TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham visits Dehn's Farm and herb grower Bonnie Dehn for tips on growing, maintaining and using aromatic plants.
- Herb plants can fill a house with pleasant smells and are a great alternative to burning incense or candles.
- Cuban oregano is very colorful and gives off a great fresh fragrance. It's also a cute plant to have around.
Geraniums
- Scented geraniums are easy to grow indoors during the winter, and lemon-scented geraniums can be set outside in the summer, where they act as a natural mosquito repellent.
- Other examples of scented geraniums are nutmeg (see photo above), coconut and peppermint geraniums.
- Scented geraniums do not have the large blooms of their more traditional cousins.
Lavender
- Lavender is a flowering herb with lovely purple flowers and has a wonderful "Victorian" fragrance that adds a nice scent to the air in a bathroom or bedroom.
- Lavender needs the morning and afternoon sun and should be watered sparingly. Bring it in during the winter months.
- Snip off two or three sprigs of lavender, wrap them with a rubber band and hang in a closet. The lavender will dry in about four weeks, but the smell will linger for up to two years.
- Make a lavender air freshener for the bathroom. Fill an empty clean baby food jar approximately halfway with lavender, then top with dried lavender. Place netting over the top and secure with a lid that has a hole cut in the center (figure A ).
Mint and Lemon
- There are several types of mint that can be grown in low light. Chocolate mint is a wonderful plant to lock up in the house before leaving on vacation.
- Lemon grass looks like a tall grass and is easy to grow. It has a light, lemony flavor and is often used in stir-fry recipes.
- Lemon balm has a misty lemon flavor and keeps its color well. It's easy to grow and should be set in a south or east-facing window.
- Lemon thyme will grow and flourish in low light. It has a wonderful scent that's great to have in a kitchen during the winter. Lemon thyme also tastes great in recipes and it repels mosquitoes. Just rub lemon thyme to release its scent.
Guests Bonnie Dehn
Commercial Herb Grower, Dehn's Herb Garden
16485 Tulip St. NW
Andover, MN 55304-2429
Fax: 612-753-1711
Website:
www.dehnsgardenherbs.com
Also in this Episode
)
)
)
