Latest Plant Rescue: Herbs and Succulents

herb plant rescueHere’s the newest addition to the family. Plant rescues from the dollar store. None had tags, so I was going by the ‘bruise and smell the leaf’ method (on the herbs).

Clockwise from the left are: mint, French tarragon, peppermint, rosemary and in the front a little succulent plant. I think it’s either a beat-up dudleya or a lampranthus.

The rosemary and tarragon are both drought tolerant for you So Cal gardeners. Although at this size and in these little dinky pots they’ll need water a few times a week during the heat wave. I put everything in cache pots during the summer to help reduce their water needs. When I transplant them I’ll add compost and a scoop of my heavy clay soil to help with water retention. Plus, if I put them in the ground, they’ll already have a taste of the soil here, which seems to help with transplant shock too.

A word to the wise: Never EVER plant mint in the open ground.
It spreads like gossip!
And if you tear it out and miss one molecule of mint, it will grow back. Trust me -and the people who live in my old house!

I’m excited to see how the succulent grows out (and what it turns out to be!) I’ve got a succulent garden started with an underwater theme. This is going to stand in for sea anenome. I already have a clownfish from the dollar store, he’s excited too. Let me know if you can ID the plant!