This is a small medicinal garden I have near the top of my house (on a sloped hill to the river). On the very left top and right are two Skullcap herbs I am going to use for a sedative. I had one more but it was burned in the 80 degree weather so I am nursing it back to health. The two Skullcaps are infected with a purple dot fungus so I am watching them. In the middle of the Skullcaps and to the right is a European Goldenrod plant. To the right of that, I have 5 Cowslip plants I plan to use as a sedative and for other things. They are flowering but the flowers are right on the ground, do they stay like that? To the right of those is a big mass of Roman Chamomile, which is a sedative ALSO! If you haven't noticed, I love sedatives. Above that is a small lavender plant. You are suppose to pick the flowers for tea when they are almost ready to bloom. Most of them have bloomed so can I still pick them? And here are my Mugwort seedlings! I am surpirsed they survived the long day of rain then 80 degree weather. Most of my other seedlings perished. I don't know if the plants that were in the hot and rainy weather were burnt or have a fungus or maybe both, but the leaves have purple spots and they turned red.
Hi Ken, I realize it's the end of summer, but I wanted to make some comments about your little medicinal garden. Very pretty, and the plants are healthy. I'm sure the plants grew well and filled in all the available space. Re: Mugwort- Artemisia vulgaris- L. The leaves resemble that of the chrysanthemum. Under ideal conditions, mugwort can grow to a height of five feet. It does well in poor soil and can survive in extremely dry soil much better than most herbs. Mugwort requires 4 hours of direct sunlight for the essential oils to develop. You started the mugwort from seed, and I was wondering about the newspaper under the peat cups? I think it was too soggy for the little seedlings, and they died at soil level. Overly wet soil can cause fungus, mildew or mold to develop. One of the seedlings is white, as if bleached from the sun. Did you try again with more seeds later on this summer? Just curious. Did they survive, and if they did, were they pruned earlier this month? Mugwort can be pruned evenly at soil level, and will come back bigger and better the following spring. Also curious as to why there no is lemon balm in your medicinal garden? Lemon balm is also a sedative herb, and one of the best for restful sleep. Lemon balm lacks the bitter taste so common with sedative herbs. Mugwort tea is not my cup of tea. I have tried it several times, and it's terribly bitter and strong. Other than the mugwort seedlings looking sickly, I'd say you had a nice selection of medicinal herbs this past summer.
Ken, Mugwort is horribly invasive. Keep it well confined when you plant it. I didn't see this earlier when you originally posted this or I would have mentioned this then. I have it growing all around the yard and it has finally creeped its way into my greenhouses via their rhizomes.... Nasty smelly weed for me.
