Re: fragrance





Valerie Lowery@ZEON
03/29/99 03:26 PM

Just for the heck of it last summer I planted two rather large pots full of
fragrant foliage plants.  One pot had scented geraniums and the other had
herbs like mints and sages.  I hadn't realized that such large varieties
that were available!  Logee's carries 25+ varieties of scented geraniums
alone.  I had different fruit-flavored mints and variegated sage and a
lovely pineapple sage whose red blooms attracted hummingbirds and loads of
bees.  My daughter got a kick out of telling guests to pick off what
variety of mint they wanted for their iced tea.  She would show them the
way to crush the leaf and release the scented oils.

My bonus was that these planters were easy to care for.  The herbs like the
soil on the dry side, which was no problem in that big clay pot.  The
geraniums had some of those crystals in the soil that retain water and
slowly release it (I am a firm believer in using that stuff in my pots!).
I would deadhead both pots every other day to keep things in check.  By
summer's end, the geraniums had cascaded over the pot and looked like a big
ball.  The herbs had competed fiercely with each other and had become
absolutely huge thugs.  I'm ever so glad I had not placed them in the
perennial beds!

Another herb I grow just for looks in pots is spanish thyme.  Huge, fleshy
(like sedums), neon green leaves edged in white that look the world like
coleus (same family) but are far, far more forgiving when the soil is dry.
I had it in full sun in a clay pot and the stuff had started to grow out of
the bottom!  I saw it being grown throughout an amusement park in our area
and fell in love with it.


Val in KY
zone 6a


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