Common Herb Gardening Plants – Basil, Dill and Lavender
August 19, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
It doesn't matter of you are a novice or an expert at gardening, it is still considerably easy to start a herb garden. It is not only a fragrant addition to your home but it will definitely come in handy for many of your kitchen needs. Herbs are essential in making holistic cures and preventive measures for slight illnesses. Herbs also give depths to the flavor of your cooking. Herbs are also hearty and stalwart plants but you should pay attention to the specific care needed for specific herbs.
Basil - This herb is one of the most commonly grown and is highly regarded by herb garden enthusiasts all over the world. The Basil herb grows well in climates of low humidity and fertile soil. Spring is the perfect season to start growing the Basil plant, but only after all threats of frost have been alleviated as this plant is highly sensitive to cold temperatures and may become damaged if exposed.
When planting Basil, it is important to remember to place each plant about twelve inches apart. This way, it will let each plant gain access to adequate water, enabling it to grow into a healthy plant. It takes approximately six weeks for the Basil to sprout leaves that are suitable for collection and use. When the harvesting is done, a proper drying method will result in a flavorful dried herb that can be used in a wide variety of recipes to tantalize your taste buds. This robust herb would have grown to approximately one or two feet tall and sprouted deep green or even purplish leaves with small white flowers during warm summer months.
Dill - Nothing could be simpler than growing the tasty herb Dill. A handful of seeds tossed into your garden will produce stalks that reach anywhere from two to four feet in height. This particular herb is an excellent addition to many recipes and adds a beautiful display to your garden. Dill plant stalks produce a cluster of lavish yellow flowers combined with unique feather like, blue-green leaves.
The Dill plant is a sun loving plant, so areas with full access to sunlight will ensure a thriving plant. A distance of eight to ten inches between plants is the best way to ensure a hardy crop. After planting, it is important to go back in a couple of weeks when the plants have grown about an inch in height and thin out the area around each plant. This process will ensure that each plant receives its required amount of nutrients from the soil as well as ensuring each plant is exposed to sufficient sunlight.
The Dill plant is useful in many ways. The beautiful bright yellow flowers make an excellent tool for decorating while the seeds and leaves are the perfect addition to dips and salads. You can harvest the flowers when they are in full bloom and use them as part of your fresh flower or dried flower arrangements. After the yellow blooms have blossomed for approximately two weeks, you can then harvest the Dill seeds. A good way is to trim the flowers and dry them upside down, while suspended over a plate or a piece of paper. Such a method lets the seeds fall, ready for collection for other uses. Finally, crumbling the dried leaves is another way to add the distinct taste of Dill to any cherished recipe.
Lavender - One of the most beautiful and fragrant herbs is Lavender. This aromatic plant makes for a wonderful ground cover for any herb or flower garden as it produces delicate pink and purple flowers nestled on very tall stalks. Lavender is a plant that grows all year round and is at its optimum during the warm summer months. Lavender is frequently a major ingredient in aromatherapy, soap making and potpourri mixes.
This hardy herb is easy to grow, however if choosing to start from seed form, may require a little extra work and TLC. A good way to cultivate this herb is to get fresh plants or root cuttings from a nursery near you. Such plants grow well in sunny areas with alkaline rich soil that is not water logged. As the winter months approach, the beauty of these plants will fade, however, during the next spring and summer seasons these plants will return more hardy and lush then the last.
Each of these herbs are a delectable treat offered by nature. Growing such herbs is relatively simple and they have many uses, having them in your collection will add to the fragrance and pleasure of gardening,.
Your Herb Garden – 4 Great Landscaping Tips
August 17, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Once you plan on having a patch for your herb garden make sure that it is well weeded and doesn’t get lost amidst the other greenery. Put this into your landscaping plans too and make sure that it has a prominent place in your garden.
1. Landscaping for your herb garden
Before you plant your herbs make sure that the soil is prepared well. You will have to make sure that it is properly edged in and that there are no weeds in the patch. This is not an easy job, and will take you at least a day to complete if done properly. To make the soil ready for planting you would have to add some nutrients to it. Once the soil is well prepared then you can start planning your landscaping and planting your herbs here.
2. Different kinds of herbs
To get the herbs that you want to plant you can get them from your local nursery. There are two kinds of hers, cooking herbs and ornamental ones. The latter are only for the aesthetic value that they add to your garden. So decide on which ones you want and incorporate this into your landscaping plans. It would benefit you to have both kinds now that you are planning a herb garden. This way you can enjoy both the beauty and the health benefits from the herbs.
3. Keep the herbs separated
Herbs should not be grown nest to each other as they can grow into each other and become hybrids. So to keep them apart you should make fencing with wire or wood and cordon off the areas of each kind of herb. This way each herb will remain in the space allotted to it and not grow into the other patch. This herb garden should be in your back yard landscaping and made a focal point of the garden. Protect it from animals and make sure that it has the right amount of shade and sunlight that it requires.
4. Expand your herb garden
If you have a fairly large garden then you can expand the area of your herb garden and add accessories to the patch to beautify it further. A garden path between the herbs and a waterfall will do wonders for this patch and your garden.
To get more ideas you can ask the local nursery for ideas or get professional landscapers to help you. Landscaping is something that has a lot of websites on the internet and you could find out a lot about it and get new ideas. Once you get started you can be very innovative yourself and not really need anyone's assistance to make your herb garden the best in the neighborhood.
The Types Of Herb To Grow In Your Herb Garden
August 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
People who are into natural health often try to grow as much of their own food as possible. Many people raise their own cows or goats for milk and meat and have beautiful vegetable gardens. There is nothing more satisfying than looking at your supper table and knowing that you contributed to the bulk of the harvest there. Herbs are no different and they are easy to grow.
Herb gardens date back as far as the 15th century. Just as herbs have many different uses, so did the types of gardens grown. Every monastery, estate and farmhouse had an herb garden in some form. Herb gardens were a way of life for most people. The midwives had gardens that would contain herbs helpful to women, housewives had gardens that grew the herbs needed for cooking, and English estates had elaborate gardens that graced the property both visually and aromatically. Below are some of the most common types of herb gardens:
Aromatic: This type of herb garden is grown mainly for its aromatic qualities. The flowers are used in floral arrangements, or dried, or the oils extracted for perfume or candles. Some plants you might use are rosemary, lavender, and peppermint.
Culinary: This category probably springs to mind automatically. We cook with herbs everyday and many of them are very easy to grow. Basil, oregano, dill, sage and parsley are just a few herbs common to culinary herb gardens. Rosemary can also be included in this category.
Medicinal: For ages, people have been growing herbs for their medicinal qualities. Herbs like garlic, chamomile, catnip (just make sure the neighborhood cats don't discover it!), and, echinacea all have medicinal benefits.
Ornamental: These types of herbs are grown simply because they look pretty! Although, there are some herbs that are functional too and cross over from the other categories (lavender, echinacea and rosemary all have lovely flowers when in bloom).
When making your herb garden remember that this is your own self expression. There are no rules that say you cannot mix a culinary garden with a medicinal garden, or make an aromatic garden ornamental as well. Do some sketches and make some plans as to how you want your garden to look and what you want it to do. You can add fountains and statuary, or enhance the natural elements of your yard. There are no limits. It all depends on how ambitious you are and how green your thumb is!
Planting An Herb Garden
August 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Herbs of all kinds have been cultivated and used for thousands of years. They have been used for cooking, tea and medicinal purposes. Herb gardens easy to grow and require little maintenance. The following article covers the basics of starting an herb garden.
Plan your garden before planting it. Consider the herbs you want to plant and what you'll use them for. Herbs grow in various ways; some herbs, such as thyme, are low growing and spreading while others, such as parsley, grow in clumps. Mint is a taller, vigorously growing herb which often needs to be contained. Herbs are considered either annuals or perennials and many will bloom just like more traditional flowers.
List or draw your garden on paper first. If you know the size of your garden you'll easily be able to choose the appropriate plants. Likewise, if you have certain herbs in mind you'll able to plan the right size garden. Plant the annuals and the perennials in different locations in the garden. When fall arrives and you have to pull out the annuals, you won't disturb the perennials. Perennials can be planted on the edge of your garden so when it is time to till your garden they won't be in danger of being dug up.
Research the growth habit of the herbs you plant in the garden. As a general garden design rule, plan your garden with the tall herbs at the back and the short ones in front. Also, give your plants with enough space to grow; many of the spreading herbs require quite a bit of space. In fact, some can be quite invasive and require frequent pruning.
If you lack the adequate space for a garden, plant your herbs in containers. Be sure to use a high quality planting mix. A good planting mix will feed your plants throughout the entire growing season.
Designing your garden depends on the plants you choose as well as your own preferences. Square beds can be divided into four by two paths crossing at mid point. You can border it with stone or brick. A more rustic idea is to create a wagon wheel bed. Plant your herbs within the wagon wheel's wedges. Locate the garden where they'll be easiest to access; especially if you plan on using them in your cooking. An herb garden adjacent to a patio usually works well. Kitchen window boxes are also a great place to plant herbs.
Though different herbs have different needs, a sunny location is almost always necessary. Add lime to your garden since many herbs also prefer alkaline soil. Become familiar with the herbs you'll be planting and design and prepare your garden accordingly. Though perennial herbs can be planted anytime during the growing season, annuals should be planted in the spring, after there is no longer a chance of frost. You can also start herbs from seed, just be sure to follow the directions on the packet for soil, watering and temperature.
Herbs are simple to grow and, once established, easy to maintain. If you provide them with adequate drainage, a sunny spot, water and nutrient rich, organic soil, your herb garden with thrive for years.
What Is A Herb Garden?
August 11, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
The cultivation of herb gardens has been around for centuries and people continue to practise this activity until this day. A herb garden has a specific purpose - to grow herbal plants that can be then used for cooking or medicinal purposes. Many herbs are grown and used in alternative medicine for their healing properties while others grow them purely for ornamental and decorative reasons. Some herbs have very distinctive leave structure and beautiful flowers which is a great way to not only spruce up the appearance of a particular section of the garden, for landscaping by using herbs as borders but also to use them to add a touch of natural fragrance to the garden. Herbs such as rosemary, thyme and mint give out a stunning fragrance all year round and they are hardy plants which require very little water and low maintenance, a perfect addition to your garden.
Getting Started
The most economical and fastest way to access information on starting your own herb garden is by using the Internet. Thousands of websites are dedicated to the ins and outs of cultivating herbs in your garden. They offer invaluable insights into the characteristics of each type of herb, how to avoid certain pitfalls, how to treat certain diseases, the optimum weather conditions and soil mixture to yield a good crop and how to fend off garden pests such as snails, slugs and insects that impact the health of these plants.
You can also invest in a create-your-own-herb-garden kit. They are widely available at garden centers, all ready to be used both indoors and outdoors. All the compost is mixed for you and all you need to do is follow the instructions, sow the seeds and watch the herb grow, simple and easy. Some herbs grow all year round while others thrive during certain months of the year and require constant sunshine and watering. When the herbs have hardened in the pot or container you can then transfer them into your garden.
It is worthwhile reading up on the different herbs on things such as their growth rate, their maximum height and spread and the type of soil that is needed to promote growth prior to creating your herb garden. Some mature herbs can grow into a large tall bush which means you will need to allocate enough space for it to grow in while others such as mint leaves spread like wild fire and would benefit from growing in a pot rather than letting it run free in the garden and overtaking patches that are reserved for other herbs. No longer are herbs home grown just to add extra flavor to cooking, they are also popular in alternative medicinal purposes. Many now swear by the benefits and healing powers of herbs to treat illnesses such as the cold, headaches and pains.
Do not rush it, take your time to research the plethora of herbs and find those that are suitable to grow in your garden and use the Internet to exchange tips with other fellow herb garden enthusiasts.
Building a Basic Herb Garden: The Basics of a Typical Herb Garden
August 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
A basic herb garden is not hard to create and it can be created in a remarkably small amount of space. Everybody loves an herb garden. The idea of gathering fresh herbs from the garden to use in the kitchen is so enticing. Therefore, no matter if you live in an apartment or you have a yard that is perfect for planting making a basic herb garden is easy.
There are a few things that you will need to get started for creating a basic herb garden. The first thing is to decide what type of basic herb garden you want. Do you want a container herb garden or are you looking for something a bit grander like a kitchen garden or a backyard herb garden. One of the nicest ways to add an special something to your cooking is by using herbs and spices, and luckily it is very simple to create an indoor herb garden to make sure everything you use is as fresh as it possibly could be.
Once you have decided the kind of garden that you want to create you will need to decide if you want to create your garden from seeds or from already existing plants that you will transplant. Once you have authenticated the mode of planting you want to do for your basic herb garden.
Supplies
There are a few supplies that you are going to need for your herb garden. Of course, these supplies vary depending on which mode of herb garden you are creating. The list includes all the supplies necessary for both gardens. Some of the supplies are going to be the same so the list is combined for the purpose of being brief. The items you will need are: soil, fertilizer, seeds or herb plants, containers, and a spade.
Instructions
If you are using a container or containers to create your herb garden, prepare the container by placing the soil in it. Then depending on the type of fertilizer you are using add the fertilizer to create the growing environment. You may or can not depending on the type of soil you get want to wet the soil down before planting. If you are, using seeds follow the planting instructions for the types of herbs you are planting. If you are using already appreciated plants follow replanting instructions. These are usually listed with the plant, but can be found online if necessary.
For kitchen gardens weed and till the area to break up the soil and remove any hefty objects like rocks. Then add in the top soil and fertilizers and plant the seeds or transplant following the same as above instructions. Make sure that you look at the lighting needs of your herbs and place them in areas that receive the right amount of light and shade to ensure proper growth.
Indoor Organic Herb Garden
August 7, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Growing an organic herb garden is a delightful project. The fragrant plants not only look and smell good; they are also good for flavoring foods.
Indoor organic herb gardens have the advantage of being year-round, giving a continuous supply of fresh herbs. An indoor organic herb garden can be as small as a few pots on a window sill or as large as a greenhouse filled with containers of aromatic organic herbs.
Herb Choices
There are many ways to decide which herbs to include in your organic herb garden. Here are some ideas.
1. Italian Herb Garden: Plant rosemary, oregano, basil, fennel, and chives. Terra cotta containers will make your indoor organic herb garden look authentically old world.
2. French Herb Garden: Begin with lemon basil, marjoram, and parsley, and add other herbs you like to use in French cooking.
3. Fragrant Herb Garden: Choose angelica, bergamot, catmint, chamomile, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, mint, and sage. This organic herb garden is a natural air freshener.
4. Tea Herb Garden: If you enjoy herbal teas, your organic herb garden might focus on appropriate herbs for your tea: catnip, chamomile, lavender, lemon grass, mint, and peppermint.
You may not want to theme your indoor organic herb garden, but simply grow a few herbs that appeal to you.
Containers
Many herbs are well-suited to container gardening, but you will want to choose containers according to the herbs you intend to grow.
1. Those tiny herb peat pots sold in discount stores give the wrong idea. Your indoor organic herb garden will not last long with such small thinking.
2. Begin with containers a bit larger than those in which the live nursery plants were purchased. This will give your plants room to start growing.
3. Once your herbs are stabilized and growing well, transplant them into larger containers.
4. Basil, mint, oregano, and sage are examples of herbs that can be grown in pots of about 8 to 10 inches.
5. If you want a large crop of herbs that is constantly being replenished in your organic herb garden, use 3 to 5 gallon containers. This will assure you of having plenty of rosemary, basil, etc. when you want it.
Container Soil
Indoor organic herb gardens call for building organic soil. Your soil should have a pH of about 7, since herbs prefer a more alkaline soil. If yours is too acid, add some calcified seaweed. Be sure you use only organic fertilizers to build your soil.
Indoor Lighting
An indoor organic herb garden will need lighting, especially if your room is not sunny. Lighting is especially important for year-round indoor gardens.
Different plants have different light requirements, some preferring bright sun and others preferring shade. Most herbs prefer full sun, but there are exceptions, so learn what each of your herbs needs.
Incandescent lights, even though called "grow lights", are a poor choice for your indoor organic herb garden. Fluorescent lights are better, and have the advantage of being inexpensive, easily available, and easy to set up. The best choice for lighting your indoor organic herb garden is high intensity discharge lighting, often called HID lights. These are even more affordable and efficient.
Useful and Beautiful
An indoor organic herb garden can be both useful and beautiful. Herbs are generally eager to please, and require little maintenance. Simply give them the right food, water, and sunlight, and they will reward you abundantly.
A Herb Garden Landscape Design Should Be Chosen For A Specific Purpose
August 5, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
People have used herbs for thousands of years in their everyday lives from medicine to seasoning people have used herbs. Today people sometimes take inspiration from older herb garden landscape designs to create something new from a classic idea.
Choosing herb for herb garden landscaping design is very personal; one needs to plan the desired focus of the garden. This is a very basic gardening theory but a good one; think of a single intent for the garden and build from that.
The Chef
A culinary herb garden landscape design can combine the beauty of the outdoors with their passion for cooking. Common herbs like sage, parsley, garlic, rosemary, oregano, chives, and mint have many lovely qualities that can be enjoyed outside of cooking.
Sage is very aromatic; parsley is beautiful, garlic flowers and grows easily in most areas. Rosemary is also very aromatic, oregano is another herb that makes a nice bushy ground covering and chives will flower as well.
The Aroma-therapist
Herb garden landscaping designs are ideally suited for aromatherapy. People may enjoy the tranquil effects of herbs and combinations of herbs simply by sitting in a comfortable chair, hammock, or swing in their herb garden.
Aroma-therapists can plant complimentary herbs together to form the best combinations for mood enhancement. One form of herb garden landscaping design is to plant herbs in beds according to a need or aesthetic appeal. This type of container gardening is also ideally suited for aromatherapy.
Lavender for example is a very common aromatherapy herb; it can be planted alone for some purposes and can be planted with other herbs in a container to achieve a specific blend of herbs.
Medicinal Herbs
For thousands of years people have used herbs for medicinal purposes, once people started cultivating the most useful herbs, herb garden landscaping design was born. People would often have two separate herb collections, one which was grown towards the back of their property for herbs that would be dried and stored. A second herb garden was often grown closer to a person's home to be used as needed.
Pure Enjoyment
Many herb garden landscaping designs are inspired by people's pure enjoyment of the herb they grow. Herbs can make a fragrant border to a lawn and a beautiful ground covering for gardens. Combining vegetables, flowers, and herbs in one garden bed can make a very beautiful and interesting garden area.
One way to accomplish this type of herb garden landscaping design is to grow things together which are used together. Bell peppers, tomatoes, and basil all like the full sun and plenty of water, the three plants will grow well together. Mint, lemon balm, and impatients can all be grown together in the shade for a beautiful accent under a porch or flowering shrub.
How To Grow An Indoor Herb Garden
August 3, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
For thousands and thousands of years we have turned to plants we call herbs for flavor, dye, perfume and cosmetics. We have believed that individual herbs held the power to repel insects, evil and vampires, while others attracted the perfect lover, good luck or bees to pollinate our crops. For some, the use of herbs can cure headaches and burns. And, of course, what would fine dining be without the culinary herbs?
Here are some tips for herb gardening indoors that will simulate the conditions in an outside garden. For Herb gardening indoors the growing climates need to be pretty much the same as the conditions outside.
Make sure you have a sunny windowsill that your herbs will love. Use a container that is at least 6-12 inches deep.
Get your herb plants from a good garden center nursery who will have plenty of garden advice to help you with your inside garden. You will need some garden equipment like a small digging garden tool, garden gloves, organic fertilizer and some small gardening containers. You probably already have most of these garden supplies in your garden shed.
Soil is the most important aspect of growing herbs indoors. Use only top grade potting soil with an organic fertilizer mixed in. If you think it is too fine a soil, use a little perlite. Fertilize while potting the herbs and they should be happy until spring. If you have an herb that is not growing vigorously add a little organic liquid fertilizer to the water.
When you go to transplant the herb, go one inch up in the size of the gardening container. If the plant is in a two inch pot, go to a three inch gardening container. Leave the roots alone and be careful not to bruise the stem.
Don't plant oreganos, mints, lemon balm or bee balm with other plants because they will overgrow everything. Pot these herbs in a garden container all their own. You may want to always plant those herbs in containers since they tend to "take over" the garden.
Some people swear that you must put garden stones in the bottom of the gardening container, but I dispute that opinion. I feel that the garden stones take valuable space away from the herb roots. You might want to place a small piece of wire screening over the hole to keep it from getting clogged.
Here are some examples of which herbs to plant together:
For an Italian selection try Sweet basil, Italian parsley, Oregano, Marjoram and Thyme.
For a lovely scented container use Lavender, Rose scented geranium, Lemon balm, Lemon thyme, and Pineapple sage.
For really great salads try Garlic chives, Rocket, Salad burnet, Parsley, Celery.
And to say "We love French Cooking!" use Tarragon, Chervil, Parsley, Chives and Sage
Allow time for your herbs to grow used to their new conditions. Once you see growth you can start using you herbs. Snip and use your herbs often to encourage them to grow full and bushy.
When it comes to light, all herbs must get 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day on your window sill. If your window doesn't supply that much light then purchase garden grow lights and hang them three inches above the plants. If you live in a very hot climate shade the herbs during the hottest periods. If you live in a very cold climate keep the herbs away from the cold glass panes.
When it comes to watering, don't let the herbs dry out but don't drown them either. Herbs do not like to sit in wet soil. An inexpensive water meter from your garden center nursery will help with this important step in growing your herbs. Always use room temperature water so as not to shock the herb's roots.
If you follow all of these steps you will have a healthy herb garden all winter on your sunny windowsill.
Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
Herb Gardening With Culinary Herbs, Ornamental Herbs and Medicinal Herbs
August 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under Herb gardening
Herb gardening has been around for centuries and the joys of an herbal garden is well know to many gardeners. Even beginner gardeners can have a high quality of success by starting with the basics and working their way up to a more complicated herbal garden. You can plant a container herb garden or an indoor herb garden. There are three categories of herbs that can be grown in you herbal gardens, culinary herbs, ornamental herbs, or medicinal herbs.
Culinary herb gardening's purpose is to add spice and flavor to your cooking. Culinary herbs are the herbs that use fresh or dried leaves in cooking. Some of the classic culinary herbs are parsley, oregano, rosemary and basil. You may even want to plant some sage and thyme. There is a difference between herbs and spices. Spices are seeds, roots, fruits, flowers, and bark while, as mentioned above, culinary herbs are fresh or dried leaves.
When considering your culinary herb garden your most important decision is the location. You will need a sunny spot with at least six hours of sun. The more sun the herb garden gets the more flavor will develop in the herbs. Try to place your culinary herb garden as close to the kitchen door as possible. This will ensure that the herbs will be used daily.
A simple and delicious way to use basil is to slice some juicy ripe tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Overlap them on a plate, sprinkle on some extra virgin olive oil and chopped basil. It is also good with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Anyone that has grown a culinary herb garden and used the fresh herbs will tell you that the fresh herbs are superior over the dried herbs.
Ornamental herb gardening can make your gardens not only practical but beautiful too. By "ornamental" we mean that the primary current usage is purely decorative. Some of these ornamental herbs have a long history of medicinal or culinary usage. Pots of ornamental herbs add color and texture to balconies or patios. They are perfect for lining your flower beds.
A good example of an ornamental herb is Dittany of Crete, a favorite oregano herb of many herb gardeners. It will form a low mound and produce leaves with fine silvery hairs. You would never want to use this in cooking, it is strictly for show.
Rue is another good choice for garden borders. Its unusual blue green color offers contrast to bright showy blooms. The rue leaves can be used as a garnish but because of its bitter flavor does not work in cooking.
Ornamental herbs are just what they say, ornaments for your gardens. Ornamental herb gardening will add texture and interest to your flower beds.
Now we come to medicinal herbs. Before the 1900's medicinal herbs were used widely in the United States. Somewhere in the 1960's herbs used as medicine dwindled. Now, many doctors are prescribing medicinal herbs as well as mainstream medicine.
There are three ways that the medicinal herbs work on the body. Medicinal herbs have been known to strengthen an organ so that it can heal itself. Some medicinal herbs purge the body of toxins and illness, while others build up the immune system which will help in retarding illness.
There are many ways to use medicinal herbs. A few are infusions, herb vinegars, ointments, teas and tinctures. For example, to make a healing herbal tea, boil water and pour over the fresh herbs in a cup. Let it steep for 5 minutes but no longer then 10 for it will get bitter.
The medicinal herb stevia can be used as a natural sweetener and is easy to grow in an herbal garden. It also decrease tooth decay and gum disease if used as a mouth wash.
Before starting any course of medicinal herbs, be sure to notify your Doctor to see if they will interact with any medicines you are currently taking.
These are some of the basics of the three herb groups. Plan your herb garden, pick a bright sunny place and plant your herbs. Remember you can plant an herb garden in the ground, as a container garden or an indoor herb garden.
Happy Gardening!
Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

