What's blooming today?
It seems like this year is just speeding along. The holiday season is practically upon us what with Thanksgiving next week and Christmas less than 6 weeks away!
It’s time to start preparing for all of the holiday celebrations we might either be attending or put on in our homes.
I was looking at some of the recipes on the Jack Daniels page and I really like the sound of the Jack Frost cookies. Perhaps you’d like to visit the page and find a recipe that you’d like to try this holiday season?
I’ve always found it fascinating how most herbs and a number of plants have been used throughout history to cure what ails us.
I actually have a number of books about herbs and their medicinal uses. I should dig them out and write about some of the more commonly found herbs from time to time. As I said, I’ve always had an interest in this, just as when I find that plants that we’ve always thought of as being ornamental turn out to actually be edible too.
Well, until I begin writing some articles about herbs you might be interested in visiting a site that I found that’s called Natural Herbalism. This site has articles that discuss various herbs, their uses, chemistry, the history of herbs, how to grow them, how to prepare them, herbal recipes and herbs that have specific uses for men, women, children and even pets.
It’s quite an informative site.
Take for example the article about Bayberry. Most of us think of Bayberry as an ornamental shrub, but it actually has medicinal properties. Did you know that you can make a tea by boiling the bark and root and that when the tea is drank it has stimulant properties that are effective against diarrhea. The root bark also contains a natural antibiotic and can be used to treat skin wounds or even used in a mouthwash to freshen breath and fight gum disorders such as gingivitis.
Many of us grow celery in the garden, and if we don’t grow it we often buy it in the grocery store. Did you know that celery is a diuretic and that oils from the seeds were thought in the past to relive the pain of arthritis and rheumatism. Celery has also been used to treat anxiety disorders and insomnia.
If you are curious about the medicinal uses of some of the other plants that you might grow in your garden visit Natural Herbalism and look them up. I found the articles quite interesting.
This is a photo of Chive buds and new Chive flowers that I took about two weeks ago. The chive flowers are actually beginning to wain now, but there’s still a few left.
I love growing Chives. They are one of the first plants to make an appearance each spring, often showing their green stems by the end of March. It’s not uncommon for us to be able to pick chives and use them in our cooking – salads, marinades, on top of foods – from mid April right through until the first snow fall in November or early December.
The flowers are just a lovely bonus! I love the buds before the flowers develop and bloom – they look a bit like garlic sections or tiny onion bulbs. Then the beautiful full petaled blossoms open and often stay around for two or three weeks.
Do you grow chives or other plants from the allium family? Edible or ornamental?
Check out the beautiful Hosta photo that I’ve got on Tricia’s Musings!
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.