Stoney Ground Herbs

Beautiful, strong herbs for NZ gardeners and herbalists of all levels

It’s Not You, It’s Me…

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Catalyst Fruit Wines

How many times have I written this post without publishing it? Several times; it’s like trying to pen a break up letter to someone you’re actually in love with but you know it’s just not going to work out… It’s not you, it’s me. Honest!

In actual fact, this will work as a nice in to what it is I want to write; what I need to write.

Stoney Ground Herbs has been running for eight years now. It has taken me on some terrific and unexpected journeys. For one, I did not imagine I would send plants all around New Zealand, I set up thinking I would just be servicing the Kāpiti region (we were living in Paekakariki at the time). I did not expect to be supplying dried herbs for set designers working at TV production companies (cracker year that one!). I did not realise that my articles on Maramataka Māori would be more popular than any herb article I’ve written.

I have had successes, I have had failures, I have loved sharing my knowledge, I have wished I received more feedback, I have put my heart and soul into growing my plants and I have been rewarded knowing that most were going to gardens/gardeners with the same energy.

But it’s time to tread another path my friends.

I have loved supplying you with plants (or entertainment!) – but now I want to supply people with my own take on fruit wines (more often than not herbs are involved in my brews). Bit of a jump I know, but this is where my heart is now. I’ve been making fruit wines for four years but it’s going to take another year before I will legally be able to sell my wines. I don’t have a website yet (not much point until I’m legit) but if you would be interested in when I’ll be up and running, contact me through the contact form and I’ll put you on my mailing list. I have an Instagram account here @catalystfruitwines.

I was going to wait until the end of the season but covid has sped things along with sending difficulties and cancelled markets. I think it’s only fair to everyone that I shut up shop now. If you are on my white sage email list I will still contact you if and when I have plants available. But please do support these other businesses that I’m sure have been dealing with their own setbacks… or not! Support them anyway…

If I find I just can’t help but propagate more plants I will possibly sell on Trade Me, but we’ll see… I might actually focus on my own gardens… and Catalyst Fruit Wines!

So there we go, do I push the publish button? Golly…

Well, I’ve just had a natter to my plants and yep, they are in agreeance that it’s time, all a bit nerve wracking; am I doing the right thing? Will I regret this? Will I piss people off? ~ actually, don’t care! Will my fruit wines absolutely rock your fkn socks off? I bloody hope so!

Remember to check out my insta account Catalyst Fruit Wines and contact me to go on my mailing list (you can just write Catalyst in the message or Wine, whatever!).

OK folk, love ya, grow well, keep on growing, look up Mark Manson, use your herbs (it’s the best way to keep them shipshape), support small businesses, be vocal, speak up, yes protest, but also tell people that they’re doing a stellar job or you love their stuff, be effusive (but not, too like, scary full on eh!), trust your instinct, do what you love, accept that passions ebb and flow, acknowledge when the tide of passion is out and not coming back, grow old gracefully, plant a tree, feed others, unless you’re hurting others~ don’t buy into guilt, you’re doing a great job. You are enough. I am enough and it’s time to stop blabbering… so hard to say good bye!!!! 😥😂 See ya!!!!!

Maramataka Māori for Whiringa-ā-rangi, 5th Nov- 4th Dec

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Do you have a particular music album that you listen to to get you motivated? I have several, today’s choice is Keep on Pushing (2001) by The Black Seeds… Feel free to dance dance the night away as tonight is Whiro, New Moon (in Scorpio) while I keep on pushing writing our Maramataka guide for Whiringa-ā-rangi, the sixth month of the Māori year. (Good lord I hope there’s some old Black Seeds fans out there that get my drift here! 😂)

Reminder; I follow the Ātiawa version of te Maramataka Māori, other iwi will have differences in names of nights and/or their order.

OK, let’s get our hands in the dirt and forget about the outside world for a while eh…

Black elder plants for sale, new zealand
Must be closer to summer, the elders are flowering!

Tirea + Haohaoata + Ōuenuku, 6,7,8th November

Plant comfrey root cuttings now if you haven’t already. Some people bemoan comfreys spreading habit, but it’s a wonderful plant as a living mulch under your fruit trees. Leaves can be used as a (stinky!) compost tea or laid in trenches before you plant your potatoes.

If shield bugs are an issue, plant mustard or cleome as catch crops (meaning, with fingers crossed, the shield bugs will go for these plants and not your prized tomatoes!)

Get mulches sorted if you’re in an area prone to dry summers. Mulch is just so important in this climatic day and age.

Keep on planting out your seedlings if weather is nice (it’s gone bloody cold here). And keep sowing crops for all summer eatting; corn, beans, cucumbers, late tomatoes etc.

Tamatea angaanga, 11th Nov

A good day for cropping/harvesting. Harvest herbs to dry; make sure it is a fine day and the foliage is dry before harvesting. Dry in a warm dark space like a hot water cupboard – don’t dry in the sun if you can help it. If you’re harvesting lemon balm to dry be real careful you don’t bruise the leaves.

Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis
Lemon Balm

Māwharu, 16th Nov

Foliar spray the māra with your organic spray of choice. Plant/sow green beans and any other crop that is not intended for long term storage.

Rākaunui (Full Moon) + Rākaumatohi, 19, 20th Nov

Plant your root crops

Tanagaroa piri a mua, 27 Nov

Keep on doing what you’re doing; planting, sowing, checking for insects (got enough good ones?), diseases (mildew is becoming more common plus other fungal issues, if this is the case at your place check out this article here), weeding. Hopefully not putting out too many fires! (That’s a nod to you Ginny! 😜)

Mauri, 1st December

Tools down, take it easy, relax, rest. Coming up to the New Moon.

But if the world is all getting a bit too much, get back out there! Avoid social media if it’s making you angry, they want you angry, stay true to who are and what you believe in, hold the earth close, the best self care you can practise is caring for the planet, caring for Papatūānuku and caring for those you love. Keep it simple xx

Maramataka Māori for Whiringa-ā-nuku, 7 Oct-4 Nov

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The 5th month of the Māori year, Whiringa-ā-nuku, starting on Thursday 7th October (Oketopa)~

Kua tino mahana te whenua

The earth has now become quite warm

Thank the goddess as I’m ready for a bit more warmth. Warmth does drag its feet here in Eketāhuna but it’s still warmer than it usually is and things are a-happening.

Art work by Sofia Minson, her work is amazing, check it out

So what to do to facilitate all this mad rush of growth? ~ Let’s get into by starting with the third day….

Haohaoata, 9th October

A very good day for planting kūmara or any seed. Basically, the gates are open kids, all seed is fair game (except seeds best sown in autumn, like coriander and a lot of brassicas). If you’re cool climate like me remember to sow your leek seeds this month, to be planted out in December.

Between New Moon (Whiro, 7th Oct) and First Quarter (Tamatea angaanga, 13 Oct) get stuck into your weeding, they’ll come up a dream. Prick out and transplant seedlings if your climate is kind. Keep a keen eye out for slugs and snails, Quash is the most acceptable slug/snail bait that I know of for an organic garden.

Māwharu, 28th Oct

Foliar feed your garden and fruit trees.*

Māwharu is a great day for planting out, but the produce won’t keep so well. So, for example, plant out your green beans (snap beans) but wait ’til Rākaunui to plant out beans you’re planning to dry.

Rākaunui, 21 Oct + Rākaumatohi, 22 Oct

Get your roots down; sow carrots, parsnips, main crop potatoes, beetroot, jeruselum artichokes, echinacea.

*For the following few days it is so so or not very good to be working in the garden according to the Maramataka. Which is a bit of a shame because it is Labour Weekend, a traditional gardening weekend in Aotearoa. But gosh, you know what, you don’t have to be a slave to the Moon calendar – like I’ve mentioned in previous posts, you’ve still got to use your common sense. Don’t foliar feed/spray your plants if it is raining… If you don’t have time to do something that the Moon calendar dictates on a certain day, don’t beat yourself up about it. If you do things out of sync the world isn’t going to fall apart and your garden isn’t going to die. This is a guide, not a rule book!

Korekore piri ki ngā tangaroa, 28th Oct – Ōrongonui, 1st Nov

Seed sowing, planting out, mounding up potatoes, dividing herbs, slug and snail hunting.

Get in there and enjoy 🍃

And then take a step back, admire what you’ve got going on and what you’ve set in place to happen…

Amazing and super exciting isn’t it?

Borage and Calendula brightening the māra up

Maramataka Māori for Mahuru, 7th Sept-6th Oct

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Hey ho! Kia ora and haere mai to this lunar months gardening guide. Mahuru is the fourth month of the Māori lunar year starting with the New Moon on the 7th September (Hepetema), running this guide to the 6th October (Oketopa).

I hope you have been holding yourself well during this lockdown, it’s felt a bit rougher this time hey.

But. Weren’t we lucky to have that stunning weather for the Last Quarter moon just been; hope you were busy in the māra making the most of it.

photo taken at Masterton gardens

Haohaoata, 9th September

You’re good to go for seed sowing today. If you do successive sowing (sowing say, lettuce + spinach every 2-3 weeks so you have your food continuously and not in one glut) the moon has your back. According to the Maramataka Māori , ideal seed sowing days are Haohaoata (third day after New Moon), Rakaunui (Full moon) and Tangaroa piri a roto (one day after last quarter). Quite nicely spaced out aren’t they.

Ōuenuku, 10th Sept – Tamatea angaanga, 13th Sept

These are good days to be planting out, but only if you live in frost free areas or have cloches for your wee plants. Prick out seedlings into more nutritive potting mix.

Weed, weed, weed, keep on top of it- spring growth can make weeds grow bigger than your intentional plants!

  • A lot of herbs are prolific self seeders, you might have some catnip, lemon balm, motherwort, clary sage etc popping up. Let them be if they’re not going to overcrowd less rambunctious plants or pot them up and give away to friends.
  • In your weeding do remember that plants that have been dormant over winter will be coming up, echinacea, lady’s mantle, lovage and French tarragon for example, so don’t pull them up as well.
  • If you are weeding someone else’s garden please confer with the owner. One persons’ weed is another persons’ treasured plant. Plus they’ll be able to tell you where dormant plants ought to be.
  • And hey, how about checking out a foraging guide – those weeds might make a beauts spring soup or salad!

Māwharu, 18th Sept

He rā tino pai tēnei me te ono kai, he nunui te kūmara engari kaore e roa ka pirau he rā pai ki te hē ika.

A very good day for planting but the produce does not last for very long. A good day for fishing.

This is the day that I will be planting my early taewa (potato). The Jersey Bennes that will be eaten at Christmas and throughout summer for our potato salads. Early potatoes are called as such because they generally take 90 days from planting to harvesting, main crop potatoes take up to 120 days. Really, they should be called fast potatoes (earlies) and slow potatoes (main)… Just don’t be a couch potato! (sorry, couldn’t help myself!) Especially on this day; we’re three days away from the full moon and it’s swell timing to be foliar feeding the garden and fertilising your fruit trees too.

Rākaunui (Full Moon), 21 Sept + Rākaumatohi, 22 Sept

Sow carrots, beetroot, parsnip, radish, all those tap root vegies. Keep prepping your garden beds with compost and digging in your cover crops. Mulch any citrus trees you have. After Rākaumatohi have a wee break before we get to the Last Quarter period. Spring Equinox is on the 23rd, do something special perhaps.

Tangaroa piri a mua, 29 Sept – Ōrongonui, 3rd Oct

Last Quarter… If you can imagine me rubbing my hands together in glee, this is me every Last Quarter. It is a super productive time; harness the energy of this marama phase and get busy! From here until Ōrongonui all days are very good days for planting, sowing seeds, taking divisions, making compost and prepping beds.

As I said earlier, Tangaroa piri a roto (30th Sept) is the day of all days during this period, not only for sowing seeds but also for planting out your kūmara and main crop taewa (potato). If there’s still risk of frost in your area have frost cloths at the ready, potato plants have zero tolerance to frosty weather.

For ideas of what to be sowing look at last months (Hereturikōkā) guide.

Mauri, 3rd October

And we rest. As the moon moves into its darkness it is time to take stock on what we’ve achieved, or not, rest and relax.

And that folks might be me. I’m in the process of slowing things down here at Stoney Ground Herbs with my eye on following a different path… More news to come~💚

Level 4

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Well, here we go again. Lockdown, Level 4.

Cheers to staying home, cheers to homemade Cherry and Elderberry wine!

I’ll get straight to the point (well, as straight as I can get!). Courier agencies are putting it into businesses hands as to whether we regard our products as “essential”. The Government definitely has clear guidelines on what is essential, plants aren’t on it and couriers are recommending to hold off on sending perishables due to the delay in deliveries..

So. I will not be sending plants for the month of August. Come September, if we are still in lockdown levels 4 or 3, I am regarding my products as essential. Gardening is so good for the heart, soul, mind and body and by September we will need everything we can get that will keep us in a healthy state of mind and being. Not to mention that its optimum gardening time and to be totally frank I will need some cash flow happening by then!

the least I can do

Fortunately I stocked up on Daltons Organic Potting Mix weeks ago, and I had made a decision actually just days before the UN IPCC report that instead of buying new (uniform) pots for my plants this season I would first use up all my odds and sods. Cleaned and sterilised in the sun of course.

In the meantime, remember to check out my guide for gardening by the moon, Aotearoa styles for this time period, you’ll find it right here.

Stay safe, be wise and feel free to let me know what plants you’ll be after over the next few weeks, to be fair a lot are not going to be ready until October in any case, can’t rush these things 🌿

Maramataka Māori for Hereturikōkā, August 9th-6th Sept

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Kia ora! And here we are in Hereturikōkā, the third month of the Māori year, starting on the night of the New Moon, the 9th August.

Maramataka Māori for Heriturikōkā

Hey so let’s talk about the months while we’re here… The months as we know them in English/Western world are based on the Gregorian calendar. At the moment it’s August. In te reo Māori, August is Ākuhata. Hereturikōkā is not another name for August, Hereturikōkā is the name for the third month of Maramataka Māori; the Māori lunar calendar. You follow? For a more comprehensive explanation go to this blog post from Tuhi Stationary (hmmm, their website appears to be down at the moment, I will update the link ASAP, Possible being the operative word!)

Gregorian Months in Te Reo

  • January…… Hānuere
  • February…… Pēpuere
  • March…… Māehe
  • April…… Āperira
  • May…… Mei
  • June…… Hune
  • July…… Hūrae
  • August……. Ākuhata
  • September……. Hepetema
  • October…… Oketopa
  • November……. Noema
  • December…… Tihema

Maramataka Māori, Lunar Months

  • 1; Pipiri (generally in June/Hune from the first New Moon)
  • 2; Hōngongoi
  • 3; Hereturikōkā
  • 4; Mahuru
  • 5; Whiringa-ā-nuku
  • 6; Whiringa-ā-rangi
  • 7; Hakihea
  • 8; Kohitātea
  • 9; Huitanguru
  • 10; Poutūterangi
  • 11; Paengawhāwhā
  • 12; Haratua

I’ve always felt a bit conflicted with my headings, i.e. Maramataka Māori for Hōngongoi/July. I don’t want to mislead people in thinking A) Hōngongoi is te reo for July B) That my guide is going to lead you from the 1st of the month to the last day. But I do want to make it obvious for people whom aren’t familiar with the names of the Māori lunar calendar (which I dare say is the vast majority) as to what time period on the Gregorian calendar we’re looking at. This has all led me to an Ah-ha! moment “Maramataka Māori for Hereturikōka, August 9th- Sept 6th” It will work for now, but I feel it will need more tweaking…

Anyway, less theory and more practical, what are we to do this month? Getting ready for some major action is what we’re doing. We’re coming up to the most busiest, changeable, exciting and nerve wracking time of the gardeners year; not just this month, but for the next 3-4 months… Plants are budding. Will they get nailed by a frost? Seeds are sown. Will they grow? Seedlings are coming up. Is a hail storm on the way? So many flowers and blossoms. When will this wind stop? Plants are ordered. Will they arrive in one piece? (Hopefully if you ordered from me they’ll be right as rain!)

Haohaoata, 11th Ākuhata (August)

He pō ahua pai tēnei mō te hī koura, tuna, koura ono kūmara ono hoki i ētahi atu kākano

A very good day for planting kūmara or any seed, also crayfishing or torching eels, especially if the moon is out of sight.

If you grow kūmara, today is the day to put the tubers into sand boxes for the tupu (young plants) to grow. Kūmara need at least 3.5 months of beautiful summer months to produce a crop. Failing that, I know a few people whom grow them as marvellous vining house plants! (Kūmara are part of the Convolvulacea family… convolvulus… Gah!)

I would only sow seeds at this time if you have heat pads and a glasshouse or conservatory to transfer the seedlings to. If you can hold on, wait until Last Quarter which personally is my preferred period for sowing seeds.

Tamatea angaanga, 15th Aug

Not really the place to say (i.e. we’re all about the māra (garden) here) but it is a a very good day for fishing today. Make a wicked brew for your garden from the guts and bones!

Māwharu, 20th Aug

A good day for planting and/or pricking out seedlings. Foliar spray your garden with a nice organic brew- seaweed, fish, compost tea, vermiliquid. Remember to water it down until it looks like weak tea. Steer clear of very young plants or else it would be like feeding prime steak to a breastfed baby!

Rākanui + Rākaumatohi, 23 + 24th Aug

In frost free areas you can plant your early potatoes during this period. If you have covers or cloches for your gardens you can direct sow carrots and beetroots.

Over the next few days get your seed trays cleaned and dried, work out where you’re going to do your seed raising, get all your bits and bobs sorted, seed raising mix, labels, heat pads, cold frames, seeds! Do a couple of night patrols for slugs and snails (head torch, bucket of hot soapy water, non squeamish children).

Korekore piri ki ngā tangaroa, 30th Aug

Kicking into the Last Quarter period now – get into the garden and get busy! Everyday is a very good day for planting and sowing seeds until the 4th September. Most exceptional day for planting of anything is Tangaroa piri a roto, the 1st September.

Seeds to sow in the north/frost free areas; cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, lettuce, radishes, silverbeet, spinach + spring onions, broccoli, cucumbers + zucchini. Tomatoes, capsicum, chillies and eggplant; in trays indoors, need 20© day and night to germinate so will probably need a heat mat.

Seeds to sow in the south/cold inland areas; broadbeans, cabbages, kohlrabi, lettuces, onions, radishes, peas, silverbeet. Tomatoes, capsicum, chillies and eggplant; in trays indoors, need 20© day and night to germinate so will probably need a heat mat. Zuchinni + cucumber can be tried inside too. But only do these last five if you have a warm place to put them when they’re ready to be pricked out and to grow on until it’s warm enough to put them outside/in the garden.

Mauri, 5th September (Hepetema)

Tools down. Relax. Plot where everything is going to go. Order some perennial seedlings (herbs of course 😉) as a lot will be coming available by now. And prepare yourself for next lunar month, we’ll be going flat stick!

Reminder; I follow the Āti awa version of Maramataka Māori, there are many other versions that will differ. For more info about gardening by the moon read this post here.

Dried Herb Update

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I’ve changed my system, I’ve updated my dried herb listings and I even have a couple of new herbs available… Whoop whoop!

Dried nettle, NZ Stoneygroundherbs
Lesser nettle (Urtica urens)

My original game plan from the inception of Stoney Ground Herbs was to grow herbs en masse to dry and have available for the home herbalist and professional herbalist alike. I have made various discoveries over time about demand for certain herbs, the sort of quantities that tea makers are looking for and; that it’s quite a thankless task as a product to sell…..!

As an example, I will hand pick each chamomile flower, I will get a whole basket full, I then dry it, it looks stunning, smells stunning and weighs nothing!

german chamomile, dried, baby balm, uses
German Chamomile

Then someone will ask if they could “just” get 500g of chamomile. 500grams is a shat load of dried herb! Even if I did have 500g of any herb the price I would charge is out of a lot of people’s ball park~ and my prices have probably been too low for the amount of mahi (work) that goes into growing, thriving, harvesting (non machine), drying, processing + packaging the herb.

There are people whom totally appreciate the work, the product, the fact that it is locally (NZ) grown and organic and that they’re supporting a small business. Hell, I would’ve given up a long time ago if it weren’t for these people. But I also appreciate that it’s actually quite hard to get your head around what sort of volume you’ll be getting for the quantity requested.

This is where we welcome my new way of selling dried herb…

I will now be selling my herbs by volume in these fabulous biodegradable pottles. I have two sizes available, 24oz and 12oz.

Dried motherwort, NZ Stoneygroundherbs

The smaller pottle will be useful for one off medicinal balms, tinctures, syrups and for single blend teas or a component of a blended tea. The larger pottle for the true lovers of the particular herb or those that have a particular need for a fair share of herb.

Dried self heal, NZ Stoneygroundherbs
Self heal

New dried herbs available are Self heal (Prunella vulgaris), Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and Sage (Salvia officinalis). Think healing balms, teas, natural remedies, medicine making.

I have a new format for my listings and one of the biggest changes is transparency. You can see exactly how much you will be getting, you will know what part of the herb you’re getting, whether it’s available, potential uses and you will know when it was harvested. Check it out here, using Motherwort as an example.

Some people have trouble on my website locating what dried herbs I have, we’re working on this. In the meantime, if you are on your mobile; go to the three lines underneath my logo, that will take you to a drop down menu, beside Dried herbs there is a wee + sign, press that and you’ll get another drop down menu with the individual listings (press on them to see the details). If you’re on desktop/laptop, hover your cursor over Dried herbs to see the drop down menu. If you click directly on Dried herbs you’ll see my tikanga for my dried herbs, which is always interesting to know eh!

Pleasing The Bee’s Knees ~ Herbs to Grow for Bees

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French lavender for bees

If you hadn’t heard the news, I’m now the very proud, very amateur, owner of a beehive and a humming colony of busy ladies and lazy males! I am on a quick learning curve to say the least (it was an unexpected but very gratefully received surprise gift).

Beehive

In the past I’ve had people buy herbs off me specifically for the bees and I have had a fair idea of what herbs would be best~ but now my interest has double folded and I’m looking at a lot of my plants in a new light!

Herbs for bees, Borage
Borage

A Bit of Bee Backstory…

Bees need pollen and nectar. And depending on what time of year it is and what your hive is trying to achieve, sometimes they’re searching for mainly pollen (pollen is their source of protein and is essential for the feeding of larvae) or nectar (nectar is their carb source, it is converted into honey- honey for them to live on, and stored for the cold months when plants are not flowering). Often when searching for nectar they also inadvertently collect pollen~ pollination.

(Photo by Andreas Trepte, www.avi-fauna.info)

You can see the pollen stashed on their back legs, nectar is transported in their stomach. It is in the warmer months when lots of flowers are producing the most nectar and this is called “the flow”.

Tarata/Lemonwood in flower
Tarata/Lemonwood in flower

Honey bees also need to collect water for the hive and resin (from trees and buds) to make into propolis.

Many of our native trees are excellent for nectar and pollen, a lot of our fruit trees are great for pollen but some don’t have nectar sweet enough for their taste buds (Pear as an example). But as they say (they being me), there’s a bum for every seat and an insect for every flower!

Bee on cherry plum blossom
They smother our cherry plum trees though

In New Zealand we have four different types of bumblebees, 33 ‘native’ bee species and four introduced bee species, one of these being the honey bee.

What Can We Plant for the Bees…

Being a herby person I’m going to focus on herbs that you can grow that the bees will love and appreciate (my idea of herbs is quite broad!). Firstly though, lets acknowledge their amazing visual spectrum which includes the short wavelength ultra violet range which is beyond our mere mortal human eyes. So blues, yellows, light pink/purple and white are more on their radar than reds and oranges. This is quite a cool clip I found on YouTube that shows how bees and butterflies see, I mainly like it for its music!

EARLY SPRING

It’s a pollen a go go in Spring – the Queen has started laying and there are hungry mouths to feed..

A swathe of poppies that bees would love
Brought to you by the letter P… This is a public garden bed in Masterton
  • Poppies; all and any, plant them in large swathes so it’s like a billboard for the bees, advertising food for the needy.
  • Lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia); often used as green crop- let the bees in before you dig it in
  • Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
  • Honesty (Lunaria annua)
  • Borage (Borago officinalis)
  • French lavender (Lavandula dentata)
  • Let any brassicas you’ve got go to seed- the flowers are an excellent source of nectar
  • Let your dandelion flower and if you can stand it, the buttercup too.
Plants for bees, flowering kale
Kale going to seed

SUMMER ~ The flow is on!

Honey bees are native to the Mediterranean and naturally will go gah gah over thymes, rosemary, sage and oregano. There is also (in no particular order)

Herbs for bees, Rosemary
Rosemary
  • Clover
  • Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
  • Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
  • Geraniums/Pelargoniums
  • Rue (Ruta graveolens)
  • St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
  • Mint (Mentha sp.)
  • Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
  • Catmint (Nepeta mussinii)
  • Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)
  • Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea)
  • Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
  • Chive flowers (Allium schoenoprasum)
  • Borage (Borago officinalis)
  • Dandelion
  • Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
  • Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)
  • Marjoram (Majorana hortensis)
  • Comfrey
  • Fennel (Foeniculum sp.)
  • Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
  • Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris)
  • English lavender (Lavandula spica)
  • Basil (but if you want basil for your own needs wait until the end of the season)

AUTUMN

A lot of salvias wait until autumn to flower or are flowering well into autumn. Sunflowers. All the herbs that are onto their last hurrah/going to seed before dying (annuals like basil and dill) or going to ground (perennials like chives and echinacea etc).

Salvia farinacea, Victoria blue
Salvia farinacea, Victoria blue

Even if you don’t have hives it’s really important to have flowers in your garden for the bees and all the other pollinators out there. For their health and well being as well as your gardens productivity.

And I really really hope that it goes without saying that the use of pesticides is an absolute no-no and pretty counter-productive if you’re trying to attract pollinators!

Now go to your garden and watch the bees, see what they’re gunning for, watch whether they’re lolling about in pollen or head down supping up the nectar. Wonder at how they see the world and hope that they are as thankful for your garden as you are as thankful for their existence and the food on your table!

Salvia sclarea and bumblebee
Salvia sclarea and bumblebee

References/Recommendations;

New Plants on the Books!

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Silver tansy, Tanacetum haradjanii
Silver tansy, Tanacetum haradjanii

As Spring is making itself known I’m getting a little more enthused about the coming season… Blossoms are like medicine for the soul aren’t they!

So I’ve been updating my website, working out what I’ve got, what I haven’t.. sadly I’ve had to let go of some plants as I admit defeat to this here climate, Pineapple sage is one, it does grow here, but not strong enough for me to be happy propagating from my mother plants.

But, I have added some new plants, yippee! Pictured above is one, beautiful Silver tansy is a low growing super interesting plant for the dry garden (or dry spot). Sweet violet, Self heal and Borage.

Sweet Violet, Viola odorata, plant for sale

I will also be adding Chocolate peppermint, oh yeah, if you like after dinner mints~ this is the one for you. Lemon bergamot; it’s an annual and I usually only do perennials but the flowers are so fabulous I’m bound to grow too many for just myself! Skullcap might be coming along, just waiting to see how my divisions leaf up, it’s looking pretty promising..

Stay tuned! (If you didn’t know already and you’re that way inclined, I’m on Instagram now and having a bit of fun on there, you can follow me here, https://www.instagram.com/stoneygroundherbs/)

Happy Balding Hens

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I’ve been having fun lately making up herbal concoctions for our flock of ladies.

bantam rooster with a rose comb, natural chicken keeping
Ice is our bantam rooster with a rose comb. Peaches is a buff orpington x

We currently have 33 chooks (four of those are roosters) and 15 chicks. Too many really but we are a family of five and we like our eggs!

mixed breed pullets, natural chicken keeping
Some young-uns

They free-range around our property when they’re not locked up at night, so they’re pretty lucky and have access to green pastures, tasty weeds and if they’re really naughty fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden!

free range chickens
Blue, our blue orpington x silkie, looking gorgeous

Right now though most of them are molting so just to give them an extra boost I’ve formulated a herbal crumble supplement..

moulting chicken
Poor Blue

When chickens are moulting they need vitamin A, folic acid and zinc for feather growth. As well as extra protein, warmth (circulation) and they’re a little down in the dumps and exposed, so some immunity support as well. They won’t be laying eggs as their energy is going into feather growth rather than egg production, so expect empty nests.

Moulting chicken herbal blend
She’s like a shadow of her former self

In my Moulting Blend (yep, it has a capitalised title because it’s going to be up for sale soon) I have…

  • Flaxseeds… folic acid (B9), feather growth
  • Garlic… warming, protection from infection, vit A
  • Parsley… vit A, protein, feather growth
  • Dill seed… high protein
  • Mint… feather growth, digestive health
  • Star anise… warming, anti-microbial
  • Seaweed… all round health, zinc

Moulting is a natural thing to happen to your chooks, usually yearly and usually in autumn. You can’t stop it and you can’t speed up the re-growth but you can make sure they’re getting a bit of a boost in the vitamins and minerals they need to supplement their normal balanced feed.

I’m giving my girls about a teaspoon each, every 4 days.

Moulting mama
Moulting mama, Star & chick (Barred rock x)

Other things you can do to help them through this awkward phase is to feed them sprouted alfalfa and cat meat/kibble (as in cat food – not minced cat! 😮)

Rooster and hen
Hei Hei, ironically the rooster not the chicken (hei hei is Māori for chicken) and Cocoa Pops

If this is a product you may be interested in for your own flock do let me know in the comments section or via the contact form. Would be handy to be able to gauge interest…

Other potions in the pipeline is a boosted vaseline lotion for scaley leg mite, a golden layer health blend, worming blend and a chick blend…

Sad Sam