As a practising lazy gardener I’m drawn to plants that self- seed, keep growing year after year and look after themselves without me.

Lis’s Thai-inspired spaghetti and vermicelli-like squash salad

So I enjoyed listening to Lis Bastian describe the perennials in her garden at Blackheath, NSW, recently and asked her to write out a list of them; here’s what Lis sent me:

“Yacon or yakon

www.greenharvest.com…

Spaghetti Squash  -  a perennial squash

Red Mustard and Red Kale  …. they feel like a perennials because they self seed so profusely that they keep coming up all the time

Angelica ... the angel herb …. this also self seeds and is an umbelliferous herb which attracts beneficial insects to the garden that deter or eat more hamful insects (like lady beetles)

 the other things I think I mentioned were that, because we have such a problem with birds, it is root crops that go well here … I have luck with parsnips, yacon, beetroot, potatoes,

This afternoon I’m stewing rhubarb and apples with angelica … love warm rhubarb on cold days

rhubarb‘s a great perennial too

Lis Bastian

www.lisbastian.com….au“

I particularly warmed to a dish Lis cooked from spaghetti squash – the squash becomes like vermicelli.

Lis posted the recipe for the spaghetti squash salad on her blog:  www.stoplaughing.com…

Thanks, Lis,

M