Signs Of Spring

Well, these popped up today in the garden! Looks like we might get an early spring...or maybe just some early flowers!! Lol Either way, it is a welcome sign. :)

Autumn Beauty

We have an abundance of pumpkins this year, despite the bad weather we had this season.

I found this idea for a centerpiece on another blog...(forgot the name)..but it is so great I wanted to share it.

Isn't fall one of the most lovely seasons to be experienced? I think so too!

Very Useful Indeed

My grandmother taught all of us girls how to make medicinal herb mixtures when we were young. The have been very useful over the years, and I have passed them down to my girls.

ANGELICA - Dried leaves are used to make an infusion (tea) to improve energy, stimulate circulation and reduce flatulence. Has antibacterial and antifungal qualities.
BASIL, SWEET - Steep leaves in water for a few minutes to make a tea to help indigestion. Make a cold-oil infusion to massage sore muscles.
CALENDULA - Flowers make a healing mouthwash for the gums. Mix a cream using calendula petals and plantain leaves for healing of cuts.
CATNIP - Make a tea to to relieve colds and fevers. Also used to treat headaches and upset stomachs. Has mild sedative qualities.
CHAMOMILE - Use in a tea as a mild sleep aid or to aid digestion. Make a cream to treat dry, rough skin.
COMMON YARROW - Infused tea fights colds and fevers. Make a cream with its flower petals to use on cuts and burns.
CORIANDER - Chew leaves or infuse as a tea to relieve upset stomachs. Also used as a mild sedative.

FEVERFEW - Eat three to five leaves daily to reduce migraine headaches. Infuse as a tea to relieve muscle spasms or reduce fever. 

HOREHOUND - Make a tonic of chopped horehound leaves and honey to treat sore throats. A cold infusion will help relieve heartburn.

HYSSOP - Make a cream to treat bruises and burns. Infuse as tea to treat colds, flu, bronchitis and sore throats.

PURPLE CONEFLOWER (Echinacea Purpurea) - Drink a hot infusion to stimulate the immune system.

ST JOHN'S WORT - Infuse as tea to treat depression or as a mild sedative. Makes a cream to treat bruises and skin inflammation.

SUMMER SAVORY - Hot infusion is gargled to treat a sore throat. Also drink as a tea to treat diarrhea and indigestion.

THYME - Make a tea sweetened with honey to help relieve sore throats and coughs. Infuse to help with headaches.

VALERIAN - Roots used to relieve nervous tension, anxiety, insomnia and pain. Roots used in a cream to treat acne or skin rashes. 
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Container Growing on the Patio

Here are some of the herbs and flowers we have been growing on the patio.

This is the Zucchini I pictured in an earlier post that was planted  in March indoors..it is getting very big!

Gardening Tips

Gardening for (Almost) Nothing

Whether you have a coffee can full of compost or a thousand acres of farmland to garden, you can grow at least some of your own food for much less than you'd pay for it. In some instances, you can for free.

Get a few plants, a little water and some gardening wisdom (the kind found at the local library or through a search engine on the Internet), and you can frugally grow everything from potatoes and carrots to artichokes and zucchini.

Be careful. It can be kind of scary to walk into a garden center and look at the price of bedding plants! Believe me, that's not a frugal plan. For the price of a few of those plants, it seems to be cheaper (and certainly easier) to just buy a few tomatoes and lettuce at the store.

Roses and Zucchini

Well, the roses are doing fairly well. We have had a lot of rain this spring in Maine and then the sun comes out to dry things up which makes for some brown tips on the plants. But, all in all everything is doing good.

Zucchini is loving the weather, and I think there is going to be an abundance of it all summer! Hope the neighbors like presents on the porch!