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Monday, April 16, 2012

ROSEMARY BY THE FRONT DOOR

Empty planter on the porch
One of my weekend projects, albeit a small one, was to do something with this empty urn/planter we had.  I had just put it on the corner of the porch a couple of months ago so it was safely out of the way as we came and went.  I also had a big pile of soil on the side of the house that "Ma" had used for some old planters she had.  We saved it because it was still dark, rich, and useful.

I figured that I could get rid of most of the soil by filling this up and planting flowers or a perennial of some sort.  Then my thoughts turned to herbs and I finally decided on a rosemary bush.  Rosemary is a great perennial herb and best of all, it's very drought tolerant which is a nice plus.

Rosemary and Portulaca in a planter
So I put some broken up bricks in the bottom of the planter, filled the rest up with the extra soil we had, and put a rosemary plant in the top, surrounded by some portulaca.  I like the portulaca because it not only added color to the spot, but the leaves sort of remind me of the rosemary.
Rosemary by the front door
The flowers are trailing, so they will eventually cascade down the side a bit and the rosemary should last for a long time.  It gives a lovely scent right by the front door, we can snip a few pieces as needed for cooking, and as part of its lore, it is said to bring good luck and ward off negative energy.  Heck, sounds like the perfect plant by the front door of a house if you ask me!

This is the first plant I've put on the porch, which is still a work in progress of course, but it's amazing how much life and color they add to a space.  One small project down, lots more to do!
 

26 comments:

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    1. It actually came out exactly as I had hoped it would. Thanks for commenting!!

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  2. We had Portulaca in containers on our front porch back around 1949. So, there's another plus for you -- it's old-fashioned. Every time I see it I'm reminded of how those pots looked . . . and that there was usually a lizard or two scooting around.

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    1. Wow, now that's cool, I like that aspect. Maybe I need some more scattered around!! Oh, and there are lizards, small ones, that I see on occasion. I just love nature! (except maybe that snake, ha)

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  3. rosemary is a cracking herb.. it can be left untended and grows just fine!

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    1. I hope that's a good thing, ha. I've thought about some more around just as decorative landscaping too, for that very reason.

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  4. The rosemary could probably live in there for years before the pot gets too small. I have a friend who planted a small rosemary plant in a similar container and it now looks like a Christmas tree!

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    1. Wow, now that's some good news. It might crowd out the portulaca at some point, but I can live with that if we have a big bushy rosemary.

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  5. Rosemary is a good choice. Like Tanya said, it should live there for years and grow into a fairly large shrub-like plant. I had one that grew to about 3' high and at least as wide, but I made the mistake of severely pruning it one year and it died. It's fine to keep the size under control by snipping it back, but just not all at once! Unfortunately, I've tried growing two more rosemary plants and they both winter killed. I wish I had my big one back again!

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    1. oooh, I'll have to remember that. We can take a snip here and there. Our winters are usually mild enough to not worry about losing them but I'll keep my eye on it just in case. 2nd Man makes some wonderful roasted potatoes with rosemary, garlic and olive oil. I'm sensing a lot of that in our future, with a snip every once in awhile, ha.

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  6. HA! Kindred spirits! Although I love the minimalist design of my new house, I have given in and added wooden railings just like yours so that I can plant herbs in pots outside the kitchen without the dreaded dobermans rampaging and destroying them all....looking good! Rosemary is a good culinary herb and great for headaches too. : )

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    1. That's too funny! Those dobermans are adorable by the way. We'll eventually paint the railings white, it's pressure treated wood and we're waiting for it to "cure", then the whole house will get a new paint job. It's funny, even with acres to plant stuff, we'll still want herbs easier to get go right off the porch. Makes it easier for cooking. How do you use it for headaches? Sounds interesting!

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  7. Replies
    1. Aww, thanks for that. It's the little things sometimes, huh???

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  8. Replies
    1. Thank you! It was sort of planned and sort of on a whim, if that makes sense. It's nice to see it come together.

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    1. Aw thanks for that! Speaking of absolutely perfect, your garage shelves. amAHzing! :-)

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  10. What a great idea to plant the portulacas in there! I have 2 containers of rosemary on either side of the front door, and now I am after somne portulacas to put in there just like you did. Thanks for the brilliant idea, and the roasted potatoes sound wonderful, too.

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    1. I'm glad you like that idea. It just sort of came to me while i was looking around the garden center. I figure at some point, the rosemary might get to be sort of big, and we can't have any flowers but hey, portulaca is an annual and I don't mind switching out if I need to.

      Recipe/technique coming soon on the potatoes. SO easy and SO yummy!

      Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!

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  11. Replies
    1. Couldn't ask for nicer words than that! Thank you very much!

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  12. I have my rosemary planted in a 1/2 wine barrel right next to my deck off the kitchen...I use a handful to use as bbq sauce brushes! Mmmmmm! You're gonna' just love having that great pot of rosemary.

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    1. OOH! Great idea....I love that. Thanks for that. Yes, we're hoping for another pot full elsewhere. Of course we can have some in the ground. We might have too much Rosemary (is there such a thing? Ha). Thanks for stopping by!!

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