Seeds v. Plants

I used to have a native plant nursery here in Alpine. I would offer the following from that experience:

Many perennials (and most of the herbs are perennials) propagate more easily via cuttings than by seed. They then become full-grown plants more reliably than seeds, but not a whole lot faster than seeds (a few weeks is normally the maximum you save in terms of time). Plants are more expensive than seeds, so how soon you need to have a mature producing medicinal herb garden may be an important variable in making decisions about buying plants v. buying seed.

Many herbs grow wild here and can be counted on to grow well from seed (if you have seen a field of it on the hills, try it from seed, first).

Some of us will be experimenting (I will, I know) at propagating plants from cuttings. I will offer a workshop showing how to do that if this is a new skill for you. The trick is usually the kind of potting soil used and having shade available for even the hardiest plants for a portion of each day while they are little. Plus a good organic foliar fertilizer (sprayed on the leaves of your little plants). Locally propagated plants would be much less costly than those shipped in from some other place.

I will post what plants I have available as soon as I have them. I am hoping others will do the same.

Eve

Herb Resources: Seeds/Plants/Books

I found almost every seed (and several available as plants) from the list below at www.horizonherbs.com

Horizon Herbs is the medicinal herb garden and herbalist resource developed by Richo Cech who has also written several respected herbalist books:

The Medicinal Herb Grower
Making Plant Medicine
Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs: Cultivation,
Conservation and Ecology.

The following herbal references are also available from Horizon Herbs' catalog (hard copy catalog can be requested online or by telephone at (541) 846-6704). The catalog and a wide variety of helpful materials can also be found on the www.horizonherbs.com website.

A Modern Herbal by Maude Grieve is a frequently recommended (2 volume) work characterized as "an anchor reference".

Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West by Michael Moore will lead to indigenous plants in west Texas, "many as yet unknown and largely unused."

Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine by David Hoffman "is an advanced textbook for herbal practitioners, giving an understandable and in-depth teaching on the chemistry of plants, a balanced look at safety issues, specific formulas according to body systems and a 150 herb strong materia medica."

Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar is "chock full of herbal recipes to help [us] practice the art of food as medicine, medicine as food."

Medicinal Herb Garden Collection: provides 18 seed packets in a low cost selection for beginning herbal practitioners.

Eve

A Growing List: Alpine, General Household Medicinal Needs

This is a list of herbs that would grow here and that would cover some of the important needs...

Paul
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Black Seed-Nigella
Chamomile
Comfrey
Echinacea angustifolia
Elecampane
Lemon Balm
Lemon Verbena
Licorice
Mormon Tea
Mullein
Nettle
Mint
Passiflora incarnata
Senna
Red Root
Thyme
Valerian
Wild Indigo
Woad-Isatis
Yerba Mansa (takes the place of goldenseal, which is unlikely to grow here)
Yerba Santa

Chinese:
Astragalus
Andrographis
Jiao Gu Lan-Gynostemma
Schizandra
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