Herb Garden Diary The Purple Gate Farm Newsletter August 2010

Our Herb Garden Diary Newsletter explores herbal knowledge, practical garden information with historical insight and

current research to reveal the delight and enrichment of life by the growing and using of herbs. We explore the seasons in our

south central Texas gardens and share our gardening experiences in this environment.

August seems a part of something old andsomething new. August feels to me likeannouncing the end of summer is near andautumn cool breezes are coming soon. It is theeighth month of 2010. Where did seven monthsgo?

Bud and I would like to announce that we areclosing The Purple Gate Herb Farm inCaldwell, Texas. We are moving to Smithville,Texas in the area of the Lost Pines near Bastrop.We will reopen the Herb Farm as soon as we canget everything organized. We are lookingforward to a new experience in a new area ofTexas. We purchased two acres and are presentlydrawing up plans for our move. The soil at ournew site looks very promising. It looks like goodgarden sandy loam. The pine woods of the StateParks all around our new location fills the airwith a wonderful scent that reminds me of myhome-place in Alaska. We cannot predict howsoon we can sell our Caldwell property and thatwill determine how soon The Purple Gate Farmwill reopen. Thank you all for your interest andsupport of our herb farm.

I hope this August fills you with good memories,energy and health.

Bud and Mary Mills

Here is an upcoming garden event for thismonth:

--- On Mon, 7/12/10, Bonnie Martin

<bonnielaurie@austin.rr.com> wrote:

From: Bonnie Martin <bonnielaurie@austin.rr.com>

Subject: Event Announcement: How toManage Garden InsectsTo: bonnielaurie@austin.rr.comDate: Monday, July 12, 2010, 9:38 PM

New Event Announcement from TravisCounty Master Gardeners Association:

How to Manage Garden Insects

Saturday, August 21, 2010

10 am-Noon

LCRA Redbud Center, Rm 108N

3601 Lake Austin Blvd.

Austin TX 78703

Insects can be one of the biggestchallenges for gardeners. But you candeal with pests effectively withoutspraying general insecticides all over yourplants. Integrated Pest Management(IPM) can teach you how to protect yourgarden without harming the environmentor your plants. Learn to distinguishbeneficial insects in your backyard fromharmful insects. Basic IPM strategies willbe described that can help manage insectpests throughout the landscape, invegetable gardens, even in the home.

This seminar is free and open to thepublic. It is presented by the TravisCounty Master Gardeners Association, avolunteer arm of the Texas AgriLifeExtension Service in Travis County.www.tcmastergardeners.org or call the

Travis County Master Gardener's helpdesk at (512) 854-9600.

Help, Hurt or Hype?Mary H. Mills

In 2003 Family CircleMagazine (9/2/03) reportedthat “natural”, “alternative”,“complementary”, “holistic” or

“integrative” non-traditional medicine wastaking the country by storm. The magazinepolled 2,848 men and women and found 43percent had used or were using some form ofthese herbal remedies. Half of the respondentwho were not using non-traditional medicinewould consider doing so. This trend seems tocontinue to grow as people are becomingmore informed about theirown health issues.

In the survey, 81 % of therespondents wished theirM.D. was moreknowledgeable aboutalternative medicine.Medical doctors are reportedto have divergent attitudes concerning thesealternative medical practices. Some M.D.’sstill feel many alternative remedies are littlemore than quackery; homeopathy is regardedas worthless by some and Ayurvedic

medicine has beendescribed as a vasthodgepodge of ideas.

Alternative medicine isgaining credibility

however. Chiropractic doctors were onceregarded as outlaws but now they have beenaccepted as part of the traditional system ofhealing that is very helpful to many. There isgrowing evidence that massage is useful formuscle-skeletal problems, in alleviatinganxiety, depression and pain.

Ayurvedic practicehas been around for aleast 4,000 years andresearch is growingon the whole systemand it’s effectiveness.

Some medical doctorswill admit thataromatherapy herbalremedies are affectivein alleviatingtension/stress.

More attention is focused on herbal remediesthan ever before to determine if they actuallyhelp patients.

It is true that modernmedicine relies heavily on pharmaceuticalremedies, many that derived frominformation originally gathered from herbaland alternative remedy texts.

There are cautions tobe observed withthese “natural”herbal remedies.Herbal remedieshave had their“active ingredients”identified, isolatedand concentrated” inmodern times. Many herbal remedies aremore like drugs in their effect and due to thenew strength of some of these concentrationscan cause dangerous side effects, especiallywhen mixed with traditional drugs andprescriptions. Herbal remedies should betaken as directed by a knowledgeablepractitioner. Although “natural,” they dohave the ability to hurt a patient if misused.

It would be foolish to decide that any onemethod of treatment is the “magic” remedy.There is a movement toward integration ofmany of the allopathic (traditional WesternMedical practice) and non-traditionalremedies in the United States. Thisintegrative medicinal practice has existed along time in other countries. German doctorsrefer to the German Commission Emonographs on herbs to prescribe herbalremedies or combine herbal and traditionalwestern style treatments. Chinese doctorshave been reported to rely heavily oncompounds of herbs in their practice. Folkhealers and herbalists also acknowledge thebenefit of combining remedies. Using thestrengths of each method to cure a patientmakes sense.

There is a plethora of articles extolling thebenefits of herbal and alternative remedieslike massage, acupuncture, aromatherapy,and Ayurvedic Medicine and others.Remember there is a lot of “hype” and“natural” herbal remedies have the potentialto hurt but can help if used appropriately.Choose your sources for informationcarefully. Herbal societies, web sites, modernherbals (some early herbals recommend

plants that have proven to be bad for you)and organizations like the AmericanBotanical Council exist to try to help youunderstand and use alternative remedieswisely. There are increasing volumes ofscientific studies into the herbal remedypractices and it makes very interestingreading.

Modern western medical practice excels indiagnosis. Application of other methods thataddress health problems may offer less side-effects to address an illness. Combiningmany methods of cure can only give thepatient a feeling of well-being since manyparts of his illness are being addressed, hismind, body and spirit. It seems many ancienthealers knew that illness had manymanifestations and attempted to treat thepatient on many levels.

As more study and attention is focused onthese and many other alternative methods, wewill gain confidence in their ability to aid inhealing.

Some Like It HotMary H. Mills

I am willing to admit that some organismslike it hot, well....I am not one of them, atleast not as hot as July was in Central Texas.I am hiding out in the house with airconditioning in the late morning andafternoon and feel like I am entering an ovenwhen I go outside. I stay away from towns asthe concrete and blacktop concentrates theheat to really unbearable levels. At leastearth, grass and weeds cool the temperatureof the sun beating down on them around thePurple Gate Herb Farm.

Bud and I go outearlier and earlier tobeat the heat whileweeding andtrimming plants inthe gardens. We startaround 5:30-6 a.m.and end our outdoor work day around 8:30-9a.m. I know it is a short work day butanything longer wilts us for the rest of theday. If we do not stay out much later in themorning we can still function at other indoorchores. We have observed that some plantsdo not wilt in the afternoon heat, they seemto like it hot! These plants have effectivesurvival strategies. That is what makes themso useful to humans for food, fiber, medicine,and building materials. They provide us withwax, oils, dyes, lubricants, and soaps. In thegarden they shade us, fill the air with scentsto enrich our well being and flowers todelight our eyes. Spending any time in thegarden will enlarge this list of benefits tohumans and our animal friends.

We observe Texas natives will grownaturally in specific areas of the state. Eacharea has characteristic trees, shrubs, vines,grasses and flowers. If the basic requirementsof each of these seeds is met, the seed willflourish. Otherwise it will grow weak andprobably not survive. The key to the plants

survival strategies are found in its physicalcharacteristics.

For example, Yaupon thrives in under-storyareas away from thedirect heat ofsummer. It haswaxy, resinous andsmall leaves toreduce evaporationlosses during thehottest, often drysummers. Thisshould give us cluesto how to selectplants for oursummer gardens thatwill survive and whether to plant them in fullsun, partial shade or deeper shade. Here aresome of our herbs that like it hot.

Many varieties of basil look healthy andhappy in the burningnoon-time sun.

Mexican Marigold Mint(Tagentes lucinda) formstight domes of fragrantleaves and prepares tolaunch it’s flowers intothe autumn air.

Yarrow is full andfeathery, adding an airylight feeling to the heavysummer atmosphere aslong as it gets enoughwater; it will flourish inthe heat.

The Passion Flower vine is growing like thestorybook beanstalk that Jack grew. It isflowering with exotic blossoms that youcannot help stopping to admire, no matterhow rushed you may feel.

Rosemary seems toreach up to the sun,never seeming to feelthe need to shy awayfrom the searing heat.Brushing against it fillsthe air with aromaticscent.

Other plants, like comfrey, sheltered from thedirect sun and provided enough water aredoing well here.

Lemon grass

and chives each arelush.

Makulan or acuyo is mistakenly called HoyaSanto (Rootbeer Plant) by many. In Mexicothe leaves are chopped and used as a spiceand the leaves are used whole to wraptamales or meat. The leaves smell likesassafras due to safrole in large amounts.

Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany byMichael J. Balick and Paul Alan Cox, 2005.

These plants are thriving and almost tooinvasive in our gardens as long as they areprovided with a good amount of water. Studyyour summer herb garden for the plants thatare among those that like it hot so you canplant more of them each year. The key isselecting the best location-sun, partial shade,or shade, and providing ample water to thoseplants.