3 Mistakes You Make When Choosing Fruit Trees

Mistake 1: You lack Imagination

Just about every household has a Lemons and Oranges or whats popular but the problem with this is that when your oranges start fruiting the cost in the supermarket for the same orange is often super cheap and fresh. Because they are so popular the pests of this tree are popular. eg. Gall wasps are often controlled by industrial methods but the home gardeners tree gets attacked and they don't have the resources to out power these pests. Basically if the fruit in your backyard is the same as the one you easily buy every day of the year anyway you are only exposing yourself to 1% of what fruit has to offer you.

So why not choose something like a Mulberry Tree, Black Sapote, Pecan, Sapodilla, Miracle Fruit, Peanut Butter Fruit, Lychee, Soursop, Custard Apple. And when you do choose a variety choose a variety that isn't common to your supermarket. Eg. If you are going to get an Orange tree then grow the Navelina. After you eat this variety you will wonder if they really are selling oranges in the supermarket the taste is so different.

Mistake 2: You are a Cheapskate

A seedling tree might cost $10 but the same tree as a grafted variety can cost upwards of $35. So people choose the seedling and then get disappointed why it doesn't fruit. A grafted tree can fruit often 3 years before a seedling even thinks about bearing fruit plus the fruit being produced is a proven quality and taste. Obvious example is that you eat an orange, love it and then plant the seed. 8 years later that seed produces its first "oranges" and instead of tasting sweet and having orange skin, it has a very light yellow skin and is almost un-edible. Same goes for Lychees, Apples, Pecans, Macadamias etc etc.

Mistake 3: You Plant it "Wherever"

Fruit trees love the sun and they love good drainage. Pay attention to the way the sun falls on your backyard throughout the year, especially in Spring and then make sure you use that space for your fruit trees. Your shady spots are perfect for rainforest trees, so don't let them go to waist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference: http://blog.daleysfruit.com.au/

 

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Environmental benefits of Turf grasses/ Well-maintained Lawns

Healthy well maintained lawns provide truly marvelous environmental benefits which contribute a lot to the world around it. Environmental benefits of Turf grasses/well-maintained lawns are as follows.

Cooler and quieter: when the heat is on, Turf grass helps keep you cool. Street or sidewalk temperatures may reach 100oF or higher, but turf remains at 75o. This could mean that the front lawns on a block of eight houses perform the same cooling work as 70 tons of air-conditioning-enough to cool off homes.

Turf also makes your life a bit quieter. It effectively absorbs and deflects sound. When combined with trees and other landscaping, a lawn can reduce harsh, unwanted noise to a distant murmur.

Help in breathing: A healthy lawn us an amazingly efficient production system. Turf plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and produce oxygen in return. Just 625 square feet of turfgrass supplies all the oxygen a person needs for one day. An average home lawn of 5,000 square feet produces enough oxygen for eight people each day. In comparison, it takes two 100-foot trees to provide the same amount of oxygen for eight people.

Soil saver: Turf grass controls erosion by knitting the soil together, trapping runoff water, and eliminating many of the problems caused by dust and mud. And it’s one of the more efficient water savers you will find in nature. A healthy lawn absorbs rainfall six time more effectively than does a wheat field.

Dust trap: if you have ever walked through a dry, barren area, such as a construction site, on a windy day, you have some idea of what life might be like without healthy lawns. Clouds of windblown dust make for difficult breathing, irritated eyes, and reduced visibility. Turfgrass is an effective air cleanser. It shows the air moving across its surface, so that dust particles settle out onto the blades and are eventually washed back to the ground. Every year Turfgrass traps millions of tons of dust that would otherwise blow unrestricted.

Pollution fighter: In one year’s time, the blades and roots in an acre of healthy turfgrass absorb hundreds of pounds of pollutants from the air and rainwater. Among them are sulpher dioxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen fluoride, nitrates, and other gases blamed for acid rain and greenhouse effect.

A common misconception is that the products put on lawns contribute to groundwater contamination and to algae blooms in nearby ponds and lakes. The truth is that few materials get past grass roots. The dense root system under a healthy lawn captures pollutants as water filters through the soil.

Safe surface: Perhaps the most important benefit is the recreational value lawns provide for young and old. Dense turf is a safer playground and playing field than nearly any other surface. It reduces the severity of many injuries and helps to cushion falls.

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New method to design better greenhouses

Doctorate student Bram Vanthoor of Wageningen UR Glastuinbouw has developed a method of calculation to design greenhouses better suited to local circumstances. The method has been tested for the Netherlands and Spain. During the tests two different greenhouse designs were built fully in line with the local situation. The method offers the possibility to optimise greenhouse building worldwide. Vanthoor will defend his thesis on Friday 17th of June.
Arch greenhouses, parral greenhouses, Venlo greenhouses and wide roof greenhouses, the variation worldwide is enormous. When designing a greenhouse one must also choose between a large number of different construction elements, such as e.g. roofing materials, heating and cooling systems. Which kind of greenhouse the grower chooses and how the greenhouse is being fitted is amongst other things, dependent upon the outside climate, economic factors, legal issues, social circumstances and the presence of sources, such as water, energy and CO2. The choice in favour of one possibility very often has a direct influence on the other elements and also depends on the plants to be cultivated in the greenhouse. This makes it very difficult to optimize the design process.

Optimization design
Bram Vanthoor developed a design method, which dependent on the local climate and economic conditions, designs a greenhouse which supplies the maximum financial result. The method always includes local circumstances and takes eight design elements into consideration, namely greenhouse construction, roofing material, outside awnings, chalk materials, energy screen, heating system, cooling system and CO2 quantity dosing system.

The design method is based on three models, namely one greenhouse climate model, one plant model and an economic model. These models calculate, dependent on the variables supplied, the financial result. After that an optimalisation-algorithm adjusts the design step by step. In this way the financial result is maximised finally and the best greenhouse found.

The design method has been tested in Spain and in the Netherlands. The model was designed quite differently for both locations, but with realistic proposals for the most successful greenhouse in both instances. The Spanish greenhouse had a larger ventilation area and was specially built to prevent high temperatures, whilst in the colder Netherlands a higher working capacity and an energy screen were fitted. It became clear at both locations, that the economic performance of the greenhouse improves by a high percentage of light passing through and that an outside screen, geothermic heating and mechanical cooling make the result worse.

Perspective of the method
The method has in first instance been developed for tomatoes. Adjustment for other
plants is possible. The design method of the greenhouse can assist in optimizing the cultivation of plants in greenhouse further. It is also possible to establish the best location to build new greenhouse with the new approach and the results of the economic changes on the cultivation can be predicted. Bram Vanthoor in the meantime lives and works as a business developer for a horticultural supplier in Mexico. The acquired knowledge is used there to adapt greenhouse to the local conditons.

Source: Fresh plaza
Published on: 6/20/2011

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Six Air Purifying House Plants

1. Bamboo Palm: According to NASA, it removes formaldahyde and is also said to act as a natural humidifier.

2. Snake Plant: Found by NASA to absorb nitrogen oxides and formaldahyde.

3. Areca Palm: One of the best air purifying plants for general air cleanliness.

4. Spider Plant: Great indoor plant for removing carbon monoxide and other toxins or impurities. Spider plants are one of three plants NASA deems best at removing formaldahyde from the air.

5. Peace Lily: Peace lilies could be called the “clean-all.” They’re often placed in bathrooms or laundry rooms because they’re known for removing mold spores. Also know to remove formaldahyde and trichloroethylene.

6. Gerbera Daisy: Not only do these gorgeous flowers remove benzene from the air, they’re known to improve sleep by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off more oxygen over night.

If you can't even put a plant in your living room because you say it is too much trouble, then you need to die and wait for the other life to bring sense in your spirits!!!

Just do it. Random people like our whole team here are trying to put you back on your feet.. we arent doing that because we've got nothing else to do. We have families, too. We have ALL OF YOUR EXCUSES but yet, we're here, with you.

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Islamic Gardens – They Could Build A Green Muslim Movement

By Arwa Aburawa, Green Prophet

Can gardens really help promote environmentally friendly behaviour amongst the Muslim community? Mark Bryant says they can

There’s nothing like being with nature to help clear your mind and when the weather is as lovely as it has been recently, who can resist spending a couple of hours in the garden? But the humble garden should not be overlooked. According to researcher in the uk, the garden can be a powerful tool in inspiring more climate-aware behaviours.

Following my trip to Andalucia and introduction to some stunning Islamic gardens, I looked into the role gardens can play in promoting environmentally-friendly behaviour. I instantly stumbled across a little piece of research by Mark Bryant and Sophie Gilliat-Ray based in the UK who state that “Gardens built reflecting Islamic traditions have been shown to have the potential to educate and inform people about environmental issues.” I caught up with Mark Bryant to find out more about this research and the green Muslim community.

Aburawa: Why do gardens play an important role in Islam and Muslim culture?

Bryant: There are some 166 references to gardens in the Qur’an. These include references to earthly gardens which resemble an oasis or palm gardens found in the Middle East today. Both Eden and Paradise are described in terms of a garden and ‘jannah’ means both garden and paradise in Arabic.

This love for the garden is reflected in the traditions of Muslim poetry, literature and carpet design. And much of what is described as Arabesque design incorporates both realistic and stylised plant forms. In terms of the environment, in addition to respecting nature as part of creation many Muslims regard themselves as having been entrusted with the task of acting as khalifah, or vice-regents, of earth. ‘Later We made you their successors in the land, to see how you would behave’ (Surah 10.14).

Aburawa: The research that you carried out on Islamic gardens in the UK showed that Islamic gardens didn’t generally deal with environmental issues and sustainability. Do you think that this could change in the future?

Bryant: I feel it is important to draw a distinction here between the traditional formal Islamic gardens and gardens reflecting Islamic traditions. The traditional Islamic garden is a specific form consisting of specific formal elements. On the other hand gardens reflecting Islamic traditions can include gardens which incorporate Islamic influences outside of those found in the traditional form such as good Islamic environmental ethical practice.

Whilst it is true that traditional Islamic gardens were not necessarily concerned with issues such as biodiversity, conservation and sustainability it can be argued that they demonstrated the importance of the natural world in Islam. If we use the definition of gardens reflecting Islamic traditions we find examples of gardens being built using Islamically inspired environmentally-friendly practice.

For example the community garden run by Wapping Woman’s Centre in Tower Hamlets has had a huge impact on changing people’s behaviour around recycling, composting and a general respect for the environment.

As well as research into Islamic gardens, you have looked into the scale of environmental concern British Muslims have. What kind of state did you find the environmental movement amongst British Muslims in the UK?

I think the following quote from the conclusion of the paper we wrote for the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture (Are British Muslims ‘Green’? An Overview of Environmental Activism among Muslims in Britain.) best answers this question..

So, are British Muslims ‘green’? The answer is both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Visit nearly any inner-city area in Britain with a large Muslim population and it is evident that the messages of conservation and environmental stewardship that Muslim environmentalists derive from the Qur’an and Hadith are not reflected in the actual behaviour of many British Muslims. Unkempt urban areas often reflect socio-economic deprivation and a lack of engagement in activities that promote environmental conservation. On the other hand, the findings of our research also demonstrate the emergence of a new generation of British Muslim environmental activists who are using their energy and knowledge to argue that being a ‘good Muslim’ must involve environmental responsibility.

In the Middle East, there are real concerns about the growing scarcity of water. As such, do you think it is justifiable to be building gardens which rely heavily on water?

Whilst I am aware of plans for gardens in the Middle East that are environmentally irresponsible this need not be the case. In fact, within the area of water management, Islamically inspired gardens have the potential to stand as examples of traditional and current good practice in water management. Traditional Islamic gardens have historically served as showcases for effective water management in water poor areas – this was particularly the case in gardens in Iran. The palmerals of Elche in Spain are fed by an 800year old water management system developed by the Moors. These systems were in turn studied by French and British engineers to be used in their colonies in Africa.

In September 2011, the tenth International Permaculture Conference and Convergence, IPC10, which was held in Jordan around the theme of water. During the conference, projects in the Jordan Valley and around the Dead Sea using permaculture and Islamic environmentally inspired designs were highlighted as a positive response to the growing water crisis in the region.

So the Islamic environmental ethic works very well with the currently growing Permaculture movement. In addition many of the traditional methods of water management used in the Middle East represent good examples of effective Permaculture design. Finally, I think there is potential for palm gardens to be used as an alternative to less sustainable green spaces currently being built in the region.

: The Islamic gardens research was commissioned by BGCI and was supported by the Islam UK Centre at Cardiff University.

Source: Green Prophet

Published on" 05/06/2012

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Gardening for busy people

By Bunny Guinness, Telegraph

While some may be getting ready for the Olympics, I am checking over my bamboo canes, sharpening my saw and sorting my hurdles. Success on the sports field takes hard work, and it’s the same in the garden. For those with full-time jobs, children and other commitments, a bit more skill is needed to get results. With a little help from experts such as Charles Dowding and Kim Wilde, here is my guide to spring gardening for busy people:

THE VEGETABLE PLOT

Raised beds

Charles Dowding is a professional vegetable grower. Like me, he uses the “No Dig” technique and finds it saves time and gives great yields. I never dig my veg (and rarely/ever ornamental borders) but just pile organic matter on (spent mushroom, garden compost) and the soil structure is brilliant.

If you have just a couple of raised beds and have extra space, then make another two (about 2.2m x 1.2m/7ft x 4ft) perhaps from old scaffold boards, and form a mini potager. Site them close to the house, so that you can have a quick potter, post-breakfast, to slay a stray weed and eye up what is ready for supper at the same time. Even if you’re suited and shod for the office, raised beds will allow you to reach everything without getting mulched yourself. Charles’s new book Vegetable Course (Frances Lincoln) is a must for the time-stretched.

Sowing and picking:

Charles recommends pick-and-come-again instead of cut-and-come for salads. Careful, weekly picking of salad plants’ outer leaves enables them to live longer, so you need to sow less often. “I have been practising it for nine years on all kinds of salad, including pea shoots and lettuce varieties such as Little Gem,” says Charles. “The same plants give leaves for 10 or 12 weeks, saving much time on sowing and clearing. For lettuce just two sowings – now and one in June – can give you leaves all the time from May to early autumn.”

Some plants require less attention than others, such as courgettes (try Defender), beetroot and chard (Fantasy F1, which is more spinach-like). But you rarely have something for nothing, and these plants need regular picking over to keep them in top condition. Other vegetables can be picked in a way that prolongs their productive life, to reduce time spent on sowing and raising new plants. Outer leaves twisted off spinach keeps it producing for longer than plants cut across the top. Beetroot grown in clumps, with just the larger ones twisted out when ready, allows the remaining roots to swell up. The same goes for carrots.

Have pots of herbs like thyme, lovage, chervil, parsley, lemon verbena and sage near the kitchen door so you can cut quicker than you can find the pack of the dried version.

BORDERS

Getting cottage garden borders to perform well in dry conditions takes a bit of juggling.
Firstly tackle the weeds, don’t plant anything new until you have outed perennial weeds. For this I would use glyphosate. No weeds must be allowed to seed (or even flower), so regular hoeing and/or the application of a thick mulch will sort this out. No digging allowed.

Get to know your weeds so you recognise them when small. Mulching (50mm/2in of coarse mulch) applied after watering is key. Use newspapers covered with copious grass cuttings to mulch wilder areas such as under new hedges.

Kim Wilde has an exceptionally busy and high-profile singing career, yet is an avid gardener. Here are her top tips for having great borders with less time:

“Without doubt, one of the most time-consuming activities in the garden is weeding. If planting an area for the first time, consider the use of landscape fabric (MyPex). Plants have a chance to establish and grow without weeds getting too much of a look in. Choose low maintenance, fast-growing herbaceous plants like ground-cover geraniums or Alchemilla mollis in areas where bulbs like tulips or alliums are to grow in the border, and landscape fabric is not an option. I grow G. macrorrhizum, and G x magnificum. These plants can be divided every few years, spread around the garden or given as Easter gifts.” Kim adds: “Before embarking on a love affair with your chosen plant, spend a few minutes researching its optimum growing conditions, i.e. likes a warm sunny sight, or prefers a damp shady spot. Giving your plant its ideal growing conditions will save you time and money in the long term.”

If you are short of time, having many different types of plants in your borders takes a lot more management than a few really generous clumps of the same plants. These bigger clumps need a good season of interest to work.

Helen Dillon, the gardening author and broadcaster, has a huge knowledge of plants and her garden in Dublin (dillongarden.com) is inspirational. Helen raves about cottage garden flowers, such as the mauve honesty, which produces beautiful, luminous flowers in spring, and then sets seed for next year. If you tend them and deadhead they perform for far longer (May-July is not unusual).

The unusual perennial honesty, Lunaria rediviva, is a “Helen gem”. This has white flowers and large, pointy oval leaves. It gets to a metre (3ft) tall and has wonderful evening scent from its white flowers. The only place I have seen it for sale is at Jelitto Seeds (jelitto.com), which specialises in wholesale perennial seeds. A plant Helen rates for later interest is Briza maxima (giant quaking grass). Sow it now and it will flower in August and last to December with its airy 3ft stems. Sow it again in August and it will flower next May.

Sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis) and the perennial stock, Matthiola incana, with its useful, ever-grey leaves and scented flowers, are also her cottage garden musts.

LAWNS

The lawn is high input. A designed lawn, rather than just being the leftover space after you snatched bits for borders, paving and paths, makes a massive difference. A hard-working, green mown surface is a more realistic title than “lawn”. Leaving the wilder parts slightly longer and cutting and collecting at as long intervals as the machine will manage (maybe three weeks), but mowing paths through, gives a more romantic look. Mulch mowers (such as the John Deere JS63V) remove the need to collect, and help with drought. Longer meadows, left until early July for their first cut, look stunning in late spring but can get tatty later. But if these areas are limited to defined swathes, it makes them visually far more acceptable later on.

Tips:

- Do not feed grass if you have little tending time
- Cut a bit longer to encourage thymes, self-heal and other herbs so the area will stay greener in drought
- Spot-treat coarser weeds you do not like, such as dandelions, with selective lawn weed killer (I spot treat broadleaved weeds such as dandelions and dock with Verdone)
- Remove fiddly bits and replace with gravel, ground cover or easy planting
- Do not skimp on a mower but invest in one that is a joy to use (I love my Hayter)

Source: Telegraph

Published on: 04/01/2012

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Fruit and vegetables treated with pesticides can cause Parkinson's disease

Fruit and vegetables treated with pesticides can cause Parkinsons, say scientists from the German University Clinic Carl Gustav Carus. The researchers came to this conclusion after extensive testing with mice.
In Germany alone 400,000 people are suffering from Parkinsons disease. Scientists have now discovered that the insecticide rotenone doesn’t just cause the disease, but exacerbates the symptoms. Earlier, researchers confirmed the fact that Parkinsons can be triggered by outside influences. Already in an early stage, distinct correlations were found between Parkinsons and the use of pesticides. Scientific research involving subjects active in agriculture and farming, used to working with pesticides, showed that an above average percentage of the subjects suffered from the disease.
Staff at the University examined the responses of mice to rotenone. It was established that certain nerve cells in the intestines contained large doses of the protein alpha-synuclein. These in turn affected important brain cells. According to Francisco Pan-Montojo of the Dresden Institute for Anatomy the discovery is an important step forward in the understanding and possible treatment of Parkinsons.

Source: Fresh Plaza
Published on: 12/14/2012

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Garden Talk: The Sage Advice

By Zahra Nasir

Indigenous in all countries surrounding the Mediterranean, sage has been cultivated throughout Europe for hundreds of years. Zahra Nasir teaches gardening-buffs how to grow the herb in Pakistani soil

Well, ladies, make no bones about it, if you want to stand up and make a statement about who really rules the roost; simply plant sage in your garden. If your sage flourishes then this is an indelible sign to all and sundry that matriarchy prevails in your home. But on the other hand, if your sage withers and dies then quickly pull it out, hide it away, dispose it off quietly, for if someone finds out then everyone will know you have submitted to male domination albeit Taliban style or otherwise. Sage you see, is and has from ancient times, been considered a very female herb.

There are actually around 900 different kinds of sage, botanically known as ‘Salvias’. Sage is a member of the ‘Lamiaceae’ family of plants but the one we are talking about here is that good old medicinal and culinary herb ‘Salvia officinalis’ or ‘Common’ sage although there really isn’t anything at all common about its myriad properties.

Members of this huge genus are, except for a 100 or so, aromatic and can be annuals, biennials or perennials and can be evergreen or deciduous with, mostly, strong woody stems. The sage in question, with attractive velvety, silvery green, dare I say ‘sage green’ leaves which it may or, being awkward, may not hang on to all year round is a hardy perennial. Although its bare woody stems are not at all ornamental, its other properties more than make up for this with its spectacular spires of blue flowers in the spring proffering a splendid apology for anything it may have done to offend you.

Indigenous in all the countries surrounding the Mediterranean, including North Africa, sage has been widely cultivated throughout Europe for literally hundreds of years. It was introduced to North America sometime in the 1600s and was so venerated by the Chinese during the same period of history (should that be ‘her-story’ in this instance?) that they happily bartered three chests of top quality tea for a single chest of dried sage with European traders.

As its origins belie, this particular sage adores sunny, well drained positions in reasonably light, sandy soil although it will tolerate, my own plants are an example, much heavier, humus rich soil as long as it never ever gets water logged as this means almost instant death. Whilst sage is, or rather was, considered to have the ability to bring people back to life if one is to believe ancient Druid and Roman lore, sadly it cannot resurrect itself and when it decides to give up the ghost… it does!

Hippocrates, the ancestor of modern doctors and their Hippocratic oath, Dioscorides and Marcus Aurelius’ doctor by the name of Galen all promoted the use of sage for a wide variety of female illnesses and problems and, much later on, Pliny the Elder venerated it as a top notch herb for treating wounds and snake bites and its botanical name ‘Salvia’ is actually derived from the Latin word ‘Salvere’ which means to be in the best of health. Closer to home in a manner of speaking, in the Arab world, sage is considered to be brain food and was once prescribed for boosting intelligence.

Growing to a height of approximately three feet if it is happy, much less if it isn’t quite comfortable, sage is an astringent, antiseptic herb with a very strong and pleasing aroma. It has been found to relax spasms, prevent sweating, improve digestion, help with liver function and has anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant uses. Modern herbalists prescribe it, taken internally, for indigestion, liver problems, flatulence, to ease lactation and for a whole range of female problems as identified by the ancient Romans. Externally it is used for nasty insect bites, sore throats and mouths plus various skin infections.

Then of course it has numerous culinary uses too. The pungent leaves can be used in all sorts of meat, fish and poultry dishes, a Christmas turkey stuffed with sage and onion being a prime example. The leaves, fresh or dried, make an excellent herb tea or can be used for adding a delicious flavour to homemade cheese and, having told you all of the above I’m certain you, ladies in particular, would like to cultivate a few plants for home use.

The first thing you need is seed of course and I have found good quality German seed in the market here which has (at least mine did) a germination rate of about 90 per cent. I paid Rs. 80 per packet last April and ended up with four dozen healthy plants which, in my opinion, was a very good deal.

The hard black seed, almost round in shape, should be sown in pots or trays of good, well draining compost. About quarter of an inch deep is ideal. Place the pots/trays in a sunny location; keep them watered but not overly wet and the seeds should begin to germinate after 10 to 14 days. Don’t plant the seeds too close together, three inches apart all round is ideal, to allow the seedlings room to grow without having to endure competition from their neighbours. Once they have developed four to six healthy leaves, carefully transplant them into individual 10-inch pots or plant them out, one to two feet apart, directly in the garden. Those of you without an actual garden can keep them in pots which, in adverse weather conditions such as heavy rain, can be kept in a sheltered place.

As previously mentioned, this particular kind of sage is a perennial plant but, sadly, that doesn’t mean it lives forever. It should be pretty and productive for three to four years after which it will tend to get rather woody, have fewer leaves and not be so attractive therefore you should start a new batch off every couple of years or so. Once you have got an established sage plant it can easily be increased by taking cuttings during late spring or early autumn.

Now, the all-important climatic requirements. Sage the sun lover needs sunshine and dry growing conditions. If you happen to reside in Karachi then sow the seed during October or November and keep your fingers crossed that the plants produce lots of leaves before humidity creeps up during early summer as they may not like this at all. Keeping them on a sunny, covered veranda where dew/humidity don’t directly fall on them, will encourage them to survive the summer but it could be that you need to treat them as an annual plant. In Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, you can sow the seed either in September/October or during late February/March and, as humidity tends to be a little lower than in Karachi, the plants will have more chance of being perennial. In Quetta, Peshawar and cooler hilly regions seed should be sown during spring and, more than likely, the plants will be perfectly good perennials.

Indigenous species of wild sage are found almost all over Pakistan but, whilst perfectly useable, they are not quite as ‘strong’ as Salvia officinalis and neither are their flowers so eye-catching. A useful species, easily grown as an annual although it is really a biennial, is ‘Salvia sclarea’ or Clary sage, an equally useful herb with highly decorative purple, pink or white bracts, and whilst it is very different from ‘Salvia splendens’, the normal sock-you-in-the-eye garden variety which doesn’t have any of the medicinal or culinary merits mentioned above, it is a wonderful addition to anyone’s garden.

Sage, in any form, should not be taken internally for any length of time and not at all if you happen to be pregnant or suffer from epilepsy. Salvia officinalis has a high content of volatile oil of which up to 50 per cent is Thujone and in excess this is toxic. Do not concoct your own herbal remedies as this can be dangerous, please leave this to the experts.

Source: The Dawn Review

Published on: 10/23/2012

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