Protecting the Color of Purple Basil
Purple basil should be assessed by the new leaves it produces in its current light. A pale old leaf will not necessarily become richly purple after a move.
THE GARDEN JOURNAL
The garden journal.
Good growing starts with a little understanding. Find practical ideas for your plants, your patch and your everyday home.
Harvesting Flat Leaf Parsley Without Weakening the Crown
Flat leaf parsley is harvested by stalk rather than by cutting off every leaf blade and leaving a cluster of bare stalks.
Making a Curly Parsley Pot Last Longer
Curly parsley can appear full while several crowns compete in a small nursery pot. Examine the base before deciding whether it needs feeding.
Sowing Cilantro for Repeated Small Harvests
Grow cilantro as overlapping small sowings. A new batch is more dependable than trying to stop an old plant from flowering indefinitely.
Giving Dill a Deep Container and an Early Start
Dill has a taproot and dislikes unnecessary disturbance. Sow directly in the final container when practical, thin while young and keep the depth adequate.
Finding a Cool Spot for Chervil
Chervil needs a seasonal plan that avoids relentless heat. A lightly shaded cool sowing can be more productive than a hot sunny pot that bolts quickly.
Dividing Chives for a Fresh Pot of Growth
A chive division needs a useful group of bulbs and roots, not a handful of clipped leaves. Reduce congestion during a suitable growing period, replant at the previous level and water gently.
Managing Garlic Chives Before They Self Sow
Garlic chives deserve a seed management plan before the flowers finish. If local conditions allow unwanted spread, remove the maturing heads before the dark seeds fall.
Keeping Spearmint Productive Inside Its Own Pot
Spearmint roots can escape through a pot that rests on garden soil, and stems can root where they touch a neighboring bed.
Refreshing a Tired Peppermint Container
Peppermint often recovers well from a fresh rooted division when an older pot has become congested. Select sound young growth with attached roots, use fresh compatible mix and give it time to establish.
Giving Apple Mint Space Without Losing Control
Apple mint becomes a substantial plant despite the small size of a nursery cutting. Leave it room to branch and keep it separate from thyme or other herbs that prefer a much drier root zone.
Labeling and Maintaining a Chocolate Mint Pot
Chocolate mint benefits from a durable label because neighboring mints can look similar. Record the supplier and named selection when buying it.
Keeping Rosemary Roots Dry Enough Between Waterings
Let a container rosemary approach dryness between thorough waterings, while checking that its original root ball has not become completely dry.
Growing English Thyme in a Small Sunny Pot
English thyme needs small careful cuts above living foliage. Once a stem is bare and woody, cutting it harder does not reliably restore a leafy cushion.
Maintaining Lemon Thyme at the Edge of a Planter
Lemon thyme works well beside plants with comparable drainage needs. If a mixed pot includes a thirsty annual, the compromise may keep thyme too wet.
Harvesting Greek Oregano Before Stems Become Woody
Greek oregano can be harvested before a large flush of flowers when leafy kitchen use is the priority.
Growing Sweet Marjoram Through a Mild Season
Sweet marjoram may need replacement or protection after a cool season depending on the climate. Treat its response as species specific rather than following hardy oregano advice.
Sowing Summer Savory for Tender Leaf Harvests
Summer savory seedlings should be thinned while the stems are still easy to separate. A pot full of weak crowded seedlings rarely becomes a robust leafy planting through fertilizer alone.