It’s only a couple of weeks now until Leaf magazine is scheduled to launch and my simultaneous excitement and panic are both mounting. We have spent so much time and effort putting this together, but we have also poured ourselves into it.  It seems like it will be impossible to know when it is ready to go out the door to be shared with all of you.  I am, at the same time, wanting more people to read it – hopefully ensuring its longevity and success, but also hoping no-one does, because I have an unrelenting fear that it will never be quite ready.  Of course I can see the parallels with all sorts of big life moments, and I know it never will be perfect, because nothing ever is, but it will be great.

So I have been starting to think about all the things I have been putting on the back burner for the last few months – my mounting list of house and garden projects among them.   Did I mention we are building a deck? Well, we were building a deck until we hit ledge about 8 inches below ground right were some footings really need to go.  I was trying to figure out a work around but that has been sidelined (due to weather and Leaf) and now I have multiple 12′ long sonotubes in my garage that I have to dodge every time I pull my car in.   Surrounding this future-deck is a whole lot of planting that I am excited to re-design.  At the moment it is an odd and not entirely successful mix of plants that are either remnants of when it was shady (and now it is quite sunny with the removal of a few trees), the typical clients cast offs, and new things that ultimately need to find a permanent home —  but who are just biding their time waiting for the deck project to be done so they can be re-situated.

Amongst all of this is my current herb garden.  I have been needing an herb garden change-up for a while.  It is arguably the most used thing in my garden as the herbs I grow (two types of thyme, two types of sage, lemon balm, oregano, rosemary, mint, tarragon, basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, lavender, bee balm, and lemon grass) make their way into my kitchen on a daily basis.   It’s just not as organized and as handy as I would like it to be.  In all my recent magazine examining and  studying, I came across a great download at Gardens Illustrated (I can only hope that Leaf turns out to be half as good as that magazine).   Jekka McVicar put together this plan for a beautiful herb garden — something that I think is a bit of a trick.   It features a slew of plants that I don’t currently grow and is providing me the template and inspiration for my new herb garden — which I will plan in earnest — once the magazine is launched, and that deck is finished….and things generally settle down a bit.

At least I have a good collection of savory plants to get me through the winter, because I just don’t see it happening before then.