Torrential rain tends to send me on a downwards spiral of doom and dispair, so I thought I would take a few moments to recap what herbal exploits were available to me over the weekend, in the hope that others of you will share your experiences. Maybe we will even get posts from north of the country where the weather was much more favourable.

On Saturday morning I investigated the cause of demise of my patchouli plant. I discovered lots of tiny brown/black pustules on the stem as if some insect were hibernating. The roots, which had been the size of a large plant pot had disappeared to almost nothing. I cut it all down, potting up the tips where leaves were still present and divided the plant into two sections where there were a few roots still present. We shall see what happens. Of the three cuttings sitting in plastic bags on the kitchen window sill, two are respiring and the third isn't sure.

We had friends staying for the weekend, so half the patchouli cuttings went up to Kendal with them in the hope Jacce will have greener fingers than mine. We also picked lemon balm and swiss mint for her to take home and dry, but last night I discovered the stems still sitting in the outhouse, so I shall have to dry them and take her the finished product in August. Swiss mint is so strong, it tends to clear your sinuses if you sniff the aroma for long enough!

We also potted up a lemon balm and mint roots for her.

On Sunday we visited Coughton Court, home of the Throckmorton family who were involved by proxy in the Gunpowder Plot. (They rented the house to Catesby, one of the plotters who had been fostered as a child and married one of the Throckmorton daughters.) Lady MacLean-Throckmorton still owns the gardens and had large numbers of plants for sale in the pouring rain. Her herb selection looked very healthy and interesting with three sorts of thyme on offer, winter and summer savoury, fennel, rosemary, variagated sage and hyssop. I might have been tempted to buy one of the moss thymes if it hadn't been raining so hard!

Yesterday, when the house was finally quiet again and Chris was busy making a new sink unit for the caravan, I spent several hours proof reading the copy for my poetry book. It includes several pictures of my herbs. I spent ages looking for a picture for the summer page and eventually decided on a mass of angelica in bloom - not a lot of colour, but interesting shades of green. Then I got together all the pictures for the May diary webpage of my Sanctuary site. I don't think I've ever taken so many herb pictures in one month and it's not even over yet! Many thanks to Debs for her pictures of the workshop. Now I just need Chris to have time to put them all up for me together with the text. Somehow I can't see that happening for at least two weeks!

So, what was everyone else up to?

Sarah

Hi Sarah

I know what you mean about the rain, I'd planned a weekend of gardening and we were scheduled to finish the second veg bed, but like you rain stopped play here as far as gardening was concerned. We went to Jodrell bank on Sunday to look at their arboretum and the heavens opened, so we went on a journey to Mars instead. I did managed to pick up some new plants at a few garden centres over the weekend, a winter honeysuckle, an evergreen honeysuckle, some more lemon verbena, a few new lavenders, alecost and some corsican mint for alongside the path. I also got some peppermint and lemon scented geraniums and one that smells orangey and lots of pots ready to plant up with scented herbs and flowers for putting next to the new seating area and picked up a waterbutt for less than £10 which I'm chuffed with, although Simon sees another job on the list of things to do lol!

The patchouli plant you gave me last year died, I think I over watered it! But it didn't give up the ghost until after I took cuttings and they're now going strong in the greenhouse, I also potted up some of the ginger 'mountain' you gave me back in January, and that's doing okay in the greenhouse and the cardomon is doing very well and needs repotting as is the aloe vera, which has lots of babies that some time this week I'll have to pot on.

Thanks for the Coughton Court tip, being NT members its a place we haven't been to yet, but I think we'll put it on the list of places to visit, especially if they have herbs for sale <g>. I totally agree with you about the swiss mint clearing your sinuses, it has an almost eucalyptus/camphor quality to it. I've just been out in the rather damp garden squishing a few leaves and assessing the wind damage, looks like it snapped the top of a mahonia off but no other damage which is good. As an aside Swiss mint is also know as Ricola Mint, its planting in the herb garden at Hardwick Hall because the Swiss company Ricola sponsored the revamp of the herb garden at Hardwick Hall in 2007.

As we couldn't do much in the garden we took out the rhubarb from the freezer and started the rhubarb wine (you get a better wine if you freeze the rhubarb first) so we now have rhubarb wine bubbling away alongside the honeysuckle wine and the dandelion wine. I noted with delight that the elderflower is now out here, so when we get a dry day we'll go pick enough to make wine, champagne and cordial, leaving enough on the bushes for the berries for autumn so I can make some of that wonderful elderberry elixir we brought back from your workshop back in December. I also managed to get some reading in, Simon treated me to another old herb book this one is 'The Book Of Herbs' by Lady Rosaling Northcote from 1903 and as well as some wonderful facts and observations, the book is full of herbal poetry and quotes, really delightful. Just the thing to curl up with when its raining outside. So what's everyone else been doing?

Debs

Hello Sarah and Debs,

Seems that the plans of many gardeners went fearfully awry this weekend. I had hoped to get my runner beans out of the tunnel into the ground but was unable to. The only thing the least bit herbal I did was on Friday when I helped with some wedding flowers at our local church. I must admit I like doing church flowers as I can go big and bold, so nice when you have rather more restricted space at home. I did the table arrangement where the registers are signed so not large but fun never the less. The bride wanted white flowers so we had white chrysanths,spray carnations and creamy white roses, and gypsophila. The herbs came with the greenery. Lots of various rosemaries in assorted greens from my garden,and grey green eucalyptus. I have used eucalyptus before but this was quite new growth with smaller leaves than usual. I was amazed at the strength of the scent and the amount of sticky sap that came out of it when I stripped the lower leaf or two. My hands still smelt of it in the evening even after several washes and peeling an onion.
I looked at my myrtle bush when I was scouting round the garden but decided I'd rather leave it at the moment to get more flowers later. I always use a lot of herbs in arrangement as it makes the church smell so good. Usually do rather loose naturalistic arrangements, what my daughter calls 'One of Mum's hedges'. Fortunately the weather was good on Saturday so the wedding party were very happy, as were those of us from the village who turn out to sticky beak at any wedding, the rear pews are usually full of flower arrangers, bell-rings and the ladies we call the Holy Dusters.
As the rest of the weekend weather was lousy, apart from church and cooking I spent a lot of time catching up with family on the phone and sorting out our Open Gardens and art exhibition so not completely a waste of time. Hope to get out in to the garden soon as the grass is almost kneehigh.
Jane