How to Make an Herb Wreath - Putting it All Together

Okay, let's make an herb wreath.  I've included instructions here.  There is also a helpful (I hope)  slide show at the bottom of this post. If you missed part one (prep) you can visit it at: How to Make an Herb Wreath - Part 1

We're going to take a traditional approach and assume you want to make a dried herb wreath from which you will harvest herbs later. Your best bet is to use a strong base

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Chive and Cheddar Cheese Soup

When there's a chill in the air, nothing beats an old fashioned cream soup. The herbed chive and cheddar cheese soup recipe below has the rich goodness of potatoes and cheese without all the fat. Give it a try.

Chive and Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe

8 cups vegetable stock (you can substitute chicken stock)
1 pound red potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 pound broccoli, florets
1 yellow onion,

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How to Make an Herb Wreath - Part 1

Learning how to make an herb wreath is one fall weekend activity you're sure to remember fondly.  I grow lots of herbs, and over the years I've tried many herb wreath making methods. Most of them work, but like driving to Chicago, you can reach your destination via a number of different routes.

In the next few blogs, we'll be making herb wreaths with our fall herb harvest. This intro describes

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How to Dry Roses

The nice pink rose in the picture is one of my favorite wreath roses. I've tucked a bud or two into raffia, cloth and fabric wreath bows for years because these pinks aren't fussy and I can wait to cut them back in fall until the first part of November -- usually, which makes them perfect for wreath making.

Drying Roses in a Dehydrator

You'll read a lot about hanging roses upside down in an

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Making Orange Potpourri

Drying orange peel is a great way to make the most of your citrus, and with the prices we're all paying for a bag of oranges, it pays to get the most we can for the money we're spending.

I've always liked orange peel. I've candied it and just tossed a peel in the wastepaper as I passed to keep it sweet smelling. A few years ago I decided to take a more active role in saving peels, so from

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How to Combat Bedbugs

Well, if you don't know about the bedbug explosion - uh, the explosion of bed bugs, you've probably been unconscious for the last year. These small, biting bugs are voracious, very hard to kill and, if you listen to the news reports, almost everywhere. This would include hotels, movie theaters, retail dressing rooms, offices, dorm rooms, airports - you name it.

Eradicated for the most part by

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Basic Basil Pesto Recipe

I've encouraged you to try a flavorful and wonderfully aromatic pesto, so here is my recipe entry. It's basic but delicious. You can find all the ingredients at your local market with the possible exception of the pine nuts. They're more popular than they used to be, so try the gourmet section or the baking aisle where they keep the other nuts.

Pesto is best fresh, but you can freeze it in a

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Harvesting Basil Seeds

A kind reader pointed out that I glossed over the seed part of basil harvesting, so I thought I'd give you an easy visual. The first photo is a basil spike after the flowers have dried up and the spike itself has turned brown. This will typically occur in the early fall in most plant hardiness zones in the U.S. If you need to check the zone for your area, there's a handy link at the bottom of

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Harvesting Parsley

Choosing a method for harvesting parsley is always a judgment call. Parsley is the little black dress of the herb patch. It can work with lots and lots of dishes, is a very green, bushy little plant that looks good in the garden and is relatively easy going, as in not fussy. It's also available for snipping all summer long.

It is so ubiquitous, in fact, that around the holidays some grocery

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Harvesting Basil

Harvesting basil for winter access is fragrant fun.  Your patch of fresh basil, catnip, parsley, oregano and rosemary can be bountiful contributors to your winter herb stash if you have a few hours to spare.

Over the next few weeks, we'll cover some gardening ground as it relates to fall and winter herb harvesting projects, culminating in a step-by-step tutorial for making herb wreaths.

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Beating Bedbugs Naturally

The admonition ". . .and don’t let the bed bugs bite." was never truer than it is today when super pesticide resistant bedbugs are taking a bite out of a record number of unprotected sleepers. Barring a few super noxious and possibly illegal chemical treatments, bed bugs can be a challenge to get rid of. I wrote a blog about it a while back that you should review if you're having problems.

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And Thanks for Your Support!

Over the weekend, I posted about the looming fall gardening season and my personal herb gardening journey. To be honest, every time I write something personal -- as in not dealing exclusively with how to grow and use herbs, I feel a little guilty. In some ways, it seems self-indulgent, although I try to write these pieces as well as I can.

That's why it always amazes me that they're the most

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My Herb Walkabout (Journey)

Another summer will be winding down soon. A few mornings this week I could even smell fall in the air. Although every season has its rewards, I can't help but stop and think about time passing as I start rummaging around for envelopes to store seeds in.

I've been growing herbs for decades. It's funny, because in some ways they've become so familiar that I take them for granted - the chives on

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How to Dry Citrus Peel

I particularly like the idea of drying citrus peel for use in recipes and in potpourri. I think of it as an eco-friendly way to make use of everything and that can be a uniquely satisfying approach to herbal gardening, cooking and crafting.

This is really simple. Just trim the pith (the creamy part) off the skin of any citrus you have. Orange, lemon, tangerine and grapefruit will work. You can

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Using and Growing Lemon Eucalyptus

Lemon eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora) has a scent similar to that of lemon verbena, lemon balm and even lemon thyme, but the fragrance is stronger and more pungent. It isn't a typical herb, though. It's really a tree in the eucalyptus family that can grow large - very large (60 feet and sometimes a lot taller). It's only hardy outdoors year round in zones 9 and higher.

Because it can grow

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Ginger Shampoo Recipe

If you love the scent of ginger, this simple shampoo recipe is for you. Ginger stimulates circulation because it increases blood flow to the scalp, so using ginger shampoo regularly may help to promote healthier hair that will grow faster and resist some of the depredations of modern life, like drying out too fast or becoming brittle. Ginger shampoo may also have benefits in controlling

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10 Reasons to Grow Herbs

10. They're easy to grow -- so easy that in some places they're considered weeds.

9. Many herbs can attract good insects to the garden (because they have a strong aroma/scent) and repel undesirable ones.

8. From appetizers to desserts, they make inspired garnishes for most dishes.

7. They'll happily take up residence in the most rocky, barren corner of your landscape and still give you a good

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Advice About Japanese Beetles (and a Ray of Hope)

During the summer months I get hundreds of visitors a day looking for a way to get rid of Japanese beetles without resorting to hash chemicals. Japanese beetles are a frustrating pest, and there are few easy answers to getting rid of them. If you have them in your yard in great numbers, you have something beetle tasty, like roses, on your property to attract them. For me it's roses and asparagus.

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Watering Plants on Hot Summer Days

Giving your plants enough water during the hottest part of a summer day can be a challenge.

Make a Plant Water Reservoir

If I'm going on holiday or temperatures are soaring, I have a quick trick that will help you keep your patio and deck plants hydrated.

Fill a two-liter bottle with water and place a small piece of sponge in the neck. Upend the bottle and bury the neck into your pot's soil

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Homemade Sloppy Joe Seasoning Recipe

I like to make sloppy Joes in fall and winter. This recipe is the result of quite a bit of trial and error over the years. I like it because it's spicy and has something for everyone in the family.

Sloppy Joe Seasoning Recipe

2 T Onion powder
2 T Paprika
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Marjoram (dried)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed

Sloppy

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Morning Snippets from the Heart of a Summer Garden

I'm watching a bumblebee headed out looking for his next big score.

He has a stumbling pace and a dogged persistence the way he harries the geraniums, making his lumbering approach like a helicopter. . .one pass . . . two. . .and then touchdown and a quick scramble into the heart of the bloom. He finally spies the hyssop bush, a bumblebee favorite, and heads that way by the shortest possible

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How to Make Cocktail Sauce

When you're ready to boil up some peel and eat shrimp, the last thing you want is to discover you're low on cocktail sauce. This simple cheat will make great sauce in seconds and save you money too.

Money Saving Tip: Just pick up store brand ketchup and a little horseradish on sale and your homemade cocktail sauce will be a big hit for half of what you'd pay for it at the grocery. (

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Sweet and Sassy Summer Snacks

Sassy Sun Tea

If you read my sun tea post, you'll know how to make a tasty tea from your favorite fresh herbs using a little time and sunlight. One way to sweeten things up and create tea a party favorite is by adding equal parts apple juice to your steeped tea blend. Pineapple sage and apple mint work well for this. So do lemon balm, lavender and chamomile. Add a cinnamon stick or a lemon

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Herbal Sun Tea Recipes and Instructions

Now that high summer has arrived, it's time to brew up some refreshing herbal sun tea. Let nature do all the work and harvest a refreshing and healthy glass of tea for your late afternoon or evening meal. Here's how:

How to Brew Herbal Sun Tea

Grab your favorite large glass jug. It should have a tight fitting lid (non-metallic preferred). Harvest and rinse your favorite fresh herbs. You

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Tidbits From Around the Web

If you're growing basil in your herb patch (and we hope you are), there have been problems the last couple of years with basil blight, and this invasive threat is on the move. The East and Midwest have been affected so far, and the airborne spores of this downy-mildew pesto killer are devastating.

If you notice yellowing on the leaf tips of your basil plants, check the back of the leaf. If you

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Hyssop Tea Recipe

Have a sinus headache? Allergies have you sniffling and miserable? Got a cold you just can't shake? Feel better with a steaming cup of hyssop tea. Hyssop has been the herb of choice in treating upper respiratory problems for centuries. It can clear you sinus passages, sooth a sore throat and relax tense and frazzled nerves.

Hyssop Tea Recipe (Not for use by pregnant or nursing women)

1

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How to Grow Hyssop

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) is a hearty perennial shrub in the mint family that has a spiky, upright habit and narrow tongue-like leaves. It's a dark, vibrant green when it gets enough nourishment, and sports small, vibrant blue flowers (some variations produce pink, lavender, purple or white flowers). It has an attractive appearance in the garden, but where it really shines is as an herbal

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How to Grow Pineapple Sage

Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) is an underrated herb in the garden. It doesn't need much attention, but has a lot to offer. It will grow up to five feet tall, and its bright leaves are a delicate shade of green all summer long. It produces long, slender, trumpet shaped red flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, too.

Did we mention that it really does smell like pineapple? You

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A Late Spring Saturday in the Garden

This late spring Saturday is pretty hectic around the old homestead. What with putting up floating row covers to foil squash beetles and keeping a keen eye out for Japanese beetles, not to mention the hordes of other insects that persist in behaving as though my precious acre is an all you can eat buffet, I'm tuckered before noon. The homemade bug sprays are working, but it's been raining

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Herb Fun From Around the Web

Just so you have all the information you need to make the best medicinal use of your herbs and spices, I have a few web pages for you to look at. Tape copies of these to your fridge. They'll be useful year round:

Surprising Healing Benefits of Spices

10 Healing Herbs Used in Teas

11 Medicinal Uses for Food

Healing Herbs: The 15 Most Powerful Healing Herbs in Your Kitchen

We all run across

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Super Homemade Herbal Insect Spray

If you've got lots of bugs and want a super bug killing solution without resorting to dangerous chemicals, let a few herbs help. I put this herbal bug spray together last year and certainly helped with whitefly, mosquitoes and aphids.

Bugs hate it. It uses five super bug-busting herbs that are easy to grow in the garden. Another bonus is that just having these plants growing in your yard can

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Marigold Bug Spray

Marigold bug spray, and organic bug spray made with French marigold flowers(Tagetes patula) discourages asparagus beetles, whitefly, tomato hornworms, mosquitoes, and lots of other crawling and flying bugs.

It's a nice alternative to stinkier sprays like garlic or catnip; both are effective but can put a damper on a patio party if you happen to be down wind.

Marigold can attract spider mites,

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Make Herbal Mosquito Repellent

You can make yourself, and your yard, less sweet-smelling to mosquitoes by employing four traditional herbs:

Parsley
Garlic
Catnip
Marigold

You can use them as a spray with either a vinegar or water base. A garlic and pepper spray follows, but in a pinch you can just rub the leaves of any of the herbs above on your skin (marigold could stain if you're not careful, though).

Garlic Pepper

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Companion Planting Herbs

If you've been playing around with the idea of companion planting herbs, I have a few ideas for you.

Herbs Make Amazing Companion Plants

Here's why:

They're easy to grow, and most varieties will adapt to the soil that's available.
Many herbs are fragrant in a way that bugs absolutely hate.

One herb variety can protect against a number of different insect invaders, so if you don't know who the

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What Caught My Eye

From bees that build nests out of flower petals to some truly fine tips on taking better photos, there's a lot of spring activity in the cyber-garden.

I spent my weekend feeding peonies, thinning out oregano and weeding around my lavender bushes. It was chilly, so when I finished I came indoors and made some very nice lavender tea and started a new batch of lavender sugar. Everything is

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Herb Markers

It's remarkable how many folks end up visiting my blog because they're stumped for an easy (or more attractive) way to identify their herb plants.

Well, actually not so remarkable if you think about it. Many immature herbs lack a distinctive fragrance, and recognizing the difference between peppermint and chocolate mint can be a challenge.

Although my family can tell a parsley leaf from a clump

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Growing Marijuana (Grow Cannabis)

I'm not advocating growing illegal substances, but it's always nice to see folks so passionate about their herbs. Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is a greedy crop that needs plenty of nutrients and lots of light. It doesn't like acidic soil.Growing marijuana in any quantity indoors is impractical, but the new hydroponic setups, like the compact AeroGardens make it possible to cultivate a single

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How to Keep Plants from Bolting

One bane of fast growing herbs is that they bolt quickly when the weather starts to warm up. Bolting is the process of rapid growth (sometimes looking leggy and spindly), flowering and setting seeds. When most plants enter this phase, they stop producing many, if any, leaves. To encourage your plants to keep leafing, as opposed to flowering, these tips will help:How to Keep Plants from

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The Magnificent Mint Mojito

I'm waxing a bit poetic, but if you like mint, rum and lime, this Cuban cocktail was made for you. It's refreshing on a hot day with just the hint of a citrus bite to keep it interesting. On Kentucky Derby day, this wonderful little drink makes a nice change from the traditional mint julep, especially if you aren't into bourbon.

A classic recipe follows. Mint and limes are essential for a

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Garden Tips and News From Around the Web

It's time for a little more link love and I have some goodies for you.Here's a great garden seed planting chart (mostly for veggies) that will help you know how much space you'll need for the yields you have in mind: Seed Planting ChartTake a moment to check out my two new TLC articles: How to Grow Your Own Indoor Herb Garden How To Bring the Outdoors in With Indoor GardensIf you garden, and you

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5 More Herb Recommendations for Your Garden This Year

I have a few more suggestions for your herb patch this season. Some of them are a little unexpected, but they're part of what makes herb gardening such a special gardening pursuit. Most of these offerings are pretty easy to grow once you get them started, but the first three: stevia, ginger and tea camellia aren't frost tolerant. You can over-winter them indoors, or in the case of stevia, over

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Herbs Can Save You Money in the Kitchen

Herbs can save you money in the kitchen. They'll help you eat healthier too. A few simple tricks can make keeping an herb garden a boon for your family and your pocketbook. An average American family spends about 10% of its annual income on food. Saving even a little of those thousands of dollars can pay for your garden and then some.There's one thing to keep in mind before you begin. Working

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Thoughts on a Sunday Garden

If you garden, or just like garden plants, Sundays have a particular appeal. After the paper, church, the cartoons, or your favorite hangover treatment, the greenery starts to beckon you outdoors. It's a special, dreamy time that's part chores and part fantasy.Here's stretches your garden, full of seedlings, weeds and encroaching bugs you have to deal with, and in your mind exists your fully

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Save Money in the Laundry with Herbs and Household Solutions

It's time for another herb focused money saving tip.

A few years ago my family started getting soap related rashes, so I began cutting back on the amount of laundry soap I use per load. This turned out to be an economical move that doesn't have a down side. I tried the same strategy across a number of laundry brands and finally settled on a routine in which I use about a third of the

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Herb Potting Tips

Before you get your herbs up and going this spring, you may want to do some pot maintenance and get your supplies together. I like keeping herbs in pots as well as in their own dedicated patch (and almost anywhere else I can find). One advantage of pots is that I can bring them back indoors in fall. This works great for the aloe vera, ginger plant, rosemary, lemon eucalyptus, scented geraniums

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Herb Fun From Around the Web

I occasionally find some amazing recipes, herb lore and fun stuff in my travels. I'd like to share some link love with you. It may help get you through a tough week or give you some added enthusiasm for working in the garden this weekend:Dandelion Cookies This recipe looks very intriguing. Just make sure to use dandelions that haven’t been treated with pesticides.If you hate cilantro and

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Growing Corsican Mint

Mints are easy to grow, fragrant and useful in the kitchen. They're also pretty to look at if you're into lush greenery with "benefits".Although old favorites like spearmint, peppermint and chocolate mint get everyone excited, especially around mojito time or during Kentucky Derby season, this little mint with a creme de menthe aroma and delicate appearance should be part of your collection

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Inexpensive Gardening Strategies

When you love to garden it's easy to get carried away with the latest gadget, lust after those adorable prefab greenhouses or just want a set of shiny new tools every year. Although new toys are fun, gardening can be less expensive than you think. These tips will help you grow some green the cash friendly way. You may need a couple of seasons to get a few of them to work for you, but they're

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10 Herbs for Your Spring Garden

Try these herbs for spring planting. Spring herbs can be some of the most satisfying plants in the garden. They typically germinate quickly or leaf out fast from their winter dormancy. They are also some of the signature flavors of our favorite warm season foods.If you live where it starts to warm up fast in spring, it pays to get a few of them started indoors and then out into the garden as

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How to Make Organic Soap Using Soapwort

There are a number of great concoctions for using soapwort (Saponaria officinalis), and you can find many recipes on the web. When I was in college, my Godmother shared her recipe with me. She lived in California and kept lots of herbs on her property. She used her soapwort liquid soap solution to clean her lace tablecloths and lace curtains, much the way her mother had done before her.

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Growing Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis)

Growing soapwort may be a very nice way for you to incorporate some eco-friendly cleaning practices into your household chores while inviting an attractive and low-maintenance plant to your herb patch. When you press this useful herb into service as a mild detergent to clean your lace tablecloths, wool and silk, it's an economical choice too.

Back before phosphates, people used this nifty

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Top 10 Most Overlooked Herbs

Every season I take an inventory of the herb plants I want to try cultivating. This usually involves a walk around the garden to see which plants managed to overwintered well, and also an inventory of indoor refugees from last year that managed to survive the change of venue over the winter months.Again and again, some herbs seem worth the effort that don't get nearly enough praise or press . .

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What Soil Do I Need for Herbs?

This is one question that comes up again and again with beginning herb gardeners. It's a great question too. There's nothing like getting started on the right foot -- and with gardening, soil is important.The great thing about most herbs is that poor soil isn't usually a problem. Herbs are sometimes considered weeds in their native eco-systems, and that's a good thing for herb growers. Many

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Using Herbs in Your Flower Arrangements

When you grow herbs, it's easy to find ways to use them around the house. Besides cooking, crafting and the occasional home remedy, herbs make great décor items.One of my favorite ways to use and display herbs is in decorative vases with whatever flowers are growing in the garden. To make this easier, I grow lots of herbs and plant flower varieties that, with luck, will provide blooms three

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Make Lavender Liquid Hand Soap

This season I'd like to add occasional tips about using herbs to make common household chores and activities more pleasant, eco-friendly or inexpensive. Over the years, I've tried lots of ways to incorporate herbs into my daily life. Some have worked and some . . . well, not so much. One thing I have learned is that herbs can make me feel that I lead a more graceful existence, whether I'm

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How to Make a Rain Barrel for Your Herb Garden

Making a rain barrel can help you spare the environment and provide a refreshing drink for the plants in your herb garden without it costing you an arm and a leg. Harvesting rainwater is like getting free water. All you have to do is come up with a strategy that will let you get a good quantity of water, even in a light rain, and store it safely.Happily, your home's roof is an ideal bit of real

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Straw Bale Gardening With Herbs

If you want a nice raised bed but don't have the time, resources or energy to invest in cultivating it, there may be a fast, fun solution that can help. If you're having back problems that are keeping you from enjoying your garden plot, then getting some easy elevation on the problem may be just what you need too.

Straw bale gardening is a version of hydroponic gardening for outdoors. It uses

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Free Herb Seed Catalogs and Spring Seed Advise

While so many of us are dealing with the harsh winter weather, it's nice to consider that spring really is just around the corner. Grab those seed catalogs and hold the good thought.If you have some seeds left over in packets from previous years, don't throw them out. I always forget to plant a seed or two in the spring rush, and if I'm not sure how viable a packet of seeds will be, I start

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