Category: Herbs
Tis The Season for Sage
Thanksgiving dinners filled with the fragrance of sage dusted turkey and dressing may be an American tradition, so it may surprise you to know that the sage plant (Salvia officinalis) is native to the Mediterranean. Today sage is used primarily as a culinary herb, but in older times it was a common medicinal plant. The origin of the salvia name belies it medicinal value from the Latin salvus “to save” and salvere, “to heal”. Sage […]
Stevia in the Windowsill Garden
Looking for a fun gardening project for chasing away your winter blues? Why not try growing Stevia in your windowsill garden. It may not be the most ornamental of plants, but hopefully will present a sweet reward for your efforts. Stevia rebaudiana, also known as sweetleaf and sugarleaf, is a low-growing, tender, perennial herb grown for the high levels of stevioside, which can be 30-300 times sweeter than cane sugar yet has zero calories. The […]
Q. I live in northern Indiana. Please tell me how to grow mint. What is the difference between peppermint and spearmint? A. Mint is an important commercial crop in Northwest Indiana, with over 9,000 acres raised in 2007 at a value of over $6 million (USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana/index.asp). The bulk of the Indiana mint crop is peppermint, followed by spearmint. Mint belongs to a botanical genus of plants called Mentha. Peppermint is Mentha […]
Q. I read your article on fire blight. We have a bad case of fire blight on one of our pear trees. You spoke of doing a pruning of the diseased parts, and we were wondering when would be the best time to do the pruning–spring or fall? — Linda Am Rhein, Scipio, Ind. A. Fire blight-infected limbs and branches should be pruned during late winter when there is much less chance of spreading fire-blight bacteria on […]
Propagate Herbs Now For Yearlong Enjoyment
B. Rosie Lerner, Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist Herb gardeners can snip fresh herbs throughout the winter by propagating their garden plants now. There are several approaches to overwintering plants. One easy method is to dig up a plant, or a portion of one, and pot it up. Plants such as chives, lemon balm, mint, burnet and sweet woodruff can be lifted and divided into sections to create more plants. Dividing is a fairly foolproof method […]
Outstanding new plants announced for 1997
(Released: 03 October 1996) By B. Rosie Lerner Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist Six new garden plants have been awarded the prestigious honor of being an All America Selection (AAS) for 1997. These new cultivars have been judged as superior in their class based on their performance in test gardens all over the country. Zinnia angustifolia ‘Crystal White’ is not your ordinary everyday zinnia! Crystal White has a daintier texture, with small, pure-white, daisy-like flowers that […]