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| German Chamomile |
As our diets become healthier, I cook with herbs to give
additional flavor. I've always used bay leaves in soup and oregano, thyme and
basil in my Italian dishes. I like to garden and for the past few years, I've
cared for an herb garden. However, I became aware of the pesticide
spraying habits of the garden centers. We had visited our favorite early one
morning, only to discover we could hardly breathe in the vicinity of the plants
from the spray they'd used. Did I really want to use those herbs in our
food? (And pesticides last in the root systems. No amount of washing will
clear them.) I've grown heirloom tomatoes from seed for about 6 years now and
decided to do the same with herbs...or buy them from an organic farm. Localharvest.org was a big help in aiding me
in finding organic plants and seeds. The site will also alert you with local
farm fresh events.
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| Basil Thyme |
These are a few different herbs I decided to try this year. I
found them at Mountain Valley Growers The healthy plants arrived in excellent condition at just the right time to
plant them.
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| Trailing Rosemary |
Trailing Rosemary was a new herb/plant to me. It can create a fall of green over a pot or stones. I'll see what happens with it this year.
Since we have stray cats wandering in our gardens because of our
outside feeder and two siblings who "found" our yard last fall, I
decided to grow pesticide free herbs and plants to plant along the patio and in
pots for them too. Some of them flower and all give off wonderful scents. This season I've had good luck growing Valerian, Lemon Catmint, Lemon
Balm, regular Catmint and Catnip. Lemongrass
will grow to about 5 feet tall until the end of the summer. And the Pineapple Sage actually grows to shrub size if given growing room.
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| Pineapple Sage |
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| Catmint |
If you have outside cats, keep in mind that many flowers are
toxic. Some safe ones to plant are snapdragons, zinnias, cone flowers, petunias, phlox and roses. Consult the ASPCA list.
I hope your garden can be a happy, healthy place for both humans
and our furry friends.
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| Karen and Paddy |
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 95th novel will be released in 2016.
Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.
Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below.
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©2016 Karen Rose Smith
