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Yesterday’s garden post was getting a bit too long so today, I finish it off. I hope the anticipation of how the herb spiral turned out didn’t keep you up at night or distract you too much from your day. But you know, it’s like going to a commercial break at a critical moment during a television drama or the chapter of a thriller ending with the hero in danger. Well no, not really. I suspect there was very little suspense. Nonetheless, forward! Oh, and as always, click on the photos to enlarge.
Building the herb spiral wasn’t all that hard, it is just labor intensive. Build and add dirt, build and add dirt. Go to Home Depot for more. In spite of putting a bit of fill in the very middle bottom of the bed we used about 560 pounds (254 kg) of soil and compost to get it just right. Each bag weighed 40 pounds (18 kg). Let me just say that after that, when we went grocery shopping and I picked up a 20 pound (9 kg) bag of cat litter, it felt incredibly light.Herb spiral built we dug out the “strawberry moon” on one side. I think we will eventually dig part of the curve a little wider, but it will do for now since there aren’t that many strawberries in it yet (variety Honeoye). After that we were tired out. We put all of our plants in the mini greenhouse (which is awesome by the way) to protect them from the predicted frost, and spent the evening relaxing.
Sunday morning, up bright and early again, we did a few chores, discovered we have a leak in the plumbing under the sink somewhere and wanted to cry. Bookman cut away part of the cabinet underneath the sink where the pipe goes down into the floor because we thought it might have been a small hole in the hot water pipe. But we saw nothing. So plumber called on a Sunday. Yikes! Turns out it is the drain. There is an elbow in the wall and that is where it is leaking. Of course. Brilliant place to put a pipe joint because these things never, ever leak. So we can’t let water go down the kitchen sink or use the dishwasher until the plumber comes back on Wednesday morning to cut a hole in the wall under the sink to get at the elbow. He is then going to replace all the pipes from the sink drain down through the wall and into the basement and presumably there will no longer be an elbow joint in the wall. He made a point to tell us he will not fix the wall. Expensive? Yes. But there is nothing to be done about it. We are pretty handy plumbers, Bookman and I, but we know when a job is beyond our ability.
But back to the garden. I got the solar frog fountain out of the box and all set up. It’s so perfect. I put a couple of rocks in the basin that stick up just above the water so butterflies and dragonflies can easily get some water too. The water makes a quiet splashing and I love it. I made Bookman dig up the grass in the area I wanted to put it next to the clothesline pole. Whoever set that pole used a lot of concrete so the plants I had wanted right up around the pole and next to the fountain had to be set out a little further away, but maybe once they get bigger thy will fill in the space a bit more. We put play sand around the pole and under the fountain and in front of the fountain for a little birdie beach. Then around the fountain and the pole I planted Roman chamomile, anise hyssop, and yerba buena (c. douglasii). All of these are perennials so eventually they should make a nice little area.
Next we planted the herb spiral. From top to bottom: lavender (munstead), Greek oregano, culinary sage, black cumin,
calendula seeds, catnip, bachelor button seeds, lemon balm, calendula seeds, French sorrel, Johnny-jump-up seeds. The flower seeds are all annual edible flowers. Everything else but for the cumin, are perennial. You can also see the strawberry moon and our overflowing compost pile and shrub pruning pile. Once we get those all under control we’ll make the moon a bit wider. In case you are wondering what is in the area with the stake in the middle of it, there is a perennial prairie sunflower we’ve had for a few years that hasn’t come up yet but will soon. Behind that is a pile of woodchips. The city dumps huge piles of woodchips at local parks throughout the spring and summer and we are free to take as much as we want as often as we want. Bookman made three woodchip trips this morning each time filling up a bunch of 5 gallon (19 l) buckets and we pretty much ended up using all that he got.I am trying again in the tiny side garden to see what might grow there. The shady woodland plants last year were a bust, though not a complete bust because two of them that I thought dead came back, a wood poppy and early meadow rue. What I added to try this year: marshmallow (A. officinalis), lovage and peppermint. I also planted a vine, virgin’s bower, a native clematis. We’ll see what makes it this year. And yes, I know mint can go crazy. This area is well away from the rest of the garden and if the mint wants to take over, it is welcome to. I may regret saying that.
Also planted today, in what we have now decided is for frivolous ornamentals, plants and flowers just because we like them, a white peony, Duchesse de Nemours. Already in the bed is a climbing rose, William Baffin (single, pink), an Alpine clematis (pink and white), and a jackmanii clematis (purple), and a tiny chives plant that we planted last year and I didn’t expect to come back, but I forgot how hardy chives are. It is the one that gets purple flowers, onion I think.Before planting the Duchesse, we weeded and cleared the bed of detritus and Bookman got a bit too vigorous with the jackmanii, so much so that we are not sure he left enough of it for it to come back to us. We’ll see in a few weeks. Anyway, we also planted annual flower seeds: zinnia, nicotiana, and sweet alyssum.
Next to this bed and sort of behind Boo, we put a comfrey plant. A little away from that as part of our “berryer,” we put a thornless blackberry, variety Chester. It’s name is a no brainer! On either side of Hazel the hazelnut in the back corner we put Jan and Joel, two bush cherries. Like Chester, they came pre-named. And in the space between Joel and Clifford the big (red twig) dog(wood), we put a sunchoke. This is a perennial vegetable in the sunflower family. You might also recognize it as Jerusalem artichoke. It can get up to 10 feet (3 m) tall and produces tubers that supposedly taste something like a sweet potato. We have to let it get established before we can harvest any tubers, so maybe next fall we can dig some up and give them a try.
Are you tired yet? Still more planting to do!
The veggie garden. This will be quick. Heirloom tomatoes: two Bonny bests and one hillbilly potato leaf. Interplanted with
the tomatoes are French marigolds “little hero” and Thai basil “Siam queen.” The basil is also interplanted with sweet bell peppers. There are six of them. We got the variety pack, one each of purple beauty, valencia (orange), early sunsation (yellow), white, red knight, and sweet chocolate.Whew! No wonder we are tired! There are still a few things left to plant including warm weather seeds. We’ll get to the rest of the plants during the week and the seeds next weekend. It was a lot of work, but wow, does the garden look great. Don’t worry, I’ll take more photos as things grow and start to fill in, especially when the flowers start blooming.
But before I go, I don’t know what we have done that has drawn them to the yard, but we had a couple of yellow-rumped warblers visiting us off and on this weekend. It was mostly the female hanging around. We have never seen these birds before and I had to run and get my birds of Minnesota book to identify them. What treat the flash of yellow flitting through the yard!
Back to books tomorrow. Promise!
Wow! That is impressive. This may be a really ignorant question, but I am pretty ignorant about gardening. (I’m trying for some pretty pots of color this year, but usually just content with the Forest Primeval as-is). Why an herb spiral? Is there something beneficial to growing them this way, or is it purely an aesthetic decision? I bought some herbs today that I’m hoping will like living in pots on my front porch; if I only get the few basil, sage & rosemary leaves that exist now, I will have paid a lot for those herbs, but I had fun picking them out and my porch smells really good this evening.
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Anne Camille, not an ignorant question! I knew nothing about herb spirals until two months ago. They are a way to pack a lot of plants into a small space (mine is 5ft across and under-planted). You can also plant a variety of herbs that have different growing requirements in the same area–hot and dry on top, cooler and damp on the bottom, a bit of shade on one side in the afternoon. Plus, it looks pretty 🙂
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Your garden sounds exhausting but lovely! I like the idea of the herb spiral.
Nice of the yellow rumped warbler to visit you! We get a lot of birds in our backyard, it’s surprisingly fun to watch them.
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Carrie, thanks! We get lots of birds in our yard too but the yellow-rumped warbler is a new one. We love watching them as well and so do the cats! But they don’t go outside so they sit plastered against the window screen 🙂
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Thank you for the garden tour Stefanie! I showed my husband Joe your herb spiral photo and he was impressed and inspired for us to try that in the future. I love the munstead lavender. I have not yet found a good growing spot for lavender in our yard. I think I fail to create proper root drainage.
Sorry to read about the leak at the elbow joint. Boo.
Hope you and Bookman are taking some time to rest after your busy weekend.
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Vanessa, you’re welcome! Glad you like the herb spiral. If you build one I hope it is a success! I’ve not had luck with lavender either but I am hoping its place on top of the spiral will be the perfect location.
We didn’t do any gardening Monday and missed it but our aches and pains are almost gone so that was a plus.
Plumbing trouble happens, eh? One more day and it will just be a distant memory.
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That is a huge amount of planting, and the amount of earth you moved!!! I was trying to figure out how heavy my son’s schoolbag was, and I don’t expect it’s more than 9 kg – but I can barely pick it up. Love the herb spiral, and everything else sounds fantastic. I will cross my fingers for exactly the right weather now to encourage those baby plants.
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Litlove, we did a lot but we are so pleased with ourselves. We had so much fun that I thought, gosh, if only I had one summer off I could really get a lot done. Since I still haven’t won the lottery, that won’t happen yet, but it is fun to dream! Those bags of dirt were a real workout. Bookman kept counting how many times we had to pick them up–store to car, car to garden, garden to pour on to bed. Who needs a gym membership and fancy weight machines when there is a garden to work in? Thanks for the good garden wishes!
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Such and ambitious garden! It all sounds (and looks) wonderful. I like your old roses and think the herb spiral is brilliant! I often miss my gardens, but after reminding me of all the hard work they entail, especially in the beginning, maybe I don’t miss them so much!
I’m sorry to hear about your plumbing problem. I read that part of your blog to my husband and said ‘See, it doesn’t just happen to us!’ We always think we’re the only ones these things happen to, like the day water started dripping from the second floor through the kitchen cabinet!
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Joan, thanks! The climbing rose has turned out to be a lovely addition to the garden that is hardy and vigorous in spite of its rather exposed location. Gardening can be so much work but so satisfying too.
Thanks for the plumbing sympathy. The plumber figured it out right away when he arrived and said it is really common in older houses. I don’t think of my house as being old, but it’s just over 60 so I suppose that puts it in the “senior” category. Sounds like you’ve had a nasty leak yourself. There is always something, isn’t there? Part of the joys of home ownership! 🙂
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Love it all. I wish we could grow some of these plants in the coastal south, but alas. No peonies, no lavender, and it is hard going to have clematis thrive. Even though blueberries will grow extremely well in some parts of Georgia (and indeed we represent an organic berry farm located a couple of hours away), I’ve never had success in my garden. As the crow flies, I am just a mile or so away from the salt marshes and a few more away from the sound. I often dig up tiny sea shells when I plant, so I think part of it is conditions, but the humidity takes its toll. And then, of course, there are the gnats. Keep posting pictures and the garden fills in so we can all enjoy.
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Grad, if it is any consolation, I wish I could grow some of the plants you can 🙂 Lavender tends to be marginal here. I’ve grown it before in various places in my yard but it never lives for longer than a couple years. I am hoping it lasts longer on top of the herb spiral if I give it lots of winter mulch. Blueberries need acid soil and a bit of cold in winter in order to thrive. We’ve got the cold but had to build the raised beds to give them them acid soil. I bet if you built yourself some raised beds which are remarkably easy, you’d solve your overly sandy and possibly salty soil problem. We have mosquitoes here in summer, I’m inclined to argue they are equal to or worse than your gnats 😉
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What a happy post! (except for the plumbing… boo!) It sounds like you are cramming in all the gardening you’ve been longing to do for weeks and weeks… I love the herb spiral.I hate picking up bags of dirt. I can never get a grip, they are dirty and sandy and leaky, and so heavy!! Ugh.
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wherethereisjoy, plumbing happens, eh? Oh did we ever cram! But we had so much fun! And we are ever so pleased with ourselves about how the herb spiral came out. The bags of dirt were a pain, but we are done with them. Now for the rest of the summer we will just be hauling as many buckets of woodchips as we can from the park whenever there is a pile there. At least they aren’t as heavy!
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I totally feel for you about that plumber–last Monday I had to have one come to my house as my basement sink wasn’t draining. Not just not draining, but when it did, sewage waste was coming back up the pipe into the sink and it was very unpleasant and very expensive to have it cleaned (roto rooted out) as there were tree roots growing in the pipe. I’m not convinced it is perfectly fixed as the water still drains slowly, but there is no nastiness coming back up the pipe. Ugh. However your spirals are way cool and I hope when they are in full bloom you’ll share more photos!
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Danielle, oh that main drain! we have to have ours cleaned out every 2-3 years because of tree roots. We have become quite good at recognizing the signs of when it needs to be cleaned out after having several very unpleasant experiences like yours. So I feel for you! Glad you like the spiral. Will definitely post photos when things start to grow and bloom.
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I love hearing about your gardening escapades!
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Helen, I’m so glad! I’ve been having fun writing about them 🙂
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Stefanie the herb spiral turned out beautiful! I’m so impressed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. Then again, my knowledge of gardening is slim. Our backyard is horrible as we’ve had very dry summers but we’re trying to plant some drought-resistant plants. Keeping my fingers crossed that they survive 🙂
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Iliana, thanks! We were pleased and surprised over how well it came out. Good luck with your own gardening!
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I reckon you needed to go back to work to rest! I love the solar frog fountain. We have a little solar frog light on our verandah but I’m going to look out for a fountain now.
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whisperinggums, indeed! I’ve been complaining about feeling tired all week and it just dawned on me last night why that might be. Obviously I’m a little slow too. The frog fountain is so much fun, though the solar panel isn’t all that great, unless there is direct sunlight it won’t go. Your solar frog light sounds cute!
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Oh yes, we’ve had to play with its location to get the best light … We have it on our verandah looking into the house so we can see it at night.
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