Unhappy Herbs and Mystery Plant -- Help!

ROSEMARY AND LAVENDER

I recently transplanted my rosemary and lavender from pots in my window to the garden.  I had come to the conclusion that I had overwatered them during the winter.  Although I see a bit of new growth near the base of the lavender, neither plant is looking healthy or perking up as I had hoped.  The leaves are all very pale and somewhat spotted.  Any suggestions?  Is it too late? 

MYSTERY PLANT

I recently found a few of these plants in a neglected garden, so of course I transplanted them to mine!  But I have no idea what they are!  Does anybody recognize it?

Weekend Project

I have been wanting to redo this birdbath for quite some time.  It came with the house, tucked into the area where I now have my garden.  After cleaning, sanding, priming and repainting, it now has a new home in the center of my garden!

Since I am starting most of my plants from seeds, they are still too small to put in the garden, but I needed to see some color!  So, I found these plants at my local garden center and fell in love with them!  They are called Mossy Rockfoil.  I was told they will fill out and spread quite a bit so not to plant too many in one area.  I was also told to deadhead them often for faster growth.   It is so nice to finally see some color!

Flowers:  $ 12.62
Total Spent to Date:  $ 114.87

Making Progress

The weather is finally starting to warm up and the plants are slowly but surely beginning to make an appearance!  Since we are past the danger of frost, I decided to plant the morning glory seeds directly into the ground.  I ended up soaking them for a couple of days rather than just overnight, waiting for the shells to crack and sprouts to begin.  Today they were ready to be planted.

This morning I stumbled across a post in a forum I follow stating that soaking the seeds in a 50/50 mix of water and hydrogen peroxide is also beneficial, much more so than simply soaking in water.  I will be sure to try this next spring! 

Above is a picture of my rosemary and lavender plants.  They were not looking too happy or healthy after wintering indoors.  At first I thought it was because I had them near a window (too cold) or possibly I was not watering them appropriately (too much, too little?).  After doing a bit of research, I found that these two plants are dormant in the winter, requiring less water, but they tolerate cold very well.  So, I must have been simply over watering them.  I have given them a new home in the corner of my garden and will follow their progress closely.  Hopefully, they will begin to thrive in their new space! 

April Showers

What a blustery, damp and rainy day it is here today!  Wind gusts are up to 25 mph, but I couldn't resist spending some time in my garden.  I wanted to check on the progress of my tulips and daffodils that have already begun to sprout!

Unfortunately, there is not much else I can do in the garden today, though I am anxious to get my hands in the dirt and do some more planting.  Tonight I will soak my morning glory seeds in preparation for planting tomorrow.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Preparing the Garden

I am excited to say that I have made much more progress in preparing my garden than I thought I would over the last couple of weeks.  I decided to start with a raised bed to allow for better drainage.  The garden is 22 feet x 4 feet.  The cobblestones that were given to me are perfect for the border!  Above is a picture of the border building in progress. 

After digging and filling buckets for what seemed an eternity, we were able to transfer soil from another area and raise the flower bed.  I also mixed in two large bags of peat moss this past Saturday and made sure to remove any rocks that were left behind. Soil testing revealed that the pH level is 6.0.  Most garden plants do well in soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.  I mixed fertilizer into the soil and now the garden is ready for planting! 

Money Spent to Date:  $102.25  (This includes 2 large bags of peat moss, bulbs, seeds, and soil test kit).

A Year in the Garden

I have always loved the outdoors - the trees, the scent of fresh cut gass, the birds singing overhead - but most of all I love gardens.  I find a garden to be a peaceful, yet exciting place with all the different varieties, scents and colors.  I have tried often to create such a place; however, something always seemed to go wrong.  I always figured that I just didn't have a "green thumb" - that some people have that particular talent and some do not.  But since giving up was never an option for me, I decided to approach gardening in a completely different way than I had before. 

I was given a book that teaches gardening on a month-by-month basis and thought - this is it!  I will follow this book from start to finish - starting with building a flower bed, to testing soil, to choosing plants, planting seeds and tending plants, etc.  I will share my experiences and things I learn along the way.   And I look forward to hearing of your gardening experiences and/or gardening advice as well!