I. danfordioe is another early dwarf, this time yellow, as is I. histrioides, of which the most commonly found variety is ‘Major’ at 4 inches high and with deep blue flowers splashed with yellow in the centre.

I. reticulate, 6 inches, comes in a range of blues: ‘Harmony’ is dark blue, ‘Cantab’ light blue, ‘J. S. Dijt’ a warm purple. A feature of these tiny irises is that they flower when the leaves are very immature and in some cases all but absent. Later the leaves can grow quite tall but by this time you will probably have planted them out in the garden. Whether they will flourish there is a matter of luck—I. danfordiae is never very robust—but it is always worth a try. Bulbous irises could be planted in a window box but I would rather see them in shallow containers— they need only be planted 22 inches deep—and close together for maximum impact. In a 12 inch pot I would plant a dozen of the tiny bulbs, then put them somewhere where they can be seen close up and also smelled. Read the rest of this entry »

Many things can be done with the herbs such as herbal teas, herbal crafts and herbal seasonings. It gives immense pleasure to many people in herbal garden planting. Noticing how the herbs blend together and enjoying their delicate scent are the advantages of herbal planting.

Planning a herb garden should be so effective that you can get rid of any frustration which may arise from planting an herb in the wrong area. If you plant an aromatic plant in a shady area it will not grow as well as if it were planted in a sunny or a warm area. Hence your garden herbal planting will give you more pleasure if you plan which herbs you want to use. Read the rest of this entry »