tel: 512 280-1192 Thursday, July 14, 2016
Nursery notes: new shipment of tomatoes arrives today. Summer
sales continue: pride of Barbados 4.5" pot $3.59 buy-one-get-one
free; Bougainvillea baskets: $14.99. Purslane baskets: $9.99.
Rose sale extended! All roses just $10. Two-for-one offers on
basils: lemon, Thai and holy: $2.59 for 4" pot. Two gal. perennials
on sale for $12.99 (reg. $15.99); Moringas two-for-one: $4,99
for a 4" pot, $12.99 for 1 gal. 🌷
Stone sphere: artisan/sculptor Devin Devine works with groups
of different colored stones and rocks to create his beautiful rustic
globes. 'The sphere is about as universal of a shape as it gets.There's
a primal response to it, some fascination I can't really describe.'
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Fourteen things to do with figs: 'tis definitely the season to
celebrate the harvest of the tasty fruit of Ficus carica - and
Epicurious offers a myriad of ideas. Wrap them in bacon, roast
or toast them, bathe 'em in yogurt, add them to a grilled cheese
sandwich. Check it out: Epicurious🌷
Purple martins are gathering: it's hard not to think just a little
bit about the Alfred Hitchcock horror classic when visiting one
of the Audubon Society's purple martin parties, being held on Fri-
days and Saturdays through July. Whether you're an avid birder
or not, it's thrilling to see them gather in such huge numbers, be-
fore setting off on their journey to their winter quarters in Brazil.
parking lot, 5901 North IH-35. Bring a camera, binoculars and
a chair. 'Hitchcock' video, Travis Audubon 🌷
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Central Texas Gardener: Learn how a total gravel landscape
disrupts the water and nutrient cycle. On tour, a Hudson Bend gar-
dener responds to drought. Protect your peaches, coleus for shady
beds, and how to control chiggers and grub worms: Saturday:
4 p.m. Sunday at 9 a.m. or on-line. KLRU. 🌷
Celebrating Herbs of Mexico
by Chris Winslow
It’s always fantastic when you have plants that look beautiful in
the garden, and work really well in the kitchen.
For readers who enjoy Mexican cooking, the good news is that
three of the top four Mexican culinary herbs fall in this culinary/
horticultural category: Mexican oregano, hoya santa, and Mexican
marigold mint and cilantro.
Mexican oregano (Poliomentha longiflora) is an evergreen that
grows to three feet and blooms a light pink to lavender flower from
spring to frost. This flowering perennial has a spicy oregano flavor
that turns off the deer and can be quite drought-tolerant when esta-
blished. It looks beautiful with salvias, lantanas, and Mexican mint
marigold in our perennial landscape beds. ($3.59 for 4.5" pot)
Hoya santa (Piper auritum) is a large leaf herbaceous perennial
herb that has a curious root beer flavor to its leaf. This plant can
grow from full shade to full sun depending on how much water it
gets. Its large leaf and size will give a tropical look to the landscape.
The leaves are used to wrap fish fillet or chicken breast and baked
in the oven or steam.
In Mexico, its leaves are an essential ingredient in green mole. In
Guatemala it is used to make traditional tamales, which are wrapped
in banana leaves. Hoya santa is very popular along the east coast
of Mexico and can be found on the menu of Fonda San Miguel in
central Austin. ($3.59 for 4.5" pot)
Mexican marigold mint (Tagetes lucida) grows from spring to fall
and has an anise flavor to the leaf. This easy-to-grow perennial
blooms heavily in the fall is an effective substitute for French tarr-
agon, which is difficult to grow. ($3.59 for 4.5" pot)
Last but not least is cilantro. Though not the best plant for your
landscape, this essential Mexican herb is easy to grow if you pick
the right season. It loves the cooler weather of fall and winter.
Planted in late September or early October, it will grow and prod-
uce flavorful leaves throughout the winter. (Currently not in stock.)
Cilantro will bolt and bloom in the spring, ending its life cycle.
For a heat-tolerant plant which has a similar flavor, you might try
Vietnamese cilantro which is also called Rau Rum. This plant
thrives in the heat. Happy gardening everyone! 🌷
Please contact newsletter editor Darrel Mayers 🌷🌲 🌿 🌵 ☀️ 
🌻
🌻 with any ideas for articles or interesting links:
internationalrain@yahoo.com (hitting 'reply' to this email won't work)
Visit the website: It's About Thyme And here for facebook
internationalrain@yahoo.com (hitting 'reply' to this email won't work)
Visit the website: It's About Thyme And here for facebook
