As a child I remember growing many types of gardens such as a rose garden, a cactus garden and, of course, a small herb garden.
The rose garden grew in a sandstone circle and we had a lovely Peace rose in the center. The cactus garden was, unfortunately, planted under the shade of a huge live oak, so the plants never got any direct sunlight and stayed small.
The herb garden was just a grouping of a few herbs such as catnip, lemon mint, dill and regular mint plants planted in full sun.
Childhood Interest in Herb Gardening
I became interested in herbs while in grade school after reading a gardening book on herbs and flowers. Strangely, the book didn’t have any color photographs in it, but it held a wealth of information about herbs and how to use them.
I remember thinking how neat it is to add a sprig of mint to garnish a dish of orange gelatin.
I, also, froze mint leaves in an ice cube tray to make minted ice cubes for ice tea.
Herb Gardening Today
My interest in herbs continued as an adult and I always have a pot of two of something growing around the house.
I love using fresh herbs to bake with. A few sprigs of thyme tossed into oven baked chicken smells and tastes amazing.
Chopped fresh parsley goes into dips, soups, potato salad and other dishes.
Plus a cheese and meat charcuterie tray becomes special with the addition of a few green rosemary clippings.
I recently served perogies flavoring them with a sprinkling of chopped fresh chives.
Ending Notes on the Herb Garden
Growing a herb garden as a child sparked a life-long interest in growing herbs and other plants.
There is something so natural and true about planting a plant, caring for it, then watching it grow.
I remember planting a shrub with my child years ago in the front yard. When the landscaper wanted to tear it out to replace it without something else, I said no thank you to that one.
Happy Planting with your child from Farmhouse Magic Blog.com
Thank You to Merrifield Garden Center where today’s blog photographs were taken.