I use all of my mint varieties (traditional mint, chocolate mint, and lemon balm) to make simple syrups for tea. 1:1 ratio of sugar and water and a cup of loosely packed mint leaves. Bring all three ingredients to a boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain through a wire mesh strainer, and store for up to 1 month in the fridge. Also, I like to put a few mint leaves in the bottom of the pan when I make a chocolate cake.

OK, you asked for it!! Herewith a smack on the head, both sides, repeatedly, until some sense has been knocked in!! :-) Plant it in the lawn to stop it invading the garden beds? THAT won't work. Not only will it choke out the grass, but it will spread far and wide - usually where it isn't wanted!! Why not hunt out an old bathtub, or some old concrete laundry tubs, or a cattle trough or something similar and large, and use that as a pot? It won't solve the problem of spreading entirely, but it will keep it contained for a bit longer. From time to time, you'll need to dig out some of it to make more room, but you'll still have plenty left to indulge yourself with mint tea. BTW, go easy on that mint tea. One cup per day is a medicinal dosage - more than that, and you could begin to have problems with headaches, indigestion, fatigue etc.

Girlgroupgirl, not sure of my last frost date, but I am in Zone 7. I was thinking of filling in with annuals too; that is a great idea. Natal, I do think there may have been a tree, but I don't know if there is a large root structure there. Donna, the bricks are not mortared and are set on top of sand which is on top of dirt. They are very easy to remove. Lavender Lass, thank you for the herb and plant recommendations. I think it could be really pretty there, but does eat up a LOT of patio space. One of my problems is that my yard has large oak trees over the grassy areas which makes in nearly impossible to plant herbs fruits or vegetables in another bed. The patio has the only sunny space. The best solution seems to be either using this circle or adding pots around the patio for herbs etc. Natal, a landscaper friend recommended a fountain as well . . . but the more I think about it and listen to your recommendations, I will probably be much happier with that space filled in with concrete or at least lowering the bricks so they are level with the patio. Ali has some great ideas as well. A large grouping of pots could work there and if I don't like it I can always reposition them. Thank you all, Lana

Catching up with everyone here. If anyone has any Iris left would they throw a bulb or two my way please. For seeds I have: dirtdiggin offering hollyhocks a mix and sassybutterfly offering hollyhocks,jackmanii,datura and brugs,and red honeysuckle. Thank-you both very much Also looking for ornamental grasses and japanese morning glory's. These are the seeds offered too: Mark:cotton tree and loofah gardenmom:loofah dan: loofah plant-one-on-me:loofah sassybutterfly:yellow pea vine lots of loofah seed left. greenthumbgrow have you down for the cherry jubilee cuttings Dan.....I pick my loofah's when they are still green on the vine ,but the stem has turned brown. I peel them when they are green as well, much easier. I give them the squeeze test .....if they give some and you can hear the fibers in the skin breaking then I peel them by pulling off the end first, then running my thump up under the skin. I make a tear all the way to the stem end and then peel it off in one big piece, running my thump under the skin to loosen it as I go if needed. If it does'nt give easily then it's too soon.Give them another day or two. Don't lay them on their sides either,as the moisture can cause them to start rotting.Lean them up on their ends. Once peeled I then lay it in the greenhouse and let it dry, I sometimes have to turn it over the next day, depends on how hot it gets as my gh is not regulated temp wise. Once completely dried, I shake the seeds out into a bag. I find by doing it this way I end up with a very nice white sponge. Letting it dry out and turning brown before peeling makes for hard peeling and a darker sponge that has to be bleached. You can then cut them and use as you wish. I cut out the center membrane(grind that up)and use both in soaps all the time. That's just one of the many uses I get out of them. Not to mention the number of people that stop by wanting to know what those things are growing on the fence......real conversation starter! One other interesting thing about the plant. They have a male and female flower(yellow). Male flowers show up first, followed by the female, both look identical, but the female bears the fruit. I will leave it up to your imagination as to what that looks like. Ants also love the plant and may act as pollinators, so don't be alarmed by what appears to be a take over by ants. Thats my lesson on loofahs.....hope all that helped. Night everyone Regina