Weeds & Seeds Swap

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Florida

I am not sure if tropical gardens would do well in the northeast, they are something I always look forward to seeing if we travel to the southern states, or in years past, to Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, and other similar places. But maybe the author of the following article has some thoughts that will change my mind in his article “Tropical Gardening - Is It In Your Future?” Maybe you are living in a tropical climate and have your own tips to share, please do in a comment!

Even if you live in a cool, temperate place, you can work at maintaining a tropical garden. You have to do plenty of research and maintenance to provide the plants a modified climate that is close to their natural climate as possible. Tropical plants are very beautiful and unique, and growing them is very rewarding. The following rules will help your garden to succeed.Plan! You need to plan before anything else. Planning is always important in gardening, but it is extra important for tropical gardens.Location, location, location — A tropical garden needs to be in an area that receives plenty of sunlight. Also, the area should be highly visible, since you likely want your plants to be seen and to be a focal point in your yard.Soil – The whole area should be tilled to get rid of any debris. You should then add sand and compost for fertilization. The soil needs plenty of nutrients. After you finish planting, you should place dark mulch on top to help the soil retain moisture.

Irrigation – Tropical plants need a lot of moisture, so you should water them daily. You can do this with an underground soaker hose irrigation system, and by watering them by hand. You must have great drainage though, because over watering the tropical plants is very bad for them.

Layering – For viewing purposes, the tallest plants should be in the back, medium sized plants in the middle, and smallest plants should be up front. This will also help you to access the back more easily, since you can reach over the smaller plants.

Winterizing – You must bring plants in your tropical landscape design indoors for the winter. To make this as easy as possible, you should keep them in pots. You can dig up the pots in the late fall, clean them off, and take them indoors. The inside of your home will look great in the winter months! You can replant the pots in the spring. You should till the soil and add compost again each spring.

After everything is planned and set up, you can buy the plants. The following list includes plenty of colorful, unique options:

• Banana trees (get the dwarf variety unless you want huge trees)
• Elephant ears (a wide variety of colors and sizes available)
• Purple-heart (Secrecia)
  
• Croton (will need to take indoors during the winter)
  
• Kalanchoe (come in a variety of colors)
• Ornamental grasses (Cardinal Lobelia, New Zealand Flax, Miscanthus Cabaret)
• Agave
• Carpet Geraniums
  
• Bamboo (Golden Goddess)
• Ferns
• Cannas (many colors to choose from)
• Ginger plants

About the author:
It’s possible to make your own tropical landscape design no matter where you live. Check out http://www.plant-care.com/1546-tropical-landscaping.html for tips on making a tropical garden all your own.

This is a plant that we saw growing in the wild and in gardens over a year ago when we took a driving trip out west to my husband’s family in Colorado.

The plants are abundant in the west and southwestern US and in Mexico. This particular variety of yucca is Yucca baccata, or “Banana Yucca” for the shape of the fruits on the plant. There several varieties of Yucca, and several uses.

Native Americans have used the leaves in weaving, or the frayed ends of leaves as paint brushes. The roots & leaves of some varieties of yucca plants provides a soapy substance used as a foaming cleanser, so it is often called “soap plant”…the roots must be pounded to bring out the foamy substance. You can also find this soapy substance in the leaves…rub shredded leaves between your hands with water. The lathering ability comes from large amounts of the steroid, saponin. It is this same property that helps support the structural system by providing anti-inflammatory properties. Many use it to ease joint pain, and reduce arthritic inflammation.

Some eat the root by cubing, boiling until soft, mashing and eating with butter, salt and pepper…and fruits of some varieties of yucca can be eaten, but make VERY sure you know your plants well before ever trying to eat any herb.

You can click to view “Joint Support” and just plain Yucca, two things that I have used.

If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

Need references for any of these claims? Please email me and ask!

The bee is the gardener’s friend because it goes from flower to flower, pollenating the flowers so that they can reproduce and multiply. They produce delicious honey, a healthy alternative to sugars, with antibacterial properties - the reason why it can sit indefinitely and mold will not grow on it.

But the Bee is a gardener’s friend, in fact anyone’s friend for more reasons than helping in the perpetuation of plants; look closely at the bee, and you will see a little ball of pollen on the hind leg. Many describe bee pollen as a perfect food because it is said to contain all of the nutrients that are essential to sustain life. Bee pollen has been used nutritionally since over 2000 years B.C.

A common way to collect bee pollen is to have the bees enter their hive through a mesh that will allow them to enter the hive, but through an opening just small enough to knock the little pollen balls off the the hind legs into a collection container.

Bee pollen contains 100 different vitamins, minerals, enzymes, co-enzymes and amino-acids. There is approximately 30% protein, 50+% carbohydrates, up to 2 percent fat, and 3 percent minerals. This can vary a bit depending upon the location of the bees.

I take Bee Pollen on a daily basis.

If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

Warning: Approximately .05% of the population are extremely allergic to bee pollen. It is suggested that if you take bee pollen, you start out with very small amounts. I have heard, but cannot verify from personal experience, that people can take tiny amounts of bee pollen and increase gradually to reduce allergy symptons. I would do this with guidance from someone knowledgeable about these things.

Warning: Honey should not be taken by children under the age of one.

Happy Spring!

I have been posting on a couple of my other blogs about how much this time of year means on a spiritual level, and will get a post on here sharing more about that on Easter, but today, just want to say that my dear hubby cleared the remaining leaves off our property.

Because of an unusually mild Fall season, our leaves stayed on the trees for longer than I have ever seen them.  During the holiday season I went to the New Jersey Botanical Gardens to a wreath making gathering, and there were still leaves on trees and some of them green! Very peculiar for November in our area.   So it threw us off a bit on the raking.

BUT the happy news is that we have uncovered many crocuses, daffodils that have yet to show their buds,  tulips peeking out of the ground, my double-flowered day lilies are up a few inches, the Shasta daisies are getting new leaves on the stalks, many of my herbs including catnip, oregano, sage, rosemary and others are all coming up. I could go on and on, but what a joyful thing to see the gardens and trees beginning to show signs of life after their winter rest.

This pretty picture of Shamrocks was the feature picture of the day on Webshots…I wander over there a lot as both my husband and son like to take pictures and post them to Webshots. But today’s picture was taken by Webshots user lilian101.

The name “Shamrock” is actually taken from the Irish word seamrog which means little clover. Legend states that St. Patrick used the shamrock as a visual when explaining the trinity…the 3 leaves joined by one stalk, like the Father, Son and Holy Spirit being the one true God. Whether it is a legend or not, it is a wonderful illustration of a great spiritual truth.

The season for butterflies is almost here, but until it arrives, there is the following absolutely beautiful video to watch. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, the video is brought to you by Reiman Gardens. Enjoy

This herb, which goes by the botanical name Valeriana Officinalis, is quite a favorite in our home as an aid to insomnia. We don’t take it on a regular basis, but when needed. It has been used safely for this purpose for over a thousand years. The herb has it’s origin in Britain, though it has been naturalized, and though it grows well in most soils, it prefers “loamy”, moist soil.

Some sources say that you may want to be careful using this herb it if you have liver disease, but again, this is not something to take on a daily basis, but is something to keep around in your “Herbal Medicine Cabinet” to use as needed.

When we use Valerian Root in capsule form, we take it about 1/2 to 1 hour before going to bed with some water. My husband is a large man, and has been known to take 2-3 capsules at bedtime. I am more sensitive to things, whether herbal or medicinal, and find that just 1/2 a capsule is enough for me, or in combination with other calming herbs.

I do have to say, though, that when opening a package, or in our case our bottle of encapsulated Valerian, the smell is intense, and most would say not pleasant. The volatile oils are powerful, and if you do decide to make a tea from the root itself, you don’t want to boil it, or the actives will be destroyed.

If you have cats, you’ll notice that they may respond to it much as they do catnip…but I’d be careful about their eating it, it is stronger than catnip.

There is no connection between the drug, valium and the herb, valerian in spite of the fact that both have a calming affect and similar names.

If you’d like to add this to your “Herbal Medicine Cabinet”, here’s some suggestions at reasonable prices:

• Valerian Root
• Herbal Sleep
• Valerian Time-Release
• APSII with White Willow Bark (Bayer derived Aspirin from the “actives” in White Willow Bark)

Have a RESTFUL day!