Herbs

I don't think that you can overemphasize the importance of herbs as part of any garden. Herbs are such a simple way to add some love to any dish. You will never see me go a summer without some assortment of fresh herbs. My staples are basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. My "fun" ones for this year are dill, mint, and lavender.

Something has been chewing a few holes in my basil I just found a few aphids so they're probably the culprits. Needless to say, he's not too happy right now because we haven't hit the really hot part of the year yet. He'll take off once it hits the 80s and 90s consistently.

The past few years I've always grown African Blue Basil with great success (read: basil BUSH). For some reason I decided to go more traditional this year with the Sweet Basil.

You can't beat fresh basil on top of a handmade pizza. My husband has been perfecting the art of the homemade pizza the past year and I have to say, his rivals anything we ever had in NYC (he wouldn't admit it, though).

My thyme, rosemary, dill, and lavender are looking great. The lavender is just going to bloom. I'm hoping it will attract some bees and butterflies to my little oasis.





Those pesky starlings are having a field day with my oregano, for some reason. They just perch on the side of the container and pluck away, leaf by precious leaf. I've even seen them hopping and waddling around on top of it, leaving a fragrant but defeated plant afterwards. Why, I ask you?


I've had a hankering to try some cilantro as well, but have heard that it does not fare as well in our particular climate. Maybe I'll just give it a shot next year. Any tips?