Single French marigold blossoms and perilla - with dandelions |
The streetscape here is pretty bleak - there's a row of low, 1920's era storefronts, some, like the corner store, are in pretty good shape and vital, but others are shabby, like a moribund shoe-repair shop and a vacant storefront stuffed with stored junk. There's a '70s era stucco office building and a parking lot - the parking lot is surrounded by a pointy, spear-like steel fence.
Just in front of the parking lot fence is a narrow strip of soil and I suddenly realized that although it was thickly overgrown with weeds, it was planted with an assortment of culinary and ornamental herbs.
Yes, someone had planted an herb garden here in this narrow, gritty strip of soil in front of a parking lot in the middle of the city.
Who could the gardener have been? The owner of the shoe repair shop? The employees of the City of Santa Monica's Housing Division, who occupied the office building?
Tricolor sage - Salvia officianalis |
Here on a December day, with the winter sun slanting in low, my photos aren't as clear as I'd hope. But here's what's growing on Main Street.
Oregano leaves and dried flowers |
More oregano flowers, some tarragon leaves, and black sage |
I think the purple flowers are chives - although I'm not sure.
The striking red-backed and toothy leaves of Perilla frutescens, an herb popular in Japanese and Korean cuisine. There are different varieties, and this one appears to be red perilla, The green version is known as Shiso in Japan, and is often used to add flavor to sushi.
This gardener like sage - here's pineapple sage, or Salvia elegans. It blooms with tiny red flowers, although in December, there aren't more than a few to see. Instead, the large fragrant leaves are tinged with purple.
Flowers of pineapple sage |
Scented leaved geranium |
The little herb garden is overgrown with crab grass and dandelions - of course, dandelions are considered edible herbs as well, so who knows whether the original gardener introduced them?
It's a testimony to the resilient nature of herbs that they have been able to thrive here, in this harsh urban setting, and hold their own with the weeds. If you've ever doubted you could grow herbs - this should surely inspire you to give it a try!
Isn't it magical to walk past a weedy stretch of urban landscape and realize it's actually a garden of scented and beautiful herbs?
What secret gardens in your daily routine are awaiting your notice?
I love going on walks and discovering gardens, especially the wee ones that might be overlooked when larger, flashier ones are nearby. There's one house I walk by that has herbs along a stone wall and often accidentally brush them as I walk by and then get that wonderful scent of lavender or sage or something else. Bliss.
ReplyDeleteMore and more I wish I lived in your sunny neck of the woods!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing discovery!
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of pineapple sage. I'd love to smell it.
That's nice!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI took a lot of photos in this town, so I'm going to break them down into two posts.
Bellevue Stucco