by Rose Casey Harvest the flowers by simply plucking them easily off the stem. One flower tops one stem. If you don’t want all of the flower-less stems sticking up, just clip the stem back to the main stalk. I haven’t bothered to do that. I can tell you though that your hands will be […]
Plant Partners
Calendula
by Rose Casey I can’t think of an herb that is so easy to grow and offers color to the garden and multiple healing elements from an antiseptic wash or soak to a fabulous moisturizing cream! If you ever doubted that you could grow an herb, start with growing Calendula. Some authors refer to […]
Elecampane
by Rose Casey This is one herb I wouldn’t want to be without. In fact, I consider it a primary herbal medicinal in my pantry. It has a long history and was commonly cultivated in the medieval times. Elecampane easily grows in a garden. Just provide it some fertile soil, part shade to full sun […]
Elder
Several years past I was driving along Saginaw Road in Midland, Michigan near Dow High School when suddenly I spotted a huge Elder bush partly hidden due to a deep dip in the landscape where she stood. I quickly parked my car and with basket in arm went to meet and greet her. I climbed […]
St. John’s Wort
When you hold a leaf to the sun you can see tiny little “dot-like specs” that make the leaf appear perforated. Note the broken dark lines on the closed buds. It’s not evident in this photo but if you look at the stems under even a 5 x magnifying glass you can see two raised […]
Skullcap
Official or Common Skullcap belongs to the Lamiaceae (mint) family. The leaves are gently toothed and opposite each other on a square stem commonly found with mints. Pale blue flowers bloom in pairs on 2″ long stems that jut out from the leaf axils. Skullcap is an erect plant that tends to arch a little […]
Wood Betony
Wood Betony is a perennial mint. The leaves are scalloped, soft and supple to the touch and not hairy. The leaves form a dense rosette before shooting up the flower stalks. The leaf stems have a defined groove on only one side of the stem. The flowers are a showy lavender color that adds to […]
Hops
Hops prefers moist, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade with a preference for full sun. However, hops is a vigorous grower that does well under most conditions. I find it pretty drought resistant. However, the vines will produce fewer and smaller strobiles with drought conditions. It is a perennial that I cut back […]