Lemon triage pot:

I was trying to say “lemon trio pot” when “lemon triage pot” came out; I thought about it and decided my utterance was correct. I was presenting a garden talk for a fun group of ladies who asked me to do a class just for them at Repotted. I usually incorporate a companion plant/apothecary pot of some kind in my classes.

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I’ve noticed lots of folks lately complaining of sore throats, for which a honey lemon tea is great to sooth. I found my trio: lemon thyme, lemon balm and lemon verbena, at Repotted.

In addition to having medicinal qualities these plants also are great in edible creations. Lemon balm, lemon verbena and lemon thyme can all be made into teas or used as aromatics to add lemon flavor to desserts, oils, vinegars and liqueurs.

Lemon balm and lemon verbena both contain a lot of vitamin C, and as a tea, they can help with indigestion and nausea.

Use lemon thyme to flavor olives and can soothe a sore throat if you gargle with it.

Teasing the root ball:

The proper technique for planting is to first “tease the root ball” before you place it in the soil. To tease the root ball, gently massage it with your hands until it no longer looks like the shape of the pot you pulled it from. This will stimulate the plant and roots into spreading out and growing a stronger plant, and don’t worry, you aren’t hurting the plant.

When I know I have some newbies in my class, and I’m explaining how to massage the root ball, I always ask “Does anyone know a good joke?” I usually get a few laughs, but the group last week caught me off guard when one of them told a funny joke. It was even funnier that I misheard “prawns” instead of “blondes.” Here is the joke:

“Two prawns are walking across a bridge where they notice a one-eyed dog. One prawn says to the other, “Look at that dog with only one eye.” The other prawn puts her right hand over her right eye and says “Wow!”

Garden Lady’s green dates to remember:

April 14 at 11 a.m., garden Talk at Repotted — Follow-up on plantings from March 3 class.  We will specifically focus on tomatoes.

April 19 at 6 p.m. — A Community Cooks at the We Over Me Farm at Paul Quinn College