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Growing Herbs for a First-Aid Kit

March 9th, 2010
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Did you know that many of the drugs that you purchase in the pharmacy have herbs in them? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier and cheaper if you grew your own healing herb plants? I know I’ve saved countless dollars by raising my own little first aid kit in the garden.

Do you have any of these ailments? Try herbs!

  • For aching joints, try chervil, coriander and thyme. Lavender, marjoram, lovage, peppermint and oregano can be used as an antibacterial.
  • Do you have bad breath? Anise, mint, parsley and sweet cicely can do you a world of good.
  • Constipation can be serious. Both dandelion and fennel will assist in getting things going again.
  • I’m surprised that there are so many herbs that assist with flatulence, including beebalm, caraway, coriander, ginger, lemon balm, lovage, peppermint and summer savory.
  • There’s nothing more soothing to your frazzled nerves than a nice cup of chamomile tea at the end of the day. Some other herbs that might assist include dill, goldenrod, lavender and lemon balm.
  • There’s no better cure for a hangover than thyme. It works better than the raw egg/tomato juice concoction people might tell you to down.
  • Do you have a terrible case of hiccups that won’t go away? Try dill. It will be fabulous, and if you like dill, it can be a tasty cure.
  • Goldenrod, aloe, summer savory and hens-and-chicks are fantastic for taking the sting out of those insect bites, even mosquito bites.
  • Tossing and turning all night? A lot of the same herbs that can calm your nerves can help here too, but chamomile and dill are most likely to help you with your insomnia.
  • If you suffer from seasonal allergies or nasal congestion, sage, horseradish and violet are great options. To clean out your nasal passages fast, use a little horseradish.
  • Peppermint is great for indigestion and stomachache, but dill, lovage and fennel are also beneficial.

Among all these remedies you might think that herbs are the next snake oil. Don’t believe me? Experiment with it for yourself!

  • Aloe Vera: I have two different aloe vera herbs that are constantly suffering from me breaking off bits to treat burns (including sunburn) and mosquito bites. Be mindful not to over-water it. It is a succulent and does not need much water or any other special treatment. Just be sure that it gets a lot of light and that its well-drained soil keeps it firmly rooted in the pot or garden bed.
  • Chamomile: You may already be familiar with chamomile because it is well-known as a healing herb that will help with both mental and physical maladies. Chamomile comes in two kinds (German and true or Roman chamomile), and if you allow them, both of these plants can raise themselves next season in a process called self-sowing.
  • Horseradish: If you need to clean out your sinuses, just take a sniff of this one. Believe it or not, even though it has a peppery flavor, the horseradish herb is a member of the mustard family. Although the leaves can grow to 2 feet long, it is the root that is essential for the herb gardener.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Kits. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.


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Creating Your Own Herb Rock Garden

March 8th, 2010
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When I was a kid, I lived out in a rural community and we only had clay sod once you dug about 6 or 12 inches down. When you are planning your garden, you have got to put sunshine and soil quality at the top of the list of things to consider. Without the correct amounts of both sunshine and water, your garden won’t flourish. With the right combination of water, sod and natural light, you can grow just about anything.

Rather than trying to fix the dirt issues, I changed my garden plan and learned about rock gardening, which uses rocks and only a thin layer of nice earth.

If you have got a similar situation, you can grow your own rock garden. Some herbs truly love the rocky craggy sod that you have in areas like this all over the world. If you do not have the rocky soil and want the aesthetic of a rock garden, be sure you’ve got room for roots to grow and also some good drainage.

When planning your herb garden, be sure that you are choosing herbs that can stay compact, because with limited space you do not want anything taking over. Look at your reference books for the right herbs for rock gardens. A good rule of thumb are those that have silver or gray leaves. It is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it should help in making good choices.

  • Hen-and-Chicks: I cannot imagine cutting open a hen or chick and rubbing it on a wart, but this perennial succulent herb, which is also known as St. Patrick’s cabbage, has a long history of healing them. The leaves of this herb store water for periods of drought. Your hen can get up to 4 inches across pretty fast. Soon small off-shoots, or chicks, will sprout up from the edges of your hen. You will enjoy the reddish-pink blooms that can appear atop a 9 inch spike that shoots straight up from the center of each hen in the summer. The herb will continue to add chicks and grow into a colony of herbs.
  • Wild Oregano: This perennial from the Mediterranean region will grow energetically up to 30 inches tall with its oval leaves and purple blossoms that come out late in the summer. Although you certainly may eat this variety of oregano, it will not quite be the same as the Greek oregano you are familiar with from Italian meals.
  • Marjoram: You can cook with marjoram, but you can use it to landscape your rock garden. It’s a perennial that has a delicate scent with oval gray-green leaves and tiny white flowers. For marjoram to retain its shape and form, keep it trimmer back (use the clippings in your Italian meals) so that it will keep growing well—full sun and the good drainage in your rock garden will help too.
  • Thyme: The shiny, little leaves of the thyme plant are clustered along woody stems that are adorned with numerous white or pink blossoms and grows to a height of up to 12 inches. Thyme grows best when the earth is sandy, well-drained and gets a whole lot of light. You’ll want to keep this herb trimmed back to maintain its shape and to help it remain hearty.

The contrast between the rocks and the herb plants will dazzle the eyes, without losing any of the other sensations, including smell and taste.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Designs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.


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Your Balcony Herb Garden

March 7th, 2010
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Does your balcony need a new image? Try potted herbs! Having your herbs in pots makes it a cinch because you can move them around (as you figure out the amount of sun your balcony gets). Their portability also helps for bringing your herb plants indoors at the end of the growing season—you do not want to leave your herbs on the balcony all winter.

Balconies are all about natural light and you will want to go with herbs like morning glories that grow well with a lot of sun. Morning glories are fantastic because they can handle the bright reflection from your windows and also all the heat that a metal balcony can generate. Observe the amount and type of natural light, heat and intensity on your balcony during a regular day. You will also want to know which way your balcony is facing—will you get more morning or afternoon sun?

A good rule of thumb for balcony herbs would include any plant with a thick leaf or a velvety texture as well as any plant that is gray or silver. They will do well because they lose less water in evaporation.

Try a few of these great herbs on your balcony:

  • Aloe vera: Aloe vera is an easy herb to grow. It doesn’t need much water and it tolerates a lot of sun and heat. It is also very helpful for burns, just clip a small piece off and rub it on the burn. It’s sticky, but you’ll feel better in no time!
  • Cayenne pepper: If you grill out on your balcony, imagine being able to break off a pieces of cayenne pepper to add to your next meal. This herb should do very well on your balcony and add some color too.
  • Cucumber: A trailing vine, like a cucumber, will provide an added touch to your balcony. Cucumbers are wonderful for facials, ladies. You can also grab a few cucumbers to slice for your salads, straight from the balcony!
  • Hens-and-chicks: These are among my very favorite plants. Because they are succulents, they can hold water very well (less watering for you) and they will handle the bright sun and hot temperatures you may have on your balcony. They are adorable to look at too!
  • Lavender: Because lavender is a fragrant plant, you will be able to breathe in the soothing smell of lavender when you put it on your balcony. It is also a beautiful plant that provides a nice pop of color.

You can select a few nice-sized pots to put on your balcony or use a hanging balcony basket that has an inside layer from a coconut liner. I once made my own balcony basket with chicken wire and moss. It was my first attempt at something like that. That basket was not the best thing since sliced bread, but it was functional. It will work better if you carefully consider the drainage when you are buying your basket or container.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Windowsill Herb Garden. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.


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Asiatic Lily – Answers To Common Questions About Asiatic Lilys

March 5th, 2010
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Searching for info regarding asiatic lilys? Then you have come to the right place. Here is a listing of the top frequently asked questions about asiatic lilys.  

Are Asiatic lilys a good flower to grow?
Asiatic lilys are usually a marvelous flower to raise. As a matter of fact they are actually one of the most common lilys planted in the north. They are a very hardy flower and they survive tremendously in well drained soil.

Is it needed to mulch Asiatic lilys?
It may be best to mulch Asiatic lilys when fall arrives. A person will need to leave this mulch on top of the plants until frost is no longer a danger.

What may be the best way to plant an Asiatic lily?
One would need to plant Asiatic lily bulbs three or 5 at a time with a minimum of eight inches between them. Apply natural compost from a compost pile on the Asiatic lilys. This can offer any nutrients that your plants should have.

How much do Asiatic lily bulbs cost?
Bulbs from Asiatic lilys are not very expensive. It is possible to purchase ideal bulbs from the flowering plant variety for approximately 4 dollars per bulb.

What shades are Asiatic lilys?
A lily comes in a array of colors such as orange, yellow, pink, and even cream.

How much sunlight will an Asiatic lily need to thrive?
It is most appropriate to raise Asiatic lilys in direct sunlight. They need as much as eight hours of sunlight per day.

Are there additional sites that include information on asiatic lilys?  
There are not many of sites that are devoted to asiatic lilys.  One site that I do suggest for asiatic lily “frequently asked questions”, nonetheless, is http://asiatic-lily.bidandblog.com .  It’s a tremendously vigorous, free forum about asiatic lilys where users have almost certainly already posted every possible question that you could have.   And the site has realtime asiatic lily auctions and a no cost asiatic lily email alert service.  And, there is practically always a user in the forum that will answer virtually any asiatic lily question.  


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Mulch Alternative? Try Ground Cover

March 5th, 2010
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One of the many problems for a new garden is the glaring space between young plants. Young gardens need time to grow and fill in and in the meanwhile can look pretty barren. Get to work and plant some ground cover! The more the merrier. Use ground cover to help fill in between plants, fountains and garden decor, or around stepping stones.
Before you start planting just anything you need to choose your ground cover based on the light, water, and traffic conditions in your garden. Here are just a few of the many ground cover ideas a gardener in a northern climate garden might want to consider.
If you have a sunny garden you might want to consider planting some sedum. It comes in a variety of color shades and growth habits. Sedum will thrive in hot sun and poor soil. Sedum is used on “green roofs” which are very inhospitable to highlight the kind of conditions it can take: hot, dry and horrible. The hotter the better! It is not a good choice on a path, though, as it can not take being disturbed at great length.
Thyme, the beloved kitchen herb, is another excellent ground cover choice for a sunny garden. Thyme is great for an area that gets some foot traffic because it smells good when you step on it. Give your landscape a cottage garden feel with this herb that also comes in a variety of growth habits and color choices such as creeping thyme, woolly thyme or lemon thyme…there are so many types.
Pachysandra can be a great ground cover for your shady landscape. Pachysandra is a good deep shade ground cover that can handle some partial sun. Pachysandra is nice because it will hide the ugly browning leaves of spring bulbs which you are not supposed to remove. Pachysandra always looks good and is easy to maintain.And it is less invasive than it’s popular nemesis called vinca: vinca is a garden no no because of its rampant invasiveness into woodland areas-so when in doubt choose pachysandra.
If you have a native plant garden and a lot of shade then wild ginger is the ground cover you have been looking for. It has handsome dark green circular leaves and forms a dense matte with little ground hugging flowers that are popular with toads and woodland critters. Plant it around the base of a [bird feeder|recycled glass bird feeder] to hide the cast off seeds. It is rumored that there are some evergreen types in more southern climates.
The right ground cover selection is always going to enhance the look of your garden. They cover up all the unattractive areas in your garden and also improve the health of existing plants by shading their roots. Ground cover can be a unifying element in your garden design for many years to come. Put some [recycled glass gazing globes|gazing balls] in a patch of ground cover for an easy garden decoration idea and just enjoy!


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The Growing Herb Industry and the Green Campaign

March 5th, 2010
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Nowadays, green is an in thing. Due to the alarming environmental issues, a lot of careers and industries have been shifting to the green paradigm. The growing herb industry is one of the key players in making the earth greener than it has ever been.

 

This industry could boast of its immediate and across the board growth. Private homes, associations, large-scale and small-scale farms, virtual communities – all these have jumped in the wagon to grow herbs for assorted reasons.

 

Private herb growing

 

Herb gardens now adorn both indoor and outdoor spaces of most homes. A lot of small household have at least six herbs growing in small pots, which are strategically placed in indoor spaces - nearby window and door openings, and outdoor spaces - rooftop and porch areas. Other homes that have wide stretches of lawn and backyard spaces engage into high-maintenance gardening styles – potager or kitchen herb garden which could be classified into different styles, the elaborately patterned knot garden or the rustic freestyle cottage garden.

 

These home gardens also differ in which herbs are grown. Most have perennials for medicinal purposes. Most have annuals for culinary purposes. Either purpose includes the aesthetic and ornamental value of herb plants.

 

Green Associations

 

These associations have participation ranging from holistic medical practitioners, botanical council members, herb growers at home and from commercial producers/farmers, to landscapists. In the USA alone, there are over fifty national associations, and they have satellite offices spread generously among fifty states and sister cities in other countries.

 

These associations are formed to popularize the use of herbs as integrated in current lifestyles. The growers' association are the most popular ones, which are also trade groups for private and commercial markets. Other associations include conservation of native herbs, scientific research and education about how herbs could be sustained for future uses and proving the medicinal qualities of herbs.

 

Virtual spaces for herb growing

 

Technology has paved a way for this cause to become widely held and spread. There are various websites that host a diverse assortment of giving out information about the herb industry.

 

HerbWorld Online, from the Herb Growing and Marketing Network, is one website that hosts web links focusing on herbs. Its main page called HerbNET gives a selection of twenty three venues dedicated to herbs. They also have their own search engine that will help you narrow down your search when you are researching about herb topics.

 

This site includes links to herb online magazines; green associations; herb fast facts; herb trading; online shops and links for gardening reference books; herbal and herb gardening products; services like herbal retreats, spas, yoga centers and vegetarian restaurants, among others.

 

There also other websites offering online blogs for people growing herb garden plants. A lot of virtual communities have established networks which provide quick helpful tips for beginners, reviews of gardening tools, and exchange of any information about herbs. Some of these virtual communities have become actual clubs where herb enthusiast get together and trade secrets on herb growing.

 

The growing herb industry would not desist as it apparently augments the campaign for improving the earth’s condition and helps human lives to be healthier.

 

　


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Theme Herb Gardening for Your Kitchen

February 22nd, 2010
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I collect cookbooks and like to experiment with interesting meals from other culture like a Mexican mole. How about you? Like me, you raise many of the ingredients if you begin your own themed kitchen herb garden.

You can cultivate the major herb plants in your own garden and have the freshest ingredients to add to your recipes, or experiment on your own.

You do not have to have a special place for your themed kitchen herb garden. You can raise them in containers or in your usual garden bed.

Look no further than these recommendations for your own themed kitchen herb garden:

  • Asian: From Thai and Vietnamese to Indian and Chinese, Asian cuisine has a lot of tastes and spices to choose from. Some wonderful herbs to grow in your Asian-themed garden are lemongrass, cayenne pepper, cardamom and anise. Try the licorice taste of anise in your next Indian meal, or try its warm sweetness in your baked goods. You can also use it in tea and in baking a savory-sweet cookie. Although it used to be pretty popular in American cooking, it kind of died out, but in the last few years has been growing in popularity in the kitchen.
  • Mexican: Not a week goes by when I do not chow down on a Mexican meal. I love to eat my favorite Mexican meals, such as burritos, fajitas or quesadillas at least once a week. The best Mexican recipes usually include these: Cayenne pepper, Cilantro and Garlic.
  • Italian: Just about everybody I know has their favorite Italian dish. Mine is baked ziti with grilled herbed chicken. Among the best herb plants to try in your Italian meals are basil, fennel, parsley, garlic, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and thyme. You can add garlic to all your favorite Italian dinners and savor the oniony flavor! You can add garlic to your mashed potatoes and even roast it with some olive oil to eat it by itself. Be warned, the longer you cook it, the milder the flavor becomes so don’t overcook it!
  • Middle East: If you have not tried any of the exciting and flavorful foods from the Middle East and Northern Africa, you are missing some fabulous dishes. The flavors are so varied and the recipe items are so out of the norm for most of what I usually have in my recipes, such as chick peas, figs and couscous. Try these herbs to spice up your Middle Eastern dinners: cardamom, garlic, parsley, rosemary and saffron.
  • German: You can have your own Oktoberfest any time you like if you have got all the right German herbs. These are a few of the best and most often used in authentic German dishes: chives, dill, horseradish, sage and thyme. As a relative of mustard, horseradish is a condiment herb that you can use for extra taste. It can also clear up your sinuses! Use horseradish to add an extra twang to beef, fish, cream cheese spreads, potato salad, mayonnaise and meat loaf.

One of the wonderful things about herb gardening it that herbs are a gift that keeps on giving. Once you lop off some lemongrass for your pad Thai, it will grow back. Oftentimes it will grow back bigger and fuller than it was before.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Fresh Herb Gardening. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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Growing Herb Rock Gardens

February 22nd, 2010
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When I was a kid, I lived out in a rural area and we only had clay earth once you dug about 6 or 12 inches down. When you are planning your garden, you’ve got to put light and sod quality at the top of the list of things to consider. Without the correct amounts of both sunlight and water, your garden will not grow. With the right combination of water, earth and light, you can grow just about anything.

To solve my clay sod problems, I turned to rock gardening, which focuses on adding lots of rocks to your landscape and focusing on plants that only need a few inches of good dirt.

A rock garden is about the positive features that you might have in your garden already or those that you want to create. Some herb plants truly love the rocky craggy earth that you have in areas like this all over the world. If you don’t have the rocky sod and want the aesthetic of a rock garden, be sure you’ve got room for roots to grow and also some good drainage.

When planning your herb garden, be sure that you are choosing herbs that can stay compact, because with limited space you don’t want anything taking over. Look at your reference books for the right plants for rock gardens. Good ones are those that have silver or gray leaves. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but it should help in making the best choices.

  • Hen-and-Chicks: {I cannot imagine cutting open a hen or chick and rubbing it on a wart, but this perennial succulent herb, which is also known as St. Patrick’s cabbage, has a long history of healing them.} The leaves of this herb store water for periods of drought. Your hen will get up to 4 inches across before you know it. Soon little off-shoots, or chicks, can sprout up from the edges of your hen. You will enjoy the reddish-pink blooms that will appear atop a nine inch spike that shoots straight up from the center of each cabbage in the summer. The plant can continue to add chicks and grow into a colony of plants.
  • Wild Oregano: This perennial from the Mediterranean region can grow vigorously up to 30 inches high with its oval leaves and purple flowers that bloom late in the summer. This isn’t the same type of oregano that you find in Italian meals, but you can eat it.
  • Marjoram: It’s wonderful when you can sculpt a lovely rock garden using culinary herbs like Marjoram. Its oval gray-green leaves have a sweet scent that will remind you of your favorite pasta sauce and its tiny white flowers will bring a smile to your face. Keep it clipped back so that it can stay lovely and full and do not forget that it appreciates full sun and good drainage.
  • Thyme: The shiny, little leaves of the thyme herb are clustered along woody stems that are adorned with numerous white or pink flowers and grows to a height of up to 12 inches. Thyme grows best when the earth is sandy, well-drained and gets a whole lot of natural light. You will want to keep this plant trimmed back to maintain its shape and to help it remain hearty.

Part of the wonder of rock gardens is the mix of the hard rocks and the soft plants. The differentiation in colors also helps in achieving a sense of the awesome. You can even use aromatic and culinary herbs in your rock garden, which will provide you with all the benefits of a regular herb garden.

Good luck with your herb gardening. Be sure to let me know how your herb garden grows.

Here is more information on Herb Garden Designs. Here is a website with a free mini-course dedicated to Herb Gardens.

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How To Grow Fresh Herbs

February 22nd, 2010
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Growing Fresh Herbs In The Home

There are many different ways to grow fresh herbs in your very own home. To be able to grow fresh herbs in your home means a lot of things like being able to use fresh herbs for cooking as well as having your own herb garden for aesthetic and practical purposes. Many of these look great as house plants since they do not grow too big and many have enchanting leaves and colorful flowers. The fact that they remain basically small when cultivated in pots make them easy to have as house plants. Click here for more information on growing your own fresh herbs: Fresh Herb Garden

Fresh Herbs In Pots

Given the right conditions in your home fresh herbs are easy to grow in pots. You will, however, need to be careful at which ones to plant in containers as some need more room than others ie. Sesame. Some home owners grow fresh herbs in their homes not only for cooking purposes but also for medicinal and aesthetic purposes. Many of these botanicals have healing and medicinal properties which make them handy to have in the house while others can be cooked directly from the stem to the pan.

Always use a potting mix in your pots to get the best from you fresh herbs. Common ‘dirt’ might not have the right nutrients in the right amount  for getting the best results. A good potting soil however, will have the right mixture for your herbs’ development. If possible use an organic soil too. Do not use chemical pesticides and herbicides for your potted herb garden. Many plants prefer a sunny spot in the window sill than a dark alcove. Click here for more information on growing your own fresh herbs indoors: Home Herb Garden

Garden Plots

A great way to grow your herbs is in the garden on their own plot of whatever size. Garden plots can have more soil than pots and these are exposed to the sun and rain constantly. To grow fresh herbs this way is similar to growing them in a pot inside your home except that garden plots are fixed and not movable. You also have the option of planting several of these beneficial plants together in a plant box, especially those with remarkable flowers and foliage.

Grow fresh herbs in your own home and enjoy the many advantages such as convenience of having them when you want to use them for cooking or treating conditions and wounds. They don’t look too bad either!

Click here for more information on growing your own herbs: Herb Garden Information

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Going Gardening? Why Not Go For Roses And Learn How To Prune Roses?

February 22nd, 2010
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For most people, it’s enough to learn how to hold a garden implement and dig a hole and plants some flowers like roses. But for those who are very particular about their plants and flowers like these beautiful roses, they will really spend some time and money learning in planting roses and learning how to prune roses the right way to make them grow healthy and strong. Doing this would be the best thing that they can do to help save the environment and furthermore, they can sell these roses to other people and earn money from it. It would be a double treat for them, they can earn money and they can help save the environment through planting roses the right technique.

I can attest to this as I have seen my mother-in-law right from the very first day she stumbled upon a site that sells a kind of book guide that will teach anyone some rose care and rose planting techniques to make these flowers grow healthy and bountiful. When she started out in planting roses, she was doing it as a hobby as what she have been doing for the past 20 years. But when she came upon this book guide called “Grow Amazing Roses”, she instantly went to work by first purchasing this book guide and then, in her own pace and time, learn all the basics and techniques on how to properly plant the roses and even get to know some good rose pruning techniques.

Today, not only she is enjoying good time planting those roses but she is actually making money from it. She was so busy with her rose business today but she can still find some time for her other important obligations. That is the most important thing that one needs to put in her mind when it comes to home-based business like planting roses and selling them. You can have the financial and time freedom and with a specific hobby-turned-business endeavor like selling roses, not only you can help yourself earn extra income but you can also help the environment in your own little way.

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