Tag Archives: Lemon Verbena

Uses for broken brick walls and lemon scented suprises

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We took the plunge yesterday and stuck a couple of tomato plants out after a bit of hardening off over the last couple of weeks. Don’t worry, they will be protected even if the protection is a little on the basic side. This high-tech contraception features a plastic top off a seed tray and a couple of bricks from what was the side of the front wall. If you remember, one job in lockdown was to clear years of ivy off said wall. As soon as the Ivy was taken off, parts of the wall crumbled. Another gardening lesson learnt.

Also, we had a nice surprise this week when we saw some new growth on our Lemon Verbena (above) that we moved the other month, as we thought it was a goner in its former position. The leaves make a lovely refreshing cup of tea and there’s a nice scent when you brush against it. It’s worth getting one. Thanks to Haji MIke a few years ago (here) telling us about Lemon Verbena

Weather looks great this weekend again, so happy gardening whatever you’re doing if it’s tidying out your shed or putting one foot on your garden fork and staring into space (like we did at the council).

Dada gardening

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Tired of slugs and snails decimating tender stuff in the garden we thought of a daft idea, we wired a pot of Basil atop the weird hand-made hat stand we found in the street a few years ago and going to see how it work. We even stuck an old jam jar over it to give it a bit more warmth in the night. We’re not sure if it will deter slugs or snails and also even if it’s a good idea or not but you have to try sometimes. That’s the hat stand that already has a couple of seed potatoes in some old shopping bags on it. We may even run some climbing beans up it too. A bit unconventional but why not? It’ll make good use of space.

Also the Lemon Verbena in a pot that we thought was a goner is starting to sprout. It was a good thing we didn’t give up on it and threw it in the bin like we were going to. It’s an interesting plant and we got the idea off another Dub Gardener Haji Mike in Cypus a few years ago here after he mentioned it on a Facebook post. It makes a wonderful refreshing tea and there’s lots of recipes online on how you can use it too. Here’s a great tune from Mike from a few years ago.

The time has flew by this year, it’s nearly June and things are starting to crack on in the garden. Can we have more sunshine please?

Three tunes and a lemon verbana tea please

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It was through a facebook post of Haji Mike from Cyprus a few years ago that we learned of the great lemon verbena. The fragrant herb grows well in our parts too but you have to watch it in the winter as it’s not too hardy. This year for the first time we even noticed some flowers on it. The best thing about the plant is the lovely zingy tea made out of a few fresh leaves (more on the tea here.) And to accompany a cup of the stuff here’s three tracks in a downtempo breakbeat style.

The first is Paraiso from ANF on the NAFF label (it certainly ain’t!) out of Canada, nice stuff indeed! The next is a great one from I-Cube/Oeil Cube called XXXX (Abel’s edit) that I’m sure we may have featured before and slightly puts us in mind of another top tune Barbara Mason’s Another Man. 

Finally we have a corker from Skeleton Army called Touch on Killer Smile which after a couple of plays has wormed it’s way into our brains. Love the music maker’s moniker origins (see here) and love the tune! Three to wind down with!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZWRleRMg38

Lemon Verbena and a mug of dub

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A lovely bit of dub for a hot, hot Monday evening here in London from Bukkha called Ethiopian Dub from Dub-Stuy records out of Brooklyn, New York. A tune to crank up loud while supping a mug of Lemon Verbena tea (big shout to Haji Mike out of Cyprus for originally telling us about Lemon Verbena).

Gardening at the speed of light

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rots-and-shoots_dec16We had to do a bit of speed gardening today (at the pace a council worker would go at if their foreman had said “as soon as you’re finished you can go home”) as we’d left it a bit late in the afternoon when we started. There were good intentions to begin earlier but you know how it is on a Sunday.speed-gardening-bed-afterIn the space of an hour, a couple of beds were dug over, some plants moved, lost root veg rescued and the Lemon Verbena hopefully protected for the winter. There’s still a good few beds to crack on with but at least we’ve started. The more you get out of the way now the less work it is in the spring. It’s just making that start!another-clean-bed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v42f1giyURY

Cyprus calling, Cyprus calling…

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62kHnfBtOpI

A big cheers to Haji Mike out of the lovely island of Cyprus for getting in touch and for sending us a pic of his Lemon Verbena bush. He writes “It’s in a shady place so the sun doesn’t get to it much in the summer and in the winter it gets some protection from the cold winds off the mountains” but looking at it now it’s looking great! Mike also mentioned a lot of people locally call it Mexican Oregano. Has anyone heard it called that before?

Anyway it’s a great smelling shrub and makes a refreshing tea, what more do you want out of a plant, get yourself a pot of it! Thanks again for the tip Mike.

Haji Mike's Lemon verbena

Let there be fleece on earth

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Last weekend I treated myself to a big old roll of horticultural fleece from Shannon’s for a fiver. All I need now is to find some plants to use it on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uZdGzgUwmE

It offers great protection from frosts (even though net curtains and large sheets of newspaper are alright too) as it works like a cloche around the plant creating a microclimate and at the same time allows air, moisture and light in.

I started the “big wrap up” on Sunday when I spent half an hour in the garden “tipping around with a hoe”, as they used to say at Westminster Council. I’m sure over the next few weeks they’ll be more plants covered in said fabric, I mean I’ll have to use it as I have tons of the stuff left!

I like the effect as it makes the garden look a bit mysterious (and possibly make the neighbours doubt your sanity) but you’ll be the one laughing when your tender perennials that you’re too lazy to bring indoors survive the winter.

Geraniums under fleeceI shouldn’t worry as I know come late spring I’ll have a handful of leggy Tomato plants to go out before the risk of frost is passed. The fleece will then be pulled out from under the stairs to do it’s job.Safe and warm_Lemon VerbenaAnother thing put to good use is the terrarium/upside down fish-tank I found in the street a few years ago. It’s now covering up the Lemon Verbena I bought after Haji Mike from Cyprus sung it’s praises on his Facebook page. It’s a great smelling plant and makes a good old herbal cupa too. Big up the fleece!