The Butterfly Bush Is Working!

Overwhelmed by Basil

It's been coolish and very very rainy the last couple of weeks here in southeast Texas. As a result, my little herb garden is now overwhelmed by three varieties of basil: Sweet, something smaller more pointy and less fragrant that I'm calling Mystery Basil, and Purple Basil (really strong yummy flavor !).

Donde esta el cilantro? It vanished, choked out by its basil bedmates. Somehow these basils are surviving my notorious Black Thumb.

This morning I felt myself morphing into Forrest Gump, but trying to think of all the ways to use up the basil instead of shrimp. Basil pesto. Tomato basil soup. spaghetti sauce with basil, pico de gallo con basil, cheese omlettes with basil: basil leaves in salad greens, basil basil everywhere and even more than I can share.

Ms. Black Thumb

For me, gardening is the triumph of hope over experience. While both of my brothers are master gardeners, I have a black thumb.

Every spring I was inspired with visions of creating a lovely garden full of flowering plants. By mid-summer, I admit defeat as my new additions turn up their toes in the heat.

So I decided to take up Survival of the Fittest Gardening: buy native plants, put them in the ground following the instructions on the little tags, and wish them well.

But this week I am full of hope again. St. Betty told me about a new type of rose that can tolerate and thrive in the heat and humidity of southeast Texas and don't require a lot of attention. They're called "knockout roses" and are perfect for the Survival of the Fittest Gardener. St. Betty has several beautiful specimens in her yard. So she took me to her favorite nursery where I bought a passel of gorgeous double red knockout rose bushes. They are now planted in my front yard and look amazing!

I thought about posting pictures of them but decided, given my history as a Black Thumb, that, as the Bible says, "pride goeth before a fall." If they're still with me by August I'll show them to you.