by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
FORESTERS FALLS — If you closed your eyes, inhaled deeply, and listened, two of your senses would have been overwhelmed by nature during a recent garden visit on McCoy Road just outside of Foresters Falls.
There are a variety of gardens at this visit, which is the home of Lawrie Barton and Simon Tunley. Ms. Barton was the guest speaker at the second Green Thumbs Garden Visits hosted by the Riverview Seniors Social Club out of Westmeath. This series is an opportunity to expand your gardening knowledge and have any questions on gardening answered.
Ms. Barton’s topic was herb types, successful growing and herb usage.
Introducing Ms. Barton, Gail Stewart said, “I jumped at the chance when Lawrie said we would be welcome to come to her garden, because Lawrie Barton is gardening royalty.”
At a local business where she worked, Ms. Barton’s nickname was Flora Bloom.
“Lawrie has been an educator her whole adult life and wears many hats,” Ms. Stewart said.
“Gardening has been a love affair for Lawrie,” she said. “She’s a long-time member of the Beachburg Horticultural Society and she’s also involved in laying out flowerbeds for customers in her partner’s business, Stunley Gardens.”
Ms. Barton noted throughout their property there are many little gardens, which can be seen if you stand in the centre and turn around in a complete circle – except those behind the house.
A strong believer in herbal remedies, Ms. Barton noted she may not have been feeling as well as she was on this day, as she was just getting over the flu, which was most likely cut shorter than it should have been because of the herbal teas she was able to create and use.
There are many biblical passages and quotes about gardening, Ms. Barton said. Rudyard Kipling: Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade. George Bernard Shaw: The best place to seek God is in the garden — you can dig for him there. An Italian saying: The gardener’s foot does not spoil the garden. Another saying: To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat.
Ms. Barton noted there are many herbs people enjoy cooking, baking and makes teas with, but there are many ore uses, such as curing illnesses, such as flatulence or stomach upset.
here are a variety of herbs for what we love to eat, herbs most enjoyed in cooking and baking and then subdivide the herbs again for various usages.
When she questions people about the herbs they used, Ms. Barton said most answers were the same: basil, rosemary, thyme.
There are a variety of ways to use herbs, Ms. Barton said. If unexpected company arrives and you want to provide a small treat, set out some cream cheese and crackers. Then, run to the garden and get some leaves off various herbs and stick on top of the cream cheese.
“It gives it kind of an interesting taste and can be done in five minutes,” she said.
Various Herbs
Anise – licorice tasting. Purple stalk. Used in tea if you have digestive upset or for spicy cooking and baking.
Basil – relieves the unpleasantness of gas. A quick and tasty salad is to slice tomatoes and sprinkle with chopped basil and add chunks of your favourite cheese (feta, goat, buffalo mozzarella).
Angelica – “It’s very, very tall and the head is like a huge umbrella. It is quite stunning.” Makes a lovely tea, reduces tension and by crushing the leaves it can help with with travel sickness. It stays in the garden only a couple of years before it must be seeded again.
Lemon balm – Be selective where it’s planted, because it will spread. Boil up water and put in some fresh-picked leaves. While it can be dried, fresh is much better. In fresh lemonade, add a stalk of lemon balm. “It’s very refreshing in the summertime.”
Bergamot – Is also known as beebalm and when used as a tea, the flavour is similar to Earl Gray. It can help with nausea, flatulence and menstrual pain.
Borage – it’s a volunteer in the garden, which means it’s not seeded. It has blue flowers and in the 1800s was known as an herb of gladness. The leaves are good in salads and has a cucumber taste. The leaves are fuzzy, so best to soak them in the salad dressing before eating the salad, she suggested. The flowers can be dried, put into a sugar solution and used to decorate cakes.
Calendula – yellow flowers which can be used in salads. They go to seed each year and can be found throughout the property, she said. This is a reliable herb. Rub the flowers between your hands and it softens the skin.
Chamomile – improves appetite, it can be found in herbal mixed teas, you can put it in water and gargle with it, or rub on skin rashes. “It’s lovely, cheerful, bright and useful.”
Dill – used for upset stomachs, promotes breast milk for nursing moms and is used for pickles and beans. When you want something a bit spicier in your Caesar, add hot peppers to your beans and then use those beans as a stir stick, she suggested.
Feverfew – it looks like tiny daises. If you eat three to four leaves a day, it can help relieve migraines.
Garlic – while not an herb, it can help with high blood pressure and it adds flavour to almost any food.
Lavender – While she hasn’t really been successful with this herb, she said there are different types and can be used for a variety of things, including sedating, and in an oil form for stings and burns. If you put it in a sachet under your pillow it will help with sleep or just hang it in your house to make it smell nice. Ms. Barton noted it can be used in cooking, but it’s not a flavour she likes.
Summer Savoury – great for stews and fish dishes.
Tansy – invasive, has large yellow flowers on tall stalks. “We plant them and let them go.” Good for helping with worms and scabies and rheumatic joints. Gather and put it in a compress and lay it on your stomach, it soothes.
Sage – This is an herb people either love or dislike, Ms. Barton said. Some may find the taste too strong and there are many varieties. The favourite place for her to use sage is in stuffing.
Cilantro – it’s good in Eastern or hot and spicy dishes. While it may reseed itself, replanting is usually a necessity.
Lemongrass – she likes this herb for curries and Jamaican dishes.
Tips when using herbs
When making tea, Ms. Barton suggested adding the juice of lemons or lime.
“Take the teapot outside, cut the herb and put it into the pot, squeeze in some lime or lemon juice and pour in the hot water,” she explained.
To make a memory tea, add green tea leaves or ginkgo extract, she added.
Pesto is also a good thing to make with herbs.
“It’s a great addition to stews, soups and sauces,” Ms. Barton said. “There’s different ways of making it, but traditionally, using a mortar and pestle, work the basil, and then add olive oil and nuts, pour into muffin tins or ice cube trays, freeze it and then you have it when you want to use it.”
Looking at the group, Ms. Barton questioned, “Why do most of us grow herbs? Because they are healthy, they look nice and they’re great when fresh.”
For those who like to harvest and dry herbs, she suggested the best time to pick them is mid-morning, right after the dew has dried off the leaves. They should be hung upside down with no sun and in a well-ventilated area, Ms. Barton explained, adding, once dried, they can be placed in glass jars or freezer bags.
It’s also possible to store them in water and then freeze them in ice cube trays, she suggested. Or, some herbs can just be bunched together and laid in the freezer, she added.
She could spend a few hours talking about herbs and their uses, so if anyone has questions after the discussion, they can talk to her or even give her a call.
“It’s important to try new things and get bold when trying herbs,” Ms. Barton said. “We tend to do the same thing over and over again. Make sure you enjoy your herbs and the many varieties.”
The Garden
Ms. Barton has several gardens throughout the property.
Pointing to the front of the property on one side of the driveway, she said, “That’s the Wild Kingdom.” It’s actually a garden created from weeds, but is in transition. There used to be a cedar hedge there and when it was removed, the weeds grew. Due to changes coming to the property, the fruit bushes will be moved to this area, she explained.
She noted in the weed garden is Mullein, a tall and stately weed. The leaves are good for breathing problems, Ms. Barton said.
In her vegetable garden there is great variety, including garlic, lettuce, peppers, broccoli, Jerusalem artichoke and marigolds, which are supposed to keep insects out of a garden.
For those who live on a dirt road like she does, Ms. Barton suggested planting tall plants along the roadside, which is great for keeping the dust away from her vegetable garden.
One of her favourite trees in her yard is the Catalpa. “It has a lovely scent and is beautiful and the motion in the wind is worth watching it,” she said.
When putting in a pond, Ms. Barton provided a variety of tips, suggesting using whatever is needed to prevent weeds from growing, whether it’s old carpets or plastic.
“There has to be a good base and it shouldn’t be too slopey,” she said.
In her garden pond, there’s plenty of frogs, “which provide great amusement for our grandchildren. I try not to let them torment them too much” and lilies, which may have to be thinned, she said.
It’s important children be encouraged to participate in gardening. Her granddaughter Sophie has created a fairy garden.
She recalled when Simon and she were married in 2003. Merging two households, they had what they needed to set up home. So, they asked those attending the wedding to bring rocks and they created a wedding path.
As for watering, she said it’s all provided from above. There are rain barrels to collect the water. Since they don’t have a good well with lots of water, they don’t waste it on the flowers or vegetables.
“Once the seeds are planted in the garden, baby you’re on your own,” she said with a laugh.
Ms. Barton said gardens are not meant to be too specific, such as a pink garden or just an herb garden.
“To me, nature’s colours will all go together,” she said. “If I see a plant and I like it and I see an empty spot, I’ll put it in.”
Beachburg Horticultural Club
Closing her talk, Ms. Barton spoke about the Beachburg Horticultural Society, noting there are many members who can help with any gardening tips. She noted events coming up include Aug. 11, a garden tour of the Wishing Well Gardens; Sept. 10 is the fall flower and vegetable show and tea at the Beachburg Lions Hall; Linda Simpson will talk about fall containers at the Sept. 22 meeting at Country Haven while Kathryn Lindsay will talk about floral design on Oct. 27, also at Country Haven. The year end’s with a pot luck supper, annual meeting and awards at St. Andrew’s United Church in Beachburg.
Membership is $10 or $15 for a family. For more information, call 613-582-3442.
Riverview Social Seniors Club
Gail Stewart said the gardening events are possible due to funding received through the New Horizons Grant for Seniors as well as the club’s own funding.
There are four garden visits In The Green Thumbs Garden Visits, with just two left. On Monday, Aug. 15, the garden of Pierrette and Phil Cottrell, 138 Greenway Drive, La Passe, will be featured and a week later, Monday, Aug. 22, the featured garden will be at the home of Paul and Gayle Stewart, 627 Point Road, Westmeath.
There will also be flower arranging workshops on four different Tuesdays – Aug. 23 and 30 and Sept. 6 and 13. The instructor is Sheila Kenny.
Earlier, the club featured Exploring the Night Sky and an Ottawa River Forum, which also was due to some funding through the New Horizons for Seniors Program.
“We are a busy seniors club,” Ms. Stewart said. “We’re always welcoming new members and the club plays a very important role to newcomers to the area or new retirees.”
For more information, google Riverview Seniors Social Club.
