My Garden's Working Progress

Mint is a bit like a man.......... it's tendrils tend to wander, trying to have a sneaky feel.

 

Lemon balm is lovely, grows like a weed, self seeds, bees love it, smells heavenly. I also have a plain, a golden, and a hairy marjoram( or is it oregano?) which also grow really well, and again are loved by bees and great for cooking.
You have mint, I think, but pineapple mint looks great and grows well in a. Ig pot.

So jealous of your landscapers! I need so much done, but whenever I want to pay anyone to do a job, my husband says, noooo, I can easily do that, won't take long etc

So I still have unpacked flagstones, edging,sleepers etc lying around...what was it those Greek women did?

 

Oregano! That's another I need to get.

What do you use Lemon Balm for? Is it a good for adding a lemon flavour to a dish? I could do with a herb to do that.

 

Should also add, yesterday I began the long task of lowering the privet hedge. Currently it stands at 7-8ft and want to reduce it down to 6ft.

Have only removed my side as I don't know if my neighbour still wants it lowered. I should have asked in advance but I could never seem to get hold of him. The hedge is on my side of the boundary anyway.

 

Bathed in Ass's milk? Or is my imagination getting carried away?

 

Why do you want it lowering JJ?

(Am sure you know, but you should initially cut it 6" lower than the final height you want, and then allow it to "splay out" as it grows back, so it makes a nice flat top - as you can see from the bit on the far side that you have not yet cut)

If Neighbour doesn't want their side lowered it might make a nice "topiary" effect of having a step in it. Perhaps you could do something like a crenellated parapet ...

 

I use lemon balm as a herb in all sorts of recipes, eg stuffing for fish, chopped up and mixed with butter to go under the skin of a chicken, added to hot water with a bit of sugar and lemon juice for a drink, etc. think there Re lots of recipes out there but mainly I just like to run my hands through it on my way into the house!

 

I want to lower it as I can't reach the top to cut my side flat. I can only reach up to about 6 foot in height and that's with my trestle I stand on too. I have to get my neighbour to cut the top and he does it by leaning a ladder against the hedge. It is a good height as it is, I just don't find the upkeep practical enough for me.

My aim at the moment is to do a rough cut of the top growth, then go over the whole thing in a week and remove another 6 inches. Hopefully by then I would have spoken to my neighbour and lowered the whole lot. I'm trying to get this done as soon as possible before the birds start nesting in it.

 

The perfect reason

 

I love it as a green foliage addition to a Summertime flower arrangement. And in my jug of Pimms,
Jenny

 

What about lemon thyme? Does that have a lemony flavour? I know it smells lemony but I want to add a herb to my chicken that's a substitute for lemon, as I don't want to be buying a fresh lemon every week

 

How about growing lemon grass JJ. It's used a lot in oriental cooking.