Native Plants for the Northeast, and How to Use Them
This post is a complement to our Native Planting Workshop, happening on Sunday 5/16 at Big Bear Gear in Lambertville NJ, with plants provided by Nectar’s Home & Garden, just down the road in Titusville NJ. Even if you can’t make it to the workshop, this guide can help you make an informed decision about…
Foxglove
Poison or Panacea Foxglove Digitalis purpurea This delightful spireing flower is steeped in lore and history. This poisonous plant has been used warily for centuries. Highly poisonous, it is not even credited by famed herbalist Dioscorides in his herbal compendium or Nicholas Culpepper. Briefly mentioned by Gerard for its ability to “loosen grosse and slimie phlegm…
Horehound
White Horehound Marrubium vulgare Used for centuries, spoken of by both Dioscorides and Pliny, is long renowned for treating asthma, coughs, pulmonary consumptions, some liver and spleen disorders, and “filthy ulcers”. The format of ingestion and application is highly versatile. It can be used as a dry or fresh herb in tea or decoction, freshly juiced,…
Wolfsbane
Poison or Panacea Wolfsbane Aconitum napellus Perhaps you did not know this was a real plant, only believed it was straight out of werewolf fiction, but it is real…and it is dangerous. Frequently used throughout history to poison weapons and lace baited meat for wolf traps. However, it has been used hesitantly in traditional medicine…
Borage
This flowering herb is an ephemeral delight. Just gazing upon it can lift the spirit and it is no surprise that the wise herbalists of the past frequently prescribed it as a treatment for depression. Here are some of the wistful and endearing descriptions from these renowned herbalists: In 1597, herbalist John…
St. John’s Wort
Hypericum perforatum Here is a plant richly steeped in lore AND practical medicine. Even the etymology of its name is full of tradition and celestial serendipity. Called the Wort of St. John, likely because of its blooming on the Summer Solstice corresponds with the Feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24th. This plants…
Bee Balm
Monarda didyma A common question from guests in the park while I am out there tending and talking is: are all these plants native? No. Very few are, in fact there are only two in this garden: Bee Balm (which is intentionally planted) and Mullein (which turns up uninvited, but I find myself its gracious…
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A GARDEN IN THYME 