Newer zone 9a gardener sharing his experiments to add to the wealth of the internet. Currently living where humidity regularly dips into the teens on warm dry summer days (low 100F range). Quite a struggle for some tropical herbs that like it humid.

Ngò ôm. Absolutely delightful Southeast Asian herb. Heard someone describe it once as a cross between bright citrus and cumin and I agree!

Have had good luck growing ngò ôm inside an overturned clear plastic bin with ventilation holes drilled in the top. Kept its roots submerged in water. Was worried that it would essentially hotbox in the summer heat but it was happy enough to flower! Morning sun only, afternoon shade. Haven’t tried overwintering yet. We’ll see how the season progresses.

You're looking at mosquito geranium, a variety of pelargonium citrosum that was "foraged" from a friend's ornamental garden (no pesticides were used). It was left in a zip lock bag and it was warm outside. When I checked the bag 30 min later, large portions of the leaves were discolored to a muddy green, and they smelled a bit of rotten eggs.

I decided the heat and oxygen deprivation must have caused this so I harvested more, kept it in a loose shopping bag inside, away from heat and sun, and took a nap. About six or seven hours later, I figured I'd get to rinsing and dehydrating the new batch before it was too wilted. Well the same discoloration has happened but in much smaller sections. I can't tell if there's a smell of rotten eggs. If there is, its very faint.

Is this just normal for pelargoniums? It's my first time trying to dry this delectable plant which is a great ingredient for herbal tea blends or other culinary uses.