Ever wonder what was in your foremother's first aid kit? We imagine her with a full array of roots and berries, herbs and oils tucked into her trusty animal-skin pouch.
Never heard of borage plant? You're not alone. Here are some terrific reasons to consider welcoming this easy-to-grow plant with lovely edible star-shaped flowers into your garden! Read on to learn about excellent borage uses
Learn how to grow and forage Oregon Grape -- for one of nature's most useful plants! The roots are used medicinally, but the berries are edible too!
Eucalyptus is not only great against the common cold, it can also be used in homemade products. Learn to grow this plant yourself.
Botanical Name of Ashwagandha: Withania somnifera. The ashwagandha root is often referred to as the 'Indian ginseng' because it is used in a similar way in Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine as Panax ginseng is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The herb has been used for more than 2500 years to restore overall health and increase longevity. The Indian or Hindu common name ashwagandha (Sanskrit), translates roughly to 'the smell and strength of a horse,' referring to the plant's alleged ability to enhance sexual vigor. Ashwagandha Seedpods (Withania somnifera) - Attribution: Vinayaraj V. R What is Ashwagandha Used For? Some of
Create your own personal list of top ten medicinal herbs, tailored to your climate and health concerns. Build a dream medicinal herb garden!
Yarrow and arnica tinctures are great mountain wellness to add to your first aid kit. Knowing how to use them is incredibly empowering!
Learn how to study herbs and other plants for medicinal and edible uses with this easy method that includes a journal page printable.
Botanical Name: Malva sylvestris L, Malva vulgaris. The botanical name Malva comes from the Greek word 'malaxos', meaning slimy, or to soften. Other Common Names: Mallow, zebrina mallow, blue mallow, cheese-cake, high mallow, marsh mallow, cheese flower, malva (Spanish), malve (German), rödmalva (Swedish), mauve (French), almindelig katost (Danish). Habitat: The species is native to the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, but is now naturalized in many parts of the world. Plant Description: Mallow is a biennial or perennial plant of the Malvaceae plant family. It is covered with small hairs and usually has creeping stems. It can grow up to
Botanical Name of Horsetail: Equisetum arvensis, Equisetum arvense. Other Common Names: Bottlebrush, shave grass, corncob plant, scouring rush, field horsetail, pewterwort, paddock-pipes, Dutch rushes, snake pipes, small scouring rush, åkersnelle (Norwegian), cola de caballo (Spanish), prêle des champs (French), Acker-Schachtelhalm (German). Habitat: Horsetail is native to both North America and Europe. It is one of only a few Equisetum survivors from the dinosaur era. In parts of Northern America, Canada, and Europe it is often considered a rather bothersome weed because of its prolific tuber system. Plant Description: Horsetail is a perennial plant of the Equisetaceae or the horsetail plant
Grow these rosemary companion plants together in your garden for natural pest control.
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Side effects, dosage, and benefits of the medicinal herb Andrographis paniculata and its historical, common and traditional uses as tea or extract
Botanical Name of Maritime Pine: Pinus pinaster, Pinus maritima. Other Common Names: Maritime pine, cluster pine, pinheiro bravo, pi maritim, pi pinastre, pino maritimo, pino resinero, pino rodeno. HabitatMaritime pine is found in the Mediterranean coastal areas of France, Gibraltar, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. In North Africa, it is found in Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Algeria, and the Atlas mountains of Northwest Africa, and has been introduced to those areas of South Africa with a Mediterranean climate. Plant Description: The maritime pine tree can grow up to a height of 30-40 meters, often with a graceful, winding trunk. The branches are
Pau d'Arco tea provides many health benefits to the body. It has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal & anti-inflammatory properties.
Botanical Name: Myrica cerifera. Other Common Names: Wax myrtle, American baybebry, tallow shrub, waxberry, candleberry, vokspors (Norwegian), Wachsmyrte (German), arrayán (Spanish), cirier (French). Habitat: Bayberry is endemic to the coastal areas of eastern and southern North America. It has become a popular garden plant around the world where the climate is suitable. Description: Bayberry is an evergreen shrub or a small tree that can grow up to about 9 meters (30 feet) in height. The leaves are narrow, wedge-shaped, with a few teeth and have a rather fragrant odor when crushed. The small yellow flowers appear from March to May.
Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow) is a flowering plant with branched bright green stalks at the peak. It grows up to 2.6 feet (80 cm)...
LEMON BALM MEDICINE MOMENT Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), a perennial of the mint family (Lamiaceae) with an aromatic, pleasant, floral, lemon-like flavor that is cooling, calming, uplifting, and mildly astringent. It is used in formulas for bellyaches, anxiety, hyperthyroid, colds and viruses. F
Refreshing vitalizing herbal teas, a living first aid cabinet, wildlife habitat, beauty, and interest throughout the year, with some strawberries, currants, and salad leaves to boot! This Polyculture is ideal for small gardens taking up no more than approx 6m2 but also working well in a larger space as a beneficial island that fills a gap within the wider garden ecosystem of fruit, nut, and ornamental trees. During this post, we'll take a look at the species included, their function and uses, how to choose a site for the polyculture, how to manage the plants, and when to harvest, and you'll find some planting plans with guidance on spacing. Species Overview All the plants in this polyculture (apart from Agastache foeniculum) are native to Europe and all are well adapted to the climate and ecology of the Northern Temperate zone. We have been growing these plants in hardiness zone 6 for years, and all the plants have tolerated temperatures down to -15C and less. Most of the plants are well adapted to dry conditions and will survive on the average annual rainfall of 560mm. That said, we want the plants to thrive, and irrigating the plants during periods of drought will make for thriving plants. Irrigation is also necessary if you would like a decent yield of strawberries and black currants particularly when the fruits are forming. The plants are well suited to most soils excluding heavy clay, waterlogged soils, and soils with pH in the extremes of acidity or alkalinity. If you have these types of soils they can of course be amended, but selecting plants to suit soils is a better option, both ecologically and economically. Functions and Uses My goals when designing this polyculture were that every plant included can be used for making both fresh and dried herbal teas and that as a community the planting scheme should benefit the garden ecosystem. Below is a chart indicating the other uses and beneficial functions of the plant community. Welcome to our Online Store where you can find Forest Garden/ Permaculture plants, seeds, bulbs and Polyculture multi-packs along with digital goods and services such as Online Courses, Webinars, eBooks, and Online Consultancy. We hope you enjoy the store and find something you like :) It's your purchases that keep our Project going. You can also find our full list of trees. shrubs and herbs for forest gardens on our website here Enter Our Store Here Plants, Seeds, eBooks, Consultancy, Bulk Fruit and Nut Tree Orders for Permaculture, Polyculture, Forest Gardens and Regenerative Landscapes. Choosing the site for the Polyculture When choosing the position in your garden for this polyculture the main thing to consider is the positioning of your bed in relation to the sun and to match this up with the individual needs of the plants, ensuring that the sun-loving plants are on the Southern facing side and the shade tolerant plants are on the North. (light needs listed below) Depending on how much annual precipitation you receive in your area, it may also be important to position the bed so that it can passively collect water from rainfall e.g with a slight dip in the middle or at the base of a slope laid out on contour. This is a relevant practice in Bulgaria where we can expect 8-12 weeks without significant rain during high summer, but not so relevant in the UK. The area where the rainwater accumulates should feature the plants that are more water-demanding and obviously the area that will receive the least amount of water should be planted with drought-tolerant species.(water needs listed below). This self-replenishing Chai Store/Salad Bar is there to be picked so making it easily accessible to you is an important factor when choosing its position. Once you have established the footprint of your bed you can begin to build it. This can be as simple as piling up topsoil mixed with well-rotted compost to a height of 50-70 cm in the desired shape and bordering your mound with large rocks or boulders laid in a small trench around the soil. Simple if you have lots of rocks and boulders nearby which we do. You could also build a retaining wall first and then infill it with your topsoil and compost. Bear in mind the bulk of the soil will reduce over the first 3-6 months as the soil settles. Chai Polyculture - Built and planted in November 2012 Plant selection Aside from selecting plants in relation to their space, light, and water need their ecological characteristics are also considered. Achillea millefolium - Yarrow is very drought tolerant and I use these plants evenly spaced in gaps between the boulders on the South facing edge(sunny side). The plant puts down deep roots that mine the subsoil for nutrients that would otherwise leach away with the groundwater. The plant will spread very quickly, cutting back the spreading plants and dropping the material around the bed provides a source of these rescued nutrients to the other plants. Fragaria vesca - Wild Strawberry is planted on the edge of the sunny side for ease of picking and will over time provide a self-spreading ground cover throughout the bed suppressing weeds and protecting the topsoil from wind and rain erosion. Trifolium pratense -Red Clover is a nitrogen-fixing plant that can be planted on either side of the Blackcurrants - Ribes nigrum and in close proximity to the Fragaria vesca - Wild Strawberry. Cutting back this plant after you have used the flowers for a cup of tea will release some of the nitrogen fixed into the surrounding soil. In the first season whilst your perennial plants establish you can plant annuals such as Tagetes patula or Centaurea cyanus to keep the ground covered. Both can also be used for teas. Chai Polyculture - August 2013 with annual Tagetes patula and T.erecta added in the first season to fill space before the perennials grow. Management The plants in this polyculture will be competing for space both above ground and below ground. Above ground, we can position our plants in a way that fills the available space. Pruning back growth that may be interfering with a slower growing plant should be practiced as you see fit with the cut material applied to the soil surface as a mulch and harvested for teas. I usually combine pruning with harvesting. In the spring a 3 or 4-cm thick application of well-rotted compost under the black currant and strawberry plants will ensure good fruit cropping. The windward side of the bed will act as leaf catchment in the autumn and raking up the leaves from the path and applying them to the surface of the soil will provide a good source of nutrients for the community. Irrigating during dry periods will keep all the plants stress-free and in good health. Always water heavily and infrequently as opposed to lightly and frequently. A good soak every 10-14 days in the dry season will be more than sufficient. As mentioned above the black currant and strawberries will benefit from watering when the fruit is setting. Plants such as Mellisa officinalis -Lemon Balm, Spearmint - Mentha spicata, Tansy - Tanacetum vulgare, and Achillea millefolium will spread via rhizomatous growth (underground horizontal stems). After a few years, these plants can be cut to ground level with the top growth applied to the surface then divided and moved to other areas around the garden or composted. You will need to hot compost the roots of these plants to ensure the destruction of the rhizomes. These plants provide a great diversity of mineral nutrients to your compost. If you don't have hot compost leaving the roots and stems of these plants in hot sun will destroy the rhizomes or soaking them in water for a few weeks and using the liquid as plant feed is another way of recycling the nutrients. Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course Want to learn how to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes? Join us on our Regenerative Landscape Design - Online Interactive Course. We look forward to providing you with the confidence, inspiration, and opportunity to design, build and manage regenerative landscapes, gardens, and farms that produce food and other resources for humans while enhancing biodiversity. Regenerative Landscape Design Online Course You can find the course details here and at the moment we have a $350 ( 20%) discount for full enrollment to the course. Just use RLD2024 in the promo code section of the registration form to receive your discount. Planting Harvest Some of the plants included in this polyculture are known to cause skin irritations and can have toxic effects if consumed in large quantities. Please be aware of any known hazards associated with every plant you consume. Caution aside we enjoy mixing and matching leaves and flowers from the plants in this guild to make phenomenal brews of healthy and invigorating teas and salads Green Salad harvested in late April Salads are best picked in the spring as the lush growth develops and in the autumn when the cooling temperatures and increased rainfall reinvigorate the plants. Summer growth can be quite tough and bitter but a few leaves mixed with more tender greens provides great flavor and interest. Do not include leaves of Leonurus cardiaca - Motherwort in the salads. Please remember that although Ribes nigrum - Blackcurrant leaves can be used for tea other species in this genus such as Ribes rubrum - Redcurrants have leaves containing the toxin hydrogen cyanide. As for medicinal value, all of these plants can be used to treat ailments but the best cure is prevention so get growing, get picking and drink up :) Habitat Provision If you have an available source of rocks and boulders they make great bordering material. The gaps between and under the rocks provide excellent habitat for arthropods. Some of these, such as Woodlice and Millipedes function as decomposers, speeding up the return of nutrients to the soil. Some of these are generalist predators such as centipedes and spiders. These creatures seek refuge from the sun and heat in the cool damp microclimate under the stones. I often find Praying Mantis egg cases overwintering in a rock crevice protected from the rain but warmed by the winter sun. These egg cases can hatch hundreds of baby Mantids that have a voracious appetite for aphids. The rocks will also harbor creatures not so friendly to your plants such as slugs and snails and other phytophagous (plant-eating) organisms. In our garden, the frogs and toads seem to keep these under control. Praying Mantis - Mantis religiosa egg case Another benefit of using rocks is that being rocks they are laden with minerals that are released from the rock via chemical and physical weathering. These weathered minerals contribute to the soil's stock. They can be thought of as the ultimate slow-release fertilizer. The above-ground plant architecture itself also provides many habitats for many beneficial invertebrates to nest, feed, overwinter, hunt, and reproduce as will the mulch layer covering the topsoil. Want to learn more about Regenerative Landscape Design? Join The Bloom Room! The Bloom Room is designed to create a space for more in-depth learning, for sharing projects and ideas, for seeking advice and discovering opportunities. Ultimately, it aims to build a more intimate, interactive, and actionable relationship between members, a way for the Bloom Room community to support each other’s projects and learning journeys, and to encourage and facilitate the design, build, and management of more regenerative landscapes across our planet. What you can expect as a member of the Bloom Room As a member of the Bloom Room you can expect; Access to an interactive forum where you can ask questions, direct what type of content you would like to see as well as share your own content and projects. Monthly live session featuring general Q&A and tutorials on design software for creating and presenting polycultures. Live session every month for members to showcase your projects, plans, designs, and gardens, with guest speakers from the community. Full Access to all of the content on Substack A 50% discounts on all of our online courses Future opportunities to join our Global Regenerative Landscape Design and Consultancy Service, with potential roles for those with the will and skill to join our design team. An opportunity to take part in the group ownership of a Regenerative Landscape. You will find more details on that here. Become a paid subscriber to our Substack to join. The annual subscription is currently $70 and the monthly subscription is $7 (monthly subscription excludes discounts for products and services) . You can join here, we look forward to meeting you! Beneficial Insect Interactions and Flowering times Not only do the plants provide us with fine teas, salads, and fruits they attract beneficial organisms such as ladybirds and hoverflies, and lacewings the larvae of which are efficient predators of aphids. Furthermore, a succession of nectar-bearing flowers keeps the bees and other pollinating invertebrates active and well-fed in your garden for most of the growing season where they can assist with the pollination of your surrounding fruit and vegetable crops. The table below provides information related to this. We have all of the plants featured in this polyculture available from our Nursery and you can find full profiles of the plants and other plants great for herbal teas below Achillea millefolium - Yarrow Agastache foeniculum - Anise Hyssop Foeniculum vulgare - Fennel Helichrysum italicum - Curry Plant Lavandula angustifolia - Lavender Melissa officinalis - Lemon balm Mentha × piperita - Peppermint Origanum vulgare - Pot Marjoram Salvia officinalis - Sage Satureja montana - Winter Savory Sideritis scardica - Ironwort Sideritis syriaca - Mountain Tea Tanacetum balsamita -Alecost Tanacetum vulgare - Tansy Thymus sp. - Narrow Leaved Thyme Thymus x citriodorus - Lemon Thyme Support Our Project If you appreciate the work we are doing you can show your support in several ways. Become a member of the Bloom Room. A $70 annual or $7 per month subscription to our Substack provides you with access to live sessions, design tutorials, a members forum and more, see details here. Make a purchase of plants or seeds from our Nursery or Online Store Joining us for one of our Practical Courses or Online Courses Comment, like, and share our content on social media. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We offer a diversity of plants and seeds for permaculture, forest gardens and regenerative landscapes including a range of fruit and nut cultivars. We Deliver all over Europe from Nov - March. - Give a happy plant a happy home :) Our Bio-Nursery - Permaculture/Polyculture/ Regenerative Landscape Plants
Botanical Name: Scutellaria lateriflora. Other Common Names: Blue, greater, hairy, hooded, American, European western, maddog and side-flowering skullcap. It is also called scullcap, helmet flower, blue pimpernel, quaker bonnet, hooded willow flower, mad-dog weed, mad weed, hoodwort and hoodwart. Habitat: This herb is often found in partially shaded, wetland areas. It prefers light shade to full sun and wet to moist soil with plenty of organic matter. This perennial plant is native to North America. Plant Description: Skullcap grows to a height of 45 to 60 centimeters tall. It has a light green to reddish-green square stem with occasional branches.
Botanical Name: Evernia prunastri. Other Common Names: Ekmossa (Swedish), mousse de chêne (French), Eichenmoss (German). Habitat: Oakmoss is widespread throughout Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America. Description: Evernia prunastri or oakmoss is a lichen of the Parmeliaceae family. The genus Evernia contains about ten different species. The thalli (the vegetative body of a lichen) are bush-shaped and grow together to form large clumps. The thallus is flat and highly branched. It grows on trunks and branches of shrubs and deciduous trees like oaks, fruit trees, and blackthorn but also sometimes on pine trees. It is green to light whitish-green
Botanical Name: Pimpinella anisum. The anise seeds have been used since ancient times. The plant was grown, and its seeds were used as a spice in ancient Egypt, an application later adopted by the Greeks and Romans. It is primarily the seeds (botanically they are fruits) of the plant and the essential oil extracted from them that are used both as herbal medicines and in cooking. Also, the flowers and leaves of anise plant are a great addition to salads or as a garnish. The taste is very distinct and often compared to licorice root and fennel. Today, it is
Botanical Name: Bellis perennis. Other related plants are also known by the name daisy, but Bellis perennis is mostly regarded as the archetypal species. Other Common Names: Common daisy, garden daisy, English daisy, meadow daisy, bruisewort, tusindfryd (Danish), chiribita (Spanish), paquerette vivace (French), Gänseblümchen (German). Habitat: Daisy is native to Europe and western Asia, but has now been naturalized in many parts of the globe. Daisy prefers moist and nutritious soil. It can be found growing in lawns, parks, and pastures, as well as in meadows, roadsides, and cemeteries. Daisy is often regarded as invasive as well as a problematic
