The myth and magic of Vervain ( Verbena officinalis ) has been embedded in human culture for 1000’s of years. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, all had beliefs about the powers of this plant. In the Middle Ages it was used as a key ingredient in a mixture for protection against demons. Of course in modern times, with our massive body of scientific knowledge it is used more often as a Vampire Repellent…. live and learn !
May 2020 photos of native plant Pacific Bleeding Heart Dicentra formosa along the Cowichan Valley Trail.
This “semievergreen” hardy perennial can be harvested year round on Vancouver Island.
Not only is this plant deer resistant, but it is listed as an aromatic herb that Repels deer!
That’s quite a claim !
Check out what the Sonoma County Master Gardener’s have to say about discouraging deer using aromatic herbs at:
http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/2013_Feature_Articles/Aromatic_Herbs_Discourage_Deer/
Bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis ) is native to eastern Canada and an early bloomer here on Vancouver Island. Bloodroot has been used as a red dye by native artists. It is a member of the Papaveraceae (poppy) family.
I bumped into this Meadow Clary plant ( Salvia pratensis ) blooming in the farm’s demonstration garden.. Then I found out that the Royal Horticultural Society have given Meadow Clary their Award of Garden Merit (AGM). Since England has a similar climate to Vancouver Island I explored the RHS web site further and found a really interesting interactive herb plant selector guide. It would be perfect for planning a herb garden since you may search for plants using a huge number of different requirements such as available sunlight, height of plant, when it blooms and many other factors. Check it out ! RHS Herb Selector Guide
May Day is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival with ( of course ! ) a connection to herbs. In Germany Sweet Woodruff ( Galium odoratum ) is added to Rhine wine to make a delicious drink called Mailbowle. In Romania Mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris ) flavored red wine is one of the beverages of choice. Spring, dancing, herbs, and wine …. Tanz in den Mai !
In a race for the sun, Hops pop up early, and just keep going. As is typical of herbaceous perennials they die back to the ground level every fall, but by August the bines will be over 4 meters high. Humulus Lupulus is in the Cannabaceae pant family.
Lemon Thyme – source Wikimedia Commons
Lemon thyme (Thymus x citrodorus) grows well in a sunny garden location or as part of container herb garden. Small flowers arrive in the summer and attract lots of bees.
Lemon thyme is an excellent culinary variety and combines well with chicken, fish and vegetarian dishes. In addition to having a wonderful flavor, the leaves of lemon thyme are excellent source of iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, selenium, and potassium. Lemon thyme also contains Vitamins C, A and B-6.
Lemon thyme dries well and the left over woody stems can be laid over charcoal when barbecuing to flavor the smoke.
The Sponsa Solis flower opens at the rising of the sun and closes at its setting. We like to call it a Marsh Marigold and botanists call it Caltha palustris. This wonderful pond plant has a long bloom time of April to June, has been used as a medicinal plant in the past, and has even made it into the theater !
‘Winking Marybuds begin to ope their golden eyes.’ ( Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline ii.3)
Chives were a favorite culinary herb in China as long ago as 3,000 BC and are still a popular culinary herb all over the world. Chives are often used as companion plants for carrots, roses, grapes and tomatoes to deter pests. Chive flowers can be used to produce colorful and flavorful vinegar. Honey bees, bumble bees, and native pollinators also love chive flowers.
If you are thinking of growing your own culinary herbs Chives would be a good first choice. Easy to grow in a garden or a pot, easy to use and perennial.
Cowslip an early bloomer on Vancouver Island. Old myths claimed that fairies sought refuge inside cowslips in times of danger. The next time I have to trim the grass around the herb demonstration gardens with the stinky, noisy, old weed eater, I’ll check for any unusual mythical activity in the Cowslip patch…. now that would be a REALLY amazing day on the herb farm ! Cowslips have a long history of medicinal use and as an ingredient in magic potions. They are also know as St. Peter’s Keys, Palsywort, Cowslop, Fair Bells, Fairy Cup, Password, Peggle, and Keys of Heaven. Click on the image for information on the magickal properties of Cowslip.
Another ( possibly drastic ! ) herbal solution to controlling deer…..
http://www.localharvest.org/blog/39774/entry/herbs_that_go_with_game
Here is another plant from my summer holiday visit to the Harold and Francis Holt Physic Garden at the UBC Botanical Gardens. I really like the signage they use at this garden, it really adds to the experience.
One whiff of the distinctive aroma of Santolina and there is no wonder why it was used in medieval England as an insect repellent… it just smells to me like something that would keep bugs ( and anything else ! ) away.
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) is often quoted as being named after a native American medicine man, a fact that is replicated across the internet many times, and it is a great story…. but is it true ?
Here is an article that really digs into the facts of the Joe Pye Weed story so you may decide for yourself. Joe Pye the Name Behind the Legend
Medicine man or no medicine man, I just like this tall late summer blooming plant as an ornamental.
Monkshood ( Aconitum napellus ) can be deadly to animals and humans. This member of the buttercup family ( Ranunculacea ) contains aconitine, which is one of the most toxic plant compounds known. ( Ref. Encyclopdedia of Herbs and Their Uses, Deni Brown ) It is often called the Queen of poisons. In fact many common garden plants can be toxic to pets and/or people. For a list of potentially harmful plants checkout RHS harmful plants.
Don’t make tea from this Chamomile! Anthemis tinctoriais a traditional dye plant. If you want to get more from your garden than just a bunch of cheerful flowers, check out this article on planning a dye garden.
It is too bad that WordPress doesn’t have an olfactory technology widget….. yet, because if I could send the soft fresh cool calming minty aroma of Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii) through the internet to you, I think you would really enjoy it ! The smallest member of the mint family, Corsican Mint makes an excellent aromatic ground cover and is also used as an insect repelling companion plant for brassicas ( broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.)
For more information on the current status of sending scents digitally check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_scent_technology#Today.
Called Fishwort, Fish Mint, Chameleon Plant or Vap Ca Houttuynia cordata ‘Tricolour’ is a popular culinary herb in Vietnam, Northeastern India and Southwestern China. This plant over winters outdoors on Vancouver Island. It is often called fish mint because it is said to have a fishy flavour. I tried a leaf and found the flavour to be more of a bitter citrus-peel taste.
Rue ( Ruta graveolens ) is often planted in herb gardens for its interesting foliage. Long ago it was used as a protector against evil, a snake bite antidote and a enhancer of “inner vision”, however, this plant is poisonous and even handling it can cause phytolphotoderamtitis. Click on the photo for a very informative article on dermatitis caused by plants , complete with lists of plants to handle with care.
Comfrey ( Symphytum officinale ) is valued for it’s high potassium content for use as a compost ingredient. ‘Bocking 14’ is a cultivar of Russian Comfrey developed at a research facility in Bocking England in the 1950’s by has the highest potassium content. People who like to grow vegetables organically without using any animal products or byproducts find Comfrey to be a useful animal free organic fertilizer ingredient. Click on the picture to find out about the “Veganic” organic farming movement on the Veganic Agriculture Network.
Wild Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica )has been smoked for medicinal purposes for over 2000 years, today it is used mainly as an ingredient in pesticides …… probably a better use for it !
It is easy to grow and makes an interesting ornamental plant.
“Arnica has been used for centuries to treat bruises, arthritis and other inflammations.”(ref Thomas J. Elpel Botany in a Day 5th Ed 2010 ) . We grow a large bed of Arnica chamissonis on the farm. The flowers are harvested and used to produce a solar infused oil which forms the foundation for many herbal products. Click on the photo to read a wonderful summary of various solar infused oils.
The first day back to work after the weekend always brings lots of new surprises… what seeds have germinated ? have the cuttings rooted ? and what has started blooming ? The blooming Bistort ( Polygonum bistorta ) in the demonstration garden was my welcome back to work this week.
To dream of Calendula is said to be a sign of all good things. We grow 100’s of these plants on the farm and use them in many different products. The preferred cultivar is Calendula officinalis ‘Erfurter Orangefarbige’.
The plant Origanum dictamnus represents different things to different people. Botanists would call the interesting wooly texture of the leaves ” Tomentose”. Ancient Greeks used to fall off cliffs trying to collect it for love potions. Gardeners plant it for the interesting foliage and the purplish pink flowers that appear in hop-like clusters. In magickal lore it ” Aids in the areas of; Manifestations & Astral Projection” (ref. http://herbalriot.tumblr.com). Chefs even have a use for it ……. Click on the image for a Medieval Style Fried Chicken recipe.
We sure have a lot of deer on Vancouver Island ! To assist with selecting deer resistant herbs, I have set up a “Deer Resistant” category in this blog. Simply click on the category title and pictures of all of the deer resistant plants I have mentioned will pop up. For even more information click on this photo to go to the Master Gardeners of BC deer resistant plant list.
Mountain Everlasting ( Antennaria dioica ), also know as Catsfoot or Pink Pussy Toes, has been used as a folk medicinal ( ref. John Lust “The Herb Book” 1974 ). This deer resistant plant can be used as an attractive ground cover.
No surprise here, a Lavender picture in a herb farm blog …… it was just a matter of time !
Lavandula stoechas ‘Otto Quast’ is a popular choice on Vancouver Island. This reliable long bloomer attracts, butterflies, bees and beneficial insects. It’s also drought tolerant once established. The flower is topped with petal like violet bracts. Click on the image for a microscopic look at lavender.
Lots of seed is collected on the farm for plant propagation. This “mop top ” is a Pasque Flower seed head. Click on the image to see what it looked like on April 11th.
Alchemilla alpina also know as Silvery Lady’s Mantle. This miniature version of A. mollis is coveted for its fringed leaves, and an attractive plant for a small garden or rockery. It has many medicinal uses for human and veterinary medicine.
Lady’s Mantel ( Achemilla mollis ) holds water drops that glitter like jewels in the sun.
In fact Achemilla means “little magic one”. According to The Encyclopedia of Herb and Their Uses ( Deni Brown 1995) ” A. mollis is widely planted in herb gardens but has no medical uses” Alpine Lady’s Mantle ( A. alpina ) is considered the medicinal variety.
Click on the photo to learn about how Lady’s Mantle can be part of an “edible lawn”.
The Sweet Cicely ( Myrrhis odorata ) flower attracts and provides nectar for this syrphid fly, which hopefully will stick around the farm, because syrphid fly larva eat up to 40 aphids a day. It is nice to know I have all these helpers flying around , I’ll give them a special “two thumbs up” in this weeks IPM report. Sweet Cicely is not just about bugs, people use the sweet aniseed flavored leaves as a low-calorie sweeter.
Chelidonium majus has a long history of use in homeopathy and Chinese medicine for a large number of medical complaints. It grows in several unused corners of the farm and whenever I have to cut it down it instantly makes me sneeze. I am thinking of renaming it to Brian’s Sneeze-weed ! Speaking of plant names, the name Tetterwort seems to apply to a few different plants used for treating Tetter which is an old English term for skin disease.
Elder ( Sambucus spp. ) was the ” Herb of the Year 2013″ and could be the ultimate permaculture plant, ” a fantastic attractor of beneficial insects and hummingbirds, can be used as a windbreak or living fence, provides food and shelter for wildlife (especially birds), and is a great pioneer species.” (John Kitsteiner Temperate Climate Permaculture ) Click on the picture to read John Kitsteiner’s complete article on Elderberry.
Bay laurel is another culinary super-star, but also it is claimed to be an important herb for public safety…… “neither witch nor devil, thunder nor lightening, will hurt a man in the place where a bay-tree is. ” ( Nicholas Culpeper , Culpeer’s Complete Herbal, and English Physician 1826 ) Vancouver Island gardeners should remember that even with all these virtues, Bay is a tender perennial and should be protected during the coldest months of the winter.
Woad ( Isatis tinctoria ) has a long ethnobotanical history dating back thousands of years. In addition to being an important source of blue dye, it had many traditional medicinal uses. Click on the image to learn how to extract the blue dye from woad leaves.
It’s raining on the farm today and even moderate rain on the poly covering on propagation greenhouse sounds like a thunderous downpour. So I found a nice bright flower to cut through the gloom. Coltsfoot ( Tussilago farfara ) was smoked as a cough remedy as early as AD23, it is still an ingredient in herbal tobaccos and is used for curing some pipe tobaccos. ( ref. Deni Brown, 1995, Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses )
The Pasque flower has many famous ( and infamous ) relatives in the Buttercup family Rannunculaceae … Columbine, Black Cohosh, and the deadly Monk’s Hood to name a few.
Even this beauty has a few tricks up it’s sleeve – “Anemone contains depressant alkaloids and can be dangerous ” (JOHN LUST)
Here is another photo of Bloodroot, notice the way the petiole extend from the base of the plant, also the plants in the top left of this early morning photo have their leaves and flowers folded still waiting for the morning to arrive to their section of the bed.
I caught this flat of V. odorata peaking out at me from under a greenhouse bench. Click on the image and a link will take you to a wonderful page of poetry about violets.
Compared to the pollen producing catkins, the flower of the Corkscrew Hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ ) is very small…. less than 5mm wide ! Hazel nut trees are in the Betulaceae (Beech) family.
Vancouver Island Gardening Adventures 