Spring and early summer are wonderful seasons here in my South Texas area. It's still cool enough to enjoy being outdoors, with the rain we've had recently- thankfully- gardens are lush and full, the roadsides and pastures have greened up and the trees are completely leafed out. Vegetable gardens are thriving, flowers are vibrant and herb plants gaining size, many even ready to start harvesting.

In the following picture, you can see my Little Pinkie Rose, with clumps of garlic chives at the base, with a Henna, Lawsonia inermis, in the foreground. Henna is a lovely plant for a warm climate, or as a potted plant in cooler climates so you can take it inside for the winter.

Eventually the plant will reach 15 to 20 feet, but if kept in a container it will stay smaller. I have mine in a large container that I sunk into the ground and the plant rooted through the drain holes. I decided I did not want to disturb it, so it's stayed outdoors for the last 2 winters. As I am in Zone 8b, my plant does get nipped by frost from time to time, but it recovers beautifully.

The flowers are white to pink, airy and very fragrant. I have propagated henna by cuttings and now have saved some seed to try and germinate.

The next photo show the same bed from another angle. The large bare trunk you see is my Lemon Eucalpytus which is now about as tall as the old Live Oak you can see in the background. To the right of the Lemon Eucalpytus is the Vitex Tree, Vitex agnus-castus, also known as Chaste Tree, Texas Lilac and Monk's Pepper. The foliage of this deciduous tree is fragrant, the flowers are purple, with a white and a pink cultivar available. It likes warm weather to flower, and mine is just beginning to show buds. The tree puts on flowers sporadically throughout the warm weather.

The flowers are very attractive to pollinators. Bees and hummingbirds love it!

Ellen Zimmerman, of EZ Herbs, in Austin, TX, says: "The medicinal berries are used to treat PMS and menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and excessive bleeding. As a hormonal balancer, Vitex regulates progesterone and estrogen, treats fibroids and re-establishes normal ovulation and menstruation."

The name Monk's Pepper comes from the use of the ground seeds to help the monks stay chaste in monasteries as far back as the 6th Century. The dried, ground seeds have been used as a substitute for black pepper, although the seeds are rather bland. For more information regarding Vitex Tree, go to the Floridata website.

The plant below is growing in a big pot sunk into the ground because the bed in which it resides is the area where the Guinea Fowl like to take their dust bath in the afternoon. Everything I planted there was dug up when the birds would scratch their hollows. So, I compromised and started planting in pots in this area.

You can see the bare areas where I plan to plant peppers for the summer. I'll leave enough room between pots so the Guineas can still have a nice dust bath!

Cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, is grown more in Europe as a vegetable, than here in the US. It is a relative of the Artichoke. The plant in the picture is only about 2 feet tall, but within a month or six weeks, it will have at least doubled in size. I water it almost every afternoon, but when the roots find their way out of the container it should not need water nearly as often. This is a big plant and needs considerable room to grow. I think I've given it enough room, as the plants near it are also in containers and can be moved, if necessary.

Cardoon makes a beautiful purple, fragrant, thistle type flower that is attractive to bees and butterflies. The edible part of the plant is the leaf stalks. Traditionally the leaves of the plant are wrapped to keep out light and blanched before harvest. The leafy part of the leaf is cut away and the rib is cut into sections and steamed or boiled. It has a flavor very much like artichoke hearts.

According to the web site, Plants for a Future, there are promising medicinal uses for cardoon. "The cardoon has become important as a medicinal herb in recent years following the discovery of cynarin. This bitter-tasting compound, which is found in the leaves, improves liver and gall bladder function, stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, especially bile, and lowers blood cholesterol levels.

The leaves are anticholesterolemic, antirheumatic, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, hypoglycaemic and lithontripic. They are used internally in the treatment of chronic liver and gall bladder diseases, jaundice, hepatitis, arteriosclerosis and the early stages of late-onset diabetes. The leaves are best harvested just before the plant flowers, and can be used fresh or dried."

So, there you have a little tour of The Herb Cottage this Spring. The Guineas are beginning to find lots of grasshoppers to eat. Soon, our real Summer heat will set in and even with judicious watering, the gardens and plants will begin to look scorched and seared by the afternoon heat. The afternoons will find us indoors and out of the heat.

All except the Guineas, as they are originally from Africa and the heat doesn't seem to bother them at all.

I'd like to introduce you to Helmut, the mostly blind rooster who lives in the yard area, greeting all who enter with a dance and a conversation. He keeps track of all the activities here at The Herb Cottage.

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." Marcus Tullius Cicero