Check out this article on my talk at The Patrick Master Gardeners Symposium LeeAnn Seeley’s ‘Herb Gardens, Designs & More’ Herbs are helpful both Click to Enlarge LeeAnn Seeley Sunday, March 9, 2014 By HOLLY KOZELSKY - Bulletin Accent Editor When you think of herbs, do oregano, basil and St. John’s Wort come to mind? Or are you thinking Horsetail, stinging nettle and comfrey? The world of herbs is vast and varied. LeeAnn Seeley of Happy Been Herbs in Woolwine talked about some beneficial herbs that don’t get the credit they deserve. Her program at the Master Your Garden symposium was “Herb Gardens, Designs and More.” Herbs are helpful on many levels, Seeley said. Herbs are used as cooking spices and in vinegars, teas and tinctures. Their flower essences are extracted as perfumes. They are infused in oils and used in syrups, salves, creams and poultices. They serve as fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides for the garden. Herbs also have medicinal purposes. Seeley said she makes her own medicines from herbs. “These plants have a lot of energy, a lot of healing properties,” she said. “They are here to heal us.” Herbs are “full of nutrients,” she said. “They cleanse, detoxify and regulate body systems. They raise energy and stimulate the body’s immune system.” To make tea from herbs, steep one teaspoon dried or two tablespoons fresh herbs into 1 cup of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Herbs are dependable, but don’t expect a quick fix with them as you would commercial products, Seeley said: “Herbs take time.” Some herbs helpful for the garden and other applications are: • Horsetail (Equisetum arvense). It helps keep down fungal disease including fire blight. Horsetail can be used as a foliar spray or soil drench. Make a fresh tea or fermented tea; for fermented tea, let the tea set for 14 days. Fermented horsetail tea smells terrible, Seeley warned. • Stinging nettle (Urtica dioca). Stinging nettle tea helps tomatoes and roses grow better. It enhances Vitamin C and sugar levels in the fruit. Tea of stinging nettle also combats ants; just apply it outside the house, and inside where the ants enter. Fresh stinging nettle tea diluted 1 in 10, sprayed on plants, combats aphids but only should be used three times in a season. • Comfrey. Comfrey tea is a great fertilizer for tomato plants after the first flowers have set. It is high in nitrogen, potassium, calcium, iron and phosphate. Comfrey leaves added to a compost pile speeds up the break-down and adds nutrients. Comfrey grown under fruit trees benefits the trees. • German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita). German chamomile often is confused with Roman chamomile, which may bother allergies. Petals of German chamomile point down and away from the yellow cone, while petals of the low growing Roman chamomile angle slightly upward. Chamomile tea is antibacterial and antifungal, Seeley said. Just the simple fact of growing it improves the health of plants near it. Spraying chamomile tea on sprouts that are 14 days old helps avoid dampening off. Dampening off is the condition in which sprouts shrivel and die. Soil for herbs The ideal soil for growing herbs is 30 percent topsoil, 30 percent compost, 30 percent peat moss and 10 percent perlite (not vermiculite), Seeley said. Herbs are simple to grow: They don’t need much water or fertilizer. Most herbs grow best with a pH level of 6.0 to 6.5. Dill, basil and parsley benefit in a more acidic (lower pH level) soil. Herb gardens Seeley, who was a landscape architect in New York City for many years, shared some basic concepts of design: • Decide on whether you want a formal, symmetrical design or an informal, natural shape to the garden. • Spray the design onto the ground with non-toxic spray paint before digging. • Before setting the plants into the soil, put them (still potted) on the ground to decide best placement. • Keep proportion in mind when choosing plants or accessories. • Consider how the garden will look from all angles. • Remember to consider what the plant will look like throughout its life: its dormancy, its plant-only phase, and its blooming phase. • Plant shorter plants in front of taller plants, unless you’re going for a certain effect, such as a tall plant as a focal point among short ones. • Plant so that perennial herbs are not disturbed when you replace the annual herbs. • Large and bushy herbs such as lavender look good on their own. Smaller herbs make more of an impact when planted in odd-numbered groups such as three or five.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:50:57 +0000
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