Using herbs for salt substitute

Instead of using salt on that beef roast try the following herbs to enhance the flavor: bay leaf, garlic, parsley, and thyme. On poultry you could use marjarom, oregano, pepper, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

Are you thinking about a rain garden next spring or already have a wet spot that needs planting? The following are some really hardy perennials and also natives that like it damp: Swamp milkweed, New England Aster, Blue flag, Cardinal flower, and New York Ironweed.

If you are looking for plants that do not need a lot of water here are a few suggestions for next spring: coreopsis, daylilies, red hot poker, peony, artemesias, mountain mint, ice plants, portulaca, russian sage, asters, coral bells, lamb's ears,
chives, hens and chicks, sedums and yarrow.

I have been asked several times this week when you prune sweet autumn clematis and lace vine. The recommended time by the grower is late April or early May depending on weather condtions. Prune hard by taking off old top growth down to where the new leaf axil buds appear. These bear their flowers on the new growth.

Do you like vines? There are a few that will thrive in dry conditions. Sweet autumn clematis, honeysuckle, and Trumpet vine. I have all three of these and they are looking good. None have been hand watered and the rain has passed us by, once again!

For those of us who are suffering from dry conditions this year, the following groundcovers tolerate this well. Plumbago, candytuft, epimedium, lavender, liriope, thyme, santolina, thrift, and wintergreen. The plumbago and epimedium are beautiful this year in the garden. I guess that it is true they don't mind it dry.

If you are looking for fall color here are some ideas. Colchicum, Fall asters, Solidago, Japanese anemone, plumbago, Russian sage, cimicifuga, helenium, helianthus, coreopsis, chelone, hibiscus, tiarella, heuchera, caryopteris, tricyrtis, rose of sharon are just some of them. There is still time to plant and remember to mulch new plantings.