Among the things I brought home were:
- Basil – of course, and including lots of regular, opal, spicy globe and Magic Michael, irresistible because of its name; I’m still looking for Thai basil – hope I’m not too late
- Tomatoes – big, small, round, long, red, yellow and striped; I really hope the Marzano tomatoes grow and thrive, so I can have great sauce all winter
- Peppers – mostly chiles, mostly hot
- Rosemary – a lot of rosemary to plant along the south wall with the lavender, which wintered over beautifully; together the rosemary and lavender make me think I’ve got a tad of the South-of-France in New England
- Bay Leaf – one of my favorite things in a garden; there’s nothing like being able to pull a leaf off the plant just when the stew is going into the oven or when you’re about to make moules mariniere
- Thyme – including lemon and silver
- Marjoram – which always makes me think of oregano and makes me wonder every year why the oregano always winters over and the marjoram never does
- Mint – peppermint, spearmint and chocolate mint (which we’ll keep in pots, so that they won’t take over the entire garden)
- Scented Geraniums – strawberry, apple and a fabulous lemon-rose; I’m going to use them in pound cakes this summer
- Patchouli – so summer of love, so intoxicating
- Lemongrass – which will grab an entire corner of the garden, but be worth it
- Lemon Verbena– big, aromatic, wonderful in tisanes and so good with fish
There’s much more, more than enough to fill the empty patches left by winter. Actually, given how harsh our winters are here, I’m always amazed at how much of the garden survives covered by frost and weighed down by snow. Yes, yes, I know that that’s why the survivors are called perennials, but I still think it borders on the miraculous. Here’s the spring garden with nothing new planted in it:
By next week all the holes will be filled – except the ones the chipmunks burrow. Aarrrgh. How can creatures that are so cute be so destructive?!