herbs new and old

Few days ago I helped my boyfriend's sister plant some hosta, herbs and roses in her yard. It wasn't a big job, but I wanted to enjoy having my hands in the dirt again (sans gloves). She gave me some cuttings off her rosemary

and thyme. I'm glad to have a new start with these favorite herbs!

Usual method, I stripped the lower leaves off the stems and dipped them in a bit of rooting hormone powder.

Then cut the tops off, to encourage branching and keep the top foliage minimal while it grows new roots.

And just to see if more would grow, I stuck the cut tops back in the soil too.

I also cleaned up this pot of lemon balm. It's been looking poorly all winter, edges crisped and brown.

But I saw that at the base of the plant, new growth looked healthy. So cut back to that.

And while I was at it, gave my parsley plant a reboost. It has been looking so lovely, but just noticed there are signs of ill health again- leaves mottled pale. This one I upended entirely- loosened the roots and threw away all the old soil. Cut out all the sickly looking stems, gave it new soil, new clean pot, and new shards. If that doesn't clear out the pathogen I don't know what else to do.

Its roots look healthy enough.

In the new pot: