I go away and come back to a blooming garden 
I love perennials, they take care of themselves and keep on giving more every year.
May 29, 2012
Blooming garden
May 29, 2012
Clove essential oil
Clove essential oil is invaluable to have on hand for good dental health and to treat any dental, gum pain and discomfort. Clove oil is best known for its pain relieving eugenol constituent used to treat toothaches, sore gums, mouth infections, and bad breath. Always use clove oil diluted in an edible carrier oil like olive oil, it is strong, and numbing. Caution is advised.
Directions:
Dilute clove essential oil 50/50 or less in olive oil to carry with you to treat in transit.
Put carrier oil like olive oil on a Q-tip with a drop of clove essential oil and put directly on affected mouth areas.
Mouthwash rinse: 100 ml of hydrogen peroxide food grade 3% add 1-2 drops of clove essential oil. Rinse and rinse with water afterwards. Clove and cinnamon together quench each other and reduce the skin irritating qualitites of both.
This mouthwash rinse also whitens teeth naturally along with its germ fighting action.
Clove buds
Clove is an evergreen tree with clove being the buds of the almost open flowers. It is one of the five noble spices along with cinnamon, nutmeg, black peppercorns and ginger.
Clove is one of the ingredients in the Indian spice blend garam masala and masala chai, which is a tea beverage drink.
Clove comes from the Latin word ‘clavus’ meaning nail, because the dried clove buds look like little nails. Spices like clove were considered so valuable it launched wars and genocide in the Spice Islands in Indonesia.
| COMMON NAME | CLOVE |
| Latin Name | Sygyzium aromaticum |
| Family | Myrtaceae |
| Country of Origin | Indonesia, Philippines, Madagascar, West indies |
| Volatility | Middle note |
| Extraction | steam distillation or CO2 extraction from the dried buds |
| Colour | pale yellow to clear |
| Aroma | spicy, pungent, rich, strong |
| Caution Contraindications | Use sparingly, hot stimulant. Skin irritant. Do not use during pregnancy or with children. Always use diluted.Not recommended for massage. |
| Primary Uses | Digestion:spasms, parasites, gastritis, spasms
Immune: stimulant, colds, flu, viral infections, Cardiovascular:circulatory stimulant, Skin: fungal infections, shingles, warts, localized treatment only *****Toothaches, dental problems, gum infections, sore gums, bad breath/halitosis
|
| Properties | Local anaesthetic, analgesic, anticatarrhal, antiemetic, antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-parasitic, antioxidant, astringent, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, warming carminative, circulatory stimulant, diaphoretic, digestive stimulant, male aphrodisiac, nervine relaxant, stomachic, vasodilator |
| Constituents | Esters:18-25% eugenyl acetateSesquiterpenes:4-8% caryophyllenePhenylpropanoids:70-80% eugenol |
May 29, 2012
Easy Grow Herb Combo
For an easy herb planter partner combination that comes back every year with no maintenance plant: Thyme and Chives!
Chives
Chives are an onion tasting herb that are hardy and are grown in pots or in the ground and come back every year bigger and better. The purple flowers which bloom in spring are edible and make a great garnish in soups. Garlic chives have white flowers that bloom later in the summer and they taste more like garlic. They have flat leaves instead of round tubes like purple flower onion chives.
Thyme
There are many varieties of thyme that are hardy and easy to grow. Thyme is a sturdy sub-shrub and there are creeping and hanging varieties. There are different flavours of thyme and many chemotypes to choose from.
This is my planter I took out of the garage and I haven’t added annuals yet or done anything to it, and the thyme and chives keep coming back every year. This is the second year for this pot.
Partner herb combo:
Plant chives or garlic chives in the middle of the planter pot, and place thyme around it. You can plant a hanging thyme, a creeping thyme and a regular thyme or leave some room for annuals to fill in during the growing season. This planter keeps coming back every year even when I overwinter it in the garage. This herb planter is (dare I say) easy to grow by anyone anywhere.
Enjoy fresh herbs!
May 29, 2012
Thyme time
Time for Thyme herb!
There are many varieties of thyme and they are all hardy and easy to grow. Thyme is grown in pots year round for culinary, medicinal or ornamental purposes or grown directly in the ground, where it comes back bigger and better every year. There are creeping varieties that grow close to the ground or hanging varieties that hang over and trail down the sides of pots. Thyme is a sturdy sub-shrub and the creeping varieties are a great alternative to lawn grass or to put under other bigger shrubs. Put thyme around walkways or in cracks to keep other weeds out.
| Common Name | Thyme herb |
| Latin Name | Thymus vulgaris spp. |
| Family | Lamiaceae (Mint Family) |
| Parts Used | Perennial- herb picked in spring and summer growing season |
| Target Organs | Digestion, Respiratory, Immune, Central Nervous System, Skin, Muscular |
| Common Uses | Digestion: infections, gastritis, colitis, parasites, diarrhoea, worms,Respiratory: bronchitis, pleurisy, TB, whooping cough infections, cough, bronchitis, colds, flu, gargle sore throats, Immune: stimulant, colds, flu, strep, staph, tonsillitis, infections, fever,
Nervous system: stimulating, depression Skin: warts, lice, scalp infections; Muscular: analgesic pain relief, arthritis, sprains, strains External: wounds, astringent stops bleeding Culinary fresh or dried Essential oil use diluted-very hot |
| Properties | Anthelmintic, antibacterial, anticatarrhal, anticonvulsant, antidepressant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory (local, systemic) antimicrobial, antioxidant, antispasmodic (general, digestive, respiratory), anxiolytic, appetite stimulant, astringent, warming carminative, cholagogue, decongestant, diaphoretic, relaxing secretolytic expectorant, febrifuge, stimulating nervine relaxant, stomachic, vasodilator, vulnerary |
| Constituents | Essential Oil: 1% Monoterpene: p-cyamene aka paracymene; Phenol: Thymol 45% thujanol, carvacrol,Monoterpene alcohol: Geraniol, linalool
borneol; Other: bitter, tannin, flavonoids, triterpenoids |
| Cautions | Essential oil use diluted very hot and stimulating. May irritate sensitive skin. |
| Dosage | Tincture: 1-4ml |
May 23, 2012
Coltsfoot
Coltsfoot ~ Tussilago farfara L. is one of the first wild flowers to bloom in Ontario in spring time.
Coltsfoot grows all around Georgian Bay and prefers to grow near water in wetter areas near stream banks and ditches. It looks like dandelion flowers and it is from the same Aster family. The flowers resemble a bent horse leg before and after flowering because they nod.
The leaves appear after the flowers have gone to fluffy seed that fly through the air in puffy white little clouds.
The leaves look lung shaped and treat lung conditions helping to reduce inflammation and spasms. It is mildly bitter, demulcent, astringent and cooling.
| Common Name | Coltsfoot leaves/ flowers |
| Latin Name | Tussilago farfara |
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Parts Used | Perennial flowers bloom first in spring and then turn to seed, leaves follow in May/ June |
| Target Organs | respiratory, throat |
| Common Uses | Lungs: acute chronic lung chest infections, irritating dry coughs, External leaves: wounds, bruises, |
| Properties | relaxing/ secretolytic expectorant, demulcent, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic, diuretic, anti-catarrhal, emollient |
| Constituents | Flowers: flavonoids: rutin, carotene, taraxanthin, arnidiol, farfardiol, tannin, Essential oils
Leaves:mucilage, polysaccharides, tannin, bitter glycosides, inulin, sitosterol, zinc Traces of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, hormonal substances, calcium, magnesium, sodium, trace minerals |
| Cautions | Due to traces of pyrrolizidine alkaloids do not use for extended periods of time at high dosages. Do not use with children under the age of 8, during pregnancy or lactation. |
| Dosage | Tincture: 2-5ml Tea: 6-14g |
May 22, 2012
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is Ontario‘s best kept secret boasting the world’s longest fresh water beach, 30, 000 islands, camping, diving and all kinds of outdoor activities. Wasaga beach on Georgian Bay is the longest fresh water beach in the world and sandy beaches stretch for miles around the Bay of clear blue water.
It was so hot this year it was the first time in May I dipped in Georgian Bay. I have seen the most stunning sunsets on Georgian Bay and I wish I could post them all on here.
Around Tobermory is where Georgian Bay meets the rest of the Great Lakes and thousand-year old cedars grow on windswept cliff sides. There is camping, diving, hiking, biking, swimming, a natural grotto and all around beauty to take in.
I love Georgian Bay!
May 16, 2012
Bleeding hearts
Bleeding hearts ~Lamprocapnos spectabilis (formerly Dicentra spectabilis)
are an ornamental perennial flower that bloom every springtime.
They are woodland plants that prefer shade and well-drained soil.
This is the pink fringe bleeding heart and the blooms last longer than the bigger deeper pink variety.
This is a white bleeding heart variety.
Bleeding hearts are easy to grow but plant some summer plants like hosta beside it to fill in the gaps when they finish flowering in spring.
May 16, 2012
Wisteria vine
The Wisteria vine has started to bloom!
Wisteria is the Latin Genus name and then a variety of different species fall under the Genus name.
They are woody vine climbers from the pea family (Fabaceae).
Wisteria perfumes the air with its delicious smell and some varieties are edible and made into wine.
I have grown vines from seed but they take over 7 years or more to bloom so propagation by cutting is faster. The long hairy seed pod has 2-3 or more seeds. When it dries it curls and pops the seeds out the pod with a loud bang which woke me out of a sleep one time.
Wisteria grows fast and needs strong support to climb on.
Wisteria needs a bit of pruning into shape by cutting the curly spiral ends off, but it is well worth the effort!
I wish you could smell this right now, it is intoxicating!
I have to replace the wooden arch because it is getting crushed. I’m going to use something stonger, like wrought iron for endurance.
May 15, 2012
Garlic mustard greens
Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata L.
is another wild nutritious edible green food that has A, some B and C vitamins in it.
Garlic mustard is an alien invasive weed that displaces native plants so pick as much as you would like to eat. It is a biennial that flowers in the second year.
Eat it raw in salads or use it as a herb, the stem cut be cut like chives or use the leaves. Garlic mustard is also steamed, sautéed or cooked in soup and stews, eaten as a side green or made into pesto.
May 9, 2012
Tulips
Tip-toe through the tulips of my garden
Plant Tulip bulbs in the fall for bursts of amazing colour in the spring time and they come back every year!
Happy Mother’s day to all Mothers and all women who nuture! <3
