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Being
in a garden refreshes us, evaporates our stress and brings us peace.
Wandering through a beautiful garden renews our spirit. It makes us harmonious with the incredible earth, and the magical life it sustains. When you seek a balance and inner peace, or just a place to relax, to find calm, quiet, tranquillity, a garden can be the perfect place. The mind's natural images of a garden can sometimes substitute. |
Always new blossoms and lush growth Your Contributions Hawaiian Plants |
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Plants are so important and they give us so much, even rewarding us for a little care and attention. They help remind us of the incredible nature that has come from our mother earth and the miracle of life. During WWII, many people had a Victory Garden. It brought people Together in a common cause; that was to help as a society to win the war. And it had a very positive effect. Peace gardening can also bring us together as a society to help win the peace. Other positive energy will come through loving the nature, and the earth. Experiencing another Life force makes us feel good. Also, it can foster relationships with family members and others. Nurturing life and sharing abundance is a beautiful thing. Everyone's ideas are welcome. As a start, we can designate our gardens' or our plants' to be our personal peace garden. Like an empty canvas or blank page we can do whatever comes to mind to connect plants with peace symbolically, be it big or small. We can share our ideas and experiences, our successes and our failures. (Thinking about only positive things while you are in your "garden" helps.) If this project is something you would like to be part of, now is the time to get started. And if you like, post your ideas, comments, or Photos below. "Seedsmen reckon that their stock in trade is not seeds at all ... it's optimism". |
| The
Hawaiians considered the ti plant sacred. Religious ceremonies often included
a bowl of water in which ti leaves were dipped and chants were recited
while the wet ti leaves were shaken of their water droplets as part of
the symbolic cleansing or to ward off evil spirits. Ti planted around
your house would bring you good luck, and guard against bad spirits entering. It was also used in the ceremonies of peace, much as an olive branch would be extended, in a meeting of negotiating a truce between warring parties. Ti plants can be grown from cutting a branch and placing it in water until the roots sprout from the sides. Then you can plant it in soil. Just keep it constantly moist, and make sure to always water it regularly and not let it dry out too much. They are very easy to grow and there are many varieties and colors to collect in a ti garden. |
 The
Ohia |
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Memories are the dew drops on our petals
That re-open the buds that have closed.
Flowers wilt as seasons change,
Though they grow a little more with rain.
The sun will shine when in need,
And left behind, a precious seed.
Picture-Stories: |
Alphabetical Herb List with growing requirements
Aloe • Basil • Chamomile • Chives • Cilantro (Coriander) • Dill • Eucalyptus • Foxglove • Garlic • Hyssop • Italian • Parsley • Lavender • Marjoram • Mints • Mugwort • Oregano • Rosemary • Sage • St. John's Wort • Wormwood • Yarrow
Aloe
(Lilliaceae), "In the African Congo, the Slukari hunters rub the gel of aloe
over their bodies to remove the human scent before they stalk their prey.
In many countries, women rub the gel of aloe on their faces to keep their
skin fresh and supple. All over the world, men and women rub the gel of aloe
on burns to heal the skin." Rodale's Herbs
Hardiness: zone 10
Soil pH neutral
Average, well-drained soil
Full sun to light shade
Cultivation: Grow in containers where minimum temperatures go below 41 degrees
F. Separate suckers when 2 to 6 inches high.
Basil
(Ocimum basilicum), is a favorite annual culinary herb. Ask any chef and pesto
lover. An excellent ingredient for the bath, basil is also popular for sachets
and incenses. Fresh basil has a peppery, spicy aroma and is preferred to dried
basil which quickly loses its scent. However, basil may be frozen to retain
more of this delightful aroma. Plant basil near tomato plants to enhance flavor
and along borders. A walk through a garden lined with basil can only add to
a pleasant stroll. Place a sprig of fresh basil in your car on roadtrips to
refresh your senses.
Chamomile-Camomile
(Matricaria chamomilla or German camomile, Anthemis nobilis or Roman camomile),
one of the best loved herbs, is used for healing both humans and plants. When
added to the bath this herb is excellent for relief of itchy or irritated skin
and aching muscles. Drink chamomile tea for upset stomach, fever, relief of
a hangover and for colicky infants. Grow this herb everywhere in your garden
for healthier plants or place a potted chamomile near a sick plant for healing.
Seeds are tiny and best started in pots. Chamomile loves to be walked on and
can be grown in paths or around garden benches. This herb gives off an apple-like
aroma, i.e. the Greeks call it "earth apple". Worn in amulets for eye complaints,
this herb reached literary fame in Beatrix Potter's "Peter Rabbit".
Chives
( Allium schoenoprasum - onion chives) Most cooks only use the leaves. The pretty
purple flowers separated into florets can also be added to salads for color
and flavor.
Cilantro
(Coriander leaves, Chinese Parsley) has been cultivated for thousands of years.
This plant has a very strong flavor which is milder in the leaves and is used
in Chinese and Latin American cuisine.
Dill
(Anethum graveolens - Unbelliferae)
Eucalyptus
(Myrtaceae)
Foxglove
(Digitalis purpurea) A gardener's favorite. Beautiful flowers are bell shaped
and come in a range of pink and white. Also see Unsafe
Herbs.
Garlic
(Liliaceae), Also see Herb Vitamins and Herbs
in the Medicine Cabinet
Hyssop
(Hyssopus officinalis), which is used to flavor green salads, chicken soup,
lamb and poultry has a history of use as a cleansing herb and antiseptic. According
to Jeanne Rose, "...penicillin mold grows and thrives on hyssop leaves." Anise-hyssop
(Agastache formiculum) can be used as a sugar substitute to sweeten tea. As
a general purpose garden herb and loved by bees, hyssop is easy to grow and
is rarely bothered by pests.
Italian
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum - Plainleaf Parsley) adds rich
European flavor to soups, stews, vegetables and salads. High in Vitamin A and
C, parsley is a natural breath sweetener. Easy to grow.
Lavender
(Lavandula officinalis), harvested from your own garden exudes the most delicate
fragrance to be used in sachets and potpourris. Popular in perfumes and toilet
waters, this herb has long been a favorite for love encounters. The Chinese
consider lavender oil a cure-all.
Marjoram
( Origanum Majorana - Labiatae), called "joy of the mountains" by the Greeks,
this herb is a minor antioxidant, antiseptic and a flavor enhancer in a miriad
of culinary dishes as a mild oregano.
Mints
Mugwort
(Artemisia vulgaris), though not safe if used internally, can be used externally
in a herbal bath to relieve aching muscles. In the garden, it is well used as
a light green color contrast to other plants and flowers, and dried is excellent
in arrangements. However, its preferred use by the Wise Ones is for dreaming.
An ancient American Indian recipe calls for 1 oz. of mugwort stuffed into a
pillow, while some herbals suggest using 8 oz. For the beginner, I recommend
experimenting with 1 oz. for the hardy dreamer (the result is likened to traveling
at light speed without a starship) and less than an ounce for the faint hearted.
Oregano
(O. heracleoticum), is used mostly in tomato sauces. Try it dried and sprinkled
on steak before cooking. Delicious. Keep dried leaves whole and crumple only
when adding to recipes to retain stronger flavor.
Rosemary
(Rosmarinus officinalis), is a beautiful evergreen shrub with needlelike leaves
and a piney scent. Rosemary is finicky in any garden and more so if potted,
however, seaside dwellers will have less difficulty growing this herb. A strong
yet popular herb, its uses are many and varied. To name just a few -- moth proofing,
an aromatic in sachets, an excellent steam facial, hair rinse for brunettes,
as a culinary herb for fish, lamb, poultry and game or as a vinegar, a yellow-green
wool dye. Also used throughout the ages as a brain or memory restorer, if you
can remember to make the tea.
Sage
(Labiatae) Used in stuffings and dressings. Also a good aromatic and bath herb.
St.
John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) Used for nervous complaints. Warning:
This plant can be highly toxic and self-medication is discouraged.
Wormwood
(Artemisia absinthium), widely cultivated, is a beautiful spreading plant. Try
a handful of this herb in your dog or cat bed to repel fleas, but only if your
familiar approves. Use wormwood as an excellent moth proofer. External use in
tea form for bruises, sprains, arthritis and rheumatism can be recommended.
However, any internal use is highly dangerous due to the active principle thujone,
which is a poison and narcotic.
Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium), One of love's favorite herbs. Used in long lasting love
charms, this herb has a lengthy list of common or folk names -- Millefolium,
Arrow Root, Ladies' Mantle, Devil's Plaything, Old Man's Pepper, to name but
a few -- which attest for its popularity all over the world. A lovely flowering
herb, pink, white or yellow, each yarrow plant needs plenty of room in the garden
and is relatively easy to grow.
