The heat has finally broken here and I am able to get out into the Mediterranean herb gardens and start cleaning them. There are 30 four by five foot beds that are packed with herbs and weeds from this summer's drought and intense heat. The herbs have survived as they like all that heat and so do the weeds which seem to thrive on drought and intense heat.
Now I will use this fall weather to systematically clean up these beds and do the work I was unable to do when the temperature hit 101 F many days this past summer and I feel I can get these done in about a month's time if I pace myself and do a little each day.
As I worked today I noticed that in the upper end of this part of the gardens the Coneflowers I planted about eight years ago seem to be just about gone for some reason.
Coneflowers are often referred to as Echinacea and the ones I had planted and enjoyed each year was the wonderful pink perennial called Echinacea Pallida which was a pale, light purplish-pink coneflower and apparently it has died out on me. Our winters are mild here so I do not think it was done in by the winter, perhaps the birds collected too many seeds to allow it to self-sow these past two seasons. Even the double pinks were no where to be seen this past summer and these beauties were good for 8 to 12 weeks of blooms. The purple cornflowers up in a different part of the garden are still going strong.
Now, as I work in the herb area, my mind is racing with thoughts of adding some of the new varieties of Coneflowers that have come along since my first planting.
Coneflowers are a powerhouse of colors, a great perennial that will survive in zones three to nine .
I love their sturdy, tall stems and the fact that they are truly drought resistant and some of the new varieties are fragrant bloomers. Coneflowers make great cut flowers and adding the ones that have fragrance will be a special addition to the senses.
Coneflowers always attracted birds and butterflies all season long and I am sure the new varieties will do the same thing. These wonderful flowers are easy to grow from seed and I think I might order the new hybrid "Razzmatazz" which is a double petal bloom and the new white "Fragrant Angel" which of course is supposed to have a lovely fragrance.
As I worked cleaning out one of the Thyme beds this morning and I was awash in that herb's fragrance I thought why not send for some of the new oranges and yellows to make a real statement at this end of the garden.
So my mental list included Echinacea Orange Meadowbrite which is a rich orange bloom growing to the height of 30 to 36 inches. I had read about the new fragrant Echinacea Mango Meadowbrite that will produce yellow-orange blooms of the same height and Echinacea Big Sky with "Sunset" orange blooms that grow on tall, slender stalks of 22 to 24 inches.
This coming spring I will be 74 years old and I had told myself many times this past summer as the intense heat changes brought on by global warming that 2008 was going to be my last year of gardening, but old gardener's never die they just keep making lists!
I hope you enjoy my watercolor painting of one of my coneflowers in my garden.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with Peace, Light and Love,
Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com
