The Herbal Garden Bathtub

What a simply lovely weekend it has been to play in the herb garden. With temperatures finally feeling a bit like fall I feel full of energy again. When I woke this morning it was 58 degrees outside. I couldn't throw my bluejeans on fast enough to get out there. 

I've been doing a lot of restorations and remodeling this month to the garden. In this area I have an old bathtub that was yanked out of the house some 25 years ago or so. I've grown so many different things in it, but finally decided to move some stuff out and go for a whole new look. Basically what I'm doing is creating a tiered effect with three steps down. The tub is the top tier and I filled it with Spineless Prickly Pears and Trailing Lantana. Easy maintenance for me with low water requirements. All I have to do is make sure I keep a few grass sprouts out, but the Lantana will choke all grass from sprouting as it matures. It will also trail down over the sides of the tub and into the second tier creating a nice mound of purple flowering groundcover. 

Next I began building my second tier with rocks, using them to help cover any tub exposure as well. In this tier I added my favorite Spanish Lavender next to some Butterfly Weed. I'm going for colors of purple, blues, yellow and orange in this whole area with lots of things to create attention for wildlife as well as a bit of a southern appeal. 

On ground level is the last tier where I have my broken clay pot filled with sweet potato vines. Here I am creating a narrow path to have access for working.

Here is a picture of the side view where you can see where I'm coming around with the rocks to cover the old cast iron tub. I'm also moving in more plants like Salvias, Mealy-Cup Sages, Blackeye Susans and Echinaceas. Also I've divided up several flowering bulbs, like Amarillas and Tiger Lilies to add to the area. I completely covered the back of the tub with some tall yellow blooming Cannes. I'll try and get more pictures as I make more progress. I'm hoping by next summer it will all put on a bit of a show for the butterflies and hummingbirds and plenty of bees. So have some fun with an old bathtub or two!!

Happy Gardening!!

Pammy.