Fall is right around the corner!

Herb Gardening!

Not just for cooking, herbs add multiple colors, textures and LIFE to your gardens. Several favorite culinary herbs are hardy perennials in our area and can be used as the foundation of an herb garden or incorporated into other perennial plantings. Basil, cilantro & dill are favorite annual herbs that many of us at Wickman's always include in our vegetable gardens.

Tricolor Sage and Golden Sage are beautiful alone or combined with other herbs in a container garden. Of course Berggarten Sage is the most popular variety for use in the kitchen and one plant will produce plenty of leaves for fresh use, plus more to dry for flavoring winter stews and casseroles. If you've ever grown Pineapple Sage then you know it's not only a standout in the garden ... the brilliant red flowers of Pineapple Sage are also a magnet for hummingbirds!

It's not really a good idea to let mints loose in the garden, but do grow them in pots so you can enjoy their wonderful flavor and fresh, clean fragrance. Let the plants produce some flower spikes and you'll enjoy watching lots of small butterflies that are attracted by the blooms.

Basil is a culinary staple and we grow several types year round in the greenhouse at Wickman's. But - with all thoughts aside of a summer blessed with fresh pesto - did you know that many types of beneficial insects are drawn to the flower spikes on basil plants? The smaller leafed varieties can be especially vigorous and are worth planting just to feed the myriad of tiny beneficial insects! Let a couple of plants bloom and you'll be amazed at the diversity of winged creatures drawn to it.

Oregano and thyme are also staples in the spice rack for many cooks. Did you know that both are exceptionally easy to establish and maintain in your garden. Give them plenty of sun, well drained soil and you can count on them to come back year after year!

It's a different story with Lavender and Rosemary though. There are cultivars of each that have proven to be cold hardy in our area, but keep in mind they DO need exceptionally well drained soil and plenty of sun to thrive.

Parsley is easy to grow and makes a pretty, as well as healthy, addition to everyday meals. Plant extra though ... swallowtail butterflies are drawn to it as a place to lay their eggs. The caterpillars that soon hatch are hungry little guys! (They also like dill - sow seed in the spring and plan on adding more plants by midsummer if you want to keep swallowtails in your garden summer.)

Share your plants and gardening space ...you'll have butterflies floating by to keep you company when you spend time in the garden!

The simple act of planting a garden, no matter whether it covers an acre or fits in a flower pot, is a celebration of spring. Be it beans or begonias, corn or cosmos, peppers or petunias ... celebrate ... plant a garden! ~ Nikki