Some Herb Plant Suppliers

Cricklewood Secret Garden
www.cricklewoodsecretgarden.com

Mountain Valley Growers
www.mountainvalleygrowers.con
(On line catalog)

Lingle’s Herbs
www.linglesherbs.com
(On line catalog)

Herb Fresh
www.herbfresh.com
(On line catalog)

The" Tehachapi Herbies" meet on the third Thursday of each month, April through September. If you like to cook and share herb recipes, join us. We potluck with dishes made with the herb discussed in the previous herb column.

"ALL ABOUT HERBS" appears in the Tehachapi News monthly. The column covers the cultivation, culinary uses, medicinal properties, ornamental applications, folklore, recipes and the history of herbs. Don 't miss it!

Edna's new column "WHAT'S COOKIN" now appears monthly in the Tehachapi News. She will cover various food related topics including recipes, shopping tips, nutritional information and cooking ideas.

Edna writes an herb section for the Tehachapi Rose and Garden Society newsletter each month. Recipes from the Herbies Lunch Group will be shared as well as “herb facts” for the topic herb.

Much is said about how difficult it is to garden in our mountain community. The possibility of a late frost makes it necessary to perform some garden chores in May and June rather than April. Many shrubs appear dead and some plants will not burst forth until the weather is more consistently warm both day and night. April is a good month to cut the dead wood from shrubs, put in new plants and move volunteers to their new location. Roots establish more quickly in cooler soil so don’t wait until the hot weather is upon us.

The good news is that many plants do very well in our climate and bloom early in spite of weather deterrents. We will discuss several “easy to grow” plants including shrubs, flowers and trees. They are all pictured here as they presently appear in my garden.

Euphorbia myrsinitis is a low growing, tufted, evergreen perennial. It looks best in the spring with its showy chartreuse flowers but is less attractive in the heat of summer. It hunkers down in the colder months but remains green. It will cover slopes and fill in large spaces as it creeps and “pops” its seeds throughout your garden.

Iberis sempervirens (candytuft) is an evergreen perennial that displays its lovely white flowers from spring until fall. It grows and spreads in clumps and by seed. It will quickly fill in an area and provide plants for new locations.

Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon grape) is an evergreen shrub that matures to five feet high and wide. It displays clusters of tiny yellow flowers in the spring, and purple berries with bronze leaves in the fall. The berries attract birds, and can also be used to make jelly.

A flower we must include in our Tehachapi garden is the daffodil, a member of the narcissus family. Where would we be without those “cheery yellow smiles” in the spring? The bulbs grow best in full sun when flowering, but partial shade is preferred in hot areas when the blooming is done. For this reason they do very well under deciduous trees.

A favored ornamental tree is the flowering plum, a member of the large botanical “prunus” family. The showy pink flowers appear before the purplish leaves unfold. The tree is a delight to behold even when covered with a surprise spring snow. It will not tolerate prolonged periods with “wet roots” and should not be planted in a boggy area.

All five of these plants are adaptable, easily grown and not fussy about soil, water or sun. Our neighborhoods have mini-climates due to exposure so I suggest you look around your area for plants that are being successfully cultivated. Add those to the list of five we have discussed and you and these plants will soon be springin’ into action!
Check my Website at herbbasket.net for upcoming garden events in our area and elsewhere.