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Stoney Ground Herbs

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

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Salvia Show Off

June 2, 2019 By SandRa Timmins Leave a Comment

The Salvia genus is where we find all our sages and it’s very easy to fall in love with this group of plants from the mint family. Take mind, it is huuge! So many members, ranging from annuals to perennials, medicinal, culinary, hallucinatory and ornamental. Something for everyone!

It’s a wet miserable often hailing day today. But I have a stash of photos put away here, so I’d like to introduce you to my wee collection, it’s by no means huge but I’m proud of it!

Let’s start with Salvia officinalis, common sage…

He that would live for aye
Should eat sage in May.
OLD ENGLISH SAYING
Common sage, Salvia officinalis
Common sage, Salvia officinalis

Salvia officinalis is a wonderful herb if not an essential herb to have on hand. Apart from its culinary uses I use it a lot in winter for sore throats, either as a tea/infusion or you can make a decoction and use it as a gargle. The volatile oils sooth the mucous membranes, useful for the inflammation of mouth, gums, tongue, throat and tonsils. Sage can also help women at various stages of their life; due to the tannins and estrogenic substances found in sage, taking the infusion frquently can help dry up mothers milk, lessen excessive bleeding during menses and reduce sweating during perimenopausal time. DO NOT TAKE SAGE MEDICINALLY WHEN PREGNANT. There are many other uses, but these are the ones that I have used sage for.

Salvia purpurea, can be used just like Salvia officinalis. Salvia Icterina, varigated sage, is more ornamental but can be used culinarily in a pinch as can the beautiful tri-coloured sage.

Purple sage, Salvia purpurea
Purple sage, Salvia purpurea
Varigated sage, Salvia icterina
Varigated sage, Salvia icterina
Tri coloured sage
Tri coloured sage

Unfortunately I must admit that both my varigated and tri-coloured sages did not survive the transition when we moved here over a year ago, very sad.

Next in the line up is the all time most popular herb that I sell.. Salvia apiana, White sage…

Salvia apiana, white sage
Salvia apiana, white sage

White sage, in New Zealand is mainly used for smudging, personally, I use it more as a “keep-me-calm-and-happy” tonic by putting a fresh leaf in my (or my kids, or all of us!) water bottle to sup on for the day. I’ve also used it in a headache balm I made with lavender and peppermint. For more info on white sage, go to the side bar to find my articles on growing and caring for your white sage plant. If you would like to grow your own, contact me and I’ll put you on my “White sage email list” to let you know when I have more in stock.

Onwards to Salvia sclarea, Clary sage. The particular clary sage I grow is “turkenstania” which is a powerful white flowering variety, it is amazing as an ornamental, back filler and/or fragrant herb.

Salvia sclarea and bumblebee
Salvia sclarea and bumblebee
Clary sage foliage
Clary sage foliage

Medicinally Clary sage is probably most well known as an essential oil which is made from the seeds. The seeds are also what give Clary sage its country name “Clear Eyes”, the mucilage that the seeds create can help soothe eye irritation caused by foreign bodies. I tried this with my husband.. don’t think I did it right… poor man!

Moving on… Another wonderfully scented salvia is Salvia elegans, Pineapple sage. Mmmm hmmm, this is one delicious smelling plant and because it’s the leaves not the flowers that are scented you’ve got it all year round.

Salvia elegans, pineapple sage
Salvia elegans, pineapple sage

A lot of salvias have flowers especially made for hummingbirds, Pineapple sage flowers give you a perfect example of tubes fit for a long skinny hovering beak (FYI seeing a real life hummingbird is on my bucket list). On a cultivating note, over the last two years I’ve noticed that my pineapple sage plants that are in semi shaded positions are doing better than the ones in full sun. This is something that I know other people have noticed with their plants that usually are “best” in full sun, basils for example, this will most likely come up more and more as our environment deteriorates.

Lets meet Salvia confertiflora now, sometimes known as red velvet sage, but I recently, can’t think where, saw a plant labelled red velvet sage and it wasn’t confertiflora. Knowing botanical names and ensuring plants you buy have their botanical names on their labels is really very important if you care about knowing what you’re talking about!

Salvia confertiflora
Salvia confertiflora

The leaves have a very pungent smell, not entirely pleasant but quite unique. I don’t know of any medicinal uses with this plant, but gives your garden a lovely tropical feel and wax eyes love their flowers. If you live in a frost free area they can grow quite tall.

Did you know that chia seeds, the super food that most people have heard of these days is a salvia? Yah ha, so I planted some this year!

Salvia hispanica, Chia
Salvia hispanica, Chia

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago, it’s flowering now, glorious purple spikes a lot like the following photo. Next season I will sow earlier (I sowed in late November) because I don’t think I’ll have many seeds to harvest before knarly weather and frosts do their worst to the plants.

Salvia farinacea, Victoria blue
Salvia farinacea, Victoria blue

This is Salvia farinacea, Victoria blue. It was my understanding that it was an annual, but it’s still growing strong in its second year, I’m not complaining, the flowers are an amazing colour. This is a pure ornamental salvia, the leaves don’t even have a scent.

There is another salvia that I have where the leaves have no scent, which surprised me and made me quadruple check that what I had (I had been given a cutting) was actually what I was told it was… Salvia divinorum. If you know what this is please don’t get over-excited, I’m still getting my own plant established (and learning how it grows best) before I can consider propagating off it to sell plants.

Salvia divinorum, the diviners sage
Salvia divinorum, the diviners sage

Salvia divinorum has psychoactive properties and Mazatec shamans have a long and continuous tradition of religious use of Salvia divinorum to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions (thank you Wikipedia). Considering it comes from the montane cloud forests of Oaxaca, Mexico, I might have a good chance of it growing well here in Eketahuna!

So not a massive collection but I love the diversity of it and hope to keep on finding new and interesting salvias to add to it. I’m not selling any plants at this time of year but I’ll be starting cuttings soon so let me know if you’re interested in any of these.

Keep warm and embrace the sun when you see it!

Filed Under: Herbal Lore, Herbs in Use, Pretty Pictures, White sage Tagged With: Chia, clary sage, commonn sage, pineapple sage, purple sage, salvia apiana, salvia confertiflora, Salvia divinorum, salvia elegans, salvia farinacea, Salvia hispanica, salvia officinalis, salvia sclarea, the diviners sage, tri-coloured sage, turkenstania, varigated sage, Victoria Blue, white sage

Things of Beauty

April 25, 2018 By SandRa Timmins 2 Comments

Here are some lovely things that have been happening in the garden over the last month…

Saffron in flower

I bought some saffron bulbs at the Carterton Market several months back and was super surprised one day to find three of them flowering.  The plants themselves don’t give any indication that they’re about to flower, it seemingly happens over night!  And you’ve got to be onto it because the bloom (and those lovely red stamens) only last for two days before withering.

Wax Eye and Salvia confertiflora, red velvet sage

We don’t have hummingbirds in New Zealand (damn it!) but we do have wax eyes.  I spotted about 4 or 5 of them sipping from my red velvet sage, Salvia confertiflora (that’s why the photo isn’t the best, I was shooting through the lounge window not wanting to scare them off!).  Salvias are a favourite for hummingbirds whom love the tubular flowers and particularly the ones in the red spectrum~ not that that is useful information for us here in Aotearoa!

Salvia elegans in flower

Can you picture a wee hummingbird hovering next to these (Salvia elegans) pineapple sage flowers?  I would love to see one in real life, I have a pretty good imagination but imagining a bird the size of a bumblebee blows my mind!

salvia farinacea, Victoria Blue

This is another salvia flowering at the moment, Salvia farinacea Victoria Blue.  The picture really doesn’t do it justice as the flowers are an amazing intense purple.

birdsnest mushroom

I was checking my french tarragon and saw these little balls around it, I squished one and seeds came out… So I did a quick google search to see if they’re friend or foe… They are ‘friend’ and they are called Birdsnest mushrooms, they feed on dead plant matter and eventually open up to reveal their seeds!  So I had another look and found one that had only just opened…

birdsnest mushroom

Pretty cool eh!  To get an idea of size, that spiky looking thing underneath it is a calendula seed.

apple trees from edible garden

We bought four heritage apple trees for what will be our orchard area.  We got them from the delightful Edible Gardens in Ashurst.  I chose Priscilla and 20oz for our early-mid season and Belle de Boskoop and Tydemans Late Orange for our late season.  A hole diggin’ I go!

Also got a bunch of feijoas that will be part of our shelter for the orchard.

Figs are ripening, for the second time this season, score!  I don’t know what type of fig they are, do you?

I found this behind the shed,,, have absolutely no idea what it is and it’s heavy as fck but I’m thinking garden sculpture!

We are now proud owners of 8 chickens; the kids love them, I love them too but I will love them more when they start laying!  They’re young and it’s getting cold I know I have to wait til spring.  In the meantime they’re getting a lot of affection round these here parts…

And here is quite possibly the most exciting thing that’s happened garden wise in the last month….

monkshood daughters

Those sticks in the ground give me great joy… attached to them are the daughters of Monkshood Aconitum napellus.  I’ve been on the lookout for this plant for quite some time, purely for the fact that it is an antique herb with a fascinating history that is mostly associated with witches.  Whilst checking out a friends garden that she had acquired from the previous owner, I saw these stunning tall purple spikes of flowers, slightly suspicious I took a photo and cross checked them with one of my herb books, whoop whoop!  Immediately told my friend what they were with the heads up that every single part of it is incredibly poisonous, but not to worry because I will take them off her hands if she’s concerned about kids mucking about with them.  They were planted right next to the trampoline so was only too pleased for me to take them away!  (Because of what I do my kids are well educated about what plants they can and cannot touch/play with)

Hope life is fabulous and your eyes are clear to the little things~

Image result for art is everywhere for those who bother to look, matisse

 

 

 

Filed Under: Pretty Pictures Tagged With: birdsnest mushroom, chicken love, edible gardens ashurst, figs, hummingbirds, Monkshood Aconitum napellus, pineapple sage, red velvet sage, saffron, salvia confertiflora, salvia elegans flowers, salvia farinacea, Victoria Blue, wax eyes

What I have left…

January 24, 2018 By SandRa Timmins Leave a Comment

Kia ora folk, hope you had a lovely Xmas and new years etc etc, what lovely weather eh (up until that storm)…  we were pretty lucky here in Eke and just got a well needed day and night of rain, thoughts went out to everyone else that wasn’t so lucky.

The stock I have left (in regards to plants) is pretty thin off the ground at this time of year, every year I resolve to have more to extend the season, but every year is different to firstly; what strikes and grows successfully and secondly; what is popular, oh and thirdly; what I decide that I want more of in my garden!

So here is a list of what I have left and some new ones that are only ready now, (for those of you that have some spaces to fill in your garden.)  Go here to read about my ordering process..

Previously unlisted…

Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium  $4

pennyroyal plant for sale, nz, mentha pulegium

Pennyroyal can ease wind but is mostly known as an emmenagogue to stimulate the menstrual process and to strengthen uterine contractions.  AVOID IF PREGNANT.  Also makes for a good ground cover around nut trees where other plants may not thrive.

Lemon Verbena (finally have successfully struck cuttings, yippee!!) Aloysia citrdora $6

Lemon verbena plant for sale, aloysia citrodora, nz,

Makes a lovely cuppa!

I have one mint left.. $4

organic mint for sale,

Three lemon balms.. $4

Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis

Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis

A couple of Peppermints… $5

Six of the wonderful Soapworts.. $5

Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis

Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis

Two Chives.. $4

One Scarlet Bergamot and two Wild Bergamot… $5

Wild Berg
Scarlet Berg

Two Lemon Thyme.. $5

Lemon Thyme for sale, nz, Thymus citrodoros Two lemon geranium.. $5

Two Pineapple sage, two Purple sage and three Clary sage… all $5 each

A couple of Feverfews.. $5, oh and some (two) Oreganos (O. vulgare).. $4

So if I’ve got what you’ve been desperately looking for, wahoo!  You’re the best, I love filling that need~ just use the contact form on the side there and we’ll get things rolling. x

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: SGH updates Tagged With: aloysia citrodora, bergamot plants for sale, clary sage for sale, feverfew plants for sale, lemon balm, Lemon Thyme for sale, Lemon verbena plant for sale, Melissa officinalis, mentha pulegium, nz, oregano vulgare for sale, organic mint for sale, pennyroyal plant for sale, pineapple sage, soapwort for sale, Thymus citrodoros

Olfactory Gardening

January 12, 2015 By SandRa Timmins Leave a Comment

I had the most delightful gardening experience today and it was all about the nose!

I was down on my hands and knees weeding around my herb garden.  I leaned over the lavender (Lavendula augustifolia) to get around my rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and got a good whiff of lavender .  As I came back on my feet I knocked the rose geranium and got that lovely musky rose smell.  I then checked my pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) for aphids, rubbing the leaves for good measure and mm-hmm, I’m all over that pineapple scent!

It was an olfactory delight and made me realise that to have a dedicated scented garden really would be beneficial to the soul.  (My wee patch there is purely by haphazard chance).

Creating a Scented Garden

Scented garden at Harlow Carr in the UK

Scented garden at Harlow Carr in the UK

Most scented gardens are about the smell of flowers  so to have a scented garden that’s all about the foliage the plants need to be near pathways or areas where they will get brushed against or easily touched.

Other plants you could use in your touchy feel-y scented garden include the Mexican Orange Blossom (Choisya ternata) I think we had these around my primary school in Nelson!  Gum Cistus (Cistus ladanifer) within the same genus as the Rock Rose, great for dry coastal gardens.  Gum cistus has a resinous juice similar to myrrh.  Myrtus species have a pleasant aromatic smell when the leaves are crushed; Ramarama (Myrtus bullata or Lophomyrtus bullata) is a New Zealand native as is ‘Matai Bay’ ~ a selected form discovered at Matai Bay in Pelorous Sound, superior to M. Bullata according to Palmer’s Manual of Trees, Shrubs and Climbers.  Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla)~ make sure that this one is on the way to the kitchen so you can make yourself a lovely cup of fresh lemon verbena tea!

If you really wanted to go to town with your scented garden, plant creeping thymes for the pathways.  Chamomile ‘Treneague’ (roman chamomile,  Chamaemelum nobile) and Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii) can also withstand being trodden on whilst releasing their perfumes.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Thyme in flower

 

Hey, you know how a lot of companion plants have strong scents?  Well they do actually need to be broken, knocked or brushed for ‘companion planting’ to be effective!  A-ha!!

Are there any plants that I’ve missed that you would have in your (touch activated) scented garden?

P.S.  Photo above is from The Frustrated Gardener blog.  Based in the UK with a couple of gardens on the go, inner city and coastal.

Filed Under: Gardening Styles, Herbs in Use Tagged With: companion planting, corsican mint, creeping thyme, gum cistus, lavendar, lemon verbena, myrtus bullata, pineapple sage, ramarama, roman chamomile, rose geranium, scented gardens

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

Grown
with passion
and persistence.

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