Herbal Houseplants: Grow beautiful herbs - indoors! For flavor, fragrance, and fun
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- Автор: Susan Betz
- Print length: 176 pages
- Language: English
- Publisher: Cool Springs Press
- Publication date: April 27, 2021
- Dimensions: 5.95 x 0.75 x 7.9 inches
- ISBN-10: 0760369550
- ISBN-13: 978-0760369555
From the Publisher
Herbal Houseplants: Grow beautiful herbs - indoors! For flavor, fragrance, and fun
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An Herbal PrimerThe evangelists of the plant kingdom, herbs give more for the time and space devoted to them than any other category of growing things. Everyone enjoys herbs in one form or another. They are among Mother Nature’s oldest garden gifts. Herbs were the first plants welcomed indoors, not for aesthetic reasons, but out of necessity. History tells us that herbs were valued first for their medicinal qualities. Herbs also serve many useful functions in daily life, such as flavoring, fragrance, dyes, teas, insecticides, and other creative pursuits. |
Herbs for the Kitchen and BeyondGrowing an indoor kitchen garden lets you enjoy the fragrance and flavor of fresh herbs year-round. There is something for everyone; the novice and gourmet chef alike appreciate how natural and delicious herbs enhance even the simplest meals, pleasing the eye as well as the palate. With today’s emphasis on health and wellness, fresh herbs make great substitutes for processed seasonings and salt. They add zest to drinks, salads, main dishes, sweets, and soups. Many common kitchen herbs are also valued and used for their health benefits: to calm stress, ease digestion, and build immunity by promoting overall wellness. Within the broad concept of what, precisely, an herb is, it’s challenging to place them into distinct categories. The herbs have a multiplicity of uses—culinary, medicinal, fragrance, decorative, and more. From this point, individual tastes and interests will guide you in deciding which herbs to grow. |
Herbs for Fun and FragranceThe sense of smell is one of Mother Nature’s most precious gifts and fragrance is one of life’s greatest pleasures. The restorative comfort and healing power of fragrance touches everyone. In her charming book The Fragrant Garden, Louise Beebe Wilder describes the evocative power of scent, “It is born of sensitive and very personal preferences yet its appeal is almost universal. Fragrance speaks to many whom color and form say little, and it can bring as irresistibly as music emotions of all sorts to the mind.” Botanical scents can be potent medicines as well as pleasant perfumes. Aromatherapy’s power comes from its ability to effect changes in both mood and health. If you have ever smelled pine and felt more energetic or if a particular fragrance brings back memories of a loved one, then you have experienced the influence of scent on your psychological state. Research has documented this link, confirming that scent is an important factor in mental performance, memory, and mood. |
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Scented-Leaf GeraniumsScented-leaf Pelargoniums (geraniums), known for the extraordinary fragrance in their leaves, have been captivating gardeners for centuries. Native to Southern Africa, these tender perennials were first brought to Europe by English and Dutch botanists around 1632 and were introduced to colonial America before 1750. By 1870, they had become so popular that garden catalogs listed more than 150 varieties. These plants mimic the fragrances of flowers, foliage, fruits, and spices. The scent is contained in small beads of oil produced in glands in the base of tiny leaf hairs. The essential oil extracted from scented geranium leaves is used in the aromatherapy, perfume, and cosmetic industries. You can grow geraniums that smell like roses, nutmeg, peppermint, orange, lemon, and lime! |
Temporary House Guests and Herbal TopiariesEven with the most diligent care, plants growing indoors eventually decline and need to be replaced. As Charles A. Lewis, in his classic book Green Nature/Human Nature: The Meaning of Plants in Our Lives, perceptively states, “Plants and people share the rhythm of life. They both evolve and change, respond to nurture and climate, and live and die.” Some plants manage to adapt readily to an indoor environment and thrive for years with little effort on your part. But not all houseplants are long-lived, especially certain herbs. The important thing is to enjoy them while you have them and replace them as needed. |
Preserving Your Herbal HarvestThe real beauty of herbs emerges when you get up close and personal with the plants. Knowing when and how to harvest them involves an intimate connection and firsthand knowledge of each plant’s natural life cycle and reproductive habits. We can all benefit from a daily dose of green enchantment. Ultimately herbs appeal to each of the five senses and have something of value to satisfy the mind, body, and spirit of every person. Harvesting can begin anytime there is sufficient foliage on the plant to tolerate cutting. Except for annual herbs at the end of their growing season, never cut back a plant completely when harvesting it. |
Pruning and Grooming Herbal Houseplants
Every herb species has its own growth habit and natural shape. Plants growing in containers require a little more grooming than those grown in the ground. Fast-growing plants, like herbs, need frequent pinching to promote maximum foliage production and deter straggly growth. Most herbs put on new growth at their branch tips, and this is where they should be snipped or pinched regularly to encourage a bushier form. Some herbs, such as chives, parsley, and sorrel, grow from the base of the plant; old growth should be removed from the sides of these plants rather than from the branch tips.
Plants grow from their leaves as well as the roots so be careful not to overprune your plants. In general, prune plants during periods of active growth, which means early spring through summer for most herbs, especially the woody varieties such as lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
MAKING A FAUX HERBAL TOPIARY
You can also use fresh flowers and foliage or artificial plant materials to create faux topiary-inspired floral arrangements. Don Haynie, herb expert and floral designer extraordinaire, developed the idea for this whimsical faux herbal topiary when he was working in the floral industry in Virginia, United States. He was doing flowers for a wedding and the bride wanted to use the same wedding reception floral arrangements the night before, then give them as gifts to her wedding party. A tall order for a florist to fill because Don was concerned the arrangements would not last several days, let alone being toted about to several locations. Then, one night, his guardian angel appeared to him in a dream flying around the room on a bathroom plunger, and he got up and jotted the idea down. Don has graciously shared the original directions on how to make this faux topiary. Any seasonal combination of fresh flowers, herbs, and foliage may be used.