Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden, Las Vegas taken and submitted by www. Grandmother Musings. com
Tag Archives: plants
Quotes From the Masters: Hugo
Marigolds
Marigolds make great companions to other plants in your garden. Just ask any farmer or gardener and they will tell you to plant marigolds to keep those pesky rabbits and annoying insects out of your prized vegetables. The pests hate the smell. Nematodes (microscopic worms) and other organisms run from the marigold’s roots underground, and they will stay away for up to three years.
No annual is easier to grow than marigolds. They are a cheerful plant that is hardy and will typically grow anywhere, but like well-drained soil the best. They will bloom all season long right up to the first snowfall in some cases. Marigolds are generally, yellow, orange and red, and are a perfect tribute to your fall garden.
According to Herbalists at MDidea Extracts, “The marigold or Calendula flower was well-known to the old herbalists as a garden flower that also could be used for culinary or healing practices. It has been cultivated in the kitchen garden for the flowers, which are dried for broth, and said to comfort the heart and spirits.”
During the American Civil War, field doctors used the flowers of the marigold to accelerate healing in open wounds, promote blood clotting, cleanse the tissue, and prevent infection. The practice of using marigolds to heal soldiers continued until World War I.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac shares some “Wit & Wisdom” about marigolds in its 2012 edition by telling how, in the late 1960s, Burpee president David Burpee launched an energetic campaign to have marigolds named the national flower, but in the end, roses won out. In addition, they explain that for years, farmers have included the open-pollinated African marigold ‘Crackerjack’ in chicken feed to make egg yolks a darker yellow.
In short, Victor Hugo is correct when he states “Nature, like a kind and smiling mother, lends herself to our dreams and cherishes our fancies.” For the marigold smiles at us with her beautiful buds of sunshine, protects our dreams of good food and health, and can adorn any patio with pure fancy.
******* Please Visit Bringing Europe Home to view more “Quotes From The Masters”
Works Cited
Marigolds: how to Plant, Care, and Grow Marigolds. (2012). Retrieved from Old Farmer’s Almanac: http://www.almanac.com/plant/marigolds
What is Marigold or Calendula extract? (2010, Dec. 1). Retrieved from MDidea Extracts Professional: http://www.mdidea.com/products/herbextract/marigold/data06.html
Why Plant Marigolds in your Vegetable Garden? (2007, Dec 7). Retrieved from ToadStool Aquaponics: http://toadstoolponds.wordpress.com/2007/12/07/why-plant-marigolds-in-your-vegetable-garden/
Copyright © Jamie Nowinski and Grandmother Wisdom/ Grandmother Musings 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jamie Nowinski – Grandmother Wisdom/Grandmother Musings with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Don’t Play With Fire, Play with Yucca Plants
I love plants and flowers, and even consider myself a very amateur gardener. But, there is one plant that voraciously grows in my garden that I want to destroy! Yucca plants! These gnarly examples of vegetation are the hardiest, toughest plants I have ever encountered. Weeds are easier to be rid of than Yucca plants. I realize that the Yucca flower is the state flower of New Mexico, and that it has cool names such as Spoonleaf yucca. Filament yucca, and Adam’s Needle yucca. However, I personally think it is just plain Yuk…A .
Yucca plants are prevalent in the hot dry areas of the Western United States. They are often planted as ornamental plants and use widely in landscaping. (This must be why my stepfather planted them in the garden.) Supposedly, they are easy to keep and their flowers are unique. I think they are ugly, but that is just me. Moreover, the roots of the Soap tree Yucca were loved and used by Native Americans as shampoo in rituals. So these plants do have a purpose, however, they serve no purpose in my yard other to annoy me to no end.
I have cut them, pulled them, beat them, sprayed them but nothing seems to make them go away. I have been told that you must get the entire root system out of the ground or they will come back. So, I have spent countless hours digging below the surface of my garden to accomplish this goal. Nevertheless, the next year they are back. And, it is not just one; there are baby yuccas all over my garden. These things are mutants!
I should probably dig them up and sell them on the open market. I hear people actually go to the garden center and ask for these yucky plants! Maybe I am missing out on a real money-making operation. Be it as it may, I have no interest in keeping Yucca plants in my life. Therefore, out they must go once again. I am sure they will be back next year, and I will be ranting about yucky yucca plants for the remainder of my life. They truly are the bane of my existence!
**Here are some places to check out if you wish to remove your Yucca Plants. Some of these sites are not for the faint hearted. Killing the Yucca plant is apparently serious business. Good Luck!!
Gardening Know How- http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/xeriscape/removing-yucca.htm
Do it yourself- http://www.doityourself.com/stry/removing-a-yucca-plant-from-your-yard
American Family~How to KILL a Yucca plant- http://american-family.org/2007/08/02/how-to-kill-a-yucca-plant/
Ehow- http://www.ehow.com/how_4517250_remove-yucca.html
Copyright © Jamie Nowinski and Grandmother Wisdom/ Grandmother Musings 2012-2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jamie Nowinski – Grandmother Wisdom/Grandmother Musings with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
House Plants = Healthy Indoor Air
Keeping our air clean and free from chemicals is a concern for us all, especially the air we breathe indoors.
Today, buildings are better insulated and hold more toxic chemicals than at any time in history. Toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene, ammonia, and petroleum-based materials reside in our homes creating a potentially harmful environment. Plants can help to eliminate some of these toxins and add ambiance to our residence.
According to research done by NASA, living green and flowering plants, clean pollutants in the air. We close up our houses in the winter due to the cold weather and breathe reconstituted air-filled with contaminants. These contaminants come from the furniture we sit on, the cabinets we open, and the carpeting we walk on. “Harmful indoor pollutants represent a serious health problem that is responsible for more than 1.6 million deaths each year”, according to a 2002 World Health Organization report. These impurities in our air has attributed to a rise in chronic and reoccurring sinus infections, chronic post-nasal drainage, asthma, bronchial infections, ear infections, and other illness cause by synthetic contaminants. Unfortunately, summertime does not alleviate the problem, due to climate controlled homes and office buildings where air conditioning is taking the place of heating systems when the weather turns hot.
The good news is that we can reduce the effects of the most common toxins by adding houseplants to our homes. Plants produce oxygen, add moisture, and filter out toxins in the air neutralizing indoor pollution. By placing, a few houseplants around our homes and using specific types of houseplants our environment can be beautiful and healthy.
Below is a list of beneficial houseplants and the toxins they are best at filtering.
Plant Names |
Toxin it Removes |
| Asparagus fern | Benzene, xylene, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, trichloroethylene (TCE), and methylene chloride |
| Aloe Vera: | Eliminates emissions from most toxins |
| Chrysanthemum: | Reduces toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia |
| Dieffenbachia: | Formaldehyde, Toluene, Xylene |
| English Ivy: | Eliminates petroleum-based products |
| Gerber Daisy | Adds oxygen to the air |
| Peace Lily | Removes chemicals from smoking |
| Purple Waffle Plant | Benzene, xylene, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, trichloroethylene (TCE), and methylene chloride |
| Schefflera | Benzene, Formaldehyde, Toluene |
| Spider Plants: | Exceptional for reducing formaldehyde |
| Variegated Wax Plant | Benzene, xylene, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, trichloroethylene (TCE), and methylene chloride |
©Jamie Nowinski 5/10/2012
Garden Gate Nursery. (2011). Retrieved from The Garden Gate Nursery and Floral: http://www.gardengatenursery.com/gardentips/gardendesign/58-healthbenefitsofhouseplants.html
Science, A. S. (2009, November 4). Common Plants Can Eliminate Indoor Air Pollutants. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/11/091104140816.htm
Wolverton, B. C. (1997.). How To Grow Fresh Air. New York: Penguin Books.
Copyright © Jamie Nowinski and Grandmother Wisdom/ Grandmother Musings 2012-2013.Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jamie Nowinski – Grandmother Wisdom/Grandmother Musings with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Grandmother Musings 