At this time of year when gardens demand so much of our attention it is interesting to consider why we put such an effort into making even the smallest patch lovely.  A garden may be defined as an area distinguished by its layout and the plants that grow there, all […]

This is a good month to decide if you want to have herbs growing in your garden as the seed catalogues and gardening advertisements whet our interest. So many of the ones used therapeutically may be obtained from the wild but some, such as marshmallow, elecampane and lovage need to […]

We are all familiar with the swede turnip, more often than not calling it a swede or just a turnip. In Scotland, the swede is called neeps and in France and the US, rutabaga. It is a regular part of winter fare in Ireland, and along with carrots, parsnips, and […]

Even though we associate November with Halloween and the many fun and games associated with this festival of the dead, I felt the humble potato deserved a mention this month. As we have had such fine weather, there are very few potatoes still in the ground and most, if not […]

Among the different types of  plantain growing  in Ireland the most well-known are Plantago major or broad-leaved plantain, and  Plantago lanceolata or narrow leaved plantain, also known as  ribwort.  Broadleaf plantain (BP; Plantago major, Plantaginaceae), also known as great plantain, is a flowering perennial, which often grows in disturbed soils, in fields […]

Yarrow is a herb, found in the temperate regions of Europe, North America and Asia. It has been used medicinally for thousands of years by many cultures. In North America the Navajo people considered yarrow  one of the ‘sacred life’ medicine herbs. In Greek myth, the god Achilles used yarrow […]