Herban Sprawl

Balmy days in winter are hazardous. When a yummy garden catalogue arrives in the mail, they are rendered downright dangerous. Even worse for me is the fact that my adorable niece keeps me subscribed to Fine Gardening. Oo-la-la! A gardener gets overly ambitious on days like these.

I got a seed catalogue yesterday that specializes in the older, hard to find varieties of plants. I had things to do, but darned if I didn’t plunk myself onto the loveseat and thumb through that treasure trove of enticements. Barney situated himself on the arm next to me. (His version of a lap.) I showed him pictures and gave him a good neck scratch. He liked everything I liked, especially the pink flowers. Barney has a penchant for pink. He takes after his late Grandma Budde.

It’s depressing to look out the windows on our back yard. It’s a prodigious hill and it’s been the devil to keep decent. We have a neighbor that doesn’t maintain her mess to one side, and a city right of way across the back that is a steep slope tangled up with weeds and weed trees. For a long time I battled The Hill and finally I just gave up and for the past few years I’ve only given it a cursory tidying. Big Kitty doesn’t do yard, and I like digging in the dirt, so you could say this has been my cross to bear.

Regardless, I did manage to build a rock wall, on the hottest day of that particular summer. And I have made some progress with some circular terrace type herb beds. There is more to go, however and I really don’t want to put any more time, money or effort into it. It’s one thing to develop beautiful perennial borders and wonderful herb beds, and with those, the acceptance of the maintenance. That kind of work is great. It’s another thing to keep fighting back the same weed trees and vines because one’s neighbors or the city don’t do their share. That work is what I rebel against. I thought I could get it under control, but over the past 20 years, it has proved to be more than my knees and back could endure. That hill is daunting and the last estimate for a cleanup was for $400.

Luckily a high school service group has me on their radar screen, so before too long I ought to have a better view. Then perhaps I can finish the little wall and put in another section of herbs and flowers. Until ‘the next house’ materializes, I am going to need a few different varieties of thyme and a few more tarragon plants. Unbelievable as it may seem, I also need some more mint! (It’s the Moroccan recipes and the fact that I made preserved Meyer lemons this year.) I lost the apple mint and ginger mint to some noxious weeds. Then there are those recipes that use edible flowers… Where’s that catalogue?