1 post tagged “herbs”

Gardening season is approaching quickly. I did some weeding and pruning last night, but haven't really done much else in my garden yet. My perennials are looking promising - pretty much everything from last year is back and growing. My ivy took quite a hit due to the frigid temperatures we had this winter. I lost a lot of pieces from that plant this spring. Hopefully the trim I gave it encourages it to survive. My clematis is looking very promising. It is growing leaves like crazy. I hope to see blooms for it for more than two days this summer. As long as I manage to get a picture of those blooms this summer I will be thrilled. I was so mad when I missed them last year.

I'm planning to get the flower beds edged this week. That will make everything look so much neater - like real gardens! Outside of that, I am just daydreaming about what flowers I want to have in the garden this year. I know what kind of hanging plants I want (pink impatiens - they do so well!), but I'm not 100% sure of what annuals I want. I need plants that don't need a lot of babying and can possibly handle abuse (I'm not always a consistent waterer). Suggestions are welcome.

Suggestions are also welcome for tomato varieties and herbs. I usually plant lots of Genovese basil, cilantro, oregano and sometimes rosemary in pots because I use them in nearly everything I cook in the summer. I also have chives in the ground that are on their third summer and they're looking great! What other herbs should I put in? Should I plant my basil in the ground? I have a nice sunny spot for the tomatoes and herbs, but they don't get as big as they should. (Probably due to that inconsistent watering problem I have).

Tomato varieties I have tried include Early Girl, Jet Star, Sweet Millions (cherry tomatoes). They do okay, but I don't get nearly the amount of tomatoes that I probably should. Again, this is probably due to watering/fertilizing issues, but any recommendations for successful tomato crops you've had (especially if you're from the Toronto area) would be welcome.