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Visit Highgables and delight in our Perennials, Herbs, Shrubs,
& Exotic House Plants.
Discuss garden design, view our organically grown vegetables, and delight in our family of farm animals.
All of our gardening is 100% organic, and our plants are propagated here at Highgables.
Try our 100% organic fertilizers and natural insecticides.
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HELPFUL HINTS FOR AROUND AND ABOUT YOUR GARDEN
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CATNIP
I have a catnip plant growing
by the back steps. Occasionally I pinch the top leaves
on my way into the house to make a cup of tea or give
the cats a treat. The cats usually leave the plant
itself alone, so it is normally healthy and bushy. Now
it is limp, chewed and crushed; a mere shadow of its
former self. The perpetrator of this attempted herbicide
was found at the scene of the assault, eyes glazed,
prone, amidst the carnage. I went easy on her. Patches,
like our other three cats is a "niphead" and
I, myself feed her habit.
The root and leaves of catnip (Nepeta
cataria) have a pleasant, minty scent. One catnip plant
will give you plenty of leaves to amuse your pet. Rub
some leaves on the scratching post if Kitty prefers to
use your best chair. Dry some to brighten a dull winter
evening for your cat. Catnip also makes a soothing tea
for humans particularly when a cold or the flu has you
down. Unless the leaves are accidentally bruised, the
cats will not bother the plant itself.
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DOG
HAIR TO PROTECT YOUR GARDEN
 A
couple of years ago rabbits were snacking nightly in my garden. I
wouldn't have minded losing the occasional lettuce. I prefer to live and
let live. However, these guys ate bits and pieces of everything, including
my newly planted delphiniums. What to do? Somewhere in my reading I had
seen a suggestion to use dog hair to deter rabbits.
Do I have dog hair! There are hairballs under my couch that should be
given names. So I made dog bags; the feet of old nylons stuffed with dog
hair; the smellier, the better. They looked silly among the vegetables
and flowers but they worked. Just remember where they are or, like me,
you might have a scare one day. They look like dead rats among the
foliage.
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BUTTERFLIES,
LADYBUGS & HUMMINGBIRDS
If you are
walking among your dill or parsley one day and see a
black and yellow caterpillar on the foliage, admire this
beauty and pass it by. It will do very little damage to
your herbs and will emerge eventually as a black
swallowtail butterfly.
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If you would like to attract butterflies to your garden
it is important to have both nectar plants for the adult
and food plants for the larva. Examples of nectar plants
are lavender, chives, marigold and phlox. Examples of
larval plants are parsley, dill, clover and hollyhock.
Other plants to attract butterflies are bergamot (bee
balm), catnip, sage and valerian.
Ladybugs
lay their eggs in tansy and yarrow, two attractive perennial herbs you
might consider adding to your garden. Tansy and pennyroyal are good flea
repellents.
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You
don't need a special feeder to attract
hummingbirds. Plants like bee balm, columbine, morning
glory and honeysuckle will bring them to you. Give them
places to perch, convenient to their food sources and
make sure there is fresh water available. It is a very
bad idea to use pesticides around hummingbird plants
since you will be eliminating the small insects hummingbirds
rely on for protein and the bird itself might ingest the
pesticide and be poisoned.
Recommended
Readings: Kennedy, Des,
Living Things We Love To Hate.
Whitecap Books, Vancouver, 1992
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Visit
our Huron County Studio
to View Other Works
For a free Brochure and
Price
list
e-mail us at
highgables@tcc.on.ca
Owner Operated by
Birgit Hillier 'The Herb Lady'
P.O. Box 1146
Clinton, ON NOM 1L0
(519) 482-9360
"The
artwork shown on this website is for online personal enjoyment
only,
and not for reformatting, copying, resale or distribution,
in
whole or in part, by electronic means or otherwise,
without prior written
permission from the artist."
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