It seems the whole world’s excited about tomorrow’s Royal Wedding, and it’s infectious. Customers have been ordering Papavar orientale ‘Royal Wedding‘ …
Papaver Orientale 'Royal Wedding'
..and Myrtle, ‘herb of love’, a sprig of which makes a traditional appearance in the Royal Wedding bouquet. This tradition goes back to the time of Queen Victoria, who planted a sprig of Myrtle from her wedding bouquet in her private garden – and it’s still growing there today!
Myrtus communis - Myrtle
We’re excited too, and it’s not just Royal Wedding Fever – we’ve got Open Days again, starting Saturday 30th April until Bank Holiday Monday May 2nd. Because we’re mostly an online business, we love Open Days because we can spend all day talking herbs – our passion – with our herb-loving customers.
We’re nearly ready now – the Berry Blue Creative Foods marquee went up this morning, so our visitors can partake of delicious, seasonal, locally grown food and relax during bouts of herb-shopping amongst our 650+ organically grown varieties.
Berry Blue marquee going up in the sunshine
Luscious, leafy, flowery herbs for Open Days
…and the herbs are looking luscious, leafy and some are even flowery – just in time for our Open Days!
I hope you can advise me about plants for a sheltered community for adults with learning difficulties. I am a GP near Cheltenham and have been given your address by a doctor in Occupational Health. Iwas asked to see a lady with autism whose behaviour had changed. It became apparent that she eats Lemon Balm voraciously from the garden! Might you be able to advise the carestaff what plants would delight the residents, but have less affect on mood if eaten? Clearly poisonous plants need avoiding, but she may still eat those that are bitter.
We’d strongly recommend that you consult a qualified herbal practitioner, as we are, primarily, herb growers.
In the meantime: Lemon balm has been attributed with relieving tension, as a mild antidepressant and with improving concentration – thus, a stimulant. How absolutely fascinating that it’s had such a dramatic effect.
Many herbs can affect mood..so this is quite a difficult question to answer! There are many edible herbs which would undoubtedly delight the residents due to their taste and aromatic appeal – such as Red Frills Mustard, Chocolate Peppermint, Apple Mint, Fennel, Sorrel, Chives, Wild Rocket. These herbs, like any food, can be detrimental if consumed excessively, but they can all be eaten fresh from the garden, and are all good digestives.
Hope this helps a bit – but do suggest you consult a qualified herbalist. And please do keep us posted on which herbs the carestaff end up planting.