Not so Garden Shed Varieties

A walk in the secret garden may revel many varieties of species, choosing something you have not planted before can be educational and enjoying. I like reading through books to learn about new plants that interest me and hone my botany skills along the way. So get the hoe and tiller ready we are about to adventure with mother nature’s recipe book.

Burdock, genus Arctium, also spelled burdock. It is a biennial plant in the Asteraceae family. IT bears globular flower heads with prickly bracts (leaves). Burdock is native to Europe and Asia and have been naturalized in North America. They are regarded as weeds in the United States and cultivated for their roots in Asia. Burdock fruits are round burrs that stick to clothing and fur. Medicinally people take burdock to increase urine flow, kill germs, and reduce fever. People also use it to treat colds, cancer, anorexia, gastrointestinal complaints, joint pain, gout, bladder infections and skin conditions including acne and psoriasis.

Dandelion, weedy perennial herb of the genus Taraxacum of the family Asteraceae, native to Eurasia but widespread throughout much of temperate North America. The most familiar species is T. officinale. It has a rosette of leaves at the base of the plant, a deep taproot, a smooth hollow stem and leaves that may be nearly smooth margined, toothed. They also have a solitary yellow flower head composed only of ray flowers. The fruit is a ball shaped clusters of many small tufted, one seeded fruits. The bitter leaves are used in salads and toots can be used to make a tea to treat arthritis.

Garlic proper name Allium sativum is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the onion genu Allium. It is native to Central Asia and north eastern Iran. Ancient Egyptians used garlic as savory and medicinal. The word garlic is derived from old English meaning spear. Garlic is a perennial flowering plant that grows from a bulb. The stem grow to up to 1m (3feet). The leaf blade is flat, linear solid and about 1.25 to 2.5 cm (.5 to1 inches). The flowers are pink and purple from July to September. The bulb is odoriferous and contain outer layer leaves surrounding an inner layer that encloses the clove. Garlic is an antibacterial so can be applied to minor wounds. It is also a remedy for sore through and colds. Great for pasta and your medicine cabinet!

Marshmallow root, Althaea officinalis, perennial herbaceous plant of the hibiscus, or mallow family, Malvaceae. It is native to Eastern Europe and Northern Africa. It has also become established in North America. The plant is usually found in marshy areas, mainly near the sea. It has strongly veined heart shaped leaves. The pinkish flowers, borne on stalks about 1.8 meters (6feet) tall are about 5 centimeters (2inches) in diameter. It is used to make marshmallow the confection we all love. Medicinally marshmallow root is used to treat dry mouth, pain and swelling of the mucous membranes and dry cough.

A rose is a favorite to many. It is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae. Three hundred species exist, they are shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that have thorns. Roses are native to Asia, Europe, North American and Africa. Roses can be mini or up to seven meters in height. There are four subgenera of the species of roses. They are: Hulthemia, Hesperrhodos, Platyrhodon, and Rosa. Home Remedies that involve rose petals are rose facials, apply to skin and let it work its magic. So next time you are looking for sweet smelling flowers and a facial choose roses!

Using the plants that our ancestors used is a way of understanding the past, planting medicinal plants is a great way to live a holistic life and can be a great conversation with friends. Happy Planting!