Questions

PrintEd

Sorry to bother you all but I have questions.

First of all- I have Thyme (i think- but it's def. a herb) which has shot off and decided to flower in the back garden. Do I just leave it or do I trim it or what?
Also- I have some more herbs planted- do herbs grow back year after year like my mint plant or will I have to plant new?

Also the garlic that I planted in last October has suddenly started to droop. I can see bulb top above the surface but it hasn't flowered or anything yet. should I dig it up or does it need something?

I’m a bit gutted this year. Went away for a week and came back to discover that everything had been eaten. put some slug pellets down to discover that there had been an army of snails invading nightly. Is there anything I can use to keep them away or do I have to keep doing them in?
Thanks!

emiff6

Welcome to the greenfingered bit, PrintEd.

Most herbs will survive a British winter - they will either die back to the ground, (e.g. mint), wither to just twiggy bits (like thyme), both of which will come up fresh in spring, or slowly fade back and be replaced by fresh growth in spring (like sage). Basil is not hardy and you must sow fresh seeds every year, or put the plant in a pot and bring indoors.

Can't help with the garlic - I don't grow alliums, but someone will be along to help you soon, I'm sure.

With snails, eternal vigilance and garden tidiness. They will spend the day tucked away under pots that are never moved, in dark damp corners by drains/waterbutts, under piles of decomposing leaves/veg, etc, or also, if you have evergreen shrubs with dense foliage (I'm thinking leylandii here) they will while away the daylight hours halfway up the trunk. :eek:

Once you've got rid of the first battalions, you can keep the numbers down by going out with a torch at night, especially during or after rain, picking them off and disposing of them.

Farway

PrintEd wrote: »

First of all- I have Thyme (i think- but it's def. a herb) which has shot off and decided to flower in the back garden. Do I just leave it or do I trim it or what?

there had been an army of snails invading nightly. Is there anything I can use to keep them away or do I have to keep doing them in?
Thanks!

Just leave the flowers, it will not weaken the plant. I find bees seem to love herb flowers, like sage / chives

Snails do need killing on regular basis, the deterrents you may read about, like egg shells, coffee grounds etc are just not effective against an invading hoard

PrintEd

thank you both. I guess I'll have to continue to be brave and try not to have nightmares about the mass murder I'm causing lol.
I am so glad my herbs should come back though- thank you so much for the good news

TonyMMM

The garlic drooping means it is ready to harvest. Dig up the bulbs (leave all the tops attached) and spread them out somewhere in the sun to dry off. After a few days the leaves will have gone brown and dry and you can use them to plait into strings and hang them somewhere cool and airy to store ...e.g. garage or shed.

macma

I've just given my thyme a "short back and sides" woody herbs like thyme and rosemary benefit from a good hard cut back otherwise they get straggly and ugly.I always wait 'til the flowers go over as the bees do love them.
Good luck with the snails our garden is surrounded by old stone walls so we have quite a population ,we use the friendly slug pellets in very small quantities and are fortunate to have several blackbirds who dispense with loads.Strangely we seldom see them on our lottie but then there is a rhyne close by with loads of mallards and moorhens so perhaps they keep them down.

pinkcandyflossprincess

Ive put mine in those wall troughs to keep out of reach of bugs thankfully:o