Saturday, January 15, 2005

Sleepy morning. Sleepy evening. Between, much work. Completed Phase 1 of getting the greenhouse in order. It was very pleasant, not to say therapeutic, work, in the warmish (55F) areas under the glass, brushing against the poor chilly herbs struggling to survive these cold nights. The large Salvia apiana (white sage) is a trooper, or trouper (which is it?), and so fragrant. And there are the rosemary and culinary sage plants, both large, both growing there when I moved here. The little lavender I planted last October is hanging in, as is my southernwood, an artemisia that prefers Greece, probably. Neither is happy. But they will be. The cruel cold snap has ended, daytime temps look to stay above 40F for at least a week, and I have lined the lower greenhouse perimeter with green-glass bottles and gallon jugs of water, which will both humidify and hang onto some of the daytime heat to give off (for a while) at night and, I'm hoping, prevent any more frost damage. As for planting (we're not there yet; there's so much to do before planting anything becomes feasible), I'm leaning toward flowers. I always have loved them, but unless they were the byproduct of an herb plant, I never have grown flowers for their own sake; not successfully, anyway. So something temporary and bright--annuals, probably--and fun to give away in the spring. [photo http://nbnrs.noakbridge.net/gall07.html] 8:28:28 PM    comment []