Been Much Too Long Between Visits

I know that it has been much too long between visits on this blog.  I have been busy in the garden and in my artwork, therefore have been dedicating my time to my other blog, "Inside the Studio with Onetallartist."  Today I have decided to finish what I have slowly been doing, eradicating plants from the garden.  Some of them have done all they could to serve me with fresh vegetables or fruit, others were still trying to hang on, but now I cannot.  I am too hot and tired to enjoy the garden right now.  So I just pulled up most all of my vegetable plants with the exception of a few cantaloupe and tomato vines. 

That is one of the things I hear the most out of myself and my family members, it is too hot in Texas during the summer.  As I age, I tend to agree more and more with them and their desire to move to a more moderate climate.

Deer Resistant Plants

There are really no tried and true plants that will completely banish deer from your garden, but there are many that are least bothered by them.
SHRUBS:
Agrarita, Boxleaf Euonymus, Bush Germander, Ceniza/Texas Sage, Silverberry, Esperanza, Evergreen Sumac, Firebush, Goldcup, Gray Cotoneaster, Japanese Boxwood, Japanese Yew, Nandina, Oleander, Pineapple Guava, Pomegrante, Primrose Jasmine, Reeve's Spirea, Soft Leaf Yucca, Sotol, Texas Mountain Laurel, Upright Rosemary, Viburnum, Yaupon Holly, Yucca, Thryallis
GROUND COVERS:
Prostrate Rosemary, Germander, Gray Santolina or Lavender Cotton, Green Santolina, Thyme, Wedelia, Frog Fruit, Pigeonberry
PERENNIALS:
Ageratum, Amaryllis, Angel Trumpet, Bouncing Bet/Soapwort, Silver King Artemisia, Autumn Sage, Bearded Iris, Blue Plumbago, Candytuft, Copper Canyon Daisy, Dusty Miller, Elephant Ears, Garlic Chives, Goldmoss Sedum, Gray Santolina or Lavender Cotton, Green Santolina, Hummingbird Bush, Indigo Spires Salvia, Jerusalem Sage, Lantana, Mallow Hibiscus, Marguerite, Mealy Cup Sage, Mexican Bush Sage, Mexican Hat, Mexican Honeysuckle, Mexican Mint Marigold, Mexican Oregano, Oxeye Daisy, Rock Rose, Rosemary, Spined Prickly Pear Cactus, Split Leaf Philodrendron, Texas Betony, Wedelia, Wormwood, yarrow, American Beautyberry, Cape Honeyscuckle, Evergreen Pavonia, Jerusalem Cherry, Shiso, Russian Sage, Society Garlic
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES:
Inland sea oats, Maiden Grass, Gulf Muhley, Linheimer's Muhley, Pampas Grass, Purple Fountain Grass
FLOWERS:
Indigo Spires, Larkspurs, Marigolds, Mealy Cup Sage, Periwinkles, Zinnias, Spider Flower

Plants To Naturally Attract Hummingbirds

One way to enjoy the company of hummingbirds is to use natural plants in the yard and garden. All of us know how laborious it can be to continually fill, clean and hang conventional feeder, especially when the birds are migrating. Sometimes I have had to do this chore up to 3 times in one day to keep up with the hungry fellas; especially when using the birds favorite treat - add 3 drops of pure organic orange extract to every 4 cups of sugar water.)

You can still keep your feeders if you want and place these plants nearby or replace them altogether. Remember never use pesticides near the plants that these birds visit to feed from it could sicken or kill them. Garden pests can be killed that would eliminate small insects that they rely upon for protein in their diet. If you wouldn't eat it yourself, don't feed it to the hummingbirds.

Since hummers, like most birds, have virtually no sense of smell, the flowers that attract them tend to have little or no fragrance, apparently directing their resources instead toward high visibility and nectar production.

Plants to Attract & Feed Hummingbirds

Trees & Shrubs

Azalea, Butterfly Bush, Cape Honeysuckle, Flame Acanthus, Flowering Quince, Lantana, Manzanita, Mimosa, Red Buckeye, Tree Tobacco, Turk's Cap, Weigela

Vines:

Coral Honeysuckle, Cypress Vine, Morning Glory, Scarlet Runner Bean, Trumpet Creeper

Flowers;

Perennials: Bee Balm, Canna, Cardinal Flower, Columbine, Coral Bells, Four O'Clocks, Foxglove, Hosta, Hummingbird Mint, Little Cigar, Lupine, Penstemon, Yucca

Annuals: Beard Tongue, Firespike, Fushia, Impatens, Jacobiana, Jewelweed, Petunia, Salvia, Shrimp Plant

Butterfly Garden Plant List

NECTAR PLANTS

Trees:

Chinaberry, Chaste Tree (Vitex), Black Cherry, Mesquite, Mexican Plum and Redbud

Vines:

Coral Vine, Honeysuckle, Sweet Pea, Wisteria, Passionflower, Bouganvillea

Shrubs:

Butterfly Bush, Red Buckeye, White Honeysuckle, Mist Flower, Lantana, Agarita, Yellow Bells, Mexican Buckeye, Buttonbush, Hop Tree, Hibiscus, Flame Acanthus, Bird of Paradise, Turks Cap

Herbaceous:

Globe Amaranth, Calendula, Purple Coneflower, Geranium, Marigold, Plumbago, Mexican Sunflower, Bergamot, Brown-eyed Susan, Indian Blanket, Texas Paintbrush, Yarrow, Aster, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos, Goldenrod, Pansy, Mexican Bush Sage, thistle, Blackfoot Daisy, Cardinal Flower, Gayfeather, Salvia, Coreopsis, Butterfly Weed, Cigar Plant, Day Lilly, Impatiens, Pentas, Speedwell, Zinnia, Bluebonnet, Columbine, Mexican Hat, Sunflower, Phlox.

Some Herbs for Cooking

There are so many different types of herbs and ways to use them and in cooking there is no exception. Here is a very abbreviated list and their uses.

Parsley: Although often suggested for winter gardens, parsley will grow through the summer months if it is given some shade. It is a biennial which means it will flower and then set the seed the second season. Both Curly and Italian varieties grow easily and taste good. It should always be growing in the garden, used in salads and thrown into most cooked foods. Parsley is known as a herb that helps settle upset stomachs and freshen breath.

Rosemary: A very strong tasting herb that is great on meats and potatoes. Can be placed on hot coals right before barbecuing food to smoke with its' flavor. Needs sun, good drainage and don't overwater.

Rue: Rue is a very interesting herb that is used as a medicine by many cultures. It makes a great landscape plant and is perennial. Although it looks a little rough during the winter months, it will stay green. The bright, chrome yellow flowers are good for additional color in a herb bed. It is seldom used in cooking.

Sage: Sage is often hard to grow in our hot, humid area. Placing it in a semi shaded area does best. Give it plenty of sun and circulation. It is worth trying as it has a lot of uses. The leaves are great dried and used in herb wreaths. It adds a unique flavor that is essential in some foods and is so much better than commercially dried sage. I especially love to add it to the cavity of a baking Turkey or Chicken.

Thyme: Another very large and diverse group is Thyme. It is such an ornamental plant that the many varieties are worth trying. Thyme can be difficult in our area, but with 400 different types to choose from, keep experimenting. It is a great plant to use in a rocky area of the flower or herb bed. Lemon Thyme can be used fresh or dried to make a wonderful hot tea and in many other salad or baked dishes. Fresh is always best over dried.

What is Organic Gardening?

Organic gardening can be defined as a practice of re-cycling earth's products to produce a more natural, healthy life for, be it a plant, animal or human life. It usually involves the art of composting and using the composted material as a mulch or medium for growing almost anything. The word, "compost" is derived from the Latin verb "componere" which means; put together. It also involves the practice of dealing with nature's undesirable insects and plant life without using soil killers, also known as chemicals.

The goal in your gardening is to build healthy soil that will provide all the nutrients you plants need to be healthy. Healthy soil is living soil. It is full of microorganisms constantly breaking down plant material and making nutrients available to the plants. There is a whole-unseen world of activity going on underneath your plants and providing stimulation and nutrition to their roots. These tiny critters are naturally present in the soil; they really want to do their job. All they need is a little encouragement to grow.

They're many natural ingredients for good soil building. A few of them are water, seaweed, fish emulsion, used coffee and tea grounds, cow and other animal manures, just to name a few.

The principles to organic gardening are simple.

• Stop using poisons. Vow to use only organic fertilizer and pesticides
  
• Pledge to support your organic goals by engaging in sound horticultural practices such as composting, companion planting and inter planting. Learn to appreciate frogs, lizards and even a few garden pests.
  
• Get a soil test done.
  
• Amend the soil with 1 to 2 inches of organic compost once a year
  
• Choose a wide variety of plants. A diverse planting helps deter insects and keeps disease from spreading fast. Feed the plants as well as you do the soil, but use organic fertilizers on your plants.
  
• Re-cycle whenever possible
  
• Talk to other organic gardeners.
  

In conclusion, a sensible definition of Organic Gardening could be:

"The science and art of gardening by incorporating the entire landscape design and environment to improve and minimize the gardens soil, health, structure, testure as well as maximize the production and health of developing plants without using synthetic commercial fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides."

Making Herb Vinegars

Herbal vinegars are one of the great ways to use and enjoy many easily grown herbs. Not only are they useful, but have few calories and can make great gifts. There are many different flavor combinations, but the fundamental steps are all the same. To begin think about what type of flavor do you want? Using white wine or apple cider vinegar is most often used and makes the best base, but regular white vinegar is strong for delicate and mellow flavoring that herbs impart.

Vinegar is used as a preservative so it is relatively safe to keep and store at room temperature. Make sure though that any additions to the base vinegar be as clean as possible, and that each addition has been washed and dried before adding to the vinegar. A favorite way is to pick the herbs early in the day, rinse in a container of water, then dry on paper towels. Pick off any bad leaves and remove thick stems. Then bruise the herbs by chopping the herbs and then place in a stainless steel container. The amount should be about 1 cup of fresh herbs to 1 gallon of vinegar. Then heat the container just to boiling, but DO NOT BOIL. Pour contents into a glass jar and cover it with plastic wrap then with a lid. Store in a cool, dark place for about 10 days making it ready to be bottled and used.

Possible combinations for vinegar using herbs that are easy to grow:

Basil & Garlic

Burnet & Tarragon

Lemon herbs: Lemon Verbena, Lemon Thyme, Lemon Basil, and Lemon Balm. Garlic can be added to these

Oregano, Mexican Mint Marigold and Garlic

A mixture of the following herbs: Thyme, Tarragon, Burnet, Chives, Oregano, Sage, Dill and Savory. As a general rule Rosemary and Fennel should be used with care because of their very strong distinctive flavor. They are great meat marinades. Fennel is especially good for fish.

After the Vinegar has aged for a time it is time to bottle. Clear or light green jars and bottles make the best containers. Look in hobby store for decorative bottles, but wine, salad dressing or any type of bottle with a narrow neck will be fine. The corks also can be found at hobby or grocery stores. A small funnel is a must with clean pieces of cheesecloth needed to strain. To add to the flavor and appearance of the vinegar add to the bottle, stems, leaves, garlic cloves, small red peppers and herb flowers. To do this a long handled wooden spoon and a skewer are helpful to place the herbs in your bottle. Pick only perfect herbs, then wash and dry them well before you are ready to bottle the vinegar.

Strain the vinegar from the large jar through the mesh sieve into a measuring cup or small pitcher that pours easily. Place the herbs, garlic, flowers etc… into the bottle. Line the funnel with the cheesecloth and strain the vinegar through it. Use tight fitting corks and store in a cool, dim place. Be sure herbs in the bottle are completely covered with the vinegar solution. Although it is tempting to use these decorative bottles full of vinegar in the windowsill, only do so if the vinegar will be used often because the bright light will fade the color and it will lose flavor.