Those do look nice, I need to check my Garlic Chives out and see if they made it through the winter. That also reminds me I need to plant some Chives and Bunching Onions. Dean

Well, a lot of them have already died, for one thing. I know I won't be harvesting those. They're completely brown, dried up, crispy dead. I have pictures of last year's garlic at this time and it's a world of difference. There are a few varieties that are still green, maybe like three or four. With the varieties that are mostly dead, there are maybe a couple of individuals that have like one green leaf left, but I don't have high hopes for those making a good bulb with just one leaf left. I probably should have watered them more than I did, but sometimes I'd get busy with work for a couple of days and not get around to it. A couple of days with no watering with this kind of weather (temps in the 90's and humidity below 20% with the wind blowing) apparently makes a big difference. And I should have mulched them, but last year they did fine with no mulch, and I didn't find a good source of mulch until a couple of weeks ago (I usually mulch with grass clippings, but my grass isn't growing because no water). We haven't gotten a good rain since the hard freeze in early February. Everybody kept telling me the hard freeze shouldn't have hurt the garlic, so I didn't do anything and waited to watch them bounce back, but since them I've just watched plant after plant shrivel up and die.

Thank you Marti. I'm going to keep my vitex as a shrub. I just wish I had as much room for it as Carrie does. Incidentally, Carrie says many of the scattered hibiscus plants are from the seed falling off the cart when the spent plants are hauled to the compost area. Sometimes she has to mow them down when they get into the grass. Of course with all the rain they are even prettier than usual for this time of the year. She says there used to be a very dark pink one but she has not been able to spot it this year. Carrie, it that one a little to the left of center in the 2nd picture from the bottom? Anyway, I think the white ones are scrumptious.

i've lived in cypress and now west of angleton (south of houston) and i've had many parsley of the flatleaf variety live 2 years and 1 lived 5 years the one that lived five years was planted in a container at the base of an enormous pine tree in two year old leaf mulch compost no soil at all i think they really can't stand hot direct sun over a long period of time and i know i never watered the one that lived such a long time i have several nown that are 2 years old and they're already suffering from being in the sunny raised bed they really like cooler weather her in south texas the ones in pots under the trees are doing much better, and the pots have to be large i've never planted the plants you mentioned besides parsley, except for mint and that is very thirsty stuff and you should really keep it contained i have some around the base of a lemon tree now and we'll see how that goes, we'll be mowing around that tree... herbs that i have kept alive for over a year and should have been able to keep alive because they're perennial are oregano, marjoram, several kinds of thyme, 2 kinds of sage, lemon balm and chives i am using these in a raised bed (about 12 or more inches high) made of rose soil they are growing as companion plants to roses and day lilies and some other small shrubs i can tell they really aren't happy after days of continual rain i think well draining soil and not too much water is the recipe for herbs--and the butterflies and other pollinators love the herbs