by Susan Dean | Feb 1, 2018 | Gardening
Calendula officinalis; Garden marigold; Pot marigold
This beautiful plant flowered through the winter this year – even stood up through a snow! Calendula is usually an annual plant that thrives in most soils. It belongs to the same family as daisies, chrysanthemums, and ragweed and is native to the northern Mediterranean countries.
Its name refers to its tendency to bloom with the calendar (Once a month or with every new moon). The term “marigold” refers to the Virgin Mary, and the flowers are used to honor her during Catholic events. The Egyptians considered calendula flowers to have rejuvenating properties. In the Hindu world, calendula flowers were used to adorn statues of gods in their temples, and as a colorant in food, fabrics, and cosmetics.
It is an annual commonly grown in gardens for its bright display of yellow or orange flowers. Calendula can be directly seeded in the spring or even summer or they can be started indoors as transplants. They will re-seed themselves but don’t become a nuisance. Rich soil and full sun will keep them blooming. Calendula deters many insect pests, making it a good border flower for the garden. It doesn’t have any known issues with pests or diseases!
Cutting blooms will encourage budding. Snip early and often! Harvest blossoms when they are half open, in late morning, after dew has dried. Check often because they come and go quickly. Use flowers fresh or dry. Cut flower heads and spread on a screen, in a shady, dry spot. Turn a few times until they are papery dry. Store in jars. Allow some blossoms to stay on the plants and mature if you want to collect seed.
The whole flower or just petals are used, fresh or dried, for herbal medicine. Salve, lotion, tincture, soaps and oil are all popular uses for calendula. It’s great for the skin, so you’ll find it in this application most frequently. It is used as a dye for food and fabric and its petals are edible and look great sprinkled atop a fresh salad. It soothes gastrointestinal problems and can be used fresh or dried in a tea for this.
Calendula in suspension or in tincture is used topically for acne, reducing inflammation, controlling bleeding, and soothing irritated tissue. Calendula has high amounts of flavonoids, plant-based antioxidants that protect cells from being damaged by unstable molecules called free radicals. Calendula appears to fight inflammation, viruses, and bacteria. Calendula has been used to treat stomach upset and ulcers and relieve menstrual cramps. Calendula contains chemicals, which have been shown to speed up wound-healing by increasing blood flow to the affected area and promoting the production of collagen proteins.
The dried petals of the calendula plant are used in tinctures, ointments and washes to treat burns, bruises, and cuts, as well as the minor infections they cause. Calendula helps prevent dermatitis or skin inflammation in breast cancer patients during radiation therapy.
The aqueous-ethanol extract of Calendula officinalis flowers was shown to have spasmolytic and spasmogenic effects. An aqueous extract of Calendula officinalis obtained by a novel extraction method has demonstrated anti-tumor activity and lymphocyte activation in vitro, as well as anti-tumor activity in mice. Calendula is one of several herbs used traditionally to treat conjunctivitis and other eye inflammations. It helps reduce the swelling and redness of eye infections.
As an anti-fungal agent, it can be used to treat athlete’s foot, ringworm, and candida. The tincture applied to cold sores encourages healing. Calendula possesses anti-septic and anti-inflammatory effects due to its flavonoid content. In mouthwashes and gargles, calendula soothes sore throat or mouth tissue; in solutions, it has been uses to treat hemorrhoids. Compresses of calendula blossoms are helpful for varicose veins.
Calendula’s high-molecular weight polysaccharides stimulate immune system activity. It was determined to have some potential therapeutic activity against the HIV: extracts significantly inhibited HIV-1 in vitro, and reduced HIV-1 reverse transcriptase in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
Calendula is being investigated for it’s anti-cancer properties. There has been evidence of success in treating certain cancers (Heren’s carcinoma) according to the Fedkovich Chernivtsi State University in the Ukraine. In one small study of about 250 women undergoing radiation therapy after surgery for breast cancer, a commercial calendula ointment reduced the amount of skin irritation better than another commercial preparation. Women who used the calendula ointment reported less pain from the radiation.
Properties: Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-phlogistic, anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, anti-viral, aperient, astringent, cholagogue, detoxifier, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, estrogenic, haemostatic, immunostimulant, vulnerary.
Indicated for: Acne, athlete’s foot, blepharitis, candida, cold sores, conjunctivitis, coughs, cramps, eczema, fungal infections, gastritis, good digestion, haemorrhoids, HIV, menopausal symptoms, menstrual cramps, minor burns, phthiriasis (dry), relieving colitis, ringworm, sore throats, skin ulcerations, snake bites, sprains, sunburns, varicose veins, viral infections, warts, wounds.
People who are allergic to plants in the daisy or aster family, including chrysanthemums and ragweed, may also have an allergic reaction(usually a skin rash) to calendula.
Infusion: 1 tsp (5 – 10 g) dried florets in 8 oz (250 mL) water; steep 10 – 15 minutes; drink 2 – 3 cups per day
Fluid extract (1:1 in 40% alcohol): 0.5 – 1.0 mL 3 times per day
Tincture (1:5 in 90% alcohol): 5 – 10 drops (1 – 2 mL) 3 times per day
Ointment: 2 – 5% calendula; apply 3 – 4 times per day as needed by Susan Dean | Feb 1, 2018 | Gardening
Raspberries, blueberries and other berry bushes, asparagus, rhubarb, kale (usually grown as an annual), garlic (usually grown as an annual), globe artichokes, lovage, and watercress. Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier is the bible on perennials. Here are a few more perennials that are tasty, easy to cultivate and cook, and have a broad climate range. 
Bunching Egyptian Onions continually produce new onions. Small bulbils form at the top of its stalk in late summer. Use these tiny onions as they are, or plant them to grow more Egyptian onions. Zones 4-8.forever onions
Daylilies thrive on neglect. They are grown as a vegetable in Asia, and harvested for their daily profusion of flower buds, which are used like green beans. The flowers themselves are served in salads or battered and fried. Zones 2-10.
Good King Henry is a traditional European vegetable known for it’s tasty shoots, leaves and flower buds. This spinach relative grows in full sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. Harvest the tender shoots in spring. Hardy to Zone 3.
Groundnut is a nitrogen-fixing, 6-foot vine that bears high-protein tubers that taste like nutty-flavored potatoes. Grow groundnut vines near a shrub (as support) in a moist site that receives full sun or partial shade. Harvest in fall. Hardy to Zone 3.
Jerusalem Artichokes or sunchokes are grown for their underground tubers. You can eat them raw or cooked. Their yellow flowers attract beneficial insects. They spread by underground rhizomes and may become difficult to eradicate. Some gardeners consider them invasive. Zones 4-9.
Ostrich Fern is easy to grow, and deer tend to leave it alone. It grows best in rich soil with adequate moisture; ostrich fern grows and spreads by underground runners. Not all fiddlehead ferns are edible. Look for a U-shaped groove on the inside of the stem and a thin, brown, papery coating to identify the edible sort. They love cool, shady spots and are very hardy from Zones 2-8.
Ramps or Wild Leeks are an onion relative that grows wild east of the Mississippi. They are a delicacy that many people forage from the wild. Leaves and bulbs are both edible. Grow in a shady border in moist loam, or naturalize beneath trees. Hardy to Zone 4.
Scarlet Runner Beans are usually grown as ornamentals but they are edible and nutritious as green beans or dried beans. The flowers, young leaves and tubers are edible when cooked.
Sea Kale is sometimes grown as an ornamental for its gray-blue leaves and white flowers on 3-foot-tall plants. The shoots, young leaves and flowers are edible. Hardy to Zone 4.
Sorrel is a perennial herb with tart, lemon-flavored leaves used for soups, stews, salads, and sauces. The two sorrels grown are common sorrel and French sorrel,. They are relatives of rhubarb, and the leaves contain small amounts of oxalic acid. Sorrel tastes best in early spring; it becomes bitter as weather warms. It’s a delicacy hard to find because it wilts after harvest. French sorrel is hardy to Zone 6.
by Susan Dean | Jan 28, 2018 | Gardening
Handy Garden Applications LeafSnap
Using visual recognition software, Leafsnap can identify trees from a photo of their leaves alone. This garden app is expanding to cover the entire US and Canada. Available for IOS only. Free for iphones
MyGardenAnswers is the #1 downloaded gardening app because it helps gardeners solve dilemmas. Don’t know what a plant is? Point and click with this app, and now you do. Need help with a pest? Get expert advice. Like “Shazam” for plants! Available for IOS and Android.
Mistakes with Succulents
1. Placing Them In A Poorly Lit Area
2. Not Watering Them Enough
3. Using A Standard Potting Soil – Succulents are designed to withstand one of the most extreme environments on planet earth. Change its soil to a desert-dweller mix, combining half potting soil with something inorganic like perlite or chicken grit.
4. Crowding Too Many In One Container
5. Growing Unrealistic Varieties
Tree Stump Removal – Get rid of tree stumps by drilling holes in the stump and filling them with 100% Epsom salt. Follow with water, and wait. Live stumps may take as long as a month to decay, and start to decompose all by themselves.
How to Use Wood-ash in the Garden
Ashes are an excellent source of potassium, but not as good a source of phosphorus. Wood ash contains calcium carbonate, potash, phosphate, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper, depending on the type of wood burnt and the degree of combustion.
Calcium carbonate in wood ash is extremely alkaline (a high pH), so ashes can be used as a highly effective liming agent to raise pH levels in acidic soils. Its effectiveness lies in its solubility in water. It can spread through soil instantaneously, having an immediate effect on the soils pH levels.
It is important to keep ashes dry. Potassium is easily washed out of the ash, rendering it useless unless it is in position, neatly arranged around the plant.
Soil can become too alkaline, which causes plants difficulty in absorbing certain nutrients. Use wood ash sparingly and never when seedlings are to be sown.
Plants that like wood ashes:
Asparagus
Juniper
California lilacs
Forsythia
Mock Oranges
Spirea
Hellebores
Clematis
Dianthus
Asian Persimmon
Lavender
Parsley
Okra
Wood ash is sprinkled onto the compost heap to raise the alkalinity, which the brandlings (red worms essential to any compost heap) need in order to thrive,
Spot a potash deficiency by yellowed and browning edges to leaves, as though they have been scorched, and the fruiting will suffer directly from this.
Comfrey is a good accumulator of potassium. It’s roots gather whatever is available from the soil and transfers it to the leaves. Harvest the leaves of a few comfrey plants and mulch around fruit and rose bushes.
Keep wood ashes away from acid loving plants such as;
The majority of annual garden veggies
Blueberries
Rhododendrons
Potatoes
Most plants like a slightly acidic soil.
Acidic soils with a pH less than 5.5 will likely be improved by wood ashes.
Other things you can do with wood ash:
Odor control
Shine silver
Melt Snow
De-skunk a dog
Control pond algae
Repel slugs and snails
Magnesium Boost for Plants Add 1 tsp epsom salt in 4 c warm water….spray on plant and then again 10 days later.Produces more fruit due to the boost of magnesium… especially for tomatoes, peppers and roses. Epsom Salts as a Fertilizer: For Lawns: Apply 1/2 pound per thousand square feet of lawn.Garden Plants and Shrubbery: Sprinkle 2 talbespoons around the base of each plant. As a Plant Food Supplement:Tomatoes and roses -1 teaspoon per foot of height every 2 weeks.Evergreens, azaleas, rhododendrons – 1 tablespoon per 9 sq. feet over the root zone every 4 months.Trees – 2 tablespoons per 9 sq. feet over root zone every 4 months Garden start-up – sprinkle1 cup per 100 sq. feet ( 10×10) and mix into the soil prior to planting.Houseplants – 1 teaspoon per gallon of water every 2 weeks. For best results water after applying. CRUSHED EGGSHELLS add calcium to the compost pile. They deter slugs, snails, and cutworms. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants love the calcium in eggshells. Blossom end rot can be caused by a calcium deficiency although it is usually caused by improper watering. Wash the inside of eggshells and let them dry. I put them in a plastic bag, crush them with my hand or hammer, and sprinkle in the garden.
What is pH? On a scale of 0 to 14, pH is the measurement of the acidity of something—in this case, your soil. In a nutshell, the pH is the comparative measure of hydrogen and hydroxide ions present. At neutral pH 7, there are equal numbers of hydrogen and hydroxide ions. A soil pH measurement below 7 is acidic and contains more hydrogen ions. Soil pH above 7 is alkaline and contains more negatively charged hydroxide ions. The soil pH is an important number to know because it determines the availability of almost all essential plant nutrients. If the soil pH is not on track, plants will not have access to nutrients for growth and won’t perform at their best. Nutrients can get trapped in the soil and will not be released for plant use.
Insect Spray Certain insects won’t leave your plants alone with the limited organic pest sprays you find these days. This homemade pesticide will not harm your garden! It’s easy to make and super effective.
2 whole heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
3 c. mint leaves and stems
2 tsp. dry cayenne pepper
2 small squirts of eco-friendly dishwashing liquid
Pulse garlic and mint in a food processor for several seconds. Transfer the garlic-mint mix to a pot of 12 cups water and add the cayenne. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let sit overnight. Strain into spray bottle or garden sprayer and add the two small squirts of dish soap, then shake to mix in.
Shake well before each use. On a cloudy day or in the early morning or late evening ( to not burn the plants) spray all the leaves on affected plants top and bottom. Wait a few days to see the affect and then apply more if needed. You may only need one application.
After spraying your plants just once you should start to notice the difference in your garden’s health. After about 4 weeks and 2 more applications of the spray (if needed) the plant will be looking good as new! This spray is safe for the entire garden.
RECIPE FOR SEED BOMBS
A GREAT GIFT FOR A GARDENER
4 parts natural clay
1 part seed starting mix or compost
1 part seeds
Paper for wrapping, string, and labels
Combine compost and seeds and knead until mixed and well distributed. Pinch off sections, roll into balls, place on a tray and let to dry. Place 5-6 in a bag and tie with string and label. Toss in a sunny spot before a rainy season. Sowing annual seeds in fall gives them a spring head start. Seed bombs protect the seeds through winter and increase chance of germination.
This is the rose at my side porch. My grandmother’s went over her garage and I fell in love with it as a child. It smells heavenly, some say like violets. I prune after it blooms. The largest rose in the world is a 100-year-old Lady Banks Rose in Tombstone, Arizona that covers more than 9,000 square feet! This climbing, semi-evergreen plant is considered a vine or bush, according to its uses which are diverse.
Weeds? Use Vinegar, Not Roundup Spray plants with inexpensive white vinegar. Use vinegar on gravel paths and brick walk-ways. It is a proven effective, eco-friendly answer to Roundup. Monsanto agreed with the New York Attorney General’s office to discontinue the use of the terms “biodegradable” and “environmentally friendly” in ads promoting Roundup. These terms were lies. Roundup is not biodegradable nor environmentally friendly. Vinegar is cheap and easy to use. How to Apply: use a watering can, a spray bottle or a pump-sprayer to apply vinegar. Rinse sprayer after use, or metal part can corrode. Make your application on a warm, sunny, calm day. Use vinegar on walkways where grass and ornamental plants are not an issue.
It keeps pathways free of unwanted growth. Another solution that works is salt water.
Plants that will take over your yard.
1. Bamboo
2. Chameleon plant (Houttuynia cordata)
3. Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides)
4. Soapwort or “bouncing bet”
5. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
6. Snow on the mountain
7. Balsam
8. Moon flower
9. Creeping jenny
10. Goldflame spirea
11. St. John’s wort
12. Lemon balm
13. Vinca, or periwinkle vine
14. Trumpet vine
15. Scotch broom
16. Wild violet
17. Virginia creeper
18. English ivy
19. Milkweed
20. Elephant ear
You can also add poison ivy, vetch, clover, chickweed, rabbit tobacco, dandelion, plaintain, and also the popcorn tree, tree of heaven, mimosa, crepe myrtle and wisteria.
Best flowers for seed bombs: for sunny areas, annual meadow flowers including poppies, cornflower, marigold; Californian poppies; cosmos; hollyhocks; nigella; verbena bonariensis; viper’s bugloss. For shady areas, use a woodland seed mix; foxgloves, tobacco plant, honesty.
Ingredients:Flower seed
Potter’s clay powder, from any craft shop
Peat-free compost
Water
A bowl
A baking tray
Mix the seed, clay, and compost together in a bowl to a ratio of three handfuls of clay, five handfuls of compost and one handful of seed. Then carefully add water slowly and gradually (you don’t want it too gloopy), mixing it all together until you get a consistency that you can form into truffle-sized balls. Lay them out to bake dry on a sunny windowsill for at least three hours.
HEIRLOOM SEED VAULT A wonder selection of heirloom seeds! My seed vault arrived in a coffee type can. completely sealed like a can of soup. The vault comes with a plastic lid as well for resealing once you have opened the vault for the first time. Inside there were 20 or so little opaque mylar bags that were labeled with the seed name, net weight, amount of seeds contained, germination percent, as well as instructions for planting, transplanting, and other suggested care. The mylar bags are resealable like ziplock bags so you can use a few and save the rest. My vault also came with a 6 page guide for saving seeds. This has proven to be invaluable for me! There is a section specifically for each type of seed included with your vault. all the veggies were wonderful and tasted soooo much better than store bought veggies… Thanks Dave for my nice gift.CLICK HERE FOR HEIRLOOM SEED VAULT
CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO – Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOS
This is a quick and easy way to build a raised bed. If you want you could paint the outside and don’t forget to make the drainage holes! Would make a great child’s first garden! They would be so excited to have this!
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Good Garden Companions
Oranges and Monarchs
Tiered Garden for limited space.
Little greenhouses
Mistakes with Succulents
HEIRLOOM SEED VAULT A wonder selection of heirloom seeds! My seed vault arrived in a coffee type can. completely sealed like a can of soup. The vault comes with a plastic lid as well for resealing once you have opened the vault for the first time. Inside there were 20 or so little opaque mylar bags that were labeled with the seed name, net weight, amount of seeds contained, germination percent, as well as instructions for planting, transplanting, and other suggested care. The mylar bags are resealable like ziplock bags so you can use a few and save the rest. My vault also came with a 6 page guide for saving seeds. This has proven to be invaluable for me! There is a section specifically for each type of seed included with your vault. all the veggies were wonderful and tasted soooo much better than store bought veggies… Thanks Dave for my nice gift.
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