Diy tips for gardening problems

Different Uses For Your Herbs

An herb garden is twice blessed, for you can give as much as you receive from it.

Here are some suggestions for using your herbs in many delightful and unusual ways. Remember that many flowers, too, are herbs; so do not be surprised to find roses, violets and other blossoms among the suggested ingredients.

Potted Plants

Remember when you harvested, you marked some of the herbs for potting. Of these, some you planned to keep for your own enjoyment, the others to put back into your herb garden next spring. You probably will want to pot some herbs for gifts. Be as generous as you can, for you will be delighted at the pleasure they will bring. House plants make cherished prizes and imaginative gifts at any time.

A friend in the hospital will enjoy a plant that is not only lovely to look at, but also fragrant to smell and delicious to nibble. Potted herbs are among the best sellers at bazaars and benefits. Get small plastic pots and use some of the smaller plants for this purpose. As the giver you, too, will profit from this project, for you can enjoy the herbs lined up on the window sill as they await gift days.

Bookmarks

Many years ago costmary was known as “Bible leaf” because of the custom of using it as a bookmark in Bibles and prayer books.

Costmary, or any large fragrant leaves such as those of rose geranium, tansy, lemon verbena, or borage, still make charming bookmarks. If, like the women of olden days, you wish them chiefly for fragrance, then press and mount them on cards. Done this way, however, the herbs will soon crumble, so when making bookmarks for gifts, it is better to press them between blotters or tissues between the pages of a heavy book.

When the leaves are dry, place them between two pieces of heavy transparent plastic cut to the size and shape you wish. It is safest to anchor the herb with a bit of glue before putting the second piece of plastic in place. Either seal with glue or punch holes around the edges and lace with yarn or embroidery floss. I prefer the bookmarks which are laced together, so that some of the fragrance can escape. This is a project which your children will enjoy.

Place Cards and Tallies

For a dinner, luncheon or card party you can make attractive place cards and tallies decorated with herbs. Cut plain cards twice the size you wish them to be when finished and fold in the center. On the outside cut a slit and insert a sprig of fresh or dried herb; you can attach the spray to the card with transparent tape of you prefer.

You can make a place card which doubles as a favor by attaching a sachet to a card. For benefits or bazaars, package these in sets of eight or twelve.

Herb Bouquets

A quaint name for these bouquets is ‘tussie-mussies. ” For centuries they have been carried by those participating in the coronation ceremonies in England. Elizabeth II was handed a tussie-mussie as she entered Westminster Abbey. Long ago they were no doubt carried to ward off germs and to counteract unpleasant smells resulting from lack of adequate ventilation and plumbing. Today, however, tussie-mussies are valued for the sentiment of the meaning attached to the various herbs and for their charm in appearance and fragrance.

In the 15th century a favorite tussie-mussie was made of marigold (for happiness) and heartsease (for remembrance). Others were often used also. For example:

A red rosebud surrounded by forget-me-nots and southernwood signified undying devotion, remembrance and constancy.

A spray of bee balm, southernwood and Bible leaf (costmary) was tucked into the bodice of the Sabbath gown to be sniffed during the long Sunday church service.

Sage with white and gold camomile flowers symbolized long life, wisdom and patience.

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Herbs That Love To Be Grown Indoors

Here are some of the herbs which will grow well indoors. Choose as many of these as you can find room for. They will bring fragrance to your home, exciting taste to your foods, and a little fillip to your imagination.

Anise

Hung over your bed, anise may not make you as fair and youthful as our ancestors believed, but surely the new interest which it brings to foods will keep your appetite young. Al­though anise is generally grown for its sweet seed, the fresh leaves are appetizing in fruit salads, soups, stews and herb teas.

Start anise from seed or bring in a young plant from the garden and let it have plenty of sunlight.

Basil

This herb grows particularly well in the kitchen, for it doesn’t mind the heat. Keep the plants trim by using the leaves generously in salads, stews, ground meats, poultry stuffings and fruit cups. It is a necessity in any dish containing tomato, or with fresh tomatoes. If you have enough basil, sprays are beautiful in bouquets.

Start basil from seeds or bring in healthy small plants from the garden. You can put three or four light green, smooth-leaved basil plants in the same container. In the spring I set the basil plants back in the garden. These plants can be counted on to produce seed. This is not always true of those raised the first year from seed, because our growing season is too short for seeds to ripen thoroughly.

Borage

Although borage is more attractive in the garden than in the house, a pot containing three or four plants will furnish young cucumber-flavored leaves for salads and cool drinks.

If it blooms, the blue flowers are worth the space given this somewhat coarse, hairy-leafed plant. Borage loses its flavor when dried, so use its young, tender leaves.

Start the borage from seed or bring in young plants from the garden.

Burnet

Burnet trails its feathery leaves when grown indoors. It is one of the prettiest plants, and the dainty, cucumber-flavored leaves are delicious in salads. A sprig is attractive in cool drinks.

Because of their trailing stems, burnet, santolina (French lavender), and sweet marjoram are good choices for hanging pots or those placed on shelves at cupboard ends or alongside windows.

Bring burnet in from the garden or buy a plant.

Chervil

This fine-leaved herb resembles parsley in looks but not in taste. It is too lovely to look at and too good to eat to be left out of the kitchen herb garden. Bring in a plant and use the fresh anise-flavored leaves for garnishing and to season sauces, soups and salads. The white blossoms are small and fragile. It will germinate rapidly and may be grown from seed.

Chives

A clump of chives may be bought at almost any grocery store. If you have both an outdoor and indoor garden, divide a large plant and bring part of it to the kitchen window. The spikey leaves are excellent wherever a delicate onion taste is desired.

Dill

The Orientals used dill in brewing up charms. We “charm” our guests by using its seeds in pickles, fish sauces and salads, but Europeans use the leaves, too, in cooking. Why not try them?

Sow dill seed in a large pot and do not thin it out. It makes a pretty feathery plant. Dill grows rapidly, even indoors, so it may produce its yellow flowers in fairly large umbrels.

Germander

Germander makes a handsome house plant. Its low branch­ing growth is luxuriant with dark green, glossy leaves and small purplish-rose blooms. However, it is not likely to bloom indoors since it needs a great deal of sun if it is to produce flowers. Start germander from seed, cuttings or root division.

Lavender

The fragrant lavender makes an especially pleasant house plant. You will have to buy plants to start with. Give them a dry and sunny home. If you have managed to establish lavender in the outdoor garden, it is best to bring the plants indoors for the winter unless you live in a very mild climate.

Lemon Balm

One of the most fragrant of all herbs, lemon balm is worthy of a place in practically any room in the house. Planted outdoors, it grows erect, but when you bring it indoors, the stems tend to trail over the sides of the pot in a lovely effect. Use lemon balm in potpourris, sachets, in the bath water, in floral bouquets, teas, fruit salads and drinks.

If you have lemon balm in the garden, dig up a generous number of plants for the house. Otherwise, get seeds or roots from a nursery.

Marjoram

Sweet marjoram is one of those herbs which must be included in the kitchen window garden. Either dig up a plant, or start a fresh one from seed. Better yet, try both methods. You’ll find marjoram well worth the trouble.

Mint

Most popular among the varieties are spearmint and peppermint. Mint will thrive indoors if kept in a temperature of not more than 65° F. and out of the hot sun. It likes filtered sunlight for part of the day. What a joy to drop a few fresh leaves of mint into a cup of hot tea when you are tired or out of sorts. In winter minced fresh mint in carrots or peas may help you forget that garden-fresh vegetables are still months away.

In the fall pot a clump in heavy soil. Keep it well soaked and let it remain outdoors (on your window sill if necessary) until after the first heavy frost. You can then cut back the tops and bring it inside. Beg a root or cutting from a friend, or buy one at a nursery. The cuttings root rapidly in a glass of water.

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