Herbes de Provence
I’ve had a hankering for baked potato with chives, which helped remind me that chives are easy to grow. Once again I walked to the Fiol gardening store, and once again I was tempted by other plants as well. On a tight budget now with my imminent move, I only fell for one: the thym de Provence shown here, which is also called farigoule in Provençal. It has a strong smell, sweet and tangy with a touch of mint, that makes the mouth water.
I now have tomatoes, basil, chives, thyme, lavender, myrtle, strawberries, and access to a wild rosemary plant that’s been growing out of my neighbor’s gutter for the last three years. Ah, the romance of living in southern France, where rosemary grows out of gutters… Rosemary can be grown from cuttings, so I’ll be taking a cutting along with me when I move. I photographed nearly all my plants to show how much I’ve been able to do with a small city balcony. Thyme and chives are perennials, so will always be around, and they were surprisingly cheap at three euros a plant. So for six euros I’ll have thyme and chives for as long as they’re alive!
May 17th, 2008 at 16:46
I have been trying to resist all this temptation you’re presenting with growing such beautiful plants…me being very non-green-thumbed and all. But it looks like I’ll be joining the club in a modest way…my daughter’s teacher thanked me for my volunteer work at the school with a sweet little potted African violet. (She obviously doesn’t know my track record with plants.)
Any advice on how to take care of it? I hope it can survive this desert climate. It will probably have to stay indoors.
I used to try and keep basil when I lived in France, and I killed a few pots of it, because apparently it needs watering every single day, and that didn’t sink in my non-gardner skull. Husband didn’t intervene…he was trying to get me to learn on my own. Silly man.
Your balcony looks like a tranquil escape from hectic everyday living.
May 17th, 2008 at 17:29
Odd, basil actually doesn’t like to be watered that much… The site with directions for rosemary cuttings also has an herbs section that includes basil. I have no idea where your basil plants came from, but if they were bought at a supermarket or outdoor market, that could be the problem; they should always come from a reputable gardening store instead. Plants sold at supermarkets are put on the equivalent of steroids so they’ll look extra-attractive and sell quickly, but it ends up killing the poor things… A good gardening place will care for plants properly so that the plants will be healthy throughout their life.
May 17th, 2008 at 17:42
(my blog is weirding out on me and won’t let me put anything beyond that first paragraph above… so here’s the continuation)
About the African violet now! I’ve never had any, but some Googling found this African Violets growth and care writeup that’s very thorough. You’re right that the violet will need to stay indoors in Arizona, the good thing is that the indoors seems ideal!
Rosemary and thyme would do wonderfully in Arizona, they love heat, plenty of sun and dry soil. Rosemary can be practically abandoned and still do fine, as evidenced by the rosemary in my neighbor’s gutter!
May 18th, 2008 at 17:59
Thank you for the African violet link. I am sure that the basil was indeed cheap supermarket basil, so I will find a better source. If I succeed in not murdering my African violet, I will give herbs a try.
There’s a plant native to Arizona that I love, it’s a wild brush called Creosote. It’s entirely made up of bare branches that taper down and sport sprays of tiny green mini-leaves on the ends - nothing spectacular, but after a rain, it gives off the most wonderful woodsy fragrance that is kind of like a combination of thyme, woodchips and citrus. I don’t think it’s possible to grow it on one’s own though, it has to originate from the wild.