It's 'Bee Thyme'! Our Thymes are in full flower and looking really stunning at the moment. The bumble bees are buzzing busily around them giving us all a sense that summer's here at last.
We are really delighted by this, because an abundance of bees means that our organic growing methods are enhancing pollination and so increasing our yields. The herb farm is literally teeming with wildlife and is a living, buzzing, humming testament to the benefits of biodiversity in the garden.
Consequently, we receive regular vists from birds, butterflies, rabbits (not always welcome), frogs, and our last open days were spent chasing after ducklings who were determined to run wild amongst our organic herbs!
Don't miss our 20% discount off a specially chosen selection of Thymes (below), and enjoy the bees too!
We're offering three different collections of three thymes each which have been selected to compliment each other - a must have if you're a thyme collector, or planning a thyme walk, or if you simply love thyme!
Jekka and Wendy spent a fantastic weekend recently at our favourite terracotta pot makers, the Whichford Pottery, where Jekka talked about Herbs being More than a Garnish during their 2-day "Jekka & Jekyll" event (referring to Gertrude Jekyll, famous for her garden design in the 19th & 20th century). Wendy's pictured right, selling herbs in the sunshine.
It's been a busy few months for our mail order herbs. Thanks to the weather, which we're rather dependent upon being organic, the herbs all came ready at once which meant that the team were flat out picking, packing & despatching herbs with haste.
We've received a gratifying number of thank-you's from satisfied customers:
“Just to say we’ve received our plants and they look great!!”
“Just wanted to let you know the plants arrived last week in beautiful shape and have taken very well to being transplanted.”
“Thank you for my order received in brilliant condition this morning.”
“A quick email to tell you that my order just arrived. Not only are the plants in excellent condition but beautifully packaged."
It's mid-summer, and the early annual herbs and biennial herbs are beginning to go over. It is already time to think of next year and to start collecting herb seeds.
Take cuttings of tender shrubs as spare shoots become available.
You can still grow the following herb seed outside in the garden: Chervil, angelica (if seed is set), borage, coriander, dill, lovage, parsley.
Take Softwood cuttings of: Wormwood, scented geraniums, lavenders, thymes
Keep an eye on your herbs in containers and make sure they are adequately watered as the temperatures start to rise - particularly so when it has been as windy as late, as this will dry out your containers more quickly.
Cut all lavenders back after flowering to maintain shape. If this is the first summer of your herb garden and the plants are not fully established, it it important to make sure they do not dry out to water regularly. Once established, many are tolerant of drought.
You can now harvest the following herbs for drying: lemon balm, horehound, summer savory, hyssop, tarragon, thyme, lavender.
