Time for another delightful herb to grow in the Southwest – thyme. It’s pretty, relatively low water, good for pollinators, and useful in the kitchen. What’s not to love?! There are many other herbs I have discussed on this site, indeed, “Herbs” ia one category you can search on this […]
Anise in one of a number of herbs that grow well in the cool season or “winter” garden in much of the Southwest. Upper elevations like Reno, Santa Fe, and Flagstaff are the exception – sorry but you can’t grow them now, but the rest of us – in the […]
Oregano is a wonderful herb, with many uses, and it is easy to grow in our landscapes here in the Southwest. Why Grow Oregano? Oregano makes a pleasing landscape plant. It grows as a clumping groundcover in low upright clumps. The leaves are a dusky lime green, so not the […]
Castor is a pretty garden plant with an oil that has been used for millennia. But did you know it got it’s common name from a beaver? When I wrote about growing colorful castor (Ricinus communis) in the warm season garden I started wondering about this whole name thing. Long […]
Basil is easy to grow for some folks – yet hard for others. The root of the problem is that much gardening knowledge is centered on 1- the past and 2 – growing in the eastern part of the USA, or in central Europe. We have all seen in recent […]
Lemongrass is a lovely genus of grasses that can be easily grown in much of the Southwest – and into the Southeast as well. It will live outdoors year round in areas that don’t get much below 26F in winter (USDA Zones 8 to 12). Lemongrass Genus Lemongrass, also written […]
The sage we use in cooking is Salvia officinalis. You can grow some of this decorative herb in your yard as part of your multi-purpose landscape. After all – if you have to plant it, water it, and care for it, why not have something you can cook with too?! […]
Oregano is a wonderful herb, that is easy to grow in the dry air of the Southwest. The herb itself has many uses: culinary, medicinal, ornamental, in dying, and a just a flat out aesthetic plant in the garden. Oregano is One of My “Herculean Herbs” From the arid mountains […]
“Say “cilantro” here in the Southwest, and most folks think of salsa. And while cilantro can get along with the heat of chilies in salsa, it quickly dies with the heat of a hot Southwestern summer day.” I said this in an article over a decade ago, and it […]
First day of spring is time to plant your basil here in the Southwest. Well, most of the Southwest. Those of you in the mountains will have to start yours indoors. Cover image is a selection of three different varieties, courtesy Renee’s Garden Seeds. Basil is Not Native – but […]
