First Weeding of the Herb Garden

That last week or so I've been sick with a really crappy cold so I didn't get to the herb garden quite as soon as I would have liked. There's been a lot of growth in the last 10 days or so! The two lavender plants, one a year older than the other, are coming along nicely, as are the chives, which are lush and gorgeous. The thyme is coming back at a good rate as well. I haven't seen a bit of the silver mound wormwood, a gorgeous decorative herb with feathery foliage that grows in a round dome. And that's a shame, it was such a beautiful plant but I had to transplant it before the st. john's wort completely killed it. I afraid I may have killed by moving it during the summer. The st. john's wort is growing so well that I'm afraid I may need to take it out of the garden before it takes over the whole thing. I haven't made up my mind about that yet; I don't even know where I'd put it. But I'd better do something quick cuz it's moving in on the thyme and both lavender plants.

I don't think the sage, that died midsummer, is going to return, but I won't pull it out until I've given the roots plenty of time to revive. I've got a tub of lemon balm, or lemon mint that is eager to take over a larger area, even though I put it in a tub at least 12 inches off the ground it's still spreading like wildfire. So I've decided to go with it. The lemon balm obviously won't give up and I've decided to let it have as much room as it wants inside the cattle corral that serves as both my herb garden and the ritual area. There's a particularly troublesome spot where a bunch of ugly reed-like looking plants grow. They get huge and in the fall they leave these big ugly brown sticks that are so sharp they can bloody the hand with one pull. I learned that lesson; always wear gloves when pulling up big tall ugly reed-like plants that grow well in soil full of cowcrap. So, I'm hoping the lemon balm will take the whole area over and make it a much more pleasant corner. In a few weeks, once we've had our last cold snap, I'm gonna basically dump the tub on the ground and let it go wild. I figure I'm obviously meant to have lots of lemon balm so, why fight it? And why not have plenty of it? It's a great plant with plenty of positive uses and makes a truly tasty, healthful and refreshing tea. Magically speaking, mints have the power to clear and calm the mind, especially for ritual purposes. I also look forward to enjoying the smell of lemon mint wafting through the air during all of our outside rituals.