Spicy herbs: their place in landscape design. Spring protection of garden plants from pests and diseases

Our grandmothers, growing garden strawberries, or strawberries, as we used to call them, did not particularly worry about mulching. But today this agricultural technique has become fundamental in achieving High Quality berries and reducing crop losses. Some might say it's a hassle. But practice shows that labor costs in this case pay off handsomely. In this article we invite you to get acquainted with the nine the best materials for mulching garden strawberries.

Succulents are very diverse. Despite the fact that “little ones” have always been considered more fashionable, the range of succulents with which you can decorate modern interior, it’s worth taking a closer look. After all, colors, sizes, patterns, degree of prickliness, impact on the interior are just a few of the parameters by which you can choose them. In this article we will tell you about the five most fashionable succulents that amazingly transform modern interiors.

The Egyptians used mint as early as 1.5 thousand years BC. It has a strong aroma due to great content various essential oils with high volatility. Today, mint is used in medicine, perfumery, cosmetology, winemaking, cooking, ornamental gardening, and the confectionery industry. In this article we will look at the most interesting varieties mint, and also tell you about the features of growing this plant in open ground.

People began growing crocuses 500 years before our era. Although the presence of these flowers in the garden is fleeting, we always look forward to the return of the harbingers of spring to next year. Crocuses are one of the earliest primroses, whose flowering begins as soon as the snow melts. However, flowering times may vary depending on the species and varieties. This article is dedicated to the earliest varieties of crocuses, which bloom in late March and early April.

Cabbage soup made from early young cabbage in beef broth is hearty, aromatic and easy to prepare. In this recipe you will learn how to cook delicious beef broth and cook light cabbage soup with this broth. Early cabbage It cooks quickly, so it is placed in the pan at the same time as other vegetables, unlike autumn cabbage, which takes a little longer to cook. Ready cabbage soup can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. Real cabbage soup turns out tastier than freshly prepared cabbage soup.

Blueberry – a rare and promising berry crop in the gardens. Blueberries are a source of biologically active substances and vitamins and have antiscorbutic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and tonic properties. The berries contain vitamins C, E, A, flavonoids, anthocyanins, trace elements - zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, as well as plant hormones - phytoestrogens. Blueberries taste like a mixture of grapes and blueberries.

Looking at the variety of tomato varieties, it’s hard not to get confused - the choice is very wide today. Even experienced gardeners are sometimes confused by it! However, understanding the basics of selecting varieties “for yourself” is not so difficult. The main thing is to delve into the peculiarities of the culture and start experimenting. One of the easiest groups of tomatoes to grow are varieties and hybrids with limited growth. They have always been valued by those gardeners who do not have much energy and time to care for their beds.

Once very popular under the name of indoor nettle, and then forgotten by everyone, coleus today is one of the most colorful garden and indoor plants. It is not for nothing that they are considered stars of the first magnitude for those who are primarily looking for non-standard colors. Easy to grow, but not so undemanding as to suit everyone, coleus require constant monitoring. But if you take care of them, bushes made of velvety unique leaves will easily outshine any competitor.

Salmon backbone baked in Provençal herbs provides tasty pieces of fish pulp for a light salad with fresh wild garlic leaves. The champignons are lightly fried in olive oil and then poured over apple cider vinegar. These mushrooms are tastier than regular pickled ones, and they are better suited for baked fish. Wild garlic and fresh dill get along well in one salad, highlighting each other’s aroma. The garlicky pungency of wild garlic will permeate both the salmon flesh and mushroom pieces.

Conifer tree or shrubs on the site is always great, but a lot of conifers is even better. Emerald needles of various shades decorate the garden at any time of the year, and phytoncides and essential oils released by plants not only aromatize, but also make the air cleaner. As a rule, most zoned adults coniferous plants, are considered very unpretentious trees and shrubs. But young seedlings are much more capricious and require proper care and attention.

Sakura is most often associated with Japan and its culture. Picnics in the canopy flowering trees have long become an integral attribute of welcoming spring in the Land of the Rising Sun. Financial and academic year here it starts on April 1, when the magnificent cherry blossoms bloom. Therefore many significant moments in the life of the Japanese are marked by their flowering. But sakura also grows well in cooler regions - certain species can be successfully grown even in Siberia.

I am very interested in analyzing how people's tastes and preferences for certain foods have changed over the centuries. What was once considered tasty and was an item of trade, lost its value over time and, conversely, new fruit crops conquered their markets. Quince has been cultivated for more than 4 thousand years! And even in the 1st century B.C. e. About 6 varieties of quince were known, and even then methods of its propagation and cultivation were described.

Delight your family and prepare themed cottage cheese cookies in the shape of Easter eggs! Your children will be happy to take part in the process - sift the flour, combine all the necessary ingredients, knead the dough and cut out intricate figures. Then they will watch with admiration as the pieces of dough turn into real ones. Easter eggs, and then with the same enthusiasm they will eat them with milk or tea. How to make such original cookies for Easter, read our step by step recipe!

Among tuberous crops, there are not so many decorative deciduous favorites. And caladium is a true star among the variegated inhabitants of interiors. Not everyone can decide to own a caladium. This plant is demanding, and first of all, it requires care. But still, rumors about the extraordinary capriciousness of caladiums are never justified. Attention and care can avoid any difficulties when growing caladiums. And the plant can almost always forgive small mistakes.

We have prepared a hearty, incredibly appetizing and simply easy-to-prepare dish for you today. This sauce is one hundred percent universal, as it goes with every side dish: vegetables, pasta, or anything. Chicken and mushroom gravy will save you in moments when you don’t have time or don’t want to think too much about what to cook. Take your favorite side dish (you can do this in advance so that everything is hot), add some gravy and dinner is ready! A real lifesaver.

There are several varieties of alpine slide. The hill on which plants of the Onion family are planted is called “allarium” ( onion slide).

1 - chives (skoroda);

2 - anzur (bows - giant, high, aflatun, stalked, highland);

3 - oblique bow (Allium obliquum);

4 - blue onions (can be replaced with dark purple, blue-blue, branched onions);

5 - wild garlic (bear or victory bows);

6 - Karatav onion (Allium karataviense);

7 - slime bow (Allium nutans);

8 - Pskem onion (Allium pskemense);

9 - Ostrovsky bow (Alliumostrowskianum);

10 - thyme (= thyme,Thymus).

For a rock garden, choose an open, sunny area of ​​the garden, preferably near buildings, near a fence. The slide in the middle of a spacious lawn looks quite ridiculous. A path should lead to the hill, preferably made of uneven, angular slabs.

Firstly, ridding the site of the future slide from perennial weeds. They even grow from tiny pieces of root or rhizome deep in the soil. Herbicides will not help in this case. You have to dig up the soil several times and select these pieces by hand.

At the base of the slide lay a drainage layer. It could be gravel, expanded clay, broken brick. The drainage layer is about 25-30 cm. Pour onto it layer of sand, then - the ground, compacting it every 5-10 cm.

Earth no need to fertilize, because mountain plants are accustomed to poor soil (in general, it all depends on what kind of plants you plan to plant: some need to add peat, some need lime, some need sand).

Stones and pebbles They don’t just lay them on the ground, but bury them to half their volume, otherwise they will slide out of place after the first rain or will look unnatural. Since you need to stand on rocks when planting and weeding, some of them need to be large, flat and stable. They are not laid completely horizontally, but with a slight slope towards the center of the hill. Plants are planted only after a year: the earth must settle and the stones must settle.

Most decorative onions are mountain plants. This means that they belong in the rock garden. Moreover, they are all edible. The most famous is chives with small purple hemispherical inflorescences and thin tubular leaves. Its wild relative is often found in meadows in middle lane Russia. Slime onion, a Central Asian species, is perhaps the most delicious. Its flat, belt-shaped leaves are very juicy and sweetish. The peduncle, at first drooping, straightens out by the time the flowers open. In the soil of the slime there is not a bulb, but a thick rhizome.

Victory bows (left) and bear bows, as well as a slime bow:

Ramson is the common name for two types: the European bear onion and the Asian victory onion. Bear's onion is an ephemeroid: it will bloom, the leaves will fade, and it is not visible in the summer. The victory onion grows later in the spring than the bear onion, its leaves are coarser. Blooms in summer, the inflorescence is denser and spherical.

Several types of mountain Asian onions, anzurs, with large purple balls of inflorescences on a high (one meter or more) peduncle are very decorative. Unfortunately, during flowering the leaves look untidy: they turn yellow and curl. Of these onions, the most common onion in gardens is the giant onion (Allium giganteum).

The Karatav onion is original: squat, with wide flat leaves and an openwork large pinkish ball of inflorescence.

The tender leaves of blue onion are pleasant to the taste (Allium caeruleum). They are triangular in cross section. Blue onion, like its relatives blue onion (Allium caesium), - a native of the mountains Southern Europe and Western Asia. Both species are easily propagated by baby bulbs.

Pskem onion, whose homeland is the Tien Shan and Pamirs, has swollen arrow stalks and tubular leaves that are colored bluish. The flowers are white, like those of a close relative - onions.

The leaves of the onion are flat, bluish-green, rising along the stem almost to the inflorescence. The flowers are yellow, with protruding stamens, making the inflorescences appear fluffy.

Oblique bow:

Reproduces very quickly long pointed bow (Allium longicuspis), or wild garlic, it can clog any mound, but it is tasty, just like soon. The plant overwinters with green leaves, so the harvest can be harvested in early April.

Bows (from left to right) long-pointed, dark purple, blue:

Good on the hill, purely decorative low-growing species onion with large flowers in a loose inflorescence-umbrella: yellow - in the onion Molya (Allium moly), bright pink - Luka Ostrovsky.

The bulbs are planted in the soil starting at the end of September. Planted at a depth equal to height of three bulbs

Since almost all onions are “vertical” plants, for contrast they place low creeping plants. This could be, for example, thyme or creeping thyme. In the wild, thyme is found on dry hillsides, in the steppes, and on the edges of pine forests. There are many types of thyme in nature, all of them are decorative, fragrant and so similar that it is difficult for a non-specialist to distinguish them.

IN last years Many forms of thyme have been obtained not only with green, but also with yellow, variegated leaves. Thyme blooms for a long time, from June to the end of summer, and sometimes blooms a second time. The flowers are pink, purple, and white.

Thyme is the main plant and spicy slides .

The most popular medicinal and spicy plant is oregano.

The most famous herb is mint. Mint and oregano can grow in one place for many years, but they like to “spread”.

Popular as a spice annual plant basil Its varieties with purple leaves are especially impressive. Seedlings are planted on permanent place when the threat of frost has passed. Basil loves fertile soil.

Bogorodskaya grass. The aroma of the leaves is quite monotonous, only the nuances vary. The main component of essential oil is thymol, one of the most powerful antiseptics. Therefore, thyme is widely used in medicine for colds. It is also used in cooking.

Thyme has a variety of uses in rock gardens. Most species are excellent ground cover plants that are capable of growing shoots up to 40-60 cm long in a year. Tall forms are more compact and do not spread as much along the hill, devoting all their strength to upward growth.

The variety of forms and transitions between them is very large. The most common (77g. serpyUum L.). From mid-summer it begins to bloom magnificently with light pinkish-purple flowers. They cover the plant completely, forming a low carpet 10-15 cm high.

Thyme will be offered to you in the form of seeds that remain viable for a long time. Sow them in early spring in the nursery, and by the fall you will receive well-developed plants, ready for planting in a permanent place. More interesting are the forms offered in containers. Many of them are specially bred for alpine hills and are quite diverse in the color of leaves, flowers and sizes.

The champion among dwarfs must be recognized as the creeping variety “Elfin”, barely reaching 1 cm in height. It grows very slowly, which is especially valuable in small rock gardens. The shortest of the thymes is dwarf thyme (Th. pulegioides L.). Its height is no more than 2-5 cm. There are varieties with bright crimson (“Coccineus”) and white flowers (“White Moss”), while the original color of the petals is lilac-pink. Dwarf thyme blooms earlier than other species, and at this time it is very spectacular: the green leaves are completely hidden by the flowers. After flowering, a cushion of leaves remains, which should be trimmed, removing drying inflorescences.

False thyme (Th. pseudolanuginosus Ronniger) is almost the same size as dwarf thyme, its flowers are less varied, but the leaves are covered with thick whitish pubescence. This gives false-woolly thyme a special attractiveness even when the plant is not blooming. Woolly thyme (Th. lanuginosus Mill.) is slightly taller, which does not in any way reduce its decorative qualities.

IN Lately Lemon-scented thyme (Th. X citriodorus (Pers.) Schreb.), which arose as a result of natural interspecific hybridization in the south of France, is becoming increasingly popular. The aroma of crushed leaves contains not only thymol, which is traditional for thymes, but also a light shade, for which this type and got its name. This plant with an original smell has been cultivated for more than 400 years! During this time, created and decorative varieties with foliage of various sizes and colors.

The most common variety is "Aureus". It produces yellowish leaves early in the season that turn somewhat green by late summer. Bright gold flecks on a noble dark green background adorn the shiny foliage of the 'Donna Valley' variety. The hard, rounded leaves remain for the winter. The leaves formed in the spring are especially impressive, since the summer generation of leaves lacks golden strokes.

The Silver Queen variety is attractive due to the silvery-white stripe bordering each medium-sized narrow leaf. Silver highlights highlight the coloring of light pink flowers. Unlike other varieties, its variegation does not depend on the season of the year. However, all shoots that have lost this quality must be urgently cut out in order to preserve the characteristics typical of the variety. The “Golden Dwarf” variety is distinguished by its smaller size and growth rate, as well as the color of the strip along the edge of the leaf (it is golden). Druce's thyme (77g. drucei Ronniger) will help you diversify the texture of the leaves. It has large shiny leaves that form a continuous dark green cover. However, this species is only suitable for large rock gardens, since it has particularly lush growth.

All thymes prefer full sun and are accustomed to dry conditions. In the shade, the shoots become elongated, the color of the leaves turns pale, and the bush looks looser. Therefore, choose an open southern slope, where the plants will accumulate more essential oil, which contains healing power thyme Watering is only required when transplanting to allow the plants to take root.

Thyme easily takes root in a new place. However, in hot and dry seasons, replanting is undesirable. With good initial care, thyme grows quickly, covers the entire area given to it and effectively suppresses annual weeds. Unfortunately, it can’t cope with wheatgrass, thistle or wilt, so clear the soil of these aggressive grasses in advance.

If you use mulch when planting polymer film, then many problems associated with weeding can be avoided.

Plants against a background of gravel or expanded clay are especially impressive. Fence the area with thyme large stones and regularly trim shoots that tend to get out of the area allocated to the plant. From time to time, it is useful to rejuvenate the bush by trimming it, leaving shoots about 3 cm long. Without such a trim, the center of the bush may become bare and will be unattractive. It's even better if you can replace aging plants with young ones. Rejuvenation is also useful if the thyme has not overwintered well. Thyme is easily propagated by cuttings, dividing the bush, and sometimes self-sowing.

The flowering time begins in June. After abundant mass flowering, until the very frost, single open flowers can be found on the plant. For drying, it is better to collect only flowering shoots.

Thyme - excellent ground cover plant, which goes well with many bulbs: daffodils, tulips, crocuses, snowdrops, etc. A cushion of densely intertwined stems serves as protection for the bulbs from weeds and diseases. However, the distance between the bulbs in the spot needs to be greater than usual.

Some southern species do not overwinter well in the middle zone, and in order not to lose them, you will have to propagate plants all the time (young specimens are more resistant in our climate than old ones).

Thymes tolerate relatively little nutrients from the soil. In nature, they live on poor sandy soils and calcareous slopes. Therefore, they do not need regular heavy feeding. It will be enough to apply complex ones in May. If you use granular fertilizers, be careful not to get any granules on the leaves. Feeding with a solution is much less painful.

Thymes usually do not get sick and are not affected by pests. Their main enemies are shade and dampness.

The joke of the Dutch writer Zonneveld that his country does not have enough mountains resulted in the creation of a rock garden 2 km high!

Let's try to figure out how to create a rock garden on your own personal plot and what plants are suitable for this.

If you take an unconventional approach to creating a rock garden on your personal plot, you can get an aesthetic flower-stone composition that will provide aromatherapy and herbal medicine, gourmet cuisine, and reliable protection from insects. All you need to do is replace daylilies and conifers with herbs. And slightly adjust their union.

How not to get lost in the herbs?

Before planting seeds, we immediately determine which herbs are most needed for your family’s favorite dishes and which of them have the most pleasant aroma.

One of the most popular herbs is tarragon(tarragon). It is good for many salads, and it dried leaves added as a seasoning to all kinds of dishes. And for pickling cucumbers and tomatoes, it is simply irreplaceable.

– one of the best spicy plants used in national Ukrainian dishes. Lemon balm will not only decorate a flower bed, but will also serve as a good ingredient for improving the taste of food. The very name “lemon balm” indicates the presence of a pleasant lemon aroma and taste. It is used in salads, in the preparation of various medicinal mixtures, and soothing tea.

U thyme(creeping thyme) has excellent properties - it sits comfortably among stones, blooms for a long time, from June to the end of summer. The flowers of this plant are pink, purple, and white. You can’t do without thyme as a seasoning for meat dishes, in sauces; its leaves and flowers are also added to tea.

A must for rock garden and oregano- the most popular medicinal and spicy plant, the leaves and flowers of which are also used in medicine and in cooking (added to stews, gravies and sauces). Oregano sprigs are added when pickling cucumbers and mushrooms.

And of course, mint. It is added to pickles and marinades, to various herbal teas and medicinal infusions.

You also need to find a place on the hill for basilica, hyssop, sage and nasturtium.

We are preparing a more comfortable place

So, it’s decided – we plant it! AND optimal time for this - late spring. After all, many spices are very heat-loving and sensitive to the slightest cold snap.

Rock garden We place it in a well-lit, visible place. You will have to work hard and clear the ground of weeds, then loosen everything. Next, we lay expanded clay, crushed stone or gravel in the base to prevent moisture accumulation. We fill the top of the drainage with sand or pebbles, and then with a small layer of prepared soil.

The time has come to scatter, or rather, thoughtfully arrange the stones. The largest ones are in the center, followed by the smaller ones. Since granite stones are multi-colored, you can experiment with both shape and color.

Then we fill the hill with peat, sand and turf soil in equal proportions, where we will plant the plants.

Necessary take into account the height of the grass so that the “giants” do not block the sun from the short ones. Experienced gardeners advise giving the center of the hill to perennial, unpretentious crops. For example, one of the varieties of decorative onions. But keep in mind that perennials don’t last forever. For example, lemon balm will give good harvest in one place for no more than 5 years in a row.

As an option: we place celery and lovage in the background, sow red basil as a border, and creeping thyme next to it. Green basil planted on the same perimeter in a diamond shape looks great and gives an amazing aroma, and hyssop can be placed inside it. Chives and trampoline make an excellent frame for these plants. The border is very decorated with curly parsley, and along the edges it would be nice to plant bush dill and coriander. Right next to the path experienced gardeners It is recommended to add savory, lavender and mint.

On a note!

Basil masterfully repels not only flies and mosquitoes, but also more serious insects, for example, the tomato hornworm. Mint - cabbage cutworm, anise - aphids, coriander - Colorado potato beetle.

DIY Alpine slide (video)

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Gardens of spicy and aromatic plants appeared in ancient times. They were located at temples; aromatic herbs were grown

for temple smokehouses: the pleasant smell of burning herbs created a special mood in the “houses of the gods.” In the Middle Ages there were such gardens at monasteries; By the 15th century, gardens of medicinal and aromatic plants were established at the medical faculties of universities. Such famous botanists as Fuchs, Clusius, Mattioli were doctors - a common combination of professions for that time. In their books we see beautiful engravings of hundreds of plants. Since the 16th century, collections of local flora have been replenished American species(among them such popular spicy plants as monarda and marigold), and since the 18th century, species from Southeast Asia.

IN modern gardens There are often areas of spicy plants. Such gardens, located in a sunny place not far from the house, are beautiful and convenient: you can always pinch off a few leaves or twigs for tea, salad or meat dish. We advise you to arrange a “spicy hill”, where unpretentious perennials Every year you can plant various annual spicy and aromatic crops.

Perhaps the “master” of the slide will be thyme, or thyme. Genus Thymus contains, judging by the most modern reference guide, about 150 species, widespread in Eurasia and North Africa. There are about 80 species in the flora of Russia, including about 10 species in the Central Russian region. Why did we use the word “about” several times? Is it really so difficult to count the number of species? The fact is that thyme is a difficult genus to define. Firstly, species growing nearby easily hybridize, forming many transitional forms; secondly, the appearance of plants varies greatly depending on the conditions and time of growth. There are also “thirdly”, “fourthly”, etc.

Most often found in gardens creeping thyme (Thymusserpillum) – creeping subshrub up to 15 cm high with bright pink flowers. In the non-chernozem zone of Russia it grows in light pine forests on sandy soil. Plant of the steppe and forest-steppe zone - (Th. marschallianus) taller - 10-40 cm, this species has a discontinuous inflorescence, forming several false whorls. Familiar to rock garden lovers early thyme (Th. praecox) - Very low plant– up to 5 cm. Several more species are found in horticultural literature: common thyme (Th. vulgaris) originally from the mountains of the Mediterranean, thyme lemon-smelling (Th. citriodorus), Th. Pannonicus and others. Some species have yellow-leaved and variegated forms. All types contain essential oils, mainly thymol, familiar to us from cough mixtures.

I saw amazingly beautiful thyme in an interesting place from the point of view of geography, geology and biology: in the Cockroach Log near the Pinega River (Arkhangelsk region). The ravine is a huge - wide, deep and long ravine, even a ravine with steep walls of 20-30 meters! On the slopes of the ravine, among the gypsum crystals in the form of fantastic flowers, settles an elegant, bright endemic plant - thyme Talieva (Th. Talievii).

Thyme is popularly known as Bogorodskaya, or the Virgin's herb. But another wonderful plant is named after the Mother of God, which looks like thyme. Unfortunately, it does not grow wild in central Russia. But there is a lot of it in the Caucasus mountains, Altai, Irkutsk region, and Kazakhstan. I was lucky enough to see all bluish-purple from the blooming ziziphora (Ziziphora ssp.) steppe slopes of the Tien Shan foothills. The aroma of ziziphora is incomparable to anything, although you can “smell” the odors of almost all Lamiaceae in it. In shops at Egyptian resorts you will be offered “Bedouin tea” with the same aroma. Either this is a local, heavily pubescent species of ziziphora, or something close. I smell and recognize my favorite smell from afar. If you manage to purchase ziziphora seeds or seedlings somewhere, plant them on your plot, you won’t regret it!

Hyssop (Hyssopusofficinalis) And sage (Salviaofficinalis) - semi-shrubs native to the Mediterranean - they feel great in central Russia. They need to be planted in sunny places with light soils. They have been known as spicy and medicinal plants since ancient times - in Egypt, Greece, Rome. ABOUT medicinal properties Avicenna mentioned it more than once in the “Canon of Medical Science”. Sage is still used in cooking today; it is added to roasts of game, pork, and lamb. Hyssop is added to herbal teas. Flower corollas

wild shrubs of blue-violet color, garden forms the flowers are white and pink, and the leaves are variegated. Plants live in one place for 5-6 years (sometimes longer); easily propagated by seeds.

(Origanumvulgare) - the most popular spicy and medicinal plant. The people call her Mother, Matryoshka, Ladanka. Its Latin scientific name means “joy of the mountains.” There are no mountains in European non-black earth Russia, but the pink carpets of blooming oregano on the slopes of hills or along the edges of pine forests evoke such a feeling of joy that you understand the ancient Greeks, who gave the name to the plant. Essential oil oregano flavors soaps, creams, shampoos, and toothpastes. Dried herbs are added to meat and fish dishes, added to pies fillings, and used for pickling cucumbers and mushrooms. About medicinal tea and there is nothing to say! Oregano is good mixed with any other herbs.

Oregano is so often found in the wild, with flowers of bright pink, pale pink and even white, growing in such huge clumps that it is not difficult to move several bushes from the edge to the garden. Next will be self-seeding. True, for a spicy hill you can buy a dwarf variety.

Two kinds monarda - double And piped (Monardadidyma, M. fistulosa) - arrived to us from North America. And there are about 100 species in total! The leaves and flowers of these perennials have long been used as a spice by the American Indians. In Russia, monarda is better known as ornamental plant, but it’s worth trying to use it in cooking along with mint, oregano, and sage.

Lofant anise (Lophantusanisatum, Agastachefoeniculum) still an infrequent guest on garden plots, Although

This spicy plant of the Lamiaceae family from North America is an excellent vitamin green and aromatic addition to tea. Lofant is undemanding to soil and is easily propagated by seeds and by dividing the bush.

Several spicy annuals with a decorative appearance combine well with the listed perennials on the hill. These are like this unpretentious plants, How Moldavian snakehead (Dracocephalummoldavica) with a faint lemon aroma, well known to everyone

basil(Ocimumbasilicum) with purple fragrant leaves, garden savory And mountain savory (Saturejahortensis, S. montana) - plants with a very strong characteristic odor.

Don’t be surprised that garden plants are also included among the herb plants. nasturtium (Tropaeolumxcultorum). The whole plant smells strong and spicy, can be added to different dishes pieces of leaves and flowers. But we are interested in young unripe fruits as a spice. A surrogate of capers is prepared from them (capers, or capers, are a plant in southern Europe with edible spicy buds). The recipe for making nasturtium “kapers” is in the famous old book by Elena Molokhovets. But you can prepare them even simpler: pour hot marinade over the unripe fruits, and when it cools down, put them in jars. You can put a handful of nasturtium fruits in vegetables prepared for canning: cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, beets.