Borage
It’s Ari here again and I’m going to tell you about my borage, lemon balm and parsley today.
I’m sorry that so many of my photos include Wilma. She has this habit of photo-bombing everything I do. What she’s less good at is knowing what to do with borage. Now, let’s be honest, none of us really knows what to do with the borage. The only thing we’ve found is to use the leaves in cocktails. Given that none of us drink many cocktails and the plant has grown very large, the space might have been better given over to something else. What I can say is that it grows very easily and the bees like the flowers, which start pink and then turn blue. It would be quite a nice plant if the stems weren’t prickly.
Wilma has just looked up uses of borage for me and it turns out it has a wide range of medical uses including fever, cough, depression, adrenal insufficiency, sedative and reduction of lung inflammation to name but a few. That makes it sound like an all round good plant to have around, although I’m not going to start nibbling it just at the moment.
Lemon balm
We have lemon balm growing near the door to the garden room as it repels gnats and mosquitoes. Mum actually quite likes the smell. It has lots of medical uses too. It is supposed to have a calming effect and reduces stress and anxiety. Drinking lemon balm tea can help digestion, but I’m not going to try it. It’s part of the mint family, so has some of the same effects on getting rid of wind. Wilma says I should put it in the water bowl that Shadow uses as it might help her in that department.
Parsley
Finally for today, I’m growing two types of parsley, so Mum can use them in cooking. It is another herb that can help digestion, which is why it is often used in salads and with other foods that humans have.
It’s funny how many things which are ‘traditionally’ used actually served a useful purpose. Humans always think they know best as we nibble our way around the garden, but the sad part is that it’s very often the humans who are missing out on the benefits of what’s around them.
I’m off to see if any more fallen apples are ready for eating.
Have fun
Love
Aristotle
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