Welcome to Herb News.  
   
Herb Links  
 
Crop Cri Page 
Cert in Herbs 

Medicinal Herbs Rose Prunning Tips

Rose Resources

Magic Fairy Trees
 

Herb of the week for 26th January
By Lynn Kirkland

Colour in the Garden

 


By Lynn Kirkland

 

Herb of the week for 26th January
By Lynn Kirkland

Colour in the garden is sometimes planned for and sometimes just happens.
When there is a planned process one needs to think not only of complementary colours but of the heights and widths that your plants will grow to at maturity.
Our photo this week shows the layers of colour in our fragrance wheel with the majestic towering eucalyptus as a backdrop. When it is all in harmony there is a scene that pleases the eye and gives a lift to ones spirit.
Let us look at the layers and talk a little about each fragrant herb.
In the foreground is my absolute favourite lavender. It is called Blue Mountain and has the most intense purple flowers especially just before the little flowers open on the flower spike.
Picking for drying is best done when the first flower opens and then hang your bunches up in a shady but airy place. Do not dry your lavender in full sun or you will find it fades and also the fragrance will be less as some will have vanished into the air in the drying process.
The taller lavender with a paler flower is a variety called Super.
This lavender was developed for the production of lavender oil and it is also a lovely lavender for picking to dry. It has long stems and the flowers hold well on the spike when dried.
The rose in the middle of the photo is a rugosa variety called Belle de Poitevine and then towering above are the silver blue leaves of the eucalyptus trees.
Not a tree for a small city garden but lovely for those with larger gardens.
Eucalyptus and lavender essential oils are essential in any natural first aid kit.
With these two in your arsenal you will be prepared for coughs and colds, insomnia, bites and cuts and so much more.
Without specialised distilling equipment it is not possible to produce essential oil however any gardener keen to add fragrance and colour to their garden can achieve lovely effects in the garden.

  



Copyright Whats a Copyright Eplants Herbfarm