Any interesting herbs ?Please legal only!LOL

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I am thankful that most of my herbs will make it(info. from the other question) Does anyone have any interesting herbs that they really like? I have just the basic ones, basil, oregano,chives,thyme, and some parsley and rhubarb. I would like ideas and suggestions on their use. Thanks! I would like to try some new things now that the others are going ok.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 17, 2001

Answers

I have a lemon garden: Lemon, sage, verbena, balm, mint, thyme, southernwood, sorrel, grass. Valerian root-for as bad as it smells medicinally, the flowers give off a beautiful fragrance. Chamomile is so pretty, I call it my smiley herb.

-- Cindy (SE IN.) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), January 17, 2001.

I tried to grow chamomile last year and it didn't come up. Did you grow yours from seed? I love chamomile tea!!! I planted mine straight into the ground. Did I do something wrong? Do I need to start it indoors?

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 17, 2001.

Right now, I've only got mints, lemon balm, catnip and parsley. I'm going to try some sweet stevia this year - saw it listed in Parks. I plant the mints close to the house (near the basement windows and downspouts) so that when the fellows mow, it smells soooo good! Almost keeps it under control!!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), January 17, 2001.

Where to start? What are your interests.Culinary-medicinal-household- fragrances-dye-native american-the distillery-bible? All are herbs.Definition of an herb is a useful plant.I have plans and lists for all the above.Whacha looking for?

I love them all!

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), January 17, 2001.


Probably for cooking and for smelling! But the healing is a good thing too. I am intrigued with making my own tea too. I have mint from the last owners and you know how that goes and goes and goes. I also have some lemon balm that the birds have planted everywhere. I am really interested in some of the preventative herbs, but I only know a few. Ya' know, to ward off colds and the flu. My kids like tea too. I tried to get lavender to grow, but I don't think it made it. I would really like to get it started. I love the smell!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 17, 2001.


Calendula officinale is really nice (an annual that will self-seed), easy to grow and pretty. The flowers are used internally as a "tonic" and externally they can be infused in olive oil to treat skin abrasions. Echinacea purpurea is also fun to have in the garden.

-- Amy (acook@in4web.com), January 17, 2001.

Sharon, I'd love to see your list of herbs for dying. I'd been toying with the idea of dying some unbleached muslin for a wallhanging. Warning - then I'll be asking how to dye stuff!! (fixatives and whatever!)

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), January 17, 2001.

Is that Colendula the same as the pretty purple, pink or white flowers? I think that I grew some last year. Do they have ferny looking leaves and are really tall?

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 17, 2001.

Nan -- I am guessing, but are you thinking of Cosmos? Calendula is a kind of short plant (12-15" for me), with yellow or orange flowers, commonly known also as pot marigold (grows well in pots, is for the cooking pot), and is not the same thing as the African marigolds (tagetes) that are what you so often see sold in nurseries as bedding plants in spring. Those are not for eating, with the possible exception of a very very few, such as 'lemon gem'. I am also kind of perplexed why chamomile didn't grow for you. It self seeds so readily and grows almost anywhere, it's a common ditchweed here now (both the kind termed pineapple plant, and the german type).

I am growing a variety of mints in wooden whiskey barrels. It keeps them from invading all over the place, and when it is time to refurbish by ripping everything out and refertilizing, it makes the work a lot easier. Chives and oregano and creeping thyme have taken over one side yard where nothing much grew, but that is okay, the local bees, butterflies, and hoverflies love them so much, and it makes a really nice meadow display that the deer are not interested in eating (!).

I also added lovage to my garden this year. It overwintered in a 4" plastic pot and came up, so I figured it had a shot at success, and it went into the garden proper, altho I had a lot of trouble with leaf miner in it (but on the other hand, it made it easy for me to cut out and destroy the pests and they didn't infest any of the trees so badly then). It tastes like a strong celery (is a relative of it), with a dash of a yeasty taste, and is best for cooking, altho I have read that people with kidney trouble should avoid it. I also added costmary and comfrey this year, altho I may dig up the comfrey and give it the barrel treatment from everything I read about it's spreading habit.

Ones that I don't want to be without; spearmint, lemon balm, chives, dill, calendula, monarda.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), January 17, 2001.


Duh! Yep! They're cosmos. I'm glad that I didn't try to eat any!!! Ha! I do have a cast iron stomach though!! What should I do about that chamomile? Maybe I bought the wrong seed. I would be glad to swap some red cardinal vine seeds for some chamomile that will grow. I also love flowering stuff. Every nook and cranny of our place has something growing on or in it! Kind of an addiction I'm afraid. Thanks for all ya'll's help!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 17, 2001.


Nan & polly and others-Email me for lists that you are interested in. There are 20 or more plants listed on each one.

Warning:herbs can take over your life.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), January 17, 2001.


Try some savory, there is winter and summer, they are good in soups and stews and they are easy to grow. Also garlic chives, if you have a mild winter or cover them they will come back.

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), January 17, 2001.

Feverfew is a nice one, it is also the ONLY thing that will help my wife when she gets migraine headaches! I grow the variety that has flowers sorta like a small pom-pom type dahlia.Pennyroyal is good if you can find it & it can be used to make pets' fleacollars. that's all I can think to add just off the top of my head. Sparrowhawk

-- Sparrowhawk (sparrowkiak@yahoo.com), January 18, 2001.

Valerian is one of my favorites. The stinky root is for tea, it really is great for helping you sleep. The plant grows quite tall, with tiny white flowers on umbrelles (sp) that smell heavenly. I, too, love chamomile, mints, lemon balm, calendula, and echinacea. I think this year I'll add monarda-I like the deep red variety.

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), January 18, 2001.

Do ya'll buy seeds or plants at a nursury? We don't have a very good selection of plants around here. Walmart and the other little nursury in town only have what I already have out there. Is it safe to buy plants from a mag? Do ya'll plant the seeds in the ground or start them in pots first? If I sound dumb, I'm afraid I am! Sorry! I mulched everything last year with poopy hay. I have some stuff out there that I forgot about because it was so tiny. Will Savory come back. I think that I have a tiny little piece of that back there. I am not sure if it is Summer or Winter. I only had about 3 seeds of each(from that herb thing in the homeschool mailout packet). Thanks for your patience with me!!!! I am really thankful and enjoying your suggestions!!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 18, 2001.


Here's my list of what I have: mints (corsican-when first planted it was 4" wide-by the end of summer it was about 12" or more, spearmint, peppermint, varigated apple-mint, orange mint, lemon mint. I planted the mints on the north side of the house so the lack of sunshine has slowed them down but they like the moisture there),lavender, creeping thyme, reg. thyme, varigated thyme, rosemary (creeping and upright), purple/varigated/and plain sage, comfrey, tarragon, chives, garlic chives, echinacea, santolina, basil,dill, fennel, calendula, tansy, horehound, feverfew, german & roman chamomile, lemon verbena, lemon balm. (I think that's it.)

Some things I've learned the hard way: NEVER try to dig up a clump of comfrey and then till where it was. Unless of course you are trying to create a comfrey bed for commercial purposes because you will have enough to supply the eastern seaboard. Do plant comfrey where you don't care if it is there forever. Like at the back of your property line. Certainly not in your garden where it will be loved, manured, mulched and pampered with everthing else.

Do not plant chives by the santolina. My santolina actually looks as if it is trying to get away from the chives. Will be moving that one in the spring.

I still don't know what to do with all my herbs. For the most part I have been aquiring plants and seeing what grows best where in my yard. I do harvest the basil and make "ice cubes" out of it for winter soups. I dry parsley, chamomile, and mints. Have made chive blossom vinegar. It turned out a pretty, hot pink color. Eventually, I'll learn to do more.

Of the chamomiles, I like the german better than the roman, I think. The german is not as compact plant as the roman and has a sweeter scent.

Plants I'd like to have yet: southernwood, sweet annie, red monarda. I'm sure there are more but that's all I can think of right now.

I would love to have a stone pathway that has miniature thyme and mints growing in the crevices and bordered by lavender.

-- Heather (heathergorden@hotmail.com), January 18, 2001.


Hi Y'all,

Right now I grow wormwood,tons of lavendar,bee balm,holy basil,oregano,marjoram,calendula,chamomile,purple basil,thyme,sage,lemon balm,orange mint,peppermint,catmint,chives,pennyroyal,garlic chives,tons of rosemary,and French tarragon.I use various ones for cooking,fragrance,repellents,teas,skin concotions and soap!

-- nobrabbit (conlane@prodigy.net), January 18, 2001.


What do you use your monarda for? I was at a workshop at a farm a number of years ago and we made a huge batch of tea (a VERY large kettle) with the mints we harvested, spearmint, lemonbalm, and one other variety that escapes me now, plus we put in some red monarda (I would use any monarda that I had, but red was what was growing there). That was the BEST tea -- of course, it was in the 90's, so the mint tea was especially welcome!

I LOVE lemon balm. I grow that in pots (not enough land yet), but so far I have not been able to overwinter outdoors. Keeping it in a cool basement worked, but of course it kept growing and got very leggy. Anyway, I harvest the lemon balm, stems and all and lay them out on cardboard or screens in a dark dry place, then strip the leaves and pack them in jars (whatever I have, mayonnaise type usually). I take out a big bunch of the leaves and brew up a tea. Of course, you can use fresh when you have it. I never grow enough to make it through the whole year though. When I have the land, I am going to have a VERY large lemon balm plot.

I also grow catnip. I found some growing wild, going to seed, and brought it home YEARS ago. It self seeded itself around the yard, here and there. I just pick it fresh for the cats whenever I want in the summer, and in late summer, I harvest a bunch and treat it like the lemon balm. I have to be careful with the labelling though, because they look the same when dried (both in the mint family). Catnip can be used to make tea too. It has a somewhat sedative or calming effect on humans. Did you know that only 80% of cats have the gene for "getting high" on catnip? All my cats have had it though. I give away bouquets of it fresh and baggies of it dried to various friends with cats.

-- Joy F. (So. Central Wisc.) (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 18, 2001.


You can use Monarda for a tea, but I mostly leave it alone to attract hummingbirds. It also has a lovely aroma. I also like to grow Joe Pye Weed and Boneset. They are pretty nice once established. Lobelia inflata is also beautiful. I have Lobelia syphlicata in my garden. Lobelia isn't a plant to mess with medicinally unless you really know what you are doing, but you can't beat it for beauty. Also, don't forget good ol' Nasturtium. Great in salads and the juice is also good for the skin. Very easy to grow! I also love Pulmonaria--Lungwort. It is hard to start from seed but it does well once established. It comes up early in the season with lovely tiny blue flowers. The plant itself is used for lung problems, and it works. Goodness, I can go on forever!..

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), January 18, 2001.

Please do, Amy!!

Or put it in an article and send it to Countryside!

-- Polly (tigger@moulrie.com), January 18, 2001.


We espeailly love our lemon verbena and lime basil which I put into my salsa every year. Yum.

-- Trendle Ellwood (trendlespin@msn.com), January 19, 2001.

Sparrowhawk, how do you use the feverfew?? In a tea or what. Please give details. Thanks

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 19, 2001.

Okay, I also forgot to mention Common Mullein (Verbasum thapsus). This is a magnificent plant and a common 'weed.' If you can get some of this to grow in your garden, definitely welcome it. It likes disturbed soil, so you will see it growing on the roadside or in fields. The flower are used to infuse in olive oil for treatment of ear infections (works great), and the leaves are used to treat colds and bronchial infections. It has a soothing, lubricating feeling when you drink an infusion of the leaves. The Native Americans used to smoke the leaves for lung problems. I"ve never started it from seed as it pops up somewhere each year. Another favorite herb of mine is Burdock. Most people wouldn't think of actually growing this in their garden, but I planted it last year. It's very easy to grow, and is a biennial, so it will flower in the second year. The root is used medicinally to help "cleanse" the liver. You can use the root in stir fry or tea. You harvest the root in the spring or fall of the second year of the plant's life.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), January 19, 2001.

I also grow lemon balm. Beware, the chickens will pick it clean! I grew chamomile. Tried to dry it but it never got dry. I laid it on paper towels on a cookie sheet. I probably needed to put it on a screen. Chamomile really takes over tho. I have been pulling it out for the last three years. Make sure if you plant it that you have it where you want it. It's really too prolific. My lemon balm winters here ok. I have never tried drying it but will now after reading this thread. I also grow lavender. I have dried the heads for potpourri and cut the flower stalks for dried arrangements. Smells really nice for the first couple of days. I am embarrassed to say that I left one bunch in a vase for over a year before changing to a fresh bunch. Still looked fine. Thanks to all for the info !

-- Cindy Palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), January 19, 2001.

It's somewhat difficult to overwinter lavender here (Zone 4B, So. Central Wisconsin), but some people do it. I've bought it at one of the farmers' markets here. I put a bunch into an antique armoire (had that stinky old furniture smell) -- took care of the smell, no problem!

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 19, 2001.

I have a plant that I thought was Valerian Root but now I think it may be Comfrey. Can anyone identify it for me? It has huge elongated dark green hairy leaves, (hurt a little when you brush them with your hand) and beautiful flower spikes with clusters of small bell shaped flowers. I have cut it back many times and it comes back just as happy each time. I started it from a root that someone gave me. I thought they said it was Valerian but it sounds a lot like the discription of Comfrey, which I have never seen. Thanks !

-- Cindy Palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), January 19, 2001.

Wow! I am learning a ton! Keep it coming, I am printing all this out and keeping it with my stuff on herbs! Thanks!!!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 19, 2001.

Since I have a bunch of herb-folk here, I'd like to ask a question. My dog, who is getting very old, just loves to eat the lungwort (pulmonaria) growing in the yard. She will nibble other things on occasion, but when she finds the lungwort, she starts ripping out mouthfuls. I've never found any literature to suggest that this is bad for her, nor any literature to suggest why she feels the urge for this plant. Anyone have any insights?

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), January 20, 2001.

Cindy, what you are describing sure sounds like comfrey to me.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 20, 2001.

Cindy, yes that sounds like Comfrey. Valerian belongs to a completely different plant family. Julie, Lungwort supposedly contains a toxic alkaloid but I have not known it to be harmful in small amounts. I myself have chewed the fresh leaves and suffered no ill effect. In fact I took a course with Rosemary Gladstar this summer and she had nothing bad to say about Lungwort.

-- Amy (acook@in4web.com), January 20, 2001.

This is really interesting, but it's not helping my cabin fever any!!

Those of you listing what grows well for you, please tell us where or at least what zone you are in. If it grows well for you and you are in my zone, it will give me hope for mine!

-- Mona in OK (jascamp@ipa.net), January 20, 2001.


Mona, I'm in Zone 5. I've only been living in Zone 5 for a year. Our soil here is very acid.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), January 20, 2001.

The feverfew gets used in teas or tinctures, it is an alcohol-extractable type.Use any of the aboveground parts collected just as the flowerbuds begin to open & start with about a tablespoon in a halfpint of water on the tea, you'll have to adjust the amount up or down by bodyweight to find what works best for you.My wife weighs about 90 lbs & for her I use a *very leveled* tablespoon of dried, about a small coffeecup & a half of boiling water & let it steep until the water is nearing lukewarm.For me, about 150 lbs it's closer to the tablespoon/halfpint ratio I 1st mentioned. Hope that helps! Sparrowhawk

-- Sparrowhawk (sparrowkiak@yahoo.com), January 21, 2001.

Where can I find seed/plants of lungwort/pulmonaria?

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), January 21, 2001.

Cindy, sounds like you've got comfrey. Keep cutting it back, won't hurt it a bit, might even be helpful to do so because that will inhibit its growth.

I have a gas oven with a pilot light that works great for drying things. Did a ton a parsley last summer. Has worked well for the chamomile heads too.

Kids are sick tonight. Looks like I get to do all the chores in the morning. Also have to figure out what's good for whatever's ailing them. Seems to be a general malaise....no real fevers yet....headache...

-- Heather, Zone 5 or 6, Cackleberry Acres, MD (heathergorden@hotmail.com), January 21, 2001.


http://www.chatlink.com/~herbseed/ Polly, this is the website for my favorite source of organic medicinal herb seeds--Horizon Herbs. The catalog itself is worth acquiring, as they give tons of detailed information on how to germinate all these wonderful plants. They also carry some live roots. I've also had good germination results with their seeds.

-- Amy (acook@in4web.com), January 22, 2001.

Thanks Sparrowhawk- there is so much to be learned!!! The older I get the less I know. This thread maybe should be a continuous one and change it each week when it gets too long. I have been messing around with herbs for years now and would like to compare notes with like minded people about their uses. What worked for you and what didn't etc.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 22, 2001.

Okay, got a funny to tell on myself...I went with my husband on his Dairy supply route and we stopped in at the Super Wallyworld. I got lots of seeds and was so excited to find Coreopsis! HAHAHA! got home to find that it is supposed to be Colendula!!!! DUH! First I thought it was Cosmos, then I think its Coreopsis! I didn't bring my list obviously!!! So..."excuse me mam, can I return this package of seeds please? No mam I haven't used any." All those C's confuse me! HAHAHA!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 22, 2001.

Well, my brain is really lettin me down. I was getting the planting itch and had all of the seed packets from last year out on the table. You'll never guess what I already planted in my perennial bed....Yep! Colendula. Will it come back? Ok guys, stop laughin, I'm not quite certifiable yet!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 22, 2001.

Hey this has been really fun and it is getting ready to be put into the arcives. Why don't we keep it going on the bottom of the questions with a new title? Maybe just Herbs, or something more exciting from one of ya'll? It has been fun. Thanks for giving me 9 pages of ideas!!! Loved it!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 23, 2001.

Nan, did you plant Calendula officinale? I ask because Marigolds are often called Calendula and that's not the same plant. C. officinale may come back because it readily self seeds. If it doesn't just replant. Again, it's very easy to grow. If you collect the seeds this season, you can replant next year.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), January 24, 2001.

Finally did it right! Yes it is the O. one. I also have a ton of marigolds around here, but these don't look the same. Kinda a cross between my chrysanthemums and straw flowers. They are bright yellow and pretty orange. Did I do good on accident or what!!!!??? It'll make my day if they came back!!! I get a bunch of those cheapy seeds at the hardware store every year and have lots of different flowers in the flower beds around here. I couldn't even name all of the ones that I've planted over the years. A little like playing Twister to mow around them all, but they are very pretty. Kinda hooked on growing stuff. Have a half-acre of veggies too. Love this stuff!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), January 24, 2001.

Nan, It does sound like you have Calendula officinale. The flowers can be orange or yellow and are about the diameter of half or silver dollar. They are very simple flowers, but lovely. The plant grows about 12" tall. When the flowers just open, you can clip them off and use them to prepare infused oil. If they don't come back, just pop the seeds in when the frost is over in spring. They'll come up easily and reseed until the first hard frost of the fall.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), January 25, 2001.

Nan - I forgot where you said you lived. On the cosmos/calendula/coreopsis question, if it's a yellow flower like you describe as a cross between a strawflower and a chrysanthemum, it could be either calendula or coreopsis. Chances are, if it is coreopsis, it will come back up from the roots & crown in the spring. If it is calendula, it will only come up as seed with a new plant. That may help you decide which it is.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), January 29, 2001.

Thanks, Amy - I'll be checking them out!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), January 29, 2001.

Dear friends! The Moldavian Company "VENIT" specialized in pharmaceutical plants cultivation and processing is looking for the new partners. The company has the possibilities to cultivate medicinal and aromatic plants in ideal ecological sole in different zone of Republic of Moldova. At this moment we dispose the different quantities of the following dryed plants: Calendula Hipercium Perforatum Melissa Origanum vulgare Matricaria chamomilla Valeriana officinalis Mariamus Seeds of flax. The company is willing to discuss the multiple variants of cooperation with potential partners in pharmaceutical plants cultivation and processing as well as joint venture creation. Please let us know if you see any area of the cooperation. If you need any other information about products or about possible way of cooperation please don't hesitate to contact us.

Best regards

Alex Shoimaru, Director

mailto:venit@mdl.net

-- Alexei Shoimaru (venit@mdl.net), May 07, 2001.


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