Herbs and Wildflowers

A new year, and I am still picking herbs each week!This week, we have rosemary (one plant is starting to flower!), winter savoury and bronze fennel.

Green alkanet's a thug! Long black root, takes forever to dig it out, and the leaves are rather prickly. But the bees like it, so I can forgive it.

Right. Thanks.

Right. Thank you very much.

Agree, the young leaves are very mild so if using I just use a few extra

French tarragon produces seed so very rarely that it is propagated by root cuttings and it's easy too. Russian tarragon has a very inferior flavour.Funnily enough I can't always get fresh tarragon here when I want it so now have 2 plants growing and freeze the chopped leaves in ice cubes or...

Lovely.Love it!!

That'll be it, then. I sometimes empty the seeds in the bottom of my seed box in that part of the garden. I rarely see anything though!

Been trying for years to rid myself of this pernicious weed!

There's also a huge difference between something naturally seeding or creeping into a site, and actively planting them. That's what makes it difficult because it can take a long time to judge what will work and what won't. The combination also matters because some plants will absorb more...

I have been toying with the idea f using yellow rattle to clear my garden of field grass but reading the above I now think it will not work as the grass blown into my garden has fibrous roots but also millions of small bulbils which the rattle would not affect. Rather like the bulbils of...

My niece on sandy soil planted 2 plants per bed (2), and when I had a garden day at her house, it took me 6 hours to get the mint out of all 4 beds. What ever it was, it had itself happily multiplied in just 2 years.

I also ordered seeds and had them germinated in April. I stumbled over an article about Sanfoin which not only mentioned positive effects. When I read deep roots up to 2 meters, and happily self-seeding, I binned my little plants.

@TimV We have tried over the years to grow yellow rattle. We have followed all the instructions and have gone through packets and packets of seeds. Never had any germinate. We have other wildflowers that flower and seed and then come again the next year but no luck with yellow rattle. A real pity.

After reading your post I was going to say Woundwort as I had it in OH's garden in Norfolk. Then I realised there is a page two and it has been answered!

You might have seeds that don't like lime or gypsum and your welcome.

Put a thin layer of sand over them and put outside in the shade. Older seed need a period of cold. Or you can put them in the fridge but I find outdoors works best. Always worth a try.

Cheers for the advice.Your Bee Balm looks amazing

Yellow rattle suppresses other plants, thats why it is generally eliminated from grassland.However, the best way of proceeding would be to mow in late July, allowing the cuttings to remain and return to the soil.This will limit the amount of grass that reseeds.Few grasses produce seed later in...