Herbs In The Kitchen

Visitors to my nursery often say "I would love to grow my own herbs, but I don't have a garden".
If you live in a unit or apartment you can still grow your favorite selection of herbs, and all you need is a window, balcony, or patio that has a few hours of sunshine everyday.

Herbs grow well in pots or hanging baskets, and adapt well to growing inside providing they have a sunny window.

Some of the best loved herbs for cooking are Thyme, Sage, Sweet Basil, Rosemary, Oregano, Mint, Parsley, Tarragon, Lemon Balm, Chives and savory. All of these herbs look beautiful in decorative pots or hanging baskets. Sage or Rosemary need to be planted into larger pots, and the prostrate Rosemary will with regular pruning, do well in a large hanging basket.

Simple herb displays can enhance any kitchen, and one easy idea is to line a cane basket and fill with three or four pots of herbs. Pretty, matching ceramic pots and saucers, will look great on a window sill. Hanging baskets, hung at different levels and containing the trailing herbs or rounded bushy Basils, can add stunning impact to an otherwise dull window.

Use a good organic potting soil, and keep moist not wet.

Cooking with herbs that you've grown yourself is fun, and with so many different aromatic herbs available to you, why not try growing a few in your kitchen.


All the best and happy gardening

Margarete
www.antspantsgardening.com

Fabulous Foliage Plants

As a landscaper I really love foliage plants.
Foliage plants provide our gardens with beautiful shapes, forms, textures and colors.

Plants of one species like Buxus Sempervirons (English Box) have been used for centuries as hedges, while others add architectural form and elegance to our gardens.
The larger lush foliage plants enhance the colors of flowering plants, act as a perfect back drop to delicate ferns in a fernery, and look spectacular on their own in large pots or tubs.

You can use foliage plants as living screens, or to create soft backdrops of green or texture to more flamboyant plants for a dramatic effect. With the different forms, shapes, colors and textures of foliage plants you can create areas of strong focal interest.

A selection of plants with differing leaf color and textures planted in small informal groups can be used to add points of interest in a small garden, conceal unsightly areas, or to give background color and depth to a herbaceous border.

Silver foliage plants can add a mystical charm to a garden, or teamed with red, purple, blue or yellow adds a touch of excitement and drama.

The 'architectural' foliage plants, with sword shaped leaves , large palmate or feathery fronds, and different textures are well suited to modern architecture and the trend for minimal plantings and simple forms. Textured groundcovers mass planted, with either a strong single plant or groupings of the same species, can add sculptered shape to modern designs. Flowers don't usually feature in this style of planting unless the plant itself has a particularly strong architectural form like Strelitzia (Bird Of Paradise) or Canna.

Next time you plan to make-over an area of your garden, consider using some of the beautiful foliage plants available. You can dicover more about foliage plants and some great ways to use them at

All the best and happy gardening

Margarete
www.antspantsgardening.com