It can't be a real blog about herbs if it doesn't have the Latin names!
Originally it contained some German Chamomile which did not turn out to be a good fit for this box. :0( It lasted maybe a month with some decent growth. I believe it either died in one of the heat waves this summer or was choked out by the Oregano. I didn't realize this Oregano was such a sprawler. I was very excited to grow Chamomile so next year it will grow in a pot, possibly on the porch protected from the extremes of the weather.
The only way I used the Lemon Basil was in an herbal lemonade. I crushed up lemon basil, lemon thyme and some stevia leaves in a mortar and pestle, added ice water and it was delicious!! Sweet, refreshing, lemony and green! I ate the leaves and all. Also a good source of trace minerals.
I can say that with the weather this summer the basil was constantly going to seed. I didn't mind having to cut it back because it smelled so good but I wonder how much that affected the flavor of the leaves...
Window box #2 (L-R) has Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana), Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), and Lemon Thyme (Thymus citriodorum). The stevia was a pleasure because it actually grew this year rather than rotting in a pot that didn't have proper drainage like I may or may not have done last year. :0/ I am planning on drying some of the young leaves and mixing it with mint for some good mint tea. Next year I need to work on cutting it back so it will bush out rather than trailing like it did.
The Anise Hyssop went to seed very often like the Lemon Basil. I was impressed with the amount of growth of the plant but I expected more of an anise scent than what I got. I may try buying it at another garden shop next year. I mistakenly thought it was going to spread similar to a mint so its in a smaller pot within the window box so it didn't take over.
The Lemon Thyme had a great flavor. The thyme would probably benefit being in a small garden patch where it can creep and not being planted with tall plants that choke out the sunlight. I learned that thymol, one of the main chemical constituents of thyme is the main ingredient in Listerine and a strong anti-microbial. Oh if we only knew what grew right outside of our kitchen windows!
This past June I had the pleasure of attending a Weed Walk with Grace Lefever of Sonnewald Natural Foods in Spring Grove, PA. (Owner of the first solar house in Pennsylvania!) As we walked around her property, she told us all about the plants and what was edible/medicinal. She collected bits and pieces and made us a tasty green drink. It was incredibly awesome and I realized I want to be just like her when I grow up except I don't think she drinks wine so we may need to work on that... but anyway, I digress.
Before anyone left that day she made a point to ask if we had our own Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) plants. If we were not already a proud owner, she dug one of out of the ground and gave it to us. Grace spent quite a lot of time espousing the medicinal properties of the plant while we were there. In fact the gentleman that was helping her dig it up was stung by a bee in the process. He ripped off a leaf, bruised it and put it on the sting. He was surprised how quickly the pain subsided. Comfrey is also very high in nitrogen and will help your compost break down faster when added. I haven't been able to use it for anything medicinal this summer but it does seem to be quite a hardy plant. It has died off about three times and yet continues to come back. I know it is a deep diver so it may be happening because it is bound up in a pot.
"RIP Mr. Hippie Stink" as my sister would fondly call it, for me though it was a bit of my pride and joy. Patchouli (Pogostemon patchouli) is considered a tender perennial and when it was healthy it was gorgeous. Then came the hot weather and I was a bit of an absentee parent. :0( Patchouli definitely needs some one on one attention at least every other day.. as well as a pot with good drainage. I love the earthy musky scent of patchouli so it was awesome that I was able to grow it if even for a short time. I will master this one! :0)
What herb garden is complete without some lavender? This year I grew two different varieties, mostly by accident. The silver foliage to the left is the Munstead (Lavandula angustifolia) variety and the bigger greener foliage to the right is the Sweet (Lavandula heterophylla) variety. I was able to grow some Hidcote in the gardens at work and it has been interesting watching them develop and see the differences. The Munstead grew and bloomed early and is now in the downturn. The Sweet didn't produce too many flowers this season but its foliage is definitely healthy. Its leaves are much bigger and fleshier than other lavenders I have seen so that is also interesting. The Hidcote took a little bit of time to get established but is now healthy and getting more blooms than the two varieties I have. I plan on stealing some of the flowers at work and making a few lavender wands for Christmas... :0)
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| Echinacea Day #1 |
Echinacea purpurea or Purple Coneflower from my friend Eva. It has not fared well without much attention. I was afraid at this point that I had completely lost it... turns out it just needed water. Two days and two cups of water later, I now have green stuff again. How awesome is that? I wanted to try my hand at making an echinacea tincture that I learned about at The Rosemary House, I may still be able to harvest a few leaves before winter.
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| Echinacea Day #3 |
Thank you for taking the time to read what I have to offer. I love the world of plants and herbs... and I love to share things I love!
Feel free to leave a note and let me know what you think so far!
Blessings!
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