Brewing the Perfect Cup of Tea
Tea, the second most popular beverage, after water, has a horticultural connection. In fact, if you want, you can grow a tea plant on your patio. Black, green, white and oolong tea comes from the plant Camellia sinensis. Tea leaves are just that: the young leaves from the tips of the branches of this plant. Each type of tea mentioned above is dried and prepared differently, resulting in a different nutrient …
Butterfly Gardening – Welcome Your Winged Friends
Even if it’s mid-summer, you can still plant a butterfly garden and welcome winged friends to your yard. Many butterflies go through several generations during a single summer, and now is the time to lure adult butterflies from a first or second generation this summer to the garden to lay eggs on host plants. Once the eggs hatch, you’ll have your own little butterfly farm right outside your window.
Get some Host Plants
Host plants are what …
Spotlight on Cilantro – A Spice and Medicinal Remedy All In One
Is it cilantro or coriander? It’s both, and the names are often completely inter-changeable. The plant is a member of the carrot family, and frequently the leaves of this herb are called cilantro while the seeds are referred to as the spice coriander. Cilantro grows wild in southeastern Europe. It has also been cultivated for thousands of years in India, where it is known as dhania, in Egypt and right through to China. It was …
Basil: Powerhouse of Flavor, Nutrition and Healing
Organic sweet basil – seeds available at ParkseedBasil has been cultivated in India and Asia for over 5,000 years. Revered for its flavor and healing qualities, it is a traditional herb in Mediterranean, Italian and Thai dishes. Its name comes from the Greek word for king, and it reflects the reverence attributed to …
Organic Herb Gardens: From Garden to Kitchen to Medicine Cabinet
Mmm, the savory fragrance of sweet basil, oregano and thyme wafting in your warm, welcoming kitchen… Now imagine that you just walked out into your own garden and picked those delicious organic herbs fresh for your culinary masterpiece. Or, maybe you just reached over your kitchen sink and plucked them from their growing pots on the windowsill.
Herb gardening isn’t difficult or reserved for experts requiring special skills or talents. Think of herbs as any other …
Container Gardening
The fun of container gardening is sometimes in the variety of containers that are available, from simple stone or well-weathered terra cotta, to the most elaborate urns from generations ago.
There are so many plants that are available for container gardening, such as ‘The Fairy’ a petite rose well suited for container gardening. This rose bears pale pink blooms from late spring until frost. The Stachys (lambs ears) will appeal to many people. As they …
