Burnet

Salad burnet is a hardy herb that makes a great addition to any garden. The plant resembles a lacy fern with small, dark magenta flowers. The leaves are greenish grey and grow from a red woody stem. Because these delicate looking leaves drape gracefully from a low, central mound, salad burnet makes a wonderful container plant.

Today, salad burnet is a popular herb in European cuisine. As its name implies, the herb can add a refreshing spice to salads because the leaves taste like cucumbers. The leaves also blend well with rosemary and tarragon and are often considered interchangeable with mint leaves. Salad burnet can also be used in any casserole dish, dip or soup that calls for dill, oregano or basil. Only young, tender leaves should be used because salad burnet becomes bitter with age. This herb should be used fresh or frozen because it loses its flavor when dried.

Its nutty, cucumber-like taste makes it a good addition to soups, stews, and seasonings, as well as adding a cool flavor to wine cups and cold drinks.

Myrtle

Myrtle has aromatic leaves and can be used in cooking like bay leaves. You can gather the leaves, dry them, then keep them in an airtight jar and use them in the winter. This herb also can be easy to keep in a container.

Come in today and add these to your edible garden. Bon Appétit!

August is prime time to divide clumps of Bearded Irises that have grown crowded over time. Division is usually necessary every 3 to 4 years in order to avoid a decrease in the number of blooms and to keep plants healthy.

Carefully dig up the old clumps and separate healthy rhizomes with a sharp knife. Cut out the center (oldest) part of the rhizomes and any unhealthy pieces, such as mushy, shriveled or dried out sections. Each division should have a healthy rhizome with several roots and a fan of leaves. Cut the fan of leaves on each rhizome back to about 6 inches in length. Replant the rhizomes about 18 inches apart, making sure to keep the rhizomes horizontal to the soil. The fan of leaves will be at an angle and should point in the direction you want the plant to grow. Bury the roots, but the rhizome itself should be left partially exposed.

Bearded Irises need plenty of sun and prefer well drained soil. The newly planted rhizomes will need to be watered, but once established the Bearded Iris is an excellent drought-tolerant plant. Make room in your garden for new varieties by sharing or trading extra rhizomes with friends.

Originally crafted in Victorian times, the Gazing Ball was considered essential to complete European and English gardens. photoThe hand-blown glass globe was placed in the garden where young girls would gather and gaze at the mirror imagining all sorts of things…mostly about romance...hence the name “Gazing Ball.” Others believed the balls would repel aphids and other pests. Indoors the globes were used to head-off demons and evil spirits.

Today, the Gazing Ball is used to accent the garden by reflecting the garden’s beauty. Available at Orchard in 8 various colors of hand-blown glass. Made in the USA.

Calibrachoa is an attractive, sturdy, full sun annual flower, which resembles a miniature petunia. It’s easy to grow from rooted cuttings, vigorous with a dense spreading habit and produces hundreds of eye-catching flowers in the greenhouse or garden. Also known as Million Bells, Calibrachoa is beautiful when planted in containers, as it spills generously over the edges.