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Tag: Groundcover

Where and How to Grow an Herbal Groundcover

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| Categories: Growing Hints, Herbal Wisdom, Richo's Blog
Bugle_ajuga_repens

The urge to muck about and create plant habitat goes hand-in-hand with the urge to grow more and more species of plants that need individualized growing conditions.   As your species list increases, you will probably feel motivated to prepare specific plant habitats.  After all, making your plants happy is a way to spread a groundcover of happiness into yourself….

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hinduvoices.com Interview 10/15/19

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KZYX.org Interview 3/5/19

https://blog.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/kzyx.org_.interview.m4a

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Organic growers of medicinal herb seeds, medicinal herb plants, organic vegetable seeds and organic garden seeds.

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Springtime and I'm checking my shadehoused flats t Springtime and I'm checking my shadehoused flats to see if anything long-awaited is happening and. . . it is!  Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) seeds planted on 10/29/19 just came up--a 17 month induction period!Cramp Bark seeds available at strictlymedicinalseeds.com
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Hi folks! There is no reason to attempt to germina Hi folks! There is no reason to attempt to germinate seeds ex-situ. Seeds need simple things like sun, soil and water to germinate, and as soon as they start germinating the radicle (root) begins communicating with the soil by way of mycorrhizal association and simple water/nutrient uptake. A lady got in touch. She was having a terrible time getting the tendergreen cucumber seeds to germinate. She tried starting them in water, then paper towels. I told her I'd re-test the germination and achieved the desired results in 5 days by planting the seeds in. . . dirt.
Western Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) now Western Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) now in flower--a swamp lantern. How amazing this diversity of plants that adorn this earth--if one were to try to imagine some of them, even imagination might fall short of what is already there. These are not an edible cabbage--unless one be a bear or elk--they are absolutely loaded with calcium oxalate and will definitely burn the oral mucosa if you take a bite (like I did once, well, only once does one do that!) Native Americans used the banana-leaf-like leaves in various applications, like for baking salmon, lining baskets and as dinner plates. I like a good skunk cabbage, but... at a distance.
Our April newsletter is packed with offers! Follow Our April newsletter is packed with offers! Follow the link in our profile to get the specifics.
Eclipta albaFamily: Aster (Asteraceae)Annual, Eclipta albaFamily: Aster (Asteraceae)Annual, 60 days to harvest(Bhringaraj, Eclipta prostrata, Mo-han-lian) A creeping and moisture-loving herb with white flowers giving way to a button-like display of fat green seeds that turn black when fully mature. Good subject for around the hose bib or used as a low-lying bedding plant. Traditional use (Ayurveda): hepatic tonic, hair tonic. Sow seed just below soil surface, tamp in well and keep warm and in the light. Regarding germination times for Eclipta alba, the common expectation is 12 to 24 days in spring conditions. However I have been keeping careful track of this, due to much feedback regarding nongermination of Eclipta alba seeds, and in 2020/21 I made a planting that gave these results: Planted 11/17/20 in greenhouse conditions. Less than 1% germination in 2 weeks. Kept the plant in the greenhouse, nearly barren, for the entire winter and on 3/2/2021 all the rest of the seeds came up. That's a 105 day induction period. Whether this is an expectable germination period for the seeds of Eclipta alba and should represent a reasonable cultivation scenario for it, or whether this is merely the result of Kokopelli's springtime fluting, is still not fully understood. However, this is the greatest germination I've ever seen on the species. Space plants 1 foot apart. Grows to about a foot tall.
Bursera fagaroides (Fragrant Elephant Tree) seed g Bursera fagaroides (Fragrant Elephant Tree) seed germination
Family: Myrrh (Burseraceae)Hardy to Zones 10 to 12, otherwise grown as a potted tree and kept indoors for the winter(Torchwood Copal, Torote blanco, Fragrant Elephant Tree) Woody perennial to 30 feet tall, native to Mexico. Source of burnable copal resin, which exudes from any wound and dries in amber tears. Rare in cultivation. Excellent for bonsai. Swollen trunks with humanoid skin and the excellent aroma make this a favorite of collectors. Bursera stay in leaf as long as they are being watered, and tend to go dormant when very dry. The best cultivation scenario is to plant in very fast draining medium, allowing them to go dormant and dry in winter and watering frequently in the summer. I have had these flower and go to seed in an unheated greenhouse in Zone 7. Cultivation: Standard culture for dryland tree species--use a fast-draining mix, plant the seed 1/4 inch deep, tamp securely and keep warm, in the light and evenly moist until germination, which can take months. Work up seedlings in pots. Use Cactus mix. Start with a 4-inch pot, then go up to a gallon and finish in 3-gallon pots. Outdoors (dry tropics), space 15 feet apart.
Greenhouse staff just surprised me with a populati Greenhouse staff just surprised me with a population of Burning Bush (Dictamnus) looking very healthy, so we have enabled the plants online at strictlymedicinalseeds.com
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The citrusy aroma carries me far away.
Lamium purpureum, the red henbit, now flowering in Lamium purpureum, the red henbit, now flowering in profusion, just about--anywhere!Family: Mint (Lamiaceae)(AKA Lamium atropurpureum, Red Dead Nettle, Purple Dead Nettle)Self seeding annual, harvest in 60 days.(Archangel, AKA Lamium purpureum, Red Dead Nettle, Purple Dead Nettle) The plant does well in borders as a low-lying bedder; blooms handsomely early in the spring. Edible, best when cooked, especially nice in casserole, as the plant takes on flavors in cooking and cooking makes the plant more texturally palatable. Traditional usage (TWM): astringent, vaginal infections (dysmenorrhea and white discharge). The flowers are short-lived, an early spring occurrence, and once they look big and healthy, it is best to pick them at that time, because they will soon return to the earth from whence they came. Some people wonder if by "flowers" we mean just the tiny inflorescence, but no, it is the whole thing that is used--just sever from the stalk at the base--easy. Sow outdoors in very early spring by casting the seed on disturbed soil or seed bed and press in well, keeping evenly moist until germination. These plants require no thinning and little care beyond an appreciation for their bravely florific display.
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About

Richo is an internationally recognized expert on the cultivation, processing and usage of medicinal plants. He is the author of the popular herbal, Making Plant Medicine. His life-long interest in seed saving lead to extensive travel and plant exploration, largely in the USA and Africa but also in South America, China and Europe. This collection of seeds, including numerous unique introductions and rare plants as well as many common medicinal plants and permacultural trees, is currently conserved and multiplied in his greenhouses and gardens.

Strictly Medicinal, LLC is the name of this organic seed company and nursery based in Williams, Oregon. The mission is to sow seeds worldwide for the benefit of people, plants and the planet.

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