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This is one of my favorite plants. I use Cuban Oregano as an herb and to decorate my kitchen garden window. It has thick succulent leaves that are about 3” and the edges are scalloped, making it more attractive. This plant is brittle and does not like to be in the sun all day. The flavor is somewhat intense for few people, but I love to cook my meals with strong flavors. Unfortunately, this herb will not tolerate temperature below the 40’s. What I do before the first frost is bring one pot inside the house with a plant that I have selected for that purpose. Also, I cut one thick stem and put it in water as my plan B, in case that the other plant dies. Either way, each summer, I am happy to move these plants to the garden, where they flourish partly in sun and partly in the shaded garden. Then I also give new plants to my friends.
These are my uses of Cuban Oregano: 1. I plant it outdoors to collect tons of branches and leaves. 2. I use some of these branches as flower arrangements in my kitchen. 3. I also process the leaves without the stems in my blender, I add garlic cloves and water, and then I spray my cupcake mold with oil and pour the mix in. Then I freeze it and use the cubes in stews. Give Cuban oregano a try, you will love it.
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Crape Myrtle is a gorgeous flower tree that grows approximate between 10-25 feet, depending on the variety. It has very showy bunches of flowers that can grow from 1-4 inches across. The flower colors range from white to pink, lavender and purple. You will notice this particular specimen because it gets packed of colorful flowers in summertime and it is quite impossible to miss it.
In the fall, however, the tree goes through two different changes. First, the leaves turn from green to orange, yellow and red before the tree loses all its leaves. Then, right after that, it peels the light brown or gray bark from the trunk, revealing a pinkish inner bark that will stay exposed for you to enjoy all winter long. My photos reveal some of these changes. I have several Crape Myrtle trees in my property and definitely enjoy the show that Mother Nature offers for free. This is another perennial plant for your garden that will flower from summer to fall. There are several varieties with different shapes, size and shades of yellow. When it goes dormant for the winter, it will perform two functions; the seeds located in the center of the flower will serve as food for the birds and the leftover seeds will drop to the ground to produce more plants in the spring for you for FREE. You can use Rudbeckia as a back-border plant; since it grows about 4’ H. You can also cut as many flowers as you want to create beautiful flower arrangements for your home or to take to parties as gifts to the host. Therefore, if you do not have it in your garden yet, go to the garden center and purchase just one. In few years you will have a stunning yellow garden just like mine, smile!
 Photo by Angie The common name of this beauty is coneflower and it is a perennial, so it will come back year after year. It flowers from summer to fall. This is a great flower to have in your garden because it attracts butterflies and birds, it is drought tolerant, which means you do not have to water it daily, it propagates itself from the seed located in the center of the flower, dropped during the prior season or when the flower dries, you can keep the seeds in an envelope in a dry place at home and put them in the garden in late spring of the following year, after the last frost in your area. Coneflowers grow up to about 5’ and spread to about 18”. They are great cut flowers, loves full sun and its hardiness in the country is far up north to Zone 3. There are new hybrids now that comes in a variety of colors. Once you plant one in your garden, the original plant will propagate every year, giving you multiple plants for free.
Liriope- Muscari is a perennial evergreen. It grows about a foot and a half tall and wide. There are two varieties, one with dark green leaves and also, a variegated version with beautiful light green shades. I am including both varieties in the photos. These plants are excellent choices for a flower garden border. You can use them in large quantities in front of your border or as individual stand-alone accent plants. Both varieties flowers in dense violet spikes from summer to fall. The variegated version is good for garden spots where you want to bring light, because of its bright light tones of green.
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AuthorI am a blogger, a photographer, a jewelry designer, a gourmet cook, and a recipe book writer. I am also a flea market flipper, an avid gardener, an interior/ outdoors designer, an avid golfer and traveler. Archives
May 2025
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