Making room

As most gardeners know, gardens change with time, inclination and events. A good friend ended up totally rearranging her beds when the city cut down three shade trees, making her forest plants VERY unhappy. She moved a few things around, and all is well again.

We are being gifted with a screened-in gazebo, and the best possible place to put it is in the same spot as a rather unsucessful herb bed. This week and next is dedicated to preparing what used to be the tomato and pepper bed for the herbs I wish to keep and possibly a few new herbs to fill in the spaces..

I've already cleared the bed, and moved some costmary. It will grow around the base of a huge-flowered pink hisbiscus (see pic below). I've also moved a clump of dotted mountain mint and potted up two starts for friends. If the germander and marjoram come back I will move them to the new bed as well.

I want to keep growing the lemon balm, but I don't want it taking over the space for the other herbs, so I'm still contemplating where I can grow it. We have very few full sun spots in the yard. Of course, providing the lemon balm with the challenge of partial shade may keep it from spreading over the entire yard. Then there's the comfrey. I'll move it to the back of the yard, and see if it stays there.

Our French Sorrel died over the winter, and I've gotten Oscar addicted to it in spring chicken soup, so I will be purchasing a start of that, probably from Richters. While I'm there, I might as well finally buy the Heliotrope I've been wanting to grow for some time. I've been wanting to get more vervain too..

Hmm. maybe I need to expand the bed JUST a little bit more..