Herb Garden 2014 Spring News

The date on the calendar says it's spring. More than that, good ol' Buckeye Chuck didn't see his shadow.

So . . . that means it's spring, right?

But after the weather yesterday, I am not so sure. As is typical with the Midwest, the Indianapolis area got snow and freezing temperatures long after it was supposed to. I went out this morning to inspect my flowers and they were all drooped over with frost on the leaves. They say this should be the last snow of the season and I certainly hope they are correct.

When Spring Really Isn't Spring.

My first herb garden club meeting of 2014 was last night, and the main topic was what a long and cold winter it had been. Many of our perennials are in doubt for making a comeback and the discussion was centered around the local garden festivals and the need to buy new plants.

Many Master Gardner Clubs have festivals the first few Saturdays of May, and this is a great way to purchase plants at a reasonable price. The core of our garden club is herbs, and the herb of the year is Artemisia, named by the International Herb Association.

There are many plants that we are familiar with that are a part of this family. My favorite is Silver King, useful as an accent plant in our landscape along with Wormwood and Silver Sage. Tarragon is the only recommended plant to be used in cooking, but many Artemisia plants are used for medicine and insecticides. To get useful information concerning herbs, you can log on to www.iherb.org.

Artemisia, Herb of the Year 2014Artemisia, Herb of the Year 2014.

Space Considerations

Not everyone has a sprawling yard that they can convert into a garden. If space is a problem, or if you live in a rental property, OCCOutdoors has plenty of self-watering planters that would be an ideal substitute to a garden or yard. 

No back-breaking hoeing or weeding or getting down on your knees is required. Just fill the base container with good soil, plant your vegetables, water, and watch them grow! You can leave the container for long periods of time unattended due to the water reservoir in the bottom.

We discuss the benefits of self-watering planters in-depth here.

Find the Perfect Outdoor Planter Today!

Visit the links below and find the best planter for your facility.

Outdoor Planters Self-Watering Planters Steel Planters