Tag: herb of the month

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Herb of the Month – Horseradish

So it’s been a while since we’ve written a blog (we’re slacking, I know!) and in the meantime winter has crept in properly. In our house that means stews, pies and roasts – as often as possible! There is a certain someone in our household, who shall remain unnamed (Paul), who can’t seem to eat any of these things without an appropriately large selection of condiments. Our herb of the month has been chosen in his honour – horseradish.

The best known, and possibly most delicious, use for horseradish is of course in condiment form as horseradish sauce (we personally like horseradish mustard). It’s a really simple sauce, made from grated horseradish root and vinegar – and it’s really easy to make at home. Not many people make it themselves though; in fact sales of horseradish in a bottle began in 1860 – making it one of the first convenience foods available. It remains popular throughout the world, with several varieties available, including with beetroot – yum…

Horseradish has other uses though, including medicinally. It can be used to treat urinary tract infections, kidney stones, bronchitis, rheumatism, sciatic nerve pain, gout and even colic. Though as always, consult your doctor before use!

Even better, horseradish is amazingly easy to grow at home. It will do best in a nice sunny spot, but this is the UK so it can also make do with some shade! It’s a perennial and best grown from a cutting. They can pretty much be planted and left alone, with possibly a little water if we (miraculously) have a dry spell, to be harvested the next year. When harvesting, you’ll want to make sure you remove the entire root and then replant only what you want – it can easily take over your garden if left to its own devices. It has to be said though, once you’ve got access to the fresh stuff, you won’t want it from a jar again!

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Herb of the Month – Vipers Bugloss

This time of year is all about those blooming flowers, when all your gardening seems to pay off. One of the most satisfyingly beautiful plants you can grow, our herb of the month is Vipers Bugloss.

 Echium vulgare, also known as Vipers Bugloss, Adderwort, or Blue Devil, is characterised by its cylindrical spikes of gorgeous bell shaped flowers. From the Boraginaceae family, Vipers Bugloss will take 1-2 years to reach its maximum height, up to 75cm tall – all of which will be covered in flowers when it blooms in early summer. Each flower on the column will itself be 1 to 2cm in length. It originates in Europe and grows best in dry grassland or dunes, preferring sand or chalk soils. Whilst it is slightly fussy about soil, Vipers Bugloss will grow in either exposed or sheltered areas and in varying amounts of sunlight.

This is a fantastic plant to have in your garden if you want to attract bees or butterflies – both of which love the colourful flowers come summer. In the language of flowers, Vipers Bugloss represents falsehood or untruthfulness, most likely due to its snakelike appearance (as described in its alternative name, Snake Flower). The name ‘Bugloss’ is also derived from the appearance of the plant – this time its leaves. The term comes from the Greek word bou, meaning cow or ox, and the Latin glosso, meaning tongue. The leaves of the Vipers Bugloss could be said to resemble an ox-tongue in shape. Though it was once used as an anti-venom for snake bites, it is best to avoid touching it as it can cause irritation to the skin and will cause stomach upset if ingested.

Whilst it’s not always possible to grow in your garden (if you don’t have chalky soil or have kids who might take a bite!), it’s always worth keeping an eye out when you walk along the dunes, as this really is a stunning plant.

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Herb of the Month – Honesty

With such beautiful weather recently, our plants have been flourishing. This month’s stand out has got to be Honesty. Known best for its seed pods, rather than its flowers; Honesty can be a beautiful addition to your garden without being too ostentatious!

From the genus Lunaria, honesty is also sometimes called a ‘silver dollar plant’. There are several variations of Lunaria, including ‘Lunaria annua’, which has a pure white flower and is biennial (meaning a plant grown from seed will take two years to come to fruition and then die). If you’re looking for an Honesy plant that doesn’t take quite so long to flower, there is also the perennial ‘Lunaria rediviva’, This has cross shaped flowers in a pale lavender colour, with heart shaped green leaves. Both these variations have distinctive seed heads, flat and almost papery; the annua Honesty has round, silver dollar shaped seed heads (from which they get their nickname!), whilst the rediviva seed heads are more elliptical.

The seedpods that are so distinctive in Honesty plants are also what make them so easy to plant – and even easier for them to overtake your garden! Carried on the wind, the papery pods will dry out and release the seeds to germinate where they fall. If you want to grow Honesty from seed, all you have to do is collect these pods, let them dry out and collect the seeds. They will flourish planted straight into the garden, though if you’d like to grow them in planters or seed trays you should add a little old compost first. Honesty will develop thick roots, almost like tubers. This is common amongst the brassica family to which Honesty belongs, along with mustard. Due to this, they should not be kept in pots for an extended amount of time, as the roots will not have room to develop properly. They will flourish in almost any garden, though it will do better in less acidic conditions. The perennial rediviva prefers to be kept slightly damp and all variations of Honesty prefer not to be overfed (so stay away from the manure!). Try not to plant in the shade, though semi-shade should be fine.

These are a great plant for us gardeners who don’t want to expend too much effort! They’ll grow fantastically if pretty much left alone. This also makes them great for kids learning to garden – they can watch the whole process from seed to flower and there’s not a lot that can go wrong!

 

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Herb of the Month – Pineapple Sage

The weather’s been a bit up and down recently, sunny one minute and raining the next – as they say in Cornwall, ‘don’t like the weather? Just wait five minutes’! We’ve still got some thriving plants though, including our herb of the month, Pineapple Sage.

Salvia elegans, commonly called Pineapple Sage, is a perennial shrub with tubular red flowers and a pineapple scent to its leaves (hence the name!). Native to Mexico and Guatemala, its flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies, in some areas was found to be in the top three plants visited by hummingbirds. It grows up to 1.5m tall and usually flowers between August and late autumn, though some varieties bloom much earlier in the summer. Pineapple sage is relatively easy to grow, liking rich and well-drained soil with lots of light and regular watering. It will flourish either in the ground or in a pot, just remember to leave it lots of space as its roots will grow into a large tangle.

When it comes to uses, pineapple sage shines as a culinary herb. Mixed with garlic and butter it can be a beautifully fruity rub for chicken or even an unusual way to make garlic bread. Its leaves are used in many pestos, with a slightly sweeter taste than common sage. They can also be tossed into fruit or vegetable salads, used as a garnish or to make hot or cold teas. Or try something more adventurous and make a pineapple sage syrup to use on pancakes, waffles, cakes or ice cream. Even the flowers are edible, making fantastic garnishes for desserts.

Pineapple sage is a member of the Salvia family, which takes its name from the Latin verb ‘salvare’, meaning ‘to save’ or ‘to heal’. It is not a surprise then that sage has many medicinal uses. It is traditionally used to lower blood pressure, ease anxiety, indigestion and heartburn. It is also used to ward off negativity, bad spirits, bad health and even bad luck. A home can be cleansed of all negative energy and influences by hanging garlands of sage around windows and doors, or ‘smudging’ (burning the herbs). Whether you use it for any of these things or not, it can’t be denied that pineapple sage is a beautiful addition to any garden.