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I wish I could find tarragon, too. I never can and it’s an herb I use a lot.
I just put together two planters for the front porch..geraniums, variegated ivy and trailing wave petunias. The artimesia I bought is too big, so I’ll use them somewhere else.
I had to go FOUR PLACES looking for tarragon! What the heck? I looked it up and it's not particularly hard to grow so I don't know what the deal is. I couldn't find it at any of the "mass production places" like Lowes or Home Depot or the local WalMart grocery store, though they all have herb garden stands with plenty of mint and chives and lemon balm and all that good stuff. I only found decent looking basil at one, and then I had to go to my "GO TO" specialty nursery which is fabulous but considerably more expensive, and that's where I found the tarragon.
Ironically, they had a few plants left over from last year - they haven't gotten any tarragon in this year yet - so I got them for FREE! They are doing very well after a few days in the dirt with room to spread their roots I guess.
Your planters sound lovely. That's where I put the red grasses that I bought the other day (they already have perennial trailing stuff in them). I have three big planters on the back patio that I need to work on next. I like those trailing petunias - I may do those in two of the planters. I feel a trip to the nursery coming on again...
I have to do my plant buying in stages but I'm always tempted to just buy everything without remembering "You have to PLANT all of this when you get home!
Not to mention the cost. I saw a meme that showed a debit card transaction screen and it said this: "Transaction denied - you have enough plants!" Oh how I can relate to that - and so can my husband!
I had to go FOUR PLACES looking for tarragon! What the heck? I looked it up and it's not particularly hard to grow so I don't know what the deal is. I couldn't find it at any of the "mass production places" like Lowes or Home Depot or the local WalMart grocery store, though they all have herb garden stands with plenty of mint and chives and lemon balm and all that good stuff. I only found decent looking basil at one, and then I had to go to my "GO TO" specialty nursery which is fabulous but considerably more expensive, and that's where I found the tarragon.
Ironically, they had a few plants left over from last year - they haven't gotten any tarragon in this year yet - so I got them for FREE! They are doing very well after a few days in the dirt with room to spread their roots I guess.
Your planters sound lovely. That's where I put the red grasses that I bought the other day (they already have perennial trailing stuff in them). I have three big planters on the back patio that I need to work on next. I like those trailing petunias - I may do those in two of the planters. I feel a trip to the nursery coming on again...
I have to do my plant buying in stages but I'm always tempted to just buy everything without remembering "You have to PLANT all of this when you get home!
Not to mention the cost. I saw a meme that showed a debit card transaction screen and it said this: "Transaction denied - you have enough plants!" Oh how I can relate to that - and so can my husband!
Kathryn
I buy way more than i can plant or reasonably grow.
About 1/3 seem to die before i get them planted.
Already ordered stuff for this year, pared WAY down.
There are 2 3 tiered planters out front, theyll have to wait for summer.
Like to tear those out and build 2 new ones. As they look scraggly now.
May just do that if cost is reasonable.
Good luck with your garden this year!
Our "garden centers" dont open til week before easter here.
Tarragon looks easy to propagate, just get a few sprigs, nip off the tip ond bottom leaves, root hormone and poke a hole in the medium, and voila, tarragon plant.
I found this out doing research today on French tarragon, which is the most flavorful sort for most zones. In zones 9 and below, Mexican tarragon is very hardy and flavorful as well. Russian tarragon is the least desirable. I bought the French tarragon.
Apparently French tarragon is rarely seeded - it is usually sold as a small plant. It is grown in France but in the more temperate areas apparently, so the heat of a southern summer can sometimes be less than ideal. Also, freezing temps usually kill the plant as well though the plant can be a perennial.
Maybe it's like sage and basil - around here (zone 8a) basil thrives - honestly, I love the stuff but I can't even eat all we produce and it grows into large plants even with very regular pruning and picking the leaves (I use basil in just about any dish or salad - I love the stuff!). But sage is more persnickety. I have to remind myself not to water it too much and we do have high winds that sometimes snap off a sage plant at the base.
This is my first year to try tarragon but since I use it in so many dishes I wanted to give it a go.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 03-23-2019 at 07:39 AM..
Having had skin cancer on my forehead removed and a skin graft done, and skin cancer elsewhere, i make sure to wear a wide brimmed hat.
It helps shield you from the sun.
Best of luck to you....
I wear a wide brim hat for cataract problem too. As I get older, for some reason, I can’t be in a sun without hat, otherwise I have a headache. No skin cancer yet. But my eye doctor said my minor cataract problem could have been avoided from getting worse, or delaying with wearing a wide hat.
French tarragon can’t be sold as seeds, the seeds are sterile. I found a plant sold on Johnny’s seeds for over $100 a plant. Forget it. I can get fresh cut and cheap tarragon locally, must be Mexican tarragon for $1-$2. The only problem is I don’t always use them, so that’s why I want a plant.
But sage is more persnickety. I have to remind myself not to water it too much and we do have high winds that sometimes snap off a sage plant at the base.
You're right about this. Sage grows wild in southern California--in fact, where I live (zone 10a) one native vegetation type is "coastal sage scrub." Sage doesn't need a lot of water, or it wouldn't survive here! Rosemary is another herb that grows extremely well in a hot, dry climate. People around here have big hedges of it.
On the other hand, I have a hard time growing basil unless I keep it in a pot in a sunny window, because it's too hard to keep it watered enough if it's outside during the summer.
I found this out doing research today on French tarragon, which is the most flavorful sort for most zones. In zones 9 and below, Mexican tarragon is very hardy and flavorful as well. Russian tarragon is the least desirable. I bought the French tarragon.
Apparently French tarragon is rarely seeded - it is usually sold as a small plant. It is grown in France but in the more temperate areas apparently, so the heat of a southern summer can sometimes be less than ideal. Also, freezing temps usually kill the plant as well though the plant can be a perennial.
Maybe it's like sage and basil - around here (zone 8a) basil thrives - honestly, I love the stuff but I can't even eat all we produce and it grows into large plants even with very regular pruning and picking the leaves (I use basil in just about any dish or salad - I love the stuff!). But sage is more persnickety. I have to remind myself not to water it too much and we do have high winds that sometimes snap off a sage plant at the base.
This is my first year to try tarragon but since I use it in so many dishes I wanted to give it a go.
love it also; I am going to go looking next weekend as I think I can put it in the containers then or within a week or so. My favorite way to use it is in chicken salad. Of course there are many ways to use it.
Newbehere : hubby's eye doctor said sun glasses are also a good protection against cataracs. He always has worn them: 82 and no problems: I was never a sun glass fan and I have surgery when I was in my late 60s.
I just had cataract surgery this past month. I'm still sort of in the recovery stage in fact. I am only 57.
I have dark brown eyes and the sun just didn't bother me much, so I rarely wore sunglasses and never wore a hat. Now, my cataracts were mild but they were getting worse, and I couldn't imagine waiting till I qualified for Medicare - that's 8 more years! Plus I had narrow angles so my eye pressure was an issue. So they fixed both issues in both eyes at the same time. I am very happy with the results but you can bet the farm that I'm wearing polarized sunglasses now! LOL
Since cataract surgery is a one time fix generally, I didn't see the point in letting things get worse. Though my cataracts were mild, the difference in clarity and colors is AMAZING. Absolutely amazing. Everything is so much brighter and clearer! I paid an upcharge for the multifocal lenses - that's rarely covered by insurance and never by Medicare or Medicaid - but my vision already sucked and I had been wearing trifocals for about 20 years.
I had the money and the time and since new eyeball lenses are a once in a lifetime fix, I thought why not go ahead since I don't want to sit around and wait for an eye pressure emergency anyway?
I know this is in the gardening section but I put it here to encourage everyone to WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHEN OUT IN THE SUN. Oh, and I also had age spots - which my doctor was graciously calling "wisdom spots" (what the heck, I know what they are - basically hereditary and sun damage) - anyway I had them on my hands and arms but had them zapped with a laser (not expensive either) and they are GONE baby. So now I have to remember to be sure to wear sunscreen and/or gloves on my hands as well, and always wear sunscreen on my arms.
It's easy to forget those things because I tend to act ADD and go out to check my mail and the next thing I know, I'm weeding my flower beds in the blazing sun...I just wander over to them and get sucked in I guess!
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