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Karrma (184) wrote the following about Artemisia dracunculus on Jul 26 2011

If you want to buy the French tarragon variety, just take a leaf and eat it. The French tarragon is a very strong refreshing anise flavor. It will only be in a plant form, not in a seed for general use. Pinch the tops off for cooking, and they will get bushier. Put the herb in at the end of cooking, to keep the flavor and color. The dried flavor is not nearly as good, but infusing vinegar with the end of my harvest tarragon is a heavenly scent holiday present to friends and family. It is one of the earlier perenials to come back in my herb garden.

Karrma (184) wrote the following about Melissa officinalis on Jul 26 2011

Lemon Balm came with the house we bought, and after a few years of trying to eradicate, I now "herd" it and weed whack it. It grows under our porch and deck as a groundcover, keeps the other weeds out, and makes a great tea or infusion for tisanes.

Karrma (184) wrote the following about Origanum vulgare on Jul 25 2011

The purple flowered common oregano is not nearly as spicy, and can be very invasive, as I found out 20 years ago. The white flowered oregano is the greek oregano or subspecies hirtum. One way to tell is to eat a leaf in the nursery. It will pack a huge punch, and is much harder to propagate.

Karrma (184) wrote the following about Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum on Jul 25 2011

this is the good culinary oregano, very spicy, and does not spread out into a weed. White flower. Taste the leaf before buying to make sure that it is very spicy

Cayuga Morning (1356) wrote the following about Stachys byzantina on Jul 25 2011 (Last edit was on Sep 17 2011)

I love the grey/white fuzzy leaves because they make a bright light spot in the garden. Great foliage contrast. I recently heard about a cultivar 'Helen Von Stein' that is not supposed to bloom. The flowering stalks tend to be gangly, so 'Helen Von Stein' is a good alternative.

Cayuga Morning (1356) wrote the following about Abeliophyllum distichum on Jul 24 2011 (Last edit was on Apr 19 2013)

Nice plant. Very similar to forsythia, blooming at the same time. Branches can be cut and brought indoors for forcing. Prefers full sun. I am growing mine in part sun and it is doing well, but growing slowly. Does well in all garden soils, with the exception of drought.

Cayuga Morning (1356) wrote the following about Phyllostachys bissetti on Jul 23 2011 (Last edit was on Aug 04 2011)





Cayuga Morning (1356) wrote the following about Platycodon grandiflorum on Jul 22 2011 (Last edit was on Jul 07 2013)

The deer massacre it in my NE garden. The foliage eventually gets too rough (less tender) and they leave it alone. Their foraging delays the bloom significantly. Bunnies love the tender shoots too.

Cayuga Morning (1356) wrote the following about Rudbeckia hirta on Jul 21 2011
1 person likes this opinion

I have two kinds of rudbeckia. One blooms early in July, the other in late July and August. Both self-sow prolifically (ie even in my lawn). I just yank them out where I do not want them. There is something about them that is so quintessential summer, that they are well worth the work of weeding them out.

Cayuga Morning (1356) wrote the following about Coreopsis auriculata on Jul 21 2011 (Last edit was on Feb 06 2015)

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