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Siberian Motherwort is also called Honey Weed and is a native of central and Southwest Asia i.e., China, Siberia, Tibet etc. It is an annual or biennial herbal plant of the mint family that is used for medicinal and cooking purposes (as a spice). It is known to help in problems related to women’s reproductive issues like menstrual cycle etc. It helps in circulation and to prevent in excessive clotting and to improve night vision. It acts a painkiller too. It is used in Incense sticks, soaps and decorations.
It grows from July to September and the height of plant can go up to 1.5m. It has stems that grow from 20-80cm tall. The basal leaves have long petiole and appear to have toothed margins and deep cut lobes. The flowers are stalk less and attached directly at the base with 8mm calyx.
It sends a flower spike that can be almost 5 feet tall which has thousand of seeds in it which self sow them. Its flower is scented and purple in color. Its natural environment is on stony or sandy grasslands or in pine forests.
It is also known as Mini marijuana or Marihuanilla as it contains little amounts of alkaloid leonurine and acts somewhat as a cure as a respiratory stimulant in small doses, but harmful if taken more. Hence it is used as for smoking too.
This herb is not for excessive consumption as it leads to breathlessness and stopping of breath if taken in more quantities. It should not be taken during pregnancy as it can cause uterine contraction or miscarriage. It leaves on contact with skin causes inflammation in some people. It causes drowsiness when taken in excess. It causes Stomach irritation, uterine bleeding, diarrhea etc., are some other symptoms when taken in excess. A Sunscreen has to be used when this is ingested.

Growing Conditions of Siberian Motherwort

- Sow the seeds by sprinkling them on the soil and cover them with 1/4th inch soil.
- Germinate the seeds at 70F for about 7-14 days.
- Keep the little seedlings provided with enough water and plenty of sunlight.
- Plant in May as they usually grow well from July-September.
- Once seedling grows 2 inches around seedlings need to be transplanted 1 foot apart and continue watering every 2 days as required.
- Once grown these are drought resistant.
- Once the plant grows 1-2 feet tall, it can be best grown by cutting.
- It is adaptable to all climatic conditions

Care for the Siberian Motherwort

- Regularly water during the growth.
- Get good sunlight for the seedlings.
- Germinate seeds at 75 F
- Fertilize once done regularly.
- Cutting is the best method of propagating.
- Cut the faded flowers.
- Care needs to be taken from spreading as this plant can be invasive in some areas.
- It’s hardy in warm and temperate areas.

It is also known as Apple of Peru. It belongs to the night shade family. It is a native of Peru and the whole Mediterranean region as well as some Central American countries. The plant grows up to a height of 3-8 feet or 1m tall and ½ as wide. The leaves are up to 1 foot and are toothed and waved in appearance. It is a poisonous plant which has flowers that are blue-violet in color. In as little as 6-8 weeks the flowers bloom. The flowers are bell-shaped with white centers and at the end of bloom become lantern-like.
These flowers have short flowering period blooms only for one day. It is more of a weed but many keep it as an ornamental plant as it is believed to have insect repellent properties too. The fruits appear prickly which are enclosed in papery inflated calyxes. The fruit has a dry and edible berry in it. It’s an annual tropical weed. It is tall and coarse and has rank-smelling foliage. They bloom in late summer or mid fall but germinate continuously if the moisture is adequate. The soil needs to have a pH of 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral). A single plant can produce thousands of seeds.
Its family, Solanaceae, contains tropane alkaloids including hyoscine (scopolamine), hyoscyamine, atropine. It has some side effects like restlessness, dryness of the oral mucosa and dilation of the pupil and in animals it causes poisoning due to ingestion of crushed seeds. The leaves are used as a medicine in some countries like Brazil and Madagascar. Seeds act as food for Birds. It acts as a vector for many other plants and hence it is called Saturn flower (also because of its appearance). The Samba people of Africa eat the leaves of this plant.

Growing Conditions of Shoofly plant

• Dry the seedpods on plant itself, do not pluck until dry enough.
• Remove the seeds from the apple.
• Let the brownish-red seeds germinate for 7-14 days at 24 degrees.
• In about 2 to 3 weeks, the seedlings can be picked out.
• Sow in late autumn or before the last frost of spring.
• Plant them either in containers or in open ground with good drainage and cover lightly in soil.
• Keep 60-90cm spacing in between.
• Expose in full or partial sun.
• Keep the soil moist enough by watering.
• It self sows freely.

Care for Shootfly plant

• The soil need to be moist.
• The sun exposure should be full.
• It can be invasive and heavily ingested as it is a poisonous weed too.
• It’s self-sowing and so need to be carefully avoided on spreading.
• Fertilize every 2-3weeks during flowering period.
• In summer give lot of water to avoid wilting of leaves.
• Once dried out they can be torn out with roots to avoid spreading around.

Bunny tail grass, also known as Hare’s tail grass (Lagurus ovatus) is named because of its flowers resemblance to that of a bunny’s tail. Its botanical name is Pennisetum Messiacum. It has soft, silky and fluffy flowers and is valuable for fresh and dried arrangements. It is an annual ornamental plan of growth up to 12 to 20 inches high and a foot wide and flowers usually from July-September. Their heads are the source of food and attraction for birds. They can be used for erosion control.

Growing conditions for Bunny Tail grass

• They grow well in full sun from seed. The seeds can be collected by drying seed heads.
• Does not grow well in soils with moisture.
• Have Average Water needs.
• Self-sows freely. It has to be sown outside before 3 weeks of last frost and inside before 6-8 weeks of last frost.
• It can grow in rocky soil when provided with good water drainage.
• It grows well in soils with good air circulation, which can be done by tilting upper layer of the soil.
• Soil pH requirements: 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)

Care for Bunny Tail grass

• Good amount of sunlight
• Adequate water to grow up and out.
• Caring from any spots or damage
• Protection from bugs and chemical issues.
• Tilting the upper layer of the ground for air circulation.
• Do not over-water.

Hyssop is lovely in the landscape and useful in the kitchen. Growing a hyssop plant is easy and makes a lovely addition to the garden. Hyssop is a tall-growing, flowering herb which, in addition to its physical charm, has a number of medicinal and culinary uses.

- Hyssop originated in the south east of Europe, including the south of Russia and norht of Africa.
- The plants of the genus hyssop belongs to the family, Lamiaceae or the mint family.
- Hyssop is a perennial plant. Only its flowers which can be bright blue, pink or white and young leaves, the most tender, are used.
- Herb with erect and slender, semi-woody stem, that can grow up to a height of about 60 cm.
- The leaves are small and narrow and are oblong in shape.
- They can reach a length of about 2 to 5 cm.
- The flowers can attract a large number of bees, butterflies and hoverflies, due to their strong scent.

Growing and Planting Conditions

- Hyssop likes a sunny place.
- It likes well drained, alkaline soil.
- Sow below the soil surface, with a spacing of 25 to 30cm, in the autumn.
- Sow hyssop seeds indoors or directly in the garden about 8-10 weeks before the last frost.
- Hyssop seeds usually take between 14-21 days to germinate.
- When harvesting, cut it in the morning hours once any dew has dried. Hang the plants upside down in small bunches to dry in a dark, well-ventilated area.

Uses

- Hyssop flavors omelets and mixed with other herbs like thyme, mint, or bay leaf, can flavor vegetable dishes, like menestras, and sauces, flavored vinegars and liquors.
- Used in fruits and salads to sausages and meat.
- A border plant within a herb garden, and is regarded to be ideal for growing along with cabbages.
- The medicinal properties of the plant can be mainly attributed to the highly aromatic and volatile oil present in its leaves, stems and flowers.

Care

- Some types are very drought tolerant but all flower better if they receive adequate rainfall or supplemental water.
- Hyssop will not tolerate wet soil in the winter.
- Fertilize them once a year in spring.