My Neglected Templeton Garden in June

June 19, 2017

What Happens When a Garden Takes Care of Itself

The Butterfly Bush

This is the same butterfly bush that fell in 2014. See this post for contrast photos.

Recovered Butterfly Bush Growing Upright Again, © B. Radisavljevic

Butterfly Bush in Context of Rest of Herb Garden,  © B. Radisavljevic

In the left background is an Italian CyrpeCypress tree. In the foreground is a combination of black sage and rosemary.  The orchard is in the background on the right. This is quite a contrast from my original herb garden when I planted it a couple of decades ago. This is what this section looked like in April, 2007.

Expanding Herb Garden in April, 2007, © B. Radisavljevic

Apples

I was happy to see our remaining apple tree is producing this year. 

Young Apples, June 19, 2017, © B. Radisavljevic

Walnuts on the Tree

Walnut Tree with Immature Nuts, © B. Radisavljevic

June 20, 2017

Papa Quail 

Papa Quail Watches Over Family, Which Is Hidden in Brush,  © B. Radisavljevic

Papa Quail in Context. Quail Family is Hidden in Brush, © B. Radisavljevic

It was too hot to stand still and wait for the quail family to come out of hiding so I could get a photo, but I often see the mother with her chicks running for cover in the brush as I go by. They live on the section of our land that is near the entrance. That's our oak tree in the background.

The Herbs on the Slope

I planted my first herbs in Templeton on the slope close to the front door. For years they've grown wild, and I discovered when I took these photos that a coyote brush plant had sneaked in under the  rosemary on the back edge and grown large enough to smoother whatever is under it. Probably my oregano and tricolor sage. Rosemary is still growing strong in back. But I'd like to concentrate on the flowers here. 

The lavender was among the first plants I placed on the slope. I got it from the now gone Sycamore Farms herb farm. The sage below was planted at the same time and came from the same place. The santolina (golden) was planted later. It probably also came from there. 

Bee Foraging on Lavender, © B. Radisavljevic

Santolina and Lavender Close Up, © B. Radisavljevic

Common Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic, 

Thyme on the Slope, © B. Radisavljevic 

This last photo shows an overview of the slope. The taller yellow flowers are volunteer dusty miller plants that reseeded from some older transplants. The santolina and lavender are on its left. You see mostly rosemary and sage on the right, with thyme in the foreground. All these plants originally came from four-inch pots around 2006, so you can see how much they have grown. For the last three years they have had little attention. 

Overview of West Side of Slope, © B. Radisavljevic

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what can happen to a neglected garden. It's amazing so much of it survived the drought with almost no irrigation.

Do you grow herbs? What are your most memorable experiences with them? Which are your favorites to grow?

*****

Sages Add Color and Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Garden

I have been growing several varieties of sage for decades now. Sage plants need little care and little water. They are ideal for making a yard attractive after you replace your lawn with drought-resistant plants. Even  when they are not in bloom, their leaves add interest and different shades of color. When they are in bloom you will hear them as you approach, since they will already be covered with bees. Sages add color and attract beneficial insects to your garden. 

Red Cherry Sage in My Neighbor's Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

The first sage I grew was common sage. Unfortunately, I had no idea I was supposed to prune it severely in the spring. It has become an unruly mess now after being left alone for about twenty years. Other than that, it requires little care. It is propagated most easily with root division, which is how I've multiplied my plants. I use root division to propagate all my sage varieties.

The next varieties I added were golden sage and tricolor sage. Unfortunately, the golden sage was planted too close to my tricolor sage and another common sage plant, and when I wasn't paying attention, they swallowed it. So I have no photo of golden sage. Below is a tricolor sage plant I propagated from the mother plant into another herb garden. It is sitting between rosemary on the left and common sage on the right. It was taken toward the end of June.

Tricolor Sage Between Rosemary and Common Sage, © B. Radisavljevic

I then planted a root division in this pot for a place in my Paso Robles garden. I guess I haven't given it enough soil in the pot to supply the nutrients it needs to bloom in this setting, since it has never bloomed here. It is sitting next to a clary sage plant that is blooming. On its left is blooming hyssop. All by itself in back is a mullein which will take a few more months to bloom.

Tricolor and Clary Sage,  © B. Radisavljevic

The next sage I added to my collection was black sage. It was in a small pot when I planted it. Again, I didn't realize at the time that it needed to be cut back every  year. Within a few years it was swallowing everything around it but a butterfly bush and some rosemary. When I wanted to plant a root division in Paso Robles, I knew it would grow fast to fill space in the side yard. I planted it about three years ago and cut it back every year, and this is how it looks now. I want to keep it this size, but I will have to move the irises and daffodils planted around it.

Black Sage, © B. Radisavljevic

Bees and butterflies love black sage and this plant is always buzzing until the sun goes down. The bee is to the left, and the painted lady butterfly is on the right. I also see bumblebees, but I don't like to get too close to them.

Beneficial Insects on Black Sage,  © B. Radisavljevic

After I started improving the flower beds here in 2013, I started trying some new sages. The watermelon sage was one of them. I am pleased with the color it adds to my garden and it doesn't try to take over like the black sage does. It's not in full bloom in these photos.

I should probably either move this Spanish sage away from the jamine that's trying to drown it, or keep the jasmine cut back more. It would probably get more sun in the side yard. I may move it in fall.

Spanish Sage, © B. Radisavljevic

I was not successful with this Victoria Blue Sage. I think it did not get enough sun or something was wrong in the soil. It died within weeks of being planted. I think I also saw a gopher hole about that time nearby.

Victoria Blue Sage, © B. Radisavljevic

I'm  sure I will keep adding more varieties of sage to my garden as I find the room and the time to plant them. Perhaps I will try  some of these I've seen on my walks. The compact Jerusalem sage was found at the Donati Family Tasting Room. The others below were seen in the bed between the sidewalk and the street near a vacant lot on 21st Street as I was leaving Smart and Final.

Which sages have you grown? Which are your favorites?



If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of the post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning.

This is my nineteenth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is plants, since this is a gardening blog. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Apple Blossoms
B is for Bottlebrush
C is for Carnations
D is for Daisy
E is for Elderberry
F is for Flowers
G is for Gazania
Hollyhocks are Edible
Irises Are Garden Survivors
Jupiter's Beard: A Mystery Finally Solved
Kale for Lunch
Lion's Tail - A Perennial Summer Burst of Orange
Miner's Lettuce is Tasty and Free"Naked Ladies" Bloom in August
Oleander through the Year
Plant Pests and their Predators: Aphids and Ladybugs
Quince Fruit from Blossom to Table

Roses Are Not Just Red

***

The Growth of Clary Sage

Clary is a Unique Sage in my Garden

Clary sage (Slavia Schlerea) is quite different from the other other sages I grow. I had no idea to expect when I planted it. It's lush flower spikes surprised me. Best known historically as a remedy for getting foreign matter out of one's eyes with its seeds, it also can be used in the kitchen, but is not as versatile there as the other sages are. Pregnant woman should avoid it, and no one should mix it with alcohol.   I only grow clary sage to add beauty to my summer garden. 

Clary Sage Bud, May 25

My Experience with Clary Sage in the Garden

I first planted my clary in a pot in my yard in Templeton. A couple of years ago I brought the pot to our Paso Robles home. It bloomed there last year. Then it appeared to die down and I thought it was gone. I've since learned it can be biennial (blooming the second year and then dying) or perennial. 

After this year's rains, it came back and started to grow again. On May 25, I snapped the photo of its first bud of the season, which you see above.


Within a week, the buds had turned into the flower spikes you see to the right. The plant is still in the original pot. I am hoping it will reseed. It reseeded once three years ago, but the weed abatement man thought it was a weed and dug it up. He tried a day later to pot it, but the roots had been exposed too long to make a recovery.

Clary Sage in Bloom, Early June

Other Sages I Grow

I also grow tricolor sage, to the left in the photo above. I can't recall if I ever saw it bloom. Most sages bloom in June, but so far I've never seen so much as a blossom on this potted plant. I have seen the more established plants in Templeton bloom. I made this greeting card on Zazzle with it pictured in bloom next to common sage. 

Blank Card: Mixed Sages and Rosemary Card
Shop for a greeting card on zazzle.com

It could be the tricolor variety is on a different timetable than other sage varieties, in spite of what the books say. The Missouri Botanical Garden website says tricolor sage should bloom in May or June. The flowers are supposed to be lavender or purple and quite showy. They should be hard to miss. Maybe tricolor sage has different blooming dates in Missouri. 

My common sage, pictured below, has been blooming since at least April in my Templeton herb garden as has been my black sage in both gardens. My watermelon and Spanish sages have also been in bloom since at least May. You can see them, in addition to the black sage, pictured in my post on what blooms at the end of May. 

Common Sage in Neglected Herb Garden, © B. Radisavljevic

Have you ever grown clary sage? If not, would you like to? What is your favorite variety of sage?  Please feel free to leave your feedback in the comment box below the share buttons. 

Related articles

• Sages Add Color and Attract Beneficial Insects to Your Garden