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I may have mentioned that my two orange trees perished in the unprecedented “winter storm” Texas suffered in February.
These orange trees were very important to me. I had started them from seeds (from a navel orange bought at the grocery store) when I was just eleven years old. They had their first ever blooms in 2019.
Orange trees are hard to find for sale in Texas because of regulations to prevent blights… otherwise I would have ordered new baby trees from Citrus.com months ago.
I’ve been watching and contacting nurseries since March when I had to admit that my trees were dead. Last Friday Covington’s Nursery – my local nursery – updated their inventory and they had 10 navel orange trees in “5 gallon” buckets. (I say “5 gallon” in quotes because they look more like 2-2.5 gallon buckets to me. I was thinking more along the lines of a Home Depot 5 gallon bucket.
To top off my plant induced excitement this weekend I also am the new owner (and constructor) of a plant stand! This declutters the kitchen island and gives my many (too many?) avocado plants natural light.
The bottom shelf is going to house the herbs I have in pots outside. I plan to nurse them through the rest of this year inside, and then plant them in the ground in the spring. My large basil plants from last year also perished in the winter storm…
I have double checked the herbs that are safe for cats, should Benchley mistake my herbs for catnip…
Below are the herbs that are safe for cats, and those you should keep away from them:
Feline Safe Herbs:
- Basil
- Cilantro/Coriander
- Dill
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Valerian
- Witch Hazel
- Echinacea
- Licorice Root
- Dandelion Root
- Calendula
- Goldenseal
Herbs to Keep Away from a Cat:
- Garlic
- Chives
- Marijuana
- Chamomile
- St. John’s Wart
- Lemongrass
- Mint
- Oregano
- Tarragon
(Nobody wants a sick cat so I shall continue to grow my garlic, and oregano outside.)
For a full list of plants toxic to cats visit the ASPCA’s List.
If you like my plant stand, you can grab your own here. It was really easy to put together. I would advise that you be aware of how you orient the plastic connection pieces, but other than that it was a breeze.
Outside the garden is still kicking. My oldest tomato plants all have new blooms on them which is exciting. I nursed them through the Texas summer heat! I will have an update on my potato experiments for y’all before too long.
If you’re a proud plant parent, please tell me in the comments below what kind of plant baby/babies you have – I’m always looking for new greens to adopt.
Multiple time plant mama, but the one thing I am super proud of is the black berry plants that I grew from seed from a farmer’s market basket. I’m so happy they’ve survived and are growing. 🥰