The Charm and Function of a Colonial Herb Garden

Colonial times weren't always the easiest at that time. People had to juggle and struggle to survive in a whole new world. But survive they did. In fact, they flourished as time progressed. Their struggles and innovations helped shape life in the United States as we know it today. During this bygone era, every part of the home and garden had to be functional. That didn't mean it couldn't be beautiful as well. One of the finest examples of this marriage between beauty and function was the colonial herb garden.

Colony families usually had a small garden in which they grew fruits, vegetables and herbs. Herbs were used not just for cooking, but for medicine and fragrance. Colonial era gardeners made the most of the often meager space they had. In a garden from this time period you might find herbs like lavender, rue, sage, mint and chamomile. If you wanted to grow your own colonial style garden, these herbs would be a good start.

Lavender is a beautiful and majestic herb prized for its purple color and crisp, alluring fragrance. Lavender can also be used to cook with and can even add flavor and color to lemonade or tea. Settlers also commonly used lavender medicinally for its antiseptic and anxiety relieving properties. Then there's rue. Rue was often dried and applied to wounds in poultice form. Colonial doctors also used it as a stimulating tonic. This herb has blue leaves and delicate yellow flowers.

Sage is a multipurpose herb that was used in colonial times (and even modern times) as a food enhancer and medicinal tea. It's thought that sage tea can alleviate some of the side effects of menopause such as hot flashes and night sweats. Mint is another multipurpose herb. Mint leaves can be used for tea. Oil can be extracted and used to flavor candy and chewing gum. Soap spiked with mint is invigorating and fragrant. Then there's the lovely chamomile. Chamomile is revered for its delicate aroma and calming properties. It is used for fragrance and for tea.

The colonial herb garden can be enjoyed in most any outdoor garden area. Most herbs prefer full sun, so choose a sunny location. Start your seeds indoors using a plastic container especially made for this purpose. Any garden center will have what you need to get started. You can not only keep your garden outdoors, but indoors as well. Most herbs grow nicely in containers placed in a sunny windowsill. Whether you choose an indoor container garden or a traditional outdoor garden, you're sure to enjoy planting, harvesting and using fresh herbs.



Container Gardening: Container Herb Garden

Herb Gardening News:
Italian Herb Garden Secrets | Time To Grow
Those rewards can be greatly enhance by choosing to specialize and concentrate on developing an Italian herb garden. Italian herbs are not only some of the world's best tasting and most famous but they have a rich heritage of being an ...


Herb Garden Kits EUR Completely Different Kinds Of Herb Garden Kits |
Are you planning to have your very own herb garden? Do you need to begin growing herbs which you can readily use at residence? Are you considering turning herb gardening into a passion? In the event you say yes to those, then you should ...


Garden Calendar
Saturdays through October: Farmers Market: 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Central Station at S. Front and G.E. Patterson Downtown. Locally grown and produced food products, including fruits and vegetables, cut flowers, organic produce and meats, baked and prepared foods and more. Go to ...


Lines from Linderhof: Reprise -- The September Herb Garden
I like the lushness of the September herb garden. Some of the herbs have been harvested but with our cooler summer and plenty of rain, they have grown in leaps and bounds again. And this year we may get a second harvest. ...


To do in the garden this week
The pretty weather makes us remember that the cold of winter is not far away...


Italian Herb Garden Secrets | Time To Grow
Italian Herb Garden Secrets | Time To Grow http://bit.ly/94GKvS...


Delicious, Healthy spices and Herb Garden Plants « Content .
What food is spices and herb garden plants? If we do not? T are herbs and spices, we would probably we do food even fattier and suolaisempaa makeampi, than now, for without complex tastes and scents that are provided by the herbs and ...


Biblical herbs sprout inspiration for guide to heaven-sent meals
When Annunciation Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen opened 10 years ago, Carleen Villasenor planted a biblical herb garden on its 10-acre property that includes native plants and grasses.As the garden grew, her fellow church members asked Villasenor for practical ways to use those herbs. Because

Herb Garden Information for Beginners | Chantale Rivar Deditions
THE CULTIVATION AND USE OF HERBS AS FLAVORINGS AND MEDICINES CAN BE TRACED BACK TO ANCIENT EGYPTIANS, THE ANCIENT CHINESE...


Technorati Tags: , ,