The Home Herbalist » Gardening

Collecting Herb Seeds

Belle — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:30:38 +0000

Collecting seeds from your herb plants is a great way to ensure you have a plentiful and free supply on hand for years to come. Apart from these benefits you will know the quality of your own plants and that they’re bound to be disease free.

Flat Leaf Parsley Seeds

It’s easy to collect the seeds; all you need to do is wait until they’re fully matured and harvest them first thing in the morning before the sun is on them but when the dew has dried. Hold a well-opened packet or envelope under the seeds and using scissors or secateurs, snip the stalk so it falls in. After you have the seeds in the envelope or packet you can remove them from the stalk without losing any. Although some plants can take a while to produce seeds after flowering just as the above flat leaf parsley has, it’s well worth the wait.

About Soapwort

Belle — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:57:47 +0000

Soapwort is used as an expectorant, a mild diuretic, and to help eliminate toxins from the liver, however, it is toxic and can cause stomach upsets and have a powerful laxative effect when taken in higher doses. It’s a very effective herb when applied externally for skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and skin irritations. The herb is also very useful for poison ivy, especially when combined with mugwort.

It has a delightful history – Romans used it as a water softener and during the Middle Ages soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) was known as herba fullonis because fullers (a person who cleaned and thickened freshly woven cloth to remove impurities) used the leaves as a soap to clean cloth). It was probably first mentioned as soapwort in William Turners book The Names of Herbs in 1548 and today it’s also known as bouncing bet and sweet william.

Precious antique fabrics are revitalized with suds made from soapwort leaves and in the Middle East it’s still used to clean fragile tapestries. It’s also the main ingredient in some home-made shampoos.

While some herbal references suggest it’s safe to use internally at the recommended dose others state there have been reports of it being fatal to both human and animals. I have never heard of reports of ill effects, however, it’s best not to take the herb internally.

To make a decoction for external use soak 4 tablespoons of dried root (2 tablespoons for fresh) in 1¾ pint/1 litre of cold water for 5 hours then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. When cool apply to the affected area as a wash or compress.

Belle Gibbons

Medical Herbalist and

The Home Herbalist Courses Author/Tutor

What is Pet Grass?

Belle — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:34:49 +0000

Pet Grass (Dactylis glomerata)

If you have pets such as dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, you’ve probably noticed them eating this grass in your yard unless of course it’s always maintained and there is no place for weeds or grass to grow long.

Pet Grass (Dactylis glomerata) has been described as pet medicine and is even very good for birds. It contains high levels of vitamins and minerals so it’s a perfect natural supplement for your pets whether they have four legs or wings. It’s a perfect breath freshener for dogs and will assist cats with eliminating fur balls.

Let it grow in your garden or grow it in containers if you live in an apartment or don’t have a garden. Wherever it grows make sure it’s handy for your pets so they can chew on it whenever they need to.

This health-giving grass grows in full or part sun to a height of 30 cm (1ft) and likes well drained soil; water and fertilize regularly.

Tansy, a Garden Favourite

Belle — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:34:24 +0000

Other names for Tansy, Stinking Willie and Scented Fern, describe its strong aroma, which I think is rather pleasant in an antiseptic sort of way. I have the herb growing in my garden for its value as a delightful garden plant, its medicinal properties and its action as an insect repellent.

Tansy has fern-like leaves and pretty yellow flower heads that are long-lasting and look pretty in the garden or in vases either freshly cut or dried.

It may come as a surprise to some of you that in the past, Tansy leaves were used to flavour small cakes eaten during Lent because Christ’s suffering was symbolized by their bitter taste.

Because of Tansy’s insect repellent properties it’s an ingredient in commercially produced insecticide and has been used to repel moths and deter fleas from the home. However, Tansy’s insect repelling properties have been known for centuries; in the Middle Ages it was hung from rafters, rubbed on meat to deter flies and other vermin, and packed between bedsheets and mattresses.

Herbalists believe that the name, Tansy, comes from athanasia, the Greek word for immortality. Historically, a tea made from the leaves of the herb was commonly taken for intestinal worms, stomach ache, and colds. The leaves were also used to make poultices to treat cuts and bruises. Today the herb is still used as an emmenagogue (brings on menstruation), a vermifuge (expels worms), and as an antispasmodic.

Tansy is quite a tough herb resisting cold and frost – patches of it can survive for decades in the same spot. Although it’s a native of Europe and northern Asia it’s now widely cultivated and naturalized in other temperate regions of the world.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Belle — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:12:16 +0000

In 1885 Baron Ferdinand von Mueller noted that the leaves and flowers of this popular garden plant could be eaten as a replacement for cress and considered it to be -anti-scorbutic (scurvy-curing). Although nasturtium is known more for its culinary uses Europeans use the essential oil made from the plant as an antiseptic. Unfortunately, its vitamin C content has never been assessed so the plant’s treatment of scurvy has never been substantiated.

A native of Peru, nasturtium was introduced to Europe in the sixteenth century by the Spanish conquistadors after their expeditions to South America. As long ago as 1837 the plant was growing as an ornamental in the gardens of Australian settlers who valued it not only for its hardiness and colourful blooms but also because it was good to eat.

The flower buds and young fruit of nasturtium were and still are pickled in vinegar and spices to make a substitute for capers and the leaves are used as cress, and served as a vegetable or added to salads to give them a peppery flavour.

Nasturtium tastes similar to cresses, capers and mustards because although it’s not related to them they all share identical oils. In Australia in the 1800s the plant was known as Indian cress, in fact, nasturtium is the old name for watercress, which has the botanical name Nasturtium officinale.

Herb and Nasturtium Blossom Salad

1 kg/2lb mignonette or cos lettuce leaves

¾ cup of chopped fresh parsley, chives, and basil

8 nasturtium blossoms

Wash and pat or spin dry the lettuce leaves, add herbs and salad dressing and toss together. Garnish with the blossoms. Serves 4.

No Dig Gardening

Belle — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:26:27 +0000

Tomato Plants in No Dig Garden

This style of gardening is well worth doing if you have poor or clay soil, like to garden the easy way without digging or weeding, or only have concrete instead of grass – yes, it will work on top of the hardest surface.

Apart from making gardening easy, the no dig garden is a great way to improve poor soil because it will eventually decompose and can be dug in to the soil that has been enriched beneath it.

I first read about no dig gardening in 1992 when a friend lent me a book written by Esther Dean who pioneered no dig gardening in Sydney, Australia, in the 1970s because her soil was very heavy clay and awful for growing vegetables. My husband and I had not long purchased a property on the Atherton Tableland in North Queensland, Australia, where the soil was excellent but contained a lot of rocks. My first effort at this type of gardening was fairly haphazard because I used what I had on hand but it still produced lovely healthy vegetables and I have been using this method, mainly to make gardening easier, ever since.

I have developed my own style of no dig gardening but it’s very much the same as Ms Dean’s. It can be quite involved or simple and I use the simple method, which I’ve described below.

Materials:

Stack of newspaper or cardboard to suppress the weeds

Bales of pea straw or lucerne hay, or straw. I’ve used sugar cane mulch this time because although I prefer to use Lucerne it is far too expensive due to the drought and pea straw isn’t available in my area.

Sheep or cow manure or any other animal manure

Poultry manure (optional)

Blood and bone (optional)

Garden lime

Compost

Method:

Step 1. Prepare the ground first by mowing as low down as possible or scrape the weeds off and put them in a plant pot to make weed tea. I had to level my area a little because there was just too much slope.

Step 2. After preparing the ground put down a layer of cardboard or newspaper, that’s about 7 sheets thick and wet the newspaper if it’s windy so it doesn’t blow away. When this layer is finished moisten it quite well. It will all begin to break down after the materials are placed on top. I’ve used cardboard here because I didn’t have enough newspaper – both work well.

Step 3. Lay down the first layer of straw. Each layer should be about 15 cm high.

Step 4. Spread manure, a sprinkle of blood and bone and a sprinkle of garden lime over the top – it doesn’t have to be applied thickly – just enough to cover the straw. I used donkey manure because I had it on hand, and poultry manure. Water each layer lightly before laying down the next one.

Repeat steps 3 & 4 three times or less if you don’t have enough ingredients. My garden is made up of three layers of straw and manure.

Step 5. Cover the last (third) layer with about 15 cm of straw. The finished height should be around 60 cm or so. Give it a good watering to stop the straw blowing away and to begin the decomposing process. Give it a water every few days and leave for a couple of weeks before planting any seedlings.

Step 6. Make hollows in the straw and fill with compost. Plant your seedlings in the compost at the recommended distance between each plant and water well.

Honeysuckle

Belle — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:20:10 +0000

Sometimes a medicinal plant can be right under our noses and we don’t even know. Honeysuckle is an old garden favourite but how many gardeners know that the plant is used in herbal medicine? The berries are toxic but the flowers, flower buds, and stems aren’t and these are used as medicine for ailments including coughs, colds, flu and diarrhoea.

Two species of honeysuckle, woodbine or European honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum) and Chinese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica, or jin yin) are used medicinally. First listed in the Tang Ben Cao, written in AD 659, L. japonica is used more today for medicinal purposes than the European honeysuckle. It is one of the most important medicinal Chinese herbs used for clearing heat and toxins from the body.

European honeysuckle was once used for childbirth complaints, asthma, and urinary tract ailments. The herb was used as long ago as the time of Pliny who recommended that it be taken in wine for disorders of the spleen.

Uses for both species:

L. Periclymenum

Make an infusion of the flowers for coughs and mild asthma. A syrup, made from the infusion, is used to treat coughs. The plant’s actions are diuretic, expectorant, laxative and, anti-spasmodic.

L. Japonica

Taken in the early stages of a cold with symptoms that include fever, sore throat, thirst and headache, a decoction of the flower buds will bring relief. Use the flower bud tincture for diarrhoea or gastroenteritis caused by food poisoning. A decoction made from the stems and branches are used to treat dysentery, feverish colds and for the acute stage of rheumatoid arthritis (best when combined with other herbs). The actions of this Chinese variety are mild diuretic, anti-spasmodic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory.

The plant is a perennial climber, with L. Periclymenum being the most vigorous and the most fragrant form. The plant enjoys half shade although will tolerate full sun and will grow well in most soils. Another species of honeysuckle, L. caprifolium, is distinguishable by its light green oval leaves. It has pink-tinged, creamy-white flowers and like L. Perclymenum, it can be found growing wild. Honeysuckle, with suitable support, can grow to a height of 6 metres (20ft). Propagate plants by taking cuttings from non-flowering shoots in summer, place them in cuttings compost, and when ready plant out in light shade in autumn or winter.

Not only useful for its medicinal purposes, honeysuckle will flourish in the most unusual places. It can be used to cover unsightly walls, sheds, and fences and planted in places where its beautiful fragrance will give immense pleasure. The flowers make a fragrant addition to potpourri.

Caution: Never use the berries from any species of honeysuckle, as they are poisonous. Large doses can cause severe vomiting.