Nice People Thread No. 14, all Nice and Proper

PasturesNew

Nikkster wrote: »

Congrats Maggie!

Lir - coincidence that you posted your lovely pic of your herb troughs today.... There was a programme on BBC1 this morning, sounded a little like Mary Berry (I had my eyes closed ), and at one point they were talking about herbs - in particular less common ones (miners lettuce, yarrow and perhaps a couple of others). I'll see if I can work out what it was (assuming I wasn't hallucinating) and post you a link in case you're interested.

It was a Mary Berry clip on Saturday Kitchen, BBC1 10am onwards.

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

It was Mary Berry talking to Jekka of Jekka's herb farm.

So you weren't hallucinating Nikkster!

Good, saves me hunting for it

ukmaggie45

Did get to sit out in our back garden yesterday before the weather broke. Got a mile long list of stuff that we need to do, but at least OH managed to mow the lawn before the rain. I've never managed to get a decent photo of our magnolia, and this isn't either, but it's prob the best I've taken so far.

Magnolia in our back garden by ukmaggie45, on Flickr

So much pruning to do! :eek:

Nikkster

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

It was Mary Berry talking to Jekka of Jekka's herb farm.

So you weren't hallucinating Nikkster!

That's it! Even got the Mary Berry bit right!! It sounded interesting, and yarrow is on my list of contenders for the non grass lawn which I'm going to have at the front of my house (inspiration from a previous NPT). Might have to watch it again/ properly.

ukmaggie45

Nikkster wrote: »

yarrow is on my list of contenders for the non grass lawn which I'm going to have at the front of my house (inspiration from a previous NPT). Might have to watch it again/ properly.

Hmmm, I think you'll find yarrow is a bit tall for a lawn (you can use dried yarrow sticks to consult the I Ching). Chamomile is a traditional lawn plant, the really nice thing to do with it is use it to make a living bench, it smells wonderful when it's crushed so nice smell when you sit on it. Plus you can make tea from it too.

Nikkster

ukmaggie45 wrote: »

Hmmm, I think you'll find yarrow is a bit tall for a lawn (you can use dried yarrow sticks to consult the I Ching). Chamomile is a traditional lawn plant, the really nice thing to do with it is use it to make a living bench, it smells wonderful when it's crushed so nice smell when you sit on it. Plus you can make tea from it too.

Yes (and to PN), Yarrow is on the tall side, but I've seen mention of it being used as part of a mix in a lawn. I'd be aiming to mow a couple of times a year max, others on the current list are chamomile, thyme, violets, self heal, lawn lobelia, pennyroyal and sweet woodruff. Practically, it's unlikely to happen this year, but I've got seed trays ready for growing things up next year. The list might change before then!

lostinrates

Jekka is not too hard to get to from here. But she has open days rather than being open. Fir and I were going to go but I was not able to on all last years open days.

Trelawne ( sp?) is lawn chamomile, ( it neither flowers and nor therefore does it seed) its not what I plan to use where we use chamomile. We have an amazing, amazing low growing chamomile which spreads well, flowers, smells better. I might put some lawn chamomile in the mix, but...I'm thinking I might go for more stability from something else. For infusions i a different chamomile again!

lostinrates

Nikkster wrote: »

Yes (and to PN), Yarrow is on the tall side, but I've seen mention of it being used as part of a mix in a lawn. I'd be aiming to mow a couple of times a year max, others on the current list are chamomile, thyme, violets, self heal, lawn lobelia, pennyroyal and sweet woodruff. Practically, it's unlikely to happen this year, but I've got seed trays ready for growing things up next year. The list might change before then!

Thyme is one of the things I am seriously considering. I have a fair bit of sweet woodruff in the herb beds here now ( its bed to shoo of insects.......well, not sure, but it goes in summer drinks a little like borage, especially white wine based ones). Violets are just one of my favourite things in the world. IMO, if you can establish then, even though its a short season, have them. My white border has a huge patch of white violets that might look like weed to a casual passer by, but to me violets are one of the things that smells of one of my homes very strongly. I've got normal ones starting in the normal herb garden now, ( they will crystallise so IMO are a culinary use thing!) They are out now and its hard for me not to want to sniff them all day.

Generali

michaels wrote: »

Hmm - no wonder they had to bump of Dodi AlFayed,,,,

With that typing you are LIR and I claim my five pounds.

lostinrates

Grrrrrrr, just going through today's post and my meeting about surgery next month had been cancelled. No explanation, no reschedule...nothing...

Nikkster

PasturesNew wrote: »

I missed that bit. I was elsewhere on t'Internet at the time and she makes me drift off mentally as her cooking's all about stuff I'd never make, for people that aren't in my life. She's always cooking for special occasions, celebrations and families .... with posh stuff.
.

Friend and I looked around TK Maxx this afternoon (we have a shared love of TK Maxx). We commented that a lot of the stuff we were drawn to befitted a lifestyle that we completely didn't have.

PasturesNew wrote: »

You lot live in a parallel world to me. I simply want it to look nice/tame when I occasionally stare out of the window at it

Well, I'm a very novice gardener who just happens to have delusions of grandeur. My non grass lawn will be either side of a lavender-lined path. But this isn't some country cottage, it's my student hovel by a main road. But it's mine