I have a collection of gardening books related to herbs on my shelves and during the winter these books get lots of use, reminds me that gardening season isn’t that far away and it is a great way to choose what herbs to grow in the upcoming season.
Growing and Using Herbs is by Andi Clevely and Katherine Richmond. My edition was published in 1999. There are several sections in the book including A-Z of Herbs, Cooking with Herbs, and Herbs in the Home.
There are lots of hints, tips and suggestion in the Growing Herbs section along with lots of step by step instructions for setting up gardens and plant requirements. I’ve tried all sorts of herbs in the gardens over the years.
Lavender, a favourite, is a fragrant, gorgeous herb to grow. When in the garden I love to brush against this plant to get the aroma. I also love to cut sprigs of it to but in small vases in the kitchen and bathroom.
I’ve made scented bags and lavender wands. Both are great crafts to keep the scent of lavender long into the winter.
Decorating with Herbs is a Readers Digest book by Simon Lycett and has lots of ideas from tussie mussies, to herbal potpourri, to herbal inks, to herb pillow and pomanders and much more. This book was found at a local thrift store for $1. I just love thrift store shopping for books.
Clove pomanders were a fun craft to make with my granddaughter. They have a lovely smell, and even after a few years I still have them at the back of the bookshelf.
Herb’s Place underwent a lot of re-organization last year when the new siding was put it. I grow oregano, chives, Egyptian Walking Onions, garlic chives, mint, parsley, basil, parsley, Jerusalem artichokes and more. The herbs are grown in large tote boxes and bottomless pots. They are starting to poke through the soil, and I’m really looking forward to seeing and tasting them this year. Photos from 2021.
I hate throwing things away and saved the handle from a broken shovel to create a wooden sign with driftwood collected from the beaches.
I simply painted the words on the driftwood and then screwed them onto the wooden shovel handle. This makes a whimsical plant poke for one of the tubs of herbs.
This photo was taken at the beginning of the growing season last year and you can see the various herbs starting to grow. I’ve got an idea for the small wooden path into Herb’s Place, just need warmer weather to get it done.
The sign encourages you to touch the herbs and release the fragrance. As the plants got bigger I frequently moved the signs around.
Another little book that gets lots of use is Herbs for Cooking and Health, which is a Collins gem Guide. It only measures 8 cm x 11 cm (about 3×4.5 inches), probably called a pocket guide. This has all herbs and wildflowers illustrated with excellent info on each
Herbs are fragrant and tasty. I grow them for use in cooking, for making crafts and just for the pretty blooms they have. What herbs do you grow in your garden?
Favourite gardening books:
- Growing and using herbs
- Growing Succulents Indoors
- mushrooms and fungi
- Perennials by Lois Hole
- Pressed flowers
- Pressing Flowers in the Microwave
- Propagating Succulents
