Growing Medicinal Herbs in Sun Garden

Normally I grow lavender, aloe Vera and German chamomile, rosemary lemon balm, and peppermint in my medicinal herb gardens but this year I intend on growing lemon balm, witch hazel, and St. Johns wort, thus creating a medicinal herb garden that will ease my aches, pain, heal cuts and help me to get to sleep.

Pretty yellow flower of the St Johns Wort herb plant

A photo of lemon balm growing in my garden. The leaves look like mint, and the entire plant has a strong lemon scent.  The bloom attracts butterflies.

The lavender, chamomile, and lemon balm are good for relieving stress and are a natural sleep remedy. Aloe Vera is good for stomach upset and constipation when taken internally however this herb is also good for your skin, a natural remedy for burns, and when used as a moisturizer will reduce the signs of aging. Witch hazel makes an excellent compress for bruises and St. Johns wort is an anti-inflammatory and is good when used as a compress for small cuts or wounds. It can also be used to treat stomach upset and mild depression.

Rosemary in garden

I grow these medicinal herbs in gardens outdoors, the Aloe Vera is grown in my kitchen in a container. My gardens are raised beds with organic soil. The area is sunny with partial shade in the afternoon because my summers are too darn hot.

When it comes to growing a medicinal herb garden I care for my plants by watering them in the early morning. And when it is really hot I will mist the herb garden in the late afternoon to prevent the flowers and leaves from wilting.

In the past, I have been successful in growing a variety of herbs in the garden and I am looking forward to growing new herbs; witch hazel, and St, Johns Wort this year.

View this youtube video to learn about other medicinal herbs that you can grow in your garden.

Working on Raised Garden Project

My husband asked me to extend my rock herb garden down along the side of the stepping stone path. He thought fragrant herbs along the side of the garden path would look good.  He also thought he would not have to cut the grass in this area and he really liked his idea.

It seemed like a good idea at the time to extend the herb garden, so I drew out the garden plans on paper my husband looked at me blankly and then said he thought it would be cheaper to buy a raised garden kit.  I did not agree with him but knew if I did not show him a kit he would never understand.

The first stop today was Lowe's garden center where we looked at raised garden kits. One large garden was priced at $176.93 and this kit was not big enough for our garden plans.  

The husband studied the raised garden that was on display and the good thing about these kit gardens is they do give the husbands an idea as to what they are supposed to look like and they know what material is needed to put them together.  

If you guy cannot visualize your garden plans on paper the put-together kit on display will help them understand and your husband will think you are a garden genius.  (smile)

After our trip to the garden center, there was plenty of time for me to get started with my extended herb garden.  Today husband and I removed all of the river rock that went around the herb garden. Then I used landscaper marking paint to outline the area where the new garden will be located. 

 Since the top six inches of soil are workable, the husband will remove the sod and level the area before lying down the landscape liner to prevent the weeds or wild grasses from growing.

Hopefully, by the end of the week, the sides of the raised garden will be installed and then we need to fill it with organic compost mixed with potting soil.  I like that the weather is warm this week because it is allowing me to get the gardens ready for spring planting.

Herbs that Attract Butterflies

Herbs will enhance foods flavor and many herbs can be used to heal the sick but some herbs are beneficial to bees and butterflies.  When you grow specific herbs and allow them to flower these herbs will attract bees and butterflies to your yard and garden. 

Lavender in bloom

Choose a section in your yard to grow a fragrant herb garden.  An area that is close to your outdoor living space will be appealing as watching the butterflies foraging the nectar is relaxing.  A Butterfly garden A great way to unwind after a day at work.

Plan a garden that will include a water feature to keep butterflies hydrated and a resting or hibernation box.  You may want to set the water feature to the side and add a small stone path –patio that is large enough for a garden bench.  Then plant the herbs according to their growing needs.  Some herbs require direct sun so plant them in an area where it is hot.  Others may need part sun in the afternoon and an overhang of a shade tree would be ideal.  You do not need to plant your butterfly herb garden in one area, be creative and plant groupings of fragrant herbs throughout your yard.

Grow herbs outdoors in a garden that has full sun to part sun in the heat of the day, with soil that is well-drained.  Keep the garden weed-free and apply organic mulch to help in retaining moisture.  

Maintain your butterfly herb garden by making sure that the soil does not dry out.  Install drip line irrigation or a soaking hose and water in the early morning.  I have my irrigation system set on a timer and it starts watering at 6:30 and ends at 8:00 a.m.  You may water in the late afternoon as long as there is a few hours of sunlight. Night watering is not recommended as the wet soil will attract garden pest

There are many fragrant herbs that attract butterflies.  Many of these fragrant herbs also can be used for herbal tea.  Here is a list of herbs that I grow in my yard and gardens.

Red and Fuchsia Bee Balm

Echinacea Coneflowers

Garden Mint

Lavender

Chives

Fennel

Evening Primrose

Chicory

Comfrey

Chamomile

Lemon Balm

Meadowsweet

Sage

Thyme

Yarrow

Valerian

My herb garden photographs:

Echinacea

Garden Mint

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Lemon Balm

Bee Balm

Growing Culinary Herbs Outdoors

Every summer I grow herbs for cooking and for tea.  I use to grow herbs for healing but when I moved my space for growing herbs outdoors was limited as there are too many trees in my yard.  

 My husband suggested that I grow herbs year round in the greenhouse where we have grow lights. This of course is always a good idea as you do not have to worry about groundhogs eating your parsley or the brown grasshoppers.  It is the best to grow in way to grow healthy and organic herbs, however the bees and butterflies are not able to forage off the basil and rosemary blooms.  

I watched the sunlight in my yard and found that a small section received 4 hours of morning sun, followed by part shade in the afternoon and at 4:00 pm the section had full sun for another 3 hours.  The sun was enough and I decided to plant a small herb garden.
  

Photographs of my small culinary herb garden:

I set my herb garden up with a rock boarder.  I laid a thick newspaper lining to keep the grass and weeds from growing into the bed and then I added two inches of pea gravel mixed with sand for proper drainage and on top of that I added 12 inches of top soil mixed moisture control beads and equal parts compost.  I then planted; dill. African Blue Basil, Honeydew sage, oregano, Rosemary, chives, cilantro, Italian parsley and lemon mint. 

If you are contemplating growing herbs outdoors then here are some tips for growing herbs outdoors.

Grow Herbs in the Ground

1. Use a tiller to break the ground and loosen the soil to 18 inches.
2. Remove grass and rocks
3. Break up soil lumps so that it is fine in texture
4. Add organic compost to the garden soil and mix well
5. Add slow release fertilizer

Grow Herbs in Raised Gardens

1. Raised garden beds get more sun and dry out quickly so it is wise to set the raised garden in an area that is close to a water source; rain barrel or sprinkler head.Choose a flat surface for the raised garden.  A leveled garden will provide a good water balance.
2. Buy a raised garden kit and set it up according to the directions.
3. Fill your raised garden with a mixture of Scott's miracle grow moisture control garden soil, Scott’s compost and course sand. This mixture will provide your raised garden with hydration, nutrients and drainage.
4.  Another way to fill your raised bed is to mix half organic compost with half potting soil.  Add water pearls to help retain moisture. .

Grow Herbs in Container Garden

1. Drill holes on the bottom of the container to aid in water drainage.  For large containers you may want to drill holes on the side close to the bottom of container.
2. Fill your containers with all purpose potting soil mixed with compost or manure.  Add water pearls to help retain moisture
3. Fill soil to one inch bellow container top. This will prevent the water from draining off and will also allow you to apply peat moss or mulch around the herbs.

Tips:

1. Herbs need a minimum of six hours of direct sun to grow.
2. Plant herbs after you have installed your patio, walkway. Once planted it is best not to disturb the soil.  As compacting the earth for patio or walkway will shift the earth from the herb roots and cause the plants to suffer.
3. Water herbs daily; for containers and raised gardens, water in the morning and early evening.
4. Avoid allowing soil to dry out.