“How could such sweet and wholesome hours be reckoned but with herbs and flowers?” – Andrew Marvel

Once you’ve selected a location for your herb garden, you’ll need to figure out what varieties you want to grow and how you want to grow them. Keep in mind that almost all herbs can be started from seeds. However, some herbs, such as rosemary, mint and oregano do better as transplants or propagated by cuttings. Learn about the plants you intend to grow before planting and plan accordingly. On this page, I describe several planting techniques to ensure that your herb garden gets off to a terrific start. If you are looking for specific advice about organic gardening click here.
Seed Starting Indoors
Starting seeds indoors is pretty darn easy if you know what your doing. Simply provide the right conditions and you’ll have beautiful, healthy seedlings in no time. Click here for 10 seed-starting tips.

First, select a container that you want to plant in. You can use egg cartons, plastic seed trays or peat pots specifically made for seed starting or direct seed into a sterile growing medium, like rock-wool. Learn how to create seed-starting pots from newspapers here.

The benefit of using “biodegradable” containers, like peat pots, is that they can be planted, along with the seedlings, directly in the garden. As a result, the roots are not disturbed and transplant shock is greatly reduced. Plastic pots are preferred by some gardeners because they retain moisture more consistently.

Use a good quality potting soil when starting seeds (see Potting Mixes for Certified Organic Production). In addition to the soil, you may want to add a little sand to promote drainage. Fill the containers almost to the top with potting mix and wet it down so that it is moist, but not sopping wet. Insert the seed, or place it on top, covering it with a little soil. Very small seeds should lie directly on the surface. Check the back of the seed packet for specifics on planting depth.

Find a sunny, preferably south facing windowsill for your growing containers or put them on top of the refrigerator where it’s nice and warm. Germinating seeds prefer temperatures between 60 and 75° Fahrenheit.

After planting, cover with plastic wrap or put the whole container in a plastic bag. This will help retain moisture and promote successful seed germination. Check often to make sure that the soil stays moist, and remove the plastic wrap as soon as seedling appears.
Transplanting Herbs
If your seedlings have been properly cared for, they should be ready to transplant in 5 to 10 weeks. Wait until all danger of frost has passed before moving them to your garden. You’ll also want to gradually “harden off” your plants. Start by bringing them outside only for short periods of time, perhaps for a couple of hours. Then slowly increase hours until they’ve acclimated to the elements and can be planted outdoors (see Hardening Off Isn’t Hard).

If you can, choose an overcast day for transplanting. If this is impossible, try planting in the early evening when the heat of the day has mostly passed. The goal is to keep your young plants as comfortable as possible, and not to shock them in any way. Give them water an hour or two before transplanting and prepare the beds so that you can quickly move them to the soil. Loosen the plant from the container and place it gently into the hole. Make sure that the plants’ base is even with the ground and gently fill and tamp the earth with your hands. If your plants are in biodegradable pots you can plant them directly into the soil. Cut the sides of the containers so the roots can spread. Water gently.

Note: Some herbs do not transplant well and should be planted directly from seed in your outdoor garden. These include: anise, coriander, dill and fennel.
Direct Seeding
If you choose to plant seeds directly into the garden, do so after all danger of frost is past. Read the seed packet for specific planting directions (see Seed Packet Jargon). Use your hands or the corner of a trowel to prepare a trench for seeding to the depth you desire. Take a few seeds in your fingertips and scatter them down the trench trying to achieve the spacing recommended. (If necessary, mix sand with small seeds to make them easier to handle.) Don’t worry if you over seed – plants can always be thinned out later! Cover the seeds lightly with soil and gently water till wet.

Tip: If your garden is high in clay, cover seeds with vermiculite instead of soil. Clay naturally absorbs heat from the sun and could “cook” the seeds. Clay can also form a tough, top crust that can hold back young seedlings.
Propagating by Division
When propagating from division, divide herbs in early spring before growth begins. Dig up a section of the roots from an established plant and cut or pull them apart into smaller clumps. Replant the divided sections in a new garden location, taking care to add plenty of compost to the planting hole. Set the sections at the proper depth and keep them moist until the new plants are established. Chives, mint, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, sage and thyme are all easily propagated by division.
Growing From Cuttings
Take your gardening skills to the next level by growing your own plants from cuttings. Start with a plant that you really like. But be prepared, not every cutting you take is going to root – and that’s okay! Under ideal conditions a 90% success rate is considered excellent.

To begin, select a container that is well sterilized and about three inches deep. If you have the cash, those propagation trays found at garden supply stores work great and they can be used again and again.

For cuttings, you want to use light soil or a soil-less mixture. This can either be store bought, or, if you’re feeling industrious, you can make your own (see Soil Mixes). Perlite and vermiculite also work well. What ever you decide to use, the mixture needs to be sterile and it has to drain really well. Root rot is not what you want here. Wet the medium before you set your cuttings; make it damp but not soaking.

Step by Step Instructions:
1.) Start by only taking cuttings from flourishing plants. They should be healthy, happy and raring to grow.
2.) Use a stem or branch that is coming from the side of the plant not the middle. For some reason, side shoots seem to root faster.
3.) Select a cutting that has at least 2 or 3 sets of branches on it and remove the lower 1 or 2 sets (stems and leaves). Also, remove any flowers or buds. What you want, is enough leaves for photosynthesis to occur but not so many that the plant can’t concentrate on rooting.
4.) Make a clean 45 degree slice with a razor blade or knife at a node. (Leaf nodes are where the branches come out of the stem.) If you want to use a cloning gel – now is the time!
5.) Take the cutting and quickly settle it into the growing medium making sure to keep the leaves from touching the medium.
6.) Cover with a plastic dome and provide bottom warmth from a heat mat at all times.
7.) Placing a florescent light or grow light over them for about 12 hours a day will help immensely.
8.) Keep them moist and wait until roots appear. That’s it!

Visit the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service for more information about plant propagation by stem cuttings.

Tip: Lavender is one of the easiest plants to take cuttings from.

Source: http://www.herbgardeningguru.com/planting-propagation.html

The best hotels outside Manila in Pampanga and Subic are listed here including a beach resort which is a semi-private establishment located in the central business district near shopping, business, entertainment, airport and other conveniences of Philippines Clark Freeport Zone. The beach resorts, leisure parks and vacation hotels in Clark Pampanga offer a unique ambience that supports a laidback relaxing lifestyle. Many visitors travel north to Clark Pampanga from Manila to unwind and relax in these resorts.

This Pampanga resort hotel is different from other hotels in Clark Philippines or hotel in Angeles City. This Clark Hotel has large outdoor space for children to play and adults to enjoy some peace and quiet in the picnic grounds near the lake. Guests like the Hotel’s café breakfast garden which serves the best breakfast in Pampanga. Clearwater Resort has nice ambience and wide space, much better than the other hotels in Angeles City and Manila Philippines.

Traffic along the North Expressway NLEX from Manila to Clark is always light and the new Subic Tarlac Clark Expressway ScTex takes visitors straight into Clark Freeport without going through any towns and cities along the way.

Many guests like staying at Clearwater Family Inn Hotel Room in the picnic grounds of this resort in Clark Pampanga. Some like the trees in the resort camping grounds. One can stay in other hotels in Angeles City but it is not often one finds amenities and ambience like Clark, not like Clearwater Resort in Angeles City Philippines.

Those who are lucky enough to get a room at this lake resort in Clark Philippines will be able to enjoy the magical sunrise across the lake of Clearwater Resort at dawn. This is the only hotel in Clark Pampanga that guests can really enjoy viewing sunrise.

For information as well as assistance with reservations in hotels and resorts in Pampanga, Clark Philippines, click here to contact HotelClarkPhilippines now

Or call us at

Hotel Clark Philippines
Creekside Road corner of Centennial Road,
Central Business District, Clark Freeport Zone,
Pampanga, Philippines 2023

Tel: (045)599-5949 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177

Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

Email: Info@ClarkPhilippines.com

Getting to this hotel in Clark Philippines
After entering Clark Freeport from Subic, Manila, Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along Clark’s main highway MA Roxas, passing Clark’s largest wine shop called Clark Wine Center on your right, continue to bear right making no turns at all, go past Mimosa Leisure Estate on the opposite side of the road, you will hit a major intersection. Go straight and the road becomes Creekside Road. YATS Clearwater Resort and Country Club is on your right just 200m down. Traffic in Clark Philippines is light so it should be quite easy for get to this hotel in Clark Philippines.

To inquire with the beach resort hotel in Clark Pampanga visit http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a HK-based developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine outlets http://www.YatsLeisure.com