New Herb Garden update

In April I blogged about building a new garden in back of the house, close to the kitchen where I could grow herbs. I used a no-dig, layered soil method. Most of my plants are doing very well.
I planted a flowers for the butterflies and hummingbirds and a few bamboo muhly grass for structure.

Some of the drought-loving plants like Gaillardia, Indian Blanket, did not like sitting on top of the cardboard, as it holds too much water. Much like a sponge I suppose. It has not disintegrated yet, after over two months. I am happy to report the herbs are doing fine. Yesterday I made lemon verbena syrup for iced tea and had rosemary and lemon thyme for a shrimp dish I was trying. I will post those recipes next time.

The African Blue Basil covers a space about 3 feet square. It is not as colorful as the plants at Blue Moon Gardens, which are growing in full, blazing sun, but it is still a lovely plant.

This fall I will replace the basils with salad greens. I used to grow them in the large pots in front of the house, but since they are filled with evergreens now, I don't have that space, but there will be plenty of room in the herb garden. I plan to expand the garden this fall after it cools off. The new space will be shadier so fewer herbs will grow there.