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Herb of the Week for Herb of the week
for 12th October
By Lynn Kirkland
It is always a pleasure to return to
New Zealand with a renewed appreciation
of what a wonderful country we live in.
I have just spent two weeks in Italy and
two weeks in England where the gardens
were moving into autumnal mode.
As I walked around the herb farm gardens
on my return this week with blossom trees
and forget-me-nots and the soft greens
of new leaves adorning the gardens, it
took a moment to realise that here in
New Zealand it is springtime.
The Florentine irises are just at the
end of their flowering time and this is
the herb that is symbolic of Florence
where it is grown for the production of
orris root used as a fixative for the
perfumery industry.
The rhizome must be at least two years
old before it is dried and the wonderful
violet scent develops a year later.
Pot pourri does not seem as popular as
it once was but the fixative of choice
for makers of this collection of herbs
and fragrant flowers and leaves is orris
root powder.
This special variety of iris, the Florentine
iris, has pale blue flowers or like the
one in the photo white blooms and is relatively
easy to grow and is a beautiful herb to
graze your garden even if you do not want
to go the lengths of making your own orris
root from the rhizome.
Thanks lynn another great
read.
Visit
The HerbFarm Website:
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