GM, not to mention it's flowerhead is coated with some sort of sticky stuff. That'll help lettuce leaves stay attached.. :)
What! NO herb afficianados this summer?
Then he can join in a modified dancing-nekkid-in-the-back-yard dance when you need rain.
lolll... That'll be the day. lolll.. Beside, we've been having thuderstorm after thunderstorm. We had trouble even showering this past weekend. Everytime we wanted to jump in, another thunderstorm blew in.. Had to wait til the boombooms left or some of us would have been a bit crispy..
Podster, what keeps me going is drive and determination; the massive summer hours combined w. reg. "off-season" hours covers my families rent, bills and medical insurance....I guess family is a pretty good motivator.
And yes, you're right on the money, gardening is how I wind down, after work. Plus, I actually use many of my herbal end products to keep my family and myself healthy, plus I use them as gifts, later on in the year, around the holidays. (Herbal wreaths, and body-care products.)
Much luck with your herbs, may have to try some pennyroyal myself...it's one of the mints I don't have yet, but probably should, considering our cat's flea woes.
Will also try the pineapple sage this year. Already have pineapple mint, and it's my favorite; it really smells and tastes fruit-i-ful....(Is that even a word?), plus it's variegated leaves are interesting, some of them are totally white, and devoid of chlorophyll!
Family is definitely incentive! Hang in there...
I have a pot of pineapple mint and do like it... I just took a bunch of cuttings because it was suffering the same affliction my thyme had.
It was probably from too much moisture. It started dying from soil up. I took cuttings from those that looked worst and the rest of the pot is limping along.
Rain! Can't live without it but too much can be a challenge too.
I am madly in love with herbs. I'm growing Sweet Italian Basil, Lemon Balm, Rosemary, Sage, Dill, Fennel, Mint, Garlic, Oregano, and English Thyme. I used to grow them in the garden, but this year they are in pots. Rich soil and full sun make a big difference. I give them to the neighbors and relatives.
I agree to the pots. Easier for me to control moisture, mulch and enjoy. The garlic in pots tho? Explain that one please? Mine get to be such monsters...
Never had so much fun talking about lettuce before..LOL!! The images of 4 ft leaves wrapped around dancing figures ..in the rain...!!
Arias and Critter, , your stock sounds like what I have. I have mostly the useful clinary herbs of chives, different basils, different reganos, various thymes, etc. I always have mint, too, especially Kentucky Mint, which is my favorite. I haven't ever seen Spicy Orange Thyme available--where did you get it?.
I love herb teas and grow chamomile that I start from seed. I invested in growing lights this year, so I will also be starting scented geraniums from seed next year as it is difficult to find them around here. I dry the leaves for teas. I especially love the rose, apple and lime-scented gaeraniums.
podster,
I grow them 2 to a pot [ deep pots]. I use Miracle Gro potting soil, and only plant the cloves about 1/2 deep, just barely covering them with soil. I do this in late October, and put them in the greenhouse. They sprout and grow slowly all winter. In late March I put them outside, boy !! do they take off. A buddy of mine grows them the same way. She starts them inside and keep them in a sunny, but cool window. We just grow them because we can place the pots anywhere for bug control, and the garlic plants are pretty and look nice tucked here and there. We don't have any vampires lurking around either. lol
I grew burgundy leaf lettuce as a border in the front landscape bed a couple years ago... it looked so bizarre when it bolted, and I just let it go because I got so many fun comments about it!
My 'Spicy Orange Thyme' came from the Leesburg plant festival, and I'm not sure which vendor... but I do know that DeBaggio's caries it (they're out near Dulles).
Vampires... I love it! and the blooms can be ornamental too.
critter, I think that's what I have that bolted.. lolll.. it came in a salad seed mix. and the one that bolts to never-never-land is a decidedly reddish looking lettuce.
FOUR leaves, Fox? I'm thinking ONE...
The leaves are rather big. It's probably 10-12 inches long.. So the lettuce plants got large leaves and a 4ft tall sticky flowerhead.. Did I mention it's in a hydroponic system, it's got some massive roots down in there..
Now imagine it running around after people, waving it's large leaves, trying to slime people with it's sticky flowerhead. lolll.. :)
I love herbs. And you may know that my favorite where I live is lavender. I think I've been cutting, drying and putting dried flowers in jars since late May. Finally slowing down. For potpourri I like sweet woodruff. Lemon verbena is great...but I have to bring it in in the winter. Here's a question ; Leopard's Bane, is that another name for arnica? Or is it another plant? How about lettuce bane? Oh, I have another herb that I like as a plant ( but not, sadly as a medicene) Valerian. It seems to like my shadey back yard.
Arnica is one I have on my wish list. Does anyone here grow it?
Roybird--I have Leopard's Bane, but it's another plant, not Arnica. The scientific nameis doronicum orientale. The cultivar I have is "Magnificum. It has lovely, bright yellow daisy-like flowers in early March, a really pretty mound of dark green foilage.
Critter--I've been to DeBaggio's--but not this year. Didn't see many different Thymes last year. The "new" herb I tried last year was "Mexican Marigold" from DeBaggio's. It grew a whopping 6 feet high and looked like hemp. But it's leaves were very fragrant and spicy and I made about 4 tubs of pesto out of it!!
=And,
That bolted lettuce tale needs its own thread...with pictures. LOL!!
DeBaggio's has a few thymes... check their catalog! http://www.debaggioherbs.com/ (Sorry, folks, they don't do mail order -- but they do have some good culture info, so the catalog is still worth a look-see.) I can't believe I didn't make it down there this year...
I wish I had a photo of that lettuce blooming! I looked, but I don't think I took one.... what a shame!
I'm out of town right now.. But when get home, I'll see if I can get a picture of it taken.. Unless my DH hacks it apart in the middle of the night (thinking he's killing some sort of man-eating lettuce plant), it should still be there.. :)
I have leopard's bane, little yellow flowers and all. It doesn't really like it here...a little too dry. Arnica grows wild in the Colorado mountains to the north of us. I know people who collect it there but I never have been involved with that. I don't know if it can be cultivated. It must like cold, snowy winters. A good herb to have.
Oh, I have to add this on. Arnica montana, the one used for bruises, - seeds available at J.L. Hudson, Seedsman box 337 LaHonda, California 94020-0337. They have a catalog on line and there is probably a way to hyperlink to it but I'm a techno incompetent.
My reference book says Arnica is a.k.a "Leopard's Bane", probably because the plant resembles the other one by that common name. However, Arnica montana has orange-yellow daisy-like flowers that appear in mid-summer. This plant likes full sun dry climates, while Doronicum orientale likes moister, shadier areas. A. montana thrives in Zones 6-9, which seems strange about being wild in the Colorado mountains to me. Because they like dryness, they often are plagued by aphids.
The book says: "Harvest Arnica flowers when they have dried; put in vegetable oil or lard to make an ointment for achy muscles and ah, burises".....just what the letuce-leaf rain dancers might need from carrying on too much with their revelrie....when they should be out pruning their lemon verbena.
J. L. Hudson Seedsman Co is at:
http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/
LOL!! Next time you guys have a garden oddity, make sure you get lots of pictures. Who knows--you could win a prize at the county fair..... Absurd plants make good jokes.
Will do. Just never thought of it until my husband started making those smart-ass comments. Thinking back though, I guess.
Thanks, Critter, for the catalog info. I'll look at it. I didn't go to DeBaggio's this year because last year they really didn't seem to have anything I wanted. They were out of tomatoes and basil, too. Bummer.
I understand A. montana is the medicinal Arnica of choice.
Foxnfirefly ~ what's your reference book of choice? Tis my weakness and I want to know if I'm missing one... lol
Sorry to mention arnica again...but, according to the U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service ( whew! ) arnica montana does not grow in the U.S. at all but in Europe. In Colorado they have broadleaf arnica, arnica latifolia and arnica cordifolia. Maybe other kinds, as there are many kinds of arnica all over the country. The kind used in most homeopathic remedies is the European kind.
Podster,
I used to buy a lot of books on gardening and herbs in the beginning of my new hobby about 15 years ago......but have stopped as shelf space was limited. The book that I referenced on Arnica is from a Rodale Books series entitled "Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening--Herbs" by Patricia S. Michaak. The book has a nice, easy layout with pictures and the essential cultivation and key information for the most useful herbs. Another good book on medicinal herbs is the Reader's Digest "Maginc and Medicine of Plants." It is more introductory and has historical and folklore data. I was once very interested in medicinal herbs, but enjoy raising those that are fragrant and culinary.
Roybird--great that you did your homework!! Good information there. Yes, I know about Natural Resource and Conservation Service...I think they have an authoritative website for references free to the public. The National Agricultural Library does, also.
I have a collection of gardening books and have the RD Magic & Medicine but not "that" Rodales. Thanks for the book reference. I hoard reference books, the shelf reaches from floor to ceiling and is overstuffed. One day, I shall be found on DG and buried under a landslide of plant books. What a way to go!
I knew the A. montana was European and found an Arnica gel that I would love to order from DMs' arthritis but guess what... no US approval for importing. Oh well...
I have a Rodale encyclopedia of herbs that I use as a reference before I look anywhere else. Podster, are you trying to get a special kind of arnica gel? There are several kinds available here. It sounds like you wanted a certain one, tho. I wonder if there is an American version of arnica with at least some of the properties of the European. I'm going to ask at our local Herb store; they have a pretty good herbalist there. Maybe they have a website; I'm gonna look it up. I like arnica ointment for bruises and it would be cool if we could make it here. Shipping from Europe is expensive these days due to high cost of gas. Everything imported has gone up.
O.K. Here's another post from me. Hope not too boring. " Herbs, Etc." in SantaFe does have a website and it's pretty informative. But, I still don't know where they get their arnica so I'll have to call them Monday.
Thanks for checking out the Arnica for me. I will tour their website shortly... It was Bioforce Arnica gel that caught my attention (Vogel). http://www.healthywaymagazine.com/issue35/09_.html
DM has severe arthritis (89) in hands and hips but won't take anything. Blood is too thin for most medicines and she has to also be cautious about cremes that have blood thinning ingredients in it. I contacted them and they indicated that this product should not affect the blood in any manner with the normal disclaimers. I would hope to get her some relief. And I have spent a lifetime on my feet on concrete floors and when I get up, I notice my feet hurting perhaps this would help also. And DH has back/hip problems and maybe this would work for him.... and.... lol You get the picture. Boring? Not for me. Thanks ~ pod
Wow, went to respond to this thread when it first went up then my computer got sick...still in the shop, I'm responding from work and I can't believe how big this thread got so fast.
For all the Stevia curiousity seekers...it's very difficult to germinate, I have seen the plants on Ebay, but have not used the vendor...
My two favorites this year are a Lavender plant that quadrupled in size this year and is giving me flowers for the first time...it has truely morphed into a beauty! My other favorite a Calendula that gives me 10-15 blooms every 48 hours that I've been using in my formulas.
New for me this year...Holy Basil, I love the smell and the insects and butterflies love it. Salvia Divinorum, I ordered two plants one was barely alive but it coming along now, the other is beautiful, I can't wait to see blooms this fall.
My new discovery: I have wild St. Johns Wort growing in the field behind my house.
My biggest surprise: Wildcrafting on a deserted little island that Vegas and I love to go boating to...I found wild rugosa rose with the biggest most beautiful rose hips I've ever seen... some of them the size of a crabapple! I took pics and when I get my computer back I share them with you all. Right now they are curing in some glycerine and making a stunning orange/pink color.
My favorite herb year thus far...
Holy basil is yummy in Thai dishes and mine reseeds itself each year. Thai sweet basil is also a lovely plant both in Thai dishes and as an ornamental. I have put it in large pots where I grow flowers in the front of the house, not just in my herb garden. The Thais call holy basil "hot basil" but use it in many of the same dishes as sweet basil.
Rparrny ~ I am jealous of your Calendula blooms. Mine is not as prolific. I am guessing near the end of summer you will let some flowers go to seed?
I think all in all, it is a good herb year...
Podster, I grow arnica, but A. Montana doesn't do well here, so I grow A. Chamissonis, instead, it's medicinally interchangeable w. A. Montana. This year there were enough flowers to make a batch of salve later on. This plant seems to reproduce itself underground, (from runners) which is handy, but I'm glad it's in a whiskey barrel, since it's definitely spreading....but it looks good tucked into the roses in the barrel, so that's ok..
If you'd like a cutting, get in touch w. me this coming spring, (before the summer work season), I'll tuck in a few calendulas, too. Seems to me that the climate in inland CA is pretty similar to TX, excepting all the rain lately, of course.
Cyra thank you for the offer. I may take you up on it. I am hoping the Calendula resinosa that I planted will deliver some seeds but nothing yet. After the bloom, the bud was empty...
pod, I had a somewhat puny crop of calendula and finally cut it WAY back. I'm seeing some new growth, though, and if the heat won't stay around for several weeks this time, maybe it will rebloom in the fall? I hope so. It's so hot here you can't even stand 30 seconds in the sun without breaking into a sweat.
I love autumn.
Hi, Podster and all. Took me awhile to get back to you. We shampooed our carpets and everything was un-plugged.( Also D.H. has been using our computer alot.) At Herbs Etc. they have arnica plants ( dried ) plus various salves and so forth. They use the herbalist Michael Moore (not the film maker) who has founded a school in Arizona and written several books on herbs. You can google him, be sure to put herbalist first. In Colorado several species of arnica are grown. Cordifolia, latifolia, mollis and parryi. All are a.k.a. leopard's bane. I still don't know which one or ones are used medicinally. Again, will try to find out and will check on the salves.
Roybird ~ thanks so much for the effort. I will continue to do some checking also...
Brigidlily ~ I put the Calendula in a pot (should have called myself Potster) anyway, I am hovering over it like a buzzard. It has the start of another bud! Yea!
I don't really mind the heat but try to be out of it during the hottest time of day. At work someone said ~ you know? Summer is almost over... I felt myself mentally screaming ~ NOOOOoooooo!
Love the summers which is evidenced by my choice of plants. Most are tropical or only zone hardy further south. My latest herbal addition is an Allspice (Pimenta dioica) and I love it already! Beautiful, aromatic leaves this one I will gladly harbor thru the winter. Might even sleep with it.... : ))