HOW ABOUT HERBS 



continued from page 17 



and Doretta Klaber thyme (T. vul- 

 garis 'Doretta Klaber') that grow 

 with tiny leaves in a neat flat mat 

 that creeps easily over the side of 

 a container. German thyme and 

 French thyme are both well-be- 

 haved small bushy plants that 

 blend well with the creepers in 

 containers. These and many other 

 thymes can be found at Rabbit 

 Shadow farm, 2880 East Highway 

 402, Loveland, CO 80537. The price 

 list is $1, refimdable with an order. 

 Small scented geraniums like 

 lemon crispum, nutmeg, and 

 strawberry are good choices. Tri- 

 color sage and golden sage, with 

 their variegated foliage, tend to 

 remain smaller than ordinary sage 

 and love growing in containers. 

 These two are not always hardy 

 in our winters and like to be 



brought inside — and a container 

 makes that easy. Consider color- 

 ful miniature peppers such as 

 Thai Hots to liven up your con- 

 tainer arrangements. 



A lemon-scented selection 

 could include separate pots of 

 lemon thyme, lemon balm (which 

 will remain smaller in a con- 

 tainer), lemon verbena, lemon ba- 

 sil (wimpy and difficult in the 

 garden; easier in a pot), a lemon 

 geranium — all these massed in 

 smaller pots in front of a large 

 pot of tall lemon grass. I like this 

 idea so much I just want to run 

 out and do it right now! 



Green santolina (Santolina virens) — 

 mounds of bright green, finely 

 cut foliage with lemon yellow 

 button flowers — and grey santo- 

 lina (S. chamaecyparissus) are good 

 container plants. They grow large, 

 but are easily clipped and kept 



within their potted boundaries. I 

 like grey santolina and colorful 

 violas (Johnny jump-ups) in a pot 

 on my porch. There's a small new 

 blue-and-white viola called "Cutie," 

 whose flowers peek charmingly 

 through the grey foliage and are so 

 cheery and impish that 1 cannot help 

 but smile at them each morning. 



These are but a few. When com- 

 bining pots and plants, consider 

 the form, foliage, texture, and color 

 of each herb separately, then begin 

 to envision a variety of combina- 

 tions. Tailor the soil to the plants 

 and move them to where they get 

 the proper amount of sun. Easy 

 gardening! Let the artist in you 

 take over, encourage your custom- 

 ers to do the same, and have fun 

 with herbs in containers. 



Tanya Jackson, well-known area herbal- 

 ist, can he reached at 603-431-8011. 



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THE PLANTSMAN 



