Well I have started my new herb bed a few days ago. I broke up ice for 3 days, and today I finally was able to start putting it all together. Ofcourse there is no herbs out yet. That won't happen til the end of May! But this way I can make adjustments up until then. Last year i layed a ground cover and just placed rocks around to hold it all in place and to help kill the grass. Some of my winter sowing containers are finally out in the open, but its way to early yet for them to start growing. What I uncovered after breaking the ice. What a mess,,lol. I started to lay pine needles down as a cover over the black mat. Nothing can grow there anyways because sometime, who knows when, they layed a concrete drive. Its so broke up, and covered with grass its useless. So on goes the pine needles, laying out the walking blocks, and starting to use mosses that are indiginous to the artic. They will grow on pine. An old coal bucket will hold birch paper and mosses. How i used the mosses and rocks together Starting to come together. And almost done. The container is there so I can see if the wind will blow my containers away or not,,,lol. This will be an herbal container garden when its all done. So in another month i can start to put out the herbs hopefully. And I finally finshed this and felt good about accomplishing some gardening goals, and treated myself to the last of the winter sun, with a cup of coffee and creme and the sun.
I'm so happy for you! At least you're gardening, even though it's just the early preparations. The rock/moss combinations looks lovely, and what I'll try to achieve once we get the pond area under way. We've planned it for five+ years, so who knows when we'll start.
Wow, what a lot of work that was. But the result is really great, it is going to look so good with the pots full of bushy herbs. What kind will you have there?
That bed is looking professional. You put it together so carefully. I know you can't wait until it's warm enough to get things planted in there. You are the only person I know that has to chop ice as the first step in making a plant bed. Well done, you.
It's looking really good Biita and I was wishing I was with you on that sun set. Great pics. Thanks for sharing.
I love your moss covered rocks and your garden area looks like it will work well for herbs...you'll have to post pictures in mid summer when all plants are in and growing strong. Our acidic soils grow moss as well, but it doesn't look the same as yours...your moss seems much taller that what grows native around me. My garden is starting to get an aged look after 10 years of putzing...I love a garden that looks like it's always been there and moss does a great job of doing just that.
Biita you've done really well with the herb bed especially as you had to break ice for three days before you could get started!!! Now that's what I call dedication. Moss and rocks always look so good together don't they and yours definately suit each other. Once the herbs are all planted it's going to be a lovely area. BTW can I pinch your sunset piccie please?
Thank you all for the nice compliments! Ofcourse Eileen, pinch away..lol. I still have work to do on that area, i need to lay more pine needles, to make sure when its all packed down its nice and thick. The patio part which is in the first pic, has broken blocks all thru it, and thats where my thyme and parsley goes. So far I want to go in there hysop, anis, fennel, catnip, mint, a huge container with horse radish root. Basically all the things that need to be contained because they can be invasive. I will buy (gasp) lemon balm also to put there,,lol. But I don't have the old wooden bench out yet, that was made by KB's great grandfather, or none of the containers themselves. I'm still moving things the way i want them. The moss here does grow taller than in the states. Some of the mosses get little flowers on them, like that green moss on the rocks. The white moss is reindeer moss, that will go very hard but as soon as it gets wet, its soft and pliable again. Right now I have to study the sun, to make sure this area gets as much as the plants will need. The house itself blocks the hottest of the sun during the day,,(why i had to chop ice) So we shall see,,lol.
