Earth Day Digging in the Dirt

Don't you just love the smell of Spring . . . the sweet scents of the never-ending variety of blooms - lilac, honeysuckle, hyacinth, lily of the valley, tulips, daffodils, lupine, sweet violet, clematis, roses, apple and cherry blossoms, to name a few - and the earthy smell we often associate with rainfall?  There are actually words for that smell - Geosmin, which literally translates to "earth smell" and is an organic compound with a distinct earthy flavor and aroma, is responsible for the earthy taste of beets and a contributor to the strong scent (Petrichor) that occurs in the air when rain falls after a dry spell of weather or when soil is disturbed.  Who knew?

Photo Credit: NixBlog from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. One of my favorite blooms, the lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is a beautifully fragrant spring flower that has several cultivars. This mauve, large-flowered one is 'Agincourt Beauty'. (Click image for larger view.)

For more beautiful images like the one above, check out NixBlog. He says he's only an amateur photographer!  You be the judge!

As for my personal Earth Day project, I went into recycle/reuse mode.  Since my move out to the country just outside Nashville six years ago, I have had some unfinished outdoor plans I'm been itching to complete.  We recently had our annual Nashville Herb Society sale at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds and I was anxious to get some of new herbs planted.  With so much shade on the property, I had an experiment in mind for my over-sized front deck, which required portable planters to find the sunniest areas.

To get motivated, I decided to start small and tackle some older terracotta-colored planters that had seen better days.  Scrub, prime, prime, paint, paint, PLANT!  That's all there was to it!

Old terracotta-colored planter that has seen better days - ready to be scrubbed. (Click image for larger view.)

Planters scrubbed and ready for paint - those are tree shadows on the deck, not mold! (Click image for larger view.)

Primed planters. (Click image for larger view.)

Painted and planted! This pot contains rosemary and lavender. (Click image for larger view.)

All three completed planters with an array of herbs, including Thai and sweet basil, stevia, rosemary, lavender, chocolate and sweet mint, and bee balm. (Click image for larger view.)

Planter placement on front deck. This deck is about 30 X 18 feet. I also have two back decks, each 44 X 20 feet. The jury is still out on whether they will get enough sun. (Click image for larger view.) And, yes - my deck needs staining! Want to volunteer? :) I'll show you the furniture on the other side of this shot when I get them recovered!

These are just a few of my plants.  Most of mine are in the ground, but I wanted to have some easily accessible for my kitchen witchery brews.  

What did you do on Earth Day?  Are you a gardener and if so, what type of plants do you grow?  Feel free to share your ideas, plans and tips and you are welcome to share this blog post!