the new year...

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One of the first joys of the new year is to sit down and get lost in the seed catalogues… bliss. My Richter’s catalogue came this week! So I made myself a lovely big cuppa and sat down to revel. First time through I just skim and look at the illustrations…but the second pass is where I read the monograms and really enjoy the oddities of herbs …the main constituents of my next garden…..
The common names given to some of the herbs from early days and the novel ones being given some of the more recently developed ones range from thought provoking to hilarious… for instance: Plectranthus ‘Sumcol 01’ is listed as
“Piss-off Plant” because it is said to deter cats and dogs from any garden in which it is planted! Don’t think I need any of that but I know some of my friends might!
Then there’s “New! Rescueherb{tm}”(Solenostemon monostachys) It’s a herb from Africa which is said to treat panic attacks… and on and on….
I have found Saffron (crocus sativus) ten corms for $12 (Cdn.) which I would like to include but shipment is only in Sept and Oct. and the notation made below the entry is: Order early to avoid disappointment.
There are all the standard culinary, dye, and medicinal herbs and the old standards of the herb garden have some wonderful new decorative varieties…as a for instance…Oregano… there is a variety now which has RED flowers_(Origanum vulgare “Zorba Red’)_…with the pretty white petals in the centre…which according to the catalogue looks great in hanging baskets!!! What ever next?
They have everthing from Aconite to Zuta Levana and grouped listings of Everlastings for dried flower arrangements … and gourmet vegetables! Amaranth, Cynara, Asparagus! oh dear …it’s only the first page and my budget is blown!
It is also enlightening when you find answers to riddles from your own garden… here’s mine…. I had found a plant growing beside our driveway among other herbs I had put there…but it was foreign..I mean..it looked like a plant that was not common in this climate zone. it had lovely yellow, small morning glory or solanum-type flowers with a purple throat and produced a physallus like papery lantern below the blossom… it’s leaves looked similar to the solanum family. To my surprise, I found it listed in the herb catalogue as a _”Currant Tomato" Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium_…A tomatillo!! Now where did that come from? Did any of my friends send me seeds for tomatillos? hmmmm? Please own up if you did! because I’ve been caught not keeping proper records ….or it’s twilight zone time!
There is parsley (petroselinum) a new one! oh dear..I thought parsley was moss curled or italian and that was it! (just joking) but pages…and pages of basil…so many types …so little space! Chile peppers… Ancho, Habanero, jalapeno, pasillo, serrano, tabasco….I was afraid to handle the beautiful variegated ones that came from my friend because they were very hot!! no …I think I’ll pass on peppers next garden….
Finally, I was surprised at the number of herbs that I’ve established in my present garden.. Echinacea, mullein, Monarda, Heartsease, Herb Robert, Hops, thymes, oreganos, mints, chives, parsleys, sages, roses, tansy, geraniums, poppies,nigella, and nasturtium…and the list is very long….
I’ve developed a deep abiding love of thymes…and I expect I’ll be collecting as many as I can grow…and lavender…mmmm…can’t forget lavender..it is just spectacular planted beneath pink roses! the scent is tantalizing!
The catalogues are the first step… and I intend to study this one and a few sites I’ve found online… there is always something new…always more to learn… for instance: wild tobacco ( Nicotiana rustica), I have grown before because it is tall, dramatic looking and has wonderful white fragrant flowers in a form that looks like an explosion…great plants…but found that they were often a magnet for gnats and aphids…and their leaves, tho hairy became sticky with sap on the undersides…and they could look really ratty after a while. but in the catalogue …they are mentioned as the source of nicotine sulphate which is used on other plants to control “aphids, thrips, whiteflies and mites”…lol… they didn’t mention that in its natural form the sap of the plant attracts these insects…it’s only after the leaves are cured and processed that the insecticidal properties are evident! So don’t plant tobacco in your garden thinking it will deter these pests just by being there! it doesn’t work that way! :-)
I’ve been looking at the ancient knot garden plans and figuring who to plant next to whom….and generally, becoming immersed in plant lore again!
I’ve tentatively decided to grow culinary herbs and gourmet veggies primarily…but that could change! There’s a lot of work to be done between the plans and the plants!!!
Happy Gardening all! (and Hurry Spring!)

• 3 Jan, 2010
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