Varenya's garden

The charm of fairy tales: a Brother Grimm's work, "The two brothers"

2010-04-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

The fairy tale entitled "The Two Brothers" is perhaps the longest and most complex of the entire Brother Grimm's collection and contains many narrative themes proper of novels and medieval legends that in turn, of course, date back to very distant times. There were once two brothers, one rich and evil, the other very good and very poor. The latter had two sons, two identical twins. One day, going into the forest, the poor brother saw a golden bird, and managed to take a magic feather of this bird.
The next day he found his nest and managed to get a golden egg from the nest of this wonderful bird. The third day, his brother asked him the rich bird itself and gave to the poor brother a large sum of gold coins for its capture. But the rich brother knew what great mystery this mysterious animal hid: the promise of eternal wealth. In many fairy tales is present the figure of this bird of gold or bird of the paradise, and always it is a symbol of luck and wealth for those to whom it chooses to appear or to grant its favors. The theme of the golden bird, a symbol of wealth and prosperity, is a very ancient theme and may even derive from the mythical tradition of the supernatural bird for excellence, the phoenix. This bird, if eaten completely, will provide a gold coin every day, forever. The twins, knowing nothing of this story, went to their uncle for begging some food and ate some 'meat of the bird and instead of the wicked uncle, they woke up every day with a gold coin under the pillow. Their father, the good brother, could not understand this strange phenomenon and confided everything to his evil brother. He, understanding how things were happened, advised his brother to abandon his children in the forest, because now they have been transformed by the Devil in two powerful sorcerers.

Teutonic Mythology in Four Volumes (4 volume set)

Elves, Wights, and Trolls: Studies Towards the Practice of Germanic Heathenry: Vol. I (v. 1)

The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics)

The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, Deluxe Edition (Literary Classics (Gramercy Books))

The Complete Grimms Fairy Tales

So the twins were left in the forest, at the mercy of fate. When it seems they were about to succumb, there came a hunter who, being childless, took gladly them with him, and raised them in his house, making them two brave hunters. They then asked the adoptive father to go for the world to seek their fortune, so he encouraged them and gave them a shiny knife: if they had to be separated, they had to thrust the knife into a tree. If the blade had rusted on one side, this would indicate the death of one of two brothers. They began their journey and, almost immediately, were lost in a vast forest. They decided to go hunting to find some food: first, they found a hare who asked to them to not kill her because in her place, she would give them two little hares. The two brothers agreed, but once seen the little creatures, they not killed them because of tenderness and compassion, instead they kept the two hares with them. The same thing happens with a fox, a wolf, a bear and a lion. So the two brothers are found to have a wide following of animals. Eventually, the two decided to divide, one going to the west and the other to the east. From here it is told especially the adventures of the brother who took the route of the West: he arrived in a beautiful city, draped entirely in black, and he came to know that on that day the princess will be given to feed a dragon living on the mountain. He decided to become the savior of the maiden by killing the monster. But he had the test to overcome: he climbed up the mountain and here he saw a strange scene. This scene brought us back to Celtic times: first, the sword planted in the doorway of the church (clearly, the presence of a church here is absurd: it must be a review of some ancient temple, a place for safekeeping some supernatural objects), that the protagonist manages to pull out after having drunk from three cups, placed above the altar. This scene takes us back to a Celtic ritual of initiation, but now reinterpretated with a christian interpretation.

The sword, of course with many magical powers, also refers to the Celtic setting, bringing to mind the famous sword of King Arthur, also planted in the rock and that only the rightful king could remove from its imprisonment. On the other hand, the world of fairy tales of magic leads to those very origins, become mysterious because largely unknown and distant from our knowledge from so long. That sword that only the predestined hero can extract and successfully hold is also the sword of Siegmund, belonging to the legend of Volsunga, who is the future father of Siegfried.

Continuing the analysis of this tale, a real adventure novel, we find the episode of the dragon. This scene brings to mind the romance of Tristan: the fairy-tale hero saves the beautiful princess, offered to the dragon to be eaten by the monster. So the fairy-tale hero killed this monster with seven heads and then cut the seven tongues from his mouths, finally he fell asleep from fatigue of battle. Then came the Marshal, that is described in the tale as "impious and cruel" (the false hero, a very common figure in fairy tales)- which is none other but the steward of the novel of Tristan- and, finding the hero asleep, took hold of the victory over the dragon, cutting the seven heads, to submit them as an evidence for the king to marry the princess, but also he cut off the head of the young hero and bring back the princess at her palace, against her will.

As in all fairy tales, the princess has already chosen her hero, the valiant one who had saved her from a terrible death. So she, forced against her sweet will, agreed to marry with the Marshal but asked also that the wedding take place in a year and a day. In the meantime, the animals found their beloved hunter dead, but the hare knew a magical root that could be used to bring the dead back to life. The hare was successful and the hunter returned to life again, but, desolated in his heart, he abandoned the kingdom and went away. Exactly after a year, he returned there and came to know that the marriage of his sweet princess was at hand: the parallel with the Arthurian romance continues until the unmasking of the false hero through the presentation of the tongues that were missing in the heads of the dragon.
The Marshal was condemned by the king to be torn apart by four bulls: aside from the obvious condemnation of the sinful, it is remarkable that this type of torture was a very ancient one that we can find even in the Greek mythology.

Tales and Translation: The Grimm Tales from Pan-Germanic Narratives to Shared International Fairytales (Benjamins Translation Library, V. 30)

Indo-European Poetry and Myth

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen [Box Set]

Indo-European Poetry and Myth

The hero became the new king and got married to the princess. One day he went hunting in a magic forest where he saw a white hind that he desired to capture, all alone. This is a very common theme of Celtic tales: the white hind is the clear symbol of enchantment, spell and incantation and a sign of the presence of supernatural creatures also, such as Gods, fairies, elves or witches. It is witch that the hero met, in the form of an old woman, seated on the top of a tree: she resided in this forest just as Circe in her land, she amused herself to turn into stone all men that arrived in her forest. This was also the fate of the young hero, turned to stone with his animals and thrown into a deep pit. Here returns the twin who, having seen the knife almost at all rusted, having realized that his brother was in danger, came to rescue him. When he arrived in the kingdom, he was mistaken for the king- they were indeed identical between each other- and all welcomed him with joy, after the fear of losing him. The brother went in turn to hunt in the enchanted forest, he too saw the white hind and met with the witch, but he was not bewildered by her spells and gained victory over her and, along with his brother, he "kills" the magic creature and the whole forest was liberated from the incantation. The king, when he came to know that his brother had even slept with his own wife, taken by fury, killed him. But soon after he repented for his cruel act and the hare used again the magic root to resurrect the good brother. And there is the last clear theme that takes us back to the literature of medieval court, that is the drawn sword, located between the princess and the second brother. In medieval times this was a symbol of chastity. This theme is in two famous medieval romances: the German version of "Tristan" and the legend of Siegfried and Brunhild. In the first example, the sword is misleading, serves to deceive the King Marke and convince him of the bride's chastity, in the second example, on the contrary, the sword, placed between the hero and Brünnhilde, indicates the chaste relationship that there is between the two characters. This fairy tale ends in this manner: with the chaste queen who asks why, in the previous days, he slept with her putting the drawn sword between them...she was so afraid...and so the hero understand the love that his brother has for him.

The charm of fairy tales: an introduction to the Brother Grimm's work

2010-04-10T11:22:00.000-07:00

I've grown old but I've never forget the exquisite taste of the fairy tales. There are many motives, hear some of them...The mystery that accompanies the fairy tale, its origins, and the invariability of functions (such mystery that still exists today despite a very thorough study), enhances, in my opinion, the charm of fairy tales, perhaps especially for the adult reader, who is aware of the stratification that shines through these simple stories and is able to capture all the nuances of these narratives. A child can learn moral values, can get inspiration for his own imagination and have great fun rediscovering an old pleasure, to hear the elders of the family to tell these stories. An adult reader can instead focus on symbolic and hidden meanings of fairy tales, and so reclaim the baggage of ancient legends, common to all humanity.

This is actually the most striking thing in the comparison between the collections of folk tales: the extraordinary similarity of issues and actions, as if the fairy tales were created at a time when geographical distances and national borders or ethnic groups did not exist. As everyone knows, the brothers Grimm (to whom we owe one of the finest collections of fairy tales of the eight hundred century), were, first of all, two extremely precise and noticed philologists. To proceed to the transcription of the stories, they had to visit the farthest corners of the German countryside, trying to be told by the elders, the only repositories of an ancient memory and a knowledge exclusively oral, these tales, commonly called fairy tales. In fact, originally, these were not stories for children, but the misunderstanding arose from the fact that these stories were told by the elders around the fire on winter nights, and the listeners were mostly children. The Brothers Grimm were impressed by the fact that the elderly narrators repeated their tales always with the same words, idioms, expressions and even gestures, like in a ritual, that the sacredness of the text not allowed to alter. This makes us understand how, for these elders, who told their stories to the two philologists brothers in order to transform such knowledge from oral to written, these tales and legends were as the basis of the human memory.
The mere fact that, in the nineteenth century, still existed in the civilized Germany, the cradle of Romanticism (very important factor), an exclusively oral culture, never written down and never appeared in written texts, but handed down from generation to generation, is a fact worthy of great consideration. In fact, even today, I think that my grandmother knew the same stories that I know and the same fairy tales that my grandchildren in turn will listen: is inherent in the profound nature of the fairy tale's character to be as a chain to tie together the memory of the past and future generations, by means of undying and magic symbols.

Language and Gender in the Fairy Tale Tradition: A Linguistic Analysis of Old and New Story-telling

Morphology of the Folktale (Publications of the American Folklore Society)

Forewords and Afterwords

Another particularly interesting thing, as reported by two brothers, is that very often, even the elderly narrators did not understood, sometimes, the deep meaning of what they were telling. This, together with the constant repetition and precise details and forms of the tales, leads to the conclusion that the origin of the tale is ancient and mysterious, that the magical tales, whose heroes are princes and princesses, but also animals and fairies or witches or ogres, all having supernatural powers, are a phenomenon that dates back to the prehistory of mankind. The word "fairy tale" (from the Latin "fabula") conjures a magical and mysterious world, where spells and magic are common, everyday, and that almost always means that you accept the strangest things that happen, without asking why or without being verily surprised by them. A fairy tale is a complete unit, with a hero and a happy ending: these are the universal characters, common to all the tales of the Brothers Grimm's collection. The evolving story of the hero follows a trend opposite to that of the tragic hero: in the beginning, the protagonist has a very low social status, is despised by all and mocked for his lack of skills and talent, or it is a princess very unhappy and solitary, unloved by their parents or targeting ominous wedding. In any case, the protagonist, at the beginning of the tale, is always in very disadvantageous conditions and everyone expects that his/her destiny is already sealed or expects his/her complete failure or even a terrible death.

The Golden Book of Fairy Tales (Golden Classics)

Archetypal Patterns in Fairy Tales (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)

Allegory of the Fable (Allegorie De La Fable; La Fantasie) By Gustave Moreau (1826-1898), 10-3/4-inch Statue

Though in the end the hero always triumphs, his route to complete victory is not without struggles, in which is always questioned his final success, as are opposed to him, not only natural difficulties (such as icebergs or barriers of flames), but also supernatural powers, like witches and wizards, evil men and ultimately human characters who hate him or threaten him, as stepmothers, jealous brothers etc.

In many cases it is certain that the hero would fail the test, but he is helped by good and very great powers, which give instructions to him on how to resolve his tests or even they carry out actions that the protagonist would not be able to do by his only efforts. In addition to his own ability, then the hero always needs the help of luck. This aid, however, is not accidental nor fortuitous: it depends on his good character and his actions. The tale ends with the triumph of justice, the so-called happy ending: not only the good ones are rewarded, but also the bad ones suffer just punishment for their misdeeds. Surely, this is one of the features that make these stories popular among children: even though the fascination of fear plays an important role, the children are aware that in every story, at the end, the good fairy will help the princess, the young hero will defeat all his enemies and all will live happily forever. Probably this is also one of the reasons why adults do not get tired reading stories to their children: after all, it's nice to imagine a world where justice will prevail and the good is always victorious. This constant "happy ending" that characterizes all of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales is, in a sense, the common basis of all folktales, worldwide. In all, the main character, good and helpless, after being the victim of a stronger and more fierce opponent, often with great magical powers, escapes the dangers and oppression of his pursuer and won the prize of his nobility, generosity, truthfulness and justice.
Above all, the clearest proof of how the fairy tales have ancient origins, it is the brief analysis of a famous fairy tale from the collection by the Brothers Grimm. There is certainly a deep relationship that binds the narrative of fairy tales with epic and chivalrous poems, and this relationship is still very mysterious, for the moment, one cannot say for sure that fairy tales are derived from the chivalric epic and medieval courts, but one can certainly assert their undoubted kinship. This, to me, is one of the most fascinating aspects of fairy tales, that provide endless material for thought for the scholars and, at the same time, entertain adults and children.

The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales

The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales

Fairy Tale As Myth Myth As Fairy Tale (Thomas D. Clark Lectures)

When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition (Literary Studies)

Waterlilies: the beauty of the lake

2010-04-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a species in which we can find many varieties, all equally beautiful and delicate;
personally, I love greatly the waterlilies and, if not against the most elementary rules of garden design, I would cover the entire surface of a lake, large or small, with these incredible flowers. As you know, the waterlilies can grow in conditions of high, medium and low deep of the water, but care must be taken to choose the right model of flower, suitable for each situation. All waterlilies have floating leaves and the flowers are all of great beauty and charm, closely resembling the lotus of the East regions. I love greatly the water plants, they are so incredible: most terrestrial plants cannot tolerate having their roots submerged in wet soil or in water, but, for these water plants, these conditions are beneficial, even vital, to their survival. The waterlilies have a wide range of colors, shapes and fragrances, they bloom from the early summer until the first frosts of winter, creating very pleasant spots of colorful flowers, floating gently on the water surface. The hardy waterlilies can survive a cold winter climate, their only requirement is that they must be protected from a hard freeze during winter. All waterlilies are day blooming, their flowers open in the early morning and then close in mid to late afternoon.

All waterlilies are widely used for decoration of garden ponds and, in my opinion, there are really necessary to create a water garden of great charm and grace. Most are white or pink, though a few are reddish in color, certain species are very small, miniature even, but others are very large and can be so rampant as to overtake a natural pond in few years. Some waterlilies even change color as the flower ages: most of these blossoms start light yellow, mature to a reddish-orange over the next few days and, finally, reach a darker red for the last day before fading completely.

All species of water lilies that I will mention in the article, have the following common features: all tolerate the climatic conditions of the zones 5-9, all require a position constantly exposed to sunlight and, above all, stagnant water.

Water-Lilies And How To Grow Them: With Chapters On The Proper Making Of Ponds And The Use Of Accessory Plants (1907)

The Essential Garden Design Workbook: Second Edition

The Master Book of the Water Garden: The Ultimate Guide to the Design and Maintenance of the Water Garden With More Than 190 Plant Profiles

The Complete Guide to Water Gardens, Ponds & Fountains

-Plants for shallow-water

Because of their size, very small, dwarf or pygmy waterlilies are ideal for plants grown in shallow water (15-45 cm). Some of them are real pygmy waterlilies, other are smaller versions of traditional waterlilies. The dwarf and pygmy waterlilies should be grown in baskets or planted directly in the soil of the pond. Must have constant sunlight and the water, as for all species of waterlilies, is to be stagnant. The water depth varies by species, and then I show you the depth needed for every variety of flower. In most cases, the width of the plant corresponds to a time, or one and a half, the depth at which it grows.
Here a list including some of the most famous and beautiful varieties of dwarf and pygmy water lilies (I've chosen my favourites, please, tell me yours and your experiences):

Aurora Water Lily

This is one of the most beautiful lilies to grow in the tank, one of my favourites!
Type: Rural
Size: Small
Depth: 30-70 cm.

These are a most accommodating pond plant and are of especial benefit in providing essential Summer shade to fish, and do help keep the water ‘sweet' due to the absorption of toxins and actual water filtration provided by the underside of their leaves in Summer.
Once the cream-colored buds unfold, become cup-shaped yellow flowers; these same flowers, at the stage of maturity, go from orange to a blood red hue. One of the most fascinating factor is that the phase of each color lasts a day. The leaves are olive green and are streaked with purple.

Candida Waterlily

This species is very beautiful, very hardy and produces a very large quantity of flowers, it is ideal for smaller or medium ponds. Its flowers are very small and shaped like a chalice, but their whiteness makes them stand out against the backdrop of the lake water; the flowers have the stamens of a brilliant gold, dotted with crimson stains.

Type: Rural
Size: Medium
Depth: 30-70 cm.

"Caroliniana" waterlily

This waterlily is very pretty, has very fragrant flowers, deep pink, the petals are very thin, the stamens are bright yellow.
Type: Rural
Size: Small
Depth: 30-70 cm.
It is not a true dwarf or pygmy water lily, it grows well in shallow water and do not develop much rebound. Are also many popular varieties, such as the Carolinian Nivea, snow white, and the Carolinian Rosea, deep pink in color.
>Caroliniana perfecta: this was one of the first pink cultivars. The flowers are salmon-pink in color and the sepal are of the same tonality, the stamens are bright yellow; the number of its petals is up to 30 petals, and its fragrance is very sweet. It is very suitable for medium and large pools.

"Ellisiana" waterlily

This plant blooms in shallow water, although not a pygmy or dwarf waterlily. It does not tolerate excessive heat.
Type: Rural
Size: Medium
Depth: 30-70 cm.
It has a contained extension, it is very prolific, blooms abundantly and the flowers are really beautiful, brilliant red that deepen to purple in the center, tulip-shaped or stellate shaped, with bright orange stamens; they are quite fragrant. The new leaves are dark green with purple blotches; it performs best in cooler climates because it stops flowering in hot weather.

"Graziella" waterlily

This plant is not a dwarf waterlily but it grows well in small tanks with a little deep of the water (30 cm), but it can also grow in deeper pools. It is small, ideal for little and medium-sized lakes.
Type: Rural
Size: Small
Depth: 30-70 cm.
The flowers are deep orange in colour, shaped like a cup, the stamens are colored bright orange. The leaves are olive green with many purple spots.

"Laydekeri" species

(depth: 30 cm, but they resist with double the depth).

Laydekeri purpurata waterlily
The flowers are cup-shaped with a diameter of 13 cm. The 25 petals change color in the opening three days going from light pink to red. The petals are very particular: the tips are white, the inner rows are pinkish red, deepening, and the outer rows are slightly paler. The stamens are bright orange in colour and the leaves are green bronze, have a rounded shape and a diameter of 20 cm. A plant can occupy a space of 1 m in diameter. This cultivar is a very reliable waterlily that I recommend for any size pool. Its very free-blooming makes this flower a great waterlily.

Laydekeri fulgens

This plant has very fragrant flowers.
It is a waterlily with many medium large ruby red or vivid burgundy-red flowers, the stamens are also reddish, or deep orange-red. The green leaves initially bronzed and flecked with purplish-brown. A medium grower that could adapt to both tubs and ponds. Situate in full sun for best results. Fertilize throughout the active growing season for optimum results.
In my opinion, this is one of the most wonderful waterlilies, it is also one of the very best bloomers, it has very large flowers and large leaves: a bed of this flowers attracts immediately the eyes of everyone. This waterlily is one of the first to bloom in spring and keeps on flowering through summer and far in autumn.

Laydekeri Alba
The flowers are cup-shaped, white, and has a scent of tea-like fragrance. Leaves are oval to round, purplish-deep green with purplish-brown splashes fading to medium green with age.

Nymphaea tetragona species

(depth: 15 cm, but they tolerate up to 30 cm of water).

Known also as "pygmy water-lily" or "small white water-lily", it is a species with many varieties. All waterlily of this species are really pigmy waterlilies and not simple specimens of dwarf size. The white to pinkish, yellow-centered, non-odorous flowers open in the afternoon and close in the evening. The leaves are green and sometimes mottled red-brown to purple above (young leaves) and green to dull purple beneath.

Pygmaea 'Alba'
Indigenous of the northern Asia; this is the smallest. The small, slightly fragrant, star-shaped white flowers up to 5cm across with slightly scalloped petals float atop round, mid green leaves from June to September. These pygmy waterlilies will happily grow in as little as 15cm of water, and they are perfect candidates for a small pond or tub in a sheltered, sunny site. This is at all a good choice for small ponds and even sinks and tubs, this waterlily in fact needs only shallow water to cover its crown.

Pygmaea Helvola
This dwarf waterlily is a hardy hybrid that floats its round foliage and produces a slightly fragrant, multipetaled, star-shaped yellow flower just above the water. It needs only about 3 square feet of water surface area to spread its leaves, of green olive colour. This makes it nicely suited for a small tub on a deck or sunny patio. Each mottled leaf lasts about 6 weeks before turning yellow. Flower showiness is legendary and each flower lasts several days, but flowers close in late afternoon and at night.

Encyclopedia of Water Garden Plants

The Water Garden Encyclopedia

Waterlilies and Other Aquatic Plants

Encyclopedia of the Waterlily

Water-Lilies and How to Grow Them: With Chapters on the Proper Making of Ponds and the Use of Accessory Plants [ 1907 ]

Aqualog Special: Magnificent Flowers for the Garden Pond--Irises, Primulas, and Waterlilies

The Waterlilies: Taxonomy And Bibliography (1905)

The natural defense of the garden

2010-04-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

The so-called "bio-defense" is just a modern name, given by researchers and scholars, indicating a very ancient practice, and it means the defense of the plants from pests and various diseases not by the use of chemical compounds (compatible s or not with the environment and still very dangerous) but through the use of products of natural origin, easily available, not harmful and easy to prepare at home.

From my experience, here are some recipes that will save the plants in the garden; it is very important to be able to defend our plants, just in this season, in which insects, especially parasites, begin to proliferate, especially in large cities.

Agrochemicals from Natural Products (Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment)

Handbook of Natural Pesticides: Methods, Isolation and Identification, Volume II (Crc Series in Naturally Occurring Pesticides)

Handbook of Natural Pesticides: Insect Attract Repellents, Volume VI

Before the "recipes", I will give a brief definition of the main methods to derive from the plants the active antibacterial, insecticidal, repellent principles.
-Macerated
With this procedure (one of the most used in the prevention and cure of plant diseases) the water is given the opportunity to extract the active ingredients from the plant.The liquid, ideal for the fermentation of all preparations is the rain water (at least not in an area subject to acid rain). It must be choosen a container not made of steel but made of plastic, cement, clay or wood. The container for the fermentation should never be closed tightly, because this process requires ventilation. For this same reason, the macerate must be mixed at least once a day. It requires to leave the the plant used, immersed in water for at least a week, and this preparation can be used after one or two weeks of its preparation, when the liquid became dark and no longer gives rise to foaming.
-Infusion
To make a good infusion, should be avoided to boil the plants. The best thing to do is to pour the necessary boiling water over the gathered herbs and then soak for twenty-four hours.
-Decoction
The herbs should be put in cold water for twenty-four hours. After this time, you must heat the mixture over low heat for 20-30 minutes, depending on the woodiness of the plants used.
-Extract

You must soak the plants in water for three days at room temperature. After this time, you must filter the mixture and use it freely.

Handbook of Natural Pesticides: Insects, Part B, Volume III
CRC Handbook of Natural Pesticides Volume III: Insect Growth Regulators, Part A
Aphids on the World's Herbaceous Plants and Shrubs (2 Volume Set)
Aphids As Crop Pests
Advances in Pesticide Science Three Volume Set: World Food Productions - Environment - Pesticides; Synthesis of Pesticides, Chemical Structure and Biological Activity, Natural Products...; Biochemistry of Pests and Mode of Action of Pesticides ...

-Garlic & Onion

They are very useful against aphids, mites and the carrot fly.
Preparation: bulbs or leaves. 750 g of bulbs crushed in 100 l of water, or 5 kg of fresh plant (2 kg if the plant is dried). The maceration of the plant, must be spread, undiluted, directly on plants (against the carrot fly), while the infusion, still not diluted, should be spread directly on the plants or on the land. The alcoholic extract of garlic has a repellent action against aphids, moths etc. The essential oil of garlic also has a strong antibacterial properties.

-Wormwood
This plant contains essential oils that have a strong repellent action against aphids and several Lepidoptera.
Preparation: 3 kg of fresh plant (300 g when dried) in 100l of water. Use the whole plant and of course the flowers, that are to be collected between June and September. You can perform a maceration of the plant, this compound should be spread, undiluted, directly on plants to combat aphids and ants. You can also obtain a decoction, in which case you must pay, undiluted, directly on the plants; finally, the infusion is especially suited against aphids.

-Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

This plant is a useful aid in the defense plant fungal diseases, as it reinforces the very skin of the leaves and the trunk. We use only the branches born in summer, sterile, rich in chlorophyll.
Preparation: 10 kg of fresh plant (1.5 kg when dried) in 100 l of water. You can get a decoction: in this case it has to be diluted five times and then poured directly onto the soil or on plants, against fungal diseases (I found in a text the advice to add to the infusion sodium silicate 1.0%, because it increases the effectiveness and persistence of the decoction itself, but I never tried this formula and I can not tell if it really works!). You can also macerate the plant, the mixture then must be diluted five times, this is to be paid directly on the plant (also for the macerate, I've found the advice to add to the mixture the macerate of the nettle and 0.3% of soap, because it increases the effectiveness).

-Fern

It is very powerful as a repellent, and rejects the aphids when they come into contact with it.
Preparation: 10kg of plant (1kg if dried) in 100l of water. You must use the leaves. You must make a macerate of leaves, dilute it ten times, and pour it directly on plants in spring, to repel aphids.

-Nettle (Urtica dioica & Urtica urens)
The two species of nettle have both stimulating and insecticidal properties: these properties are primarily derived from the principle which lies on the stinging hairs on the leaves. The nettle preparations are commonly used to stimulate the plants' growth and for protection against parasites, against which it plays a repellent action and makes them desist from eating the leaves of the plant.
Preparation: 10kg of plant (2kg if dried) in 100l of water. You can prepare a macerate, for whose implementation it takes or two days or four days. The first (the macerate for two days) must not be diluted and should be distributed on the leaves, against aphids; this treatment is very effective if performed at the opening of the attack of pests.
The second compound (that of four days) should be added to the infusion of horsetail, this compound is diluted in water to 20% and used directly on plants for defense against aphids and red spider.
(I read that you can possibly add 1kg of sugar per 20l of water, and 1% Marseilles soap, as this improves the effectiveness of macerate, for healing purposes).

-Chilli (Capsicum annuum)
The seeds contain a substance that has a high deterrent power against aphids.
Preparation: 200g of powder in 100l of water. The powder is obtained precisely from the seeds and berries. In small doses, it should be applied directly on plants throughout the year, only once a week if the weather is dry, but also two or three times in case of rain or wet weather.

-Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)
It acts by contact against aphids and flies. It also has a deterrent effect and also prevents many types of pests
and insects from devouring the leaves of the plants.
Preparation: 25/30kg in 100l of water. Use only the leaves or the whole plant, without roots, and before the formation of the fruits. You can prepare an extract to be paid, undiluted, directly on the plants, when you notice the presence of aphids or caterpillars or flies. You can also prepare a decoction in this way: 25 kg of leaves in 10l of water. The juice thus obtained is diluted in 90l cold water, the preparation thus obtained is poured directly on plants and is very useful against aphids and for the preservation of the leaves.

-Quassia wood (quassia amara, Picrosma excelsa, Picrosma quassoides etc.)

The active ingredient, which is extracted from the wood of these plants, is a powerful insecticide. It acts by contact and ingestion and have an action similar to the pyrethrum, but less effective and less persistent. It is less toxic than pyrethrum, is harmless to humans, pets and "util" insects (ladybugs, bees etc..), but the preparations of the quassia wood should not be used on fruit or plants with edible leaves, because the solution is very bitter. It is very powerful against aphids, scale insects etc..
Preparation: 2kg of quassia wood in 100l of water. It is often sold the sawdustof this wood, and then, in this case, the procedure is: leave the sawdust to soak in water for twenty-four hours, then bring to a boil on medium heat, and boil for about an hour. The mixture, cooled, is to be paid directly to the plants throughout the year, especially during the flowering of the plants.

-Ryania (Ryania speciosa)
It is a tropical shrub, very common in South America. You must use the stem, ground finely. Its ingredients work slowly but very effectively, by ingestion, on the young larvae of the parasites (unfortunately it does not destroy the eggs but only the larvae). I read that, currently, is considered the best insecticide against the pests of the apple tree. The active substance is quite stable and this allows longer intervals between one treatment and the other, compared to other insecticides (one full treatment every 5 to 10 days). Experimental investigations have however confirmed that the effectiveness of the product decreases proportionally with the increasing of the time interval between one treatment and the another. It is recommended the addition of a soap solution (2 kg per hectolitre of water). To prepare an infusion is needed: 400/600 grams in 100 liters of water (do not require soaking.) To ensure the effectiveness of the treatment, it is necessary to ensure a perfect coverage of the plant with the product, especially of the fruits during the period when the larvae emerge from eggs and there is the appearance of the first erosion on the surface of the fruit.
This substance is not toxic to plants, does not disturb the earthworms and has no side effects on either men or animals. It has a full and rapid degradability in the environment.

-Tansy
Formerly it enjoyed great consideration, this is evidenced by its etymology "Athanasia" which in greek means "immortality" . Its therapeutic properties have been always known, but its application in agriculture and gardening is more recent.
It has a repellent against moths, aphids and certain mites. In the past, the tansy, gathered in small bunches, was used to keep out the mices from the wheat stored in granaries.
Preparation: 3 kg of the plant (30 grams if dried) in 100 liters of water. You use the entire plant, rootless and without flowers, and must harvest it when its flowering occurs between July and September. You can make an infusion, which must be spread undiluted, directly on plants against aphids and ants. You can also prepare a decoction, to be paid, undiluted, directly on the plants. High doses and repeated treatments for a long time are not harmful to the plant nor to the useful insects.

-Important Note: Only the decoction and infusion of horsetail are to be distributed under the sun, all other compounds must be sprayed during the coolest hours of the day, and preferably at sunset.

-Another important note: the chemical medication of the plants is easier to use and its effect can be considered more secure, but in the long run, their back harmful effect can not be ignored. Instead, these biological preparations are not sold on the market and should be prepared at home (as necessary, adjusted, according to the proportions, the amounts of herbs and water to be used) ; to ensure their highest effectiveness is necessary to act with great speed in order to capture the most favorable moment for the elimination of the parasites: in short, we must take great care and act in time. Furthermore, it should be noted that each preparation will be effective only if made from herbs gathered in the right manner and at the right time (late morning or full afternoon), in the right places and not contaminated, exposed to sunlight; above all, well dried and stored properly. It is certainly more complicated to use these preparations as compared to the simple use of chemicals products, but in that way you will not ever run the risk of harm the plants themselves that you want to heal, the beneficial insects (like the bees, whose progressive decrease is a warning signal) and other living species of the environment, be it a balcony, a garden, a vegetable garden or an entire cultivated field.
Impact of Pesticides on Farmer Health and the Rice Environment (Natural Resource Management and Policy)
Agrochemicals from Natural Products (Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment)

Certified Organic and Biologically Derived Pesticides: Environmental, Health, and Efficacy Assessment (Acs Symposium Series)

Natural Products for Pest Management (Acs Symposium Series)

Natural Products for Innovative Pest Management (Current themes in tropical science)
Natural Products for Innovative Pest Management, Volume 2 of Current Themes in Tropical Science;

Elefsina Bay and Koumoundourou Lake: serious examples of environmental pollution

2010-04-03T02:35:00.000-07:00

Elefsina is located on the Saronikos Gulf towards the SE of the mainland, 24km from Piraeus.
The first time I saw this place, I was horrified by what I saw: gargantuan-sized gas works, steel works, cement works, oil distilleries, all found within metres of what looked like residential zones. Dust flew everywhere, piling on the side of the road like mud, especially outside the cement works. No one wore masks; no one seemed to care that they were inhaling dust. I tried to see the hidden beauty of this land, but the horrors of the modern men makes it very difficult: one must have the ability to see the past, or have great imagination, to recover the lost splendour of the Thriasian Plain and the city, once called Eleusis, now Elefsina in modern greek.

Elefsina was one of Ancient Greece's most sacred towns, about 20 km NW of Athens, but it's since become a byword for air and sea pollution. Elefsina, though, is spearheading efforts to clean up the country's coastline. The region around Elefsina was recently identified as one of the most endangered areas of the Mediterranean (as for example: Elefsina currently is the city with the highest ever officially recorded temperature in Europe of 48.0 °C ). It is curious: this place was in antiquity, one of the most fertile and pleasant valleys of the whole Greece, it used to be an agricultural and cattle-breeding area; but it is also the largest plain in Attic, the closest to the capital and with a splendid position near the sea, with a vast bay and easy links with some other important places, such as Corinth, the whole Peloponnesus and the Aegean islands.

After its glorious past in ancient times, for a long period, the city of Elefsina fell into oblivion: during the period of Turkish domination it was almost uninhabited and a few years before the establishment of the Greek state it is mentioned as a small fish -village. In the year 1860 it seems that the history of the contemporary city began by the settlement of merchants, the construction of a railway track (1884) and the opening up of Corinth Isthmus. The installation of the soap-making factory of Charilaou (1875), the cement industry TITAN (1902), the distilleries VOTRYS (1906) and KRONOS (1922) meant the industrialization of the city while, in 1938 the first pollution of Elefsina bay from oil transported for the industrial needs was noticed. The needs of the industries for labour force create successive waves of domestic migration.

The settlement of 2.000 Greek refugees from Asia Minor in 1922 is followed by the population blow-up of 50’s by the settlement of inhabitants of Epirus, Chios, Dodecanese, Corfu and later on (1960) of Crete and repatriated Greeks from the Black Sea. By the simultaneous installation of many big and small industries, Elefsina changed completely its form. Presently, refineries, steel mills, cement factories, shipyards, ammunition industry, 2000 smaller industries, handicrafts and commercial business are operating in the broader area. Although the natural environment has been spoiled from industrialization, in the last years, by a number of interventions, the atmospheric and sea pollution in Elefsina bay has been slightly reduced.

The Elefsina Bay, a medium-sized port, is one of the most industrialised and environmentally degraded areas in Greece. The quality of life and economic development in the bay’s communities suffer from pollution and hazards from port and industrial activities, as well as from an uncontrolled urbanisation that has limited the communal spaces and constrained the access to the sea. The situation in Elefsina is typical of many other industrial port and urban areas in Greece, South-eastern Europe and the EU in general. The region’s dominant problem, which brought about the most serious environmental problems is the presence of many industries. In the region operate over 3000 industrial and craf-based installations, from which, some of the biggest industries of the country, such as: two oil refineries (Hellenic Petroleum S.A., Petrola Hellas S.A.), two steel industries (Hellenic Halyvourgia, Halyvourgiki S.A.), two cement industries (TITAN, Halyps Cement-Italcementi Group), an ammunition industry (PYRKAL), two shipyards, ship scrapping installations, a commercial harbour (as well as a roadstead, where vessels can lie at anchor), establishments of petrol products storage and processing, three fossil fuel processing units, one paper processing industry, scrap units, chemical industries and pits.

Besides that, there is also the forthcoming operation of the gigantic new cargo facilities and railway station of Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE). Air is also highly polluted, due to the industrial activity, fossil fuel consumption and traffic circulation, the costal zone pollution is the top-ranking environmental problem and another problem is traffic congestion and noise pollution, due to heavy vehicles circulation, like lorries or busses: the noise pollution is considered as a very serious environmental problem.
The industries operation have turned the Thriasio Pedio to a particularly polluted area ( air/ sea/ ground/ underground water pollution), in fact Elefsina is the town where the majority of crude oil in Greece is imported and refined. After the end of the war, but also of the civil tragedy that follows it, Elefsina enters definitely into the course of industrialisation. Its geographic situation and its harbour favoured the development of any kind of economic activities. Thus, apart from the old industries that are now modernized, new factories are established in the town area. In 1953 the steel factory starts functioning. In 1955 the oil factory is built and few years' later smaller factories like the ice factory and the shipyard Savvas are founded. Athens's nearest military airport is a few kilometers east of Elefsina. It has been used since the mid-20th century. Its runway is about 2 km and its buildings are to the west. It sits in the Thriasian/Eleusina Plain.

However, the concentration of so many factories in the town and in the wider area of Thriasio Pedio,where so many industries are in function, has catastrophic results on the environment. The air and water pollution has negative consequences also on the population's health. The strong protests and oppositions of the inhabitants result in remediate measures and in a small reduction of the pollution.

Water pollution

Aquatic areas can naturally remove a certain amount of pollution by dispersing it harmlessly.

The marine pollution in both Saronikos Bay and Elefsina has been reduced since biological treatment of industrial waste has taken place.However, measurements showed that there are still many chemical substances which disrupt the normal life of sea creatures.
Western Attica wetlands have an inestimable value. Yet ignorance of the state destroys them daily. Until a few years ago, the wetlands were "undervalued" by the local communities and state. As a result today the Lake Koumoundourou, near the Elefsina Bay, has very significant problems: air and ground pollution, industrial plant and fuel tanks, which come from the industries of Thriasio Pedio. The problems’ aspects are so dangerous and threatening, that each environmental measure must be regarded as a matter of great urgency. Earth is slowly dying, while flora, fauna, air and water have been seriously wounded both in quality and quantity.

Koumoundourou Lake (Lake of ancient Rheitoi)

The lake is fed by the water from the springs of mount Parnes; the surface of the lake is about 143.000 m2. One important characteristic of the lake is the constant discharge of a fresh, unpolluted water source on the north side, which keeps the oxygen level constant and improves the quality in general. As a natural environment the lake has mixed water due to mixing with the sea at percentages of 60–40 %. The lake Koumoundourou has great interest both as an important wetland and a historic site. At the lake have been recorded by the Greek Ornithological Society 50 bird species including: the world's threatened Ferruginous Duck, the pintail, the Northern Shoveler, the wigeon, the pochard etc.
The ancient lakes Rheitoi were dedicated to the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone. The ancient Sacred Way met the ancient Rheitoi. Lake Koumoundourou is classified as a historic site since 1974.

Lake Koumoundourou has a long history of pollution, but also a great historical value in the area of the prefecture of Attica with its capital at Athens. Nowadays the installation of the large refinery of “ELPE”, the oil tanks of “Elinoil”, and the military depot have created a very adverse situation for the lake’s environment. Leaks and spills from the oil refinery and depots polluted the lake to the extent that almost no life could be observed in the environment. After the intervention of the Agricultural University of Athens the level of the lake was raised by 20 cm and the additional pressure functioned as a barrier preventing large quantities of pollutants from entering the lake. Nevertheless a huge contamination still took place. This small lake is in the vicinity of the national road, the camp AVEK 871 that supplies with fuel and oils the majority of the Greek army, the ELDA, as well as with an important amount of fuel tanks belonging to private companies. This wetland has been disordered and is close to extinction unless efforts for its protection take place, such as protection from the intense industrial development in the area, as well as limitation in the licks of the underground fuel reservoirs. Works of infrastructure shall also be done in order to collect the rainwater that rinses out the national road ending in the lake, as well as to collect the contaminants from the use of detergents, dissolves and oil at the AVEK camp.

Lake Koumoundourou has been polluted by toxic chemical substances, which are by 10 times greater than maximum safety levels. Also, underground pollution from the neighbouring waste disposal center further pollutes the Lake. Underwater pollution from highly dangerous industrial pollutants is also significant. Additionally, pesticides and fertilizers from agricultural activities further deteriorate the situation. Moreover, the absence of modern water supply and sewerage treatment networks in the whole area and their consequent uncontrolled disposal in the environmentally sensitive Eleusis Bay had resulted in Greece’s condemnation from the Court of Justice of the European Communities [Decision of the 24th of June 2004 (Case C-119/02)]. The same happened [Decision of April 2005 (Case C-163/03)] due to the lack of infrastructure in the sector of dangerous waste management and their disposal at Eleusis Bay.
The wetland ecosystems are very rich and productive, with multiple values. The 23 remaining wetlands in Attica, which compose a network of highly important places for the migration and wintering birds, are under a considerable pressure and even threatened with extinction. Blatant example, the lake Koumoundourou.

The Koumoundourou Lake, a lake that was an ancient place of worship, is an example of obsolescence and indifference, in many ways. It has the "misfortune" to be in the Western region of Attica, a strife-torn region, although of great archaeological interest, that has been condemned to endure a toxic death. This lake has been polluted by oil spills and leaks from both the refinery and the military depot, containing large amounts of different petroleum extracts. In addition, the aquifer has also been polluted by an underground pipe connecting these two installations as well as by percolated surface pollutants and leaks from the refinery tanks.
The lake is seen on the road Athens -Corinth. It was once a sacred place, now struggling to live among oil tanks, military facilities, heavy industries and a lot more "threatening" neighbors. In ancient times there were two pools: both lakes had been preserved until the 19th century and featured two water mills. Until the 1950s both lakes were natural fish reserves. The large lake, the northern, Kephalari, was drained in the early '50s and was backfilled during the construction of the oil refinery at Aspropyrgos. Its place is today marked by a swamp. Then, only one lake is left, a part of which has been drained to build the highway. The strange is that this ecosystem is under protection: since 1974 has been declared an archaeological site and the lake, and 50 meters around the area, is designated as suburban park!

Despite all the pressures and threats, the lake stands up and offers residency and relaxation to many species of birds!
Residents of surrounding areas have responded and defended the lake. Required by the state be interested in this, the release of several times the wire which kept "imprisoned" and stressed the significance and cultural value. Brought close to schools, awareness and continue to raise awareness through discussions and events, so that no one else lost this paradise. As if that were not enough already acute problems before 1.5 year (then) Ministry of Development had the 'famous' idea to carry oil tanks in Perama camp on the shores of the lake, but also to build a road junction in this area. There were many reactions because it is so important that this small lake be saved from destruction: the lake has to live and live, as some people claim and require breath in an already troubled Thriasio Plain.

>Some informations taken from greek sites:

- From the Department of Defense we learn that:
The lake is subject to the provisions of Military Security (with laws from 1936 to 1953).
The visit of the lake can be done by informing the administration of the camp.
Visitors are required to surrender their identity at the gate of the camp.

- From the Ministry of Culture, we learn that:
Approved Environmental Study Update the lake (F1/12/56/25-1-2005) .
Visiting schools are free to visit all archaeological sites, but the responsible to answer for Lake Koumoundourou is the Defense ministry.
2.3 Our demand for more frequent and more intensive audits on its own and modern means of OP control of air and groundwater pollution (oil spills, leachate from landfills) is also required for another reason. Lake Koumoundourou declared other than historical site (1974) valuable wetland.
Basically, it is foundamental the reopening of the access to the lake.
Collective action brings results. The dozens of signs prohibiting the entrance of the lake are now inactive. Their existence, suggest rather the need to conceal the pollution, despite the military character of the area given that it is also an archaeological site.

-To protect the Lake Koumoundourou must:

* Stop the aboveground and underground pollution of the lake, the control of neighboring industries (mainly Hellenic Petroleum Aspropyrgos, landfills, etc.) and take immediate and strong measures of protection (decontamination, measurements, etc.).
* To become a site visited so that the citizens can assess its value.

>Wetlands of Attica: oases of life with an uncertain future

(Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at the bookstore IANOS)
This year's celebration of World Day of wetlands: the remaining wetlands in Athens have to face serious problems. The hundreds of wetlands in Greece is the most valuable ecosystems in the country. Nevertheless, the year we passed the Greek Ornithological Society received more than thirty-five complaints related to degradation of wetlands in Greece.
The protection and conservation of wetlands in Athens is vital - aesthetic, emotional, scientific and economic - for everyone. These areas are of particular value because of their proximity to urban yoke of Athens. They perform a variety of valuable ecological functions: support a great variety of life, retain the rain water, rich with this aquifer, but also ensure a balanced change.
The threats and pressures facing wetlands today around Athens have led to severe degradation, and thus degrade the quality of life. Poorly designed flood control projects, oil tanks, off plan construction, illegal hunting, extensive polders are just a few of the growing threats to wetlands listed in Attica.
In conjunction with citizens and volunteers who care about the location and environment of Attica present the priceless value of these wetlands to Attica, the problems they face are urgent and deep, still they propose solutions to preserve them as "oases of life in urban landscape".
''People react and fight to protect these wetlands, as the Agency for Protection and the VOURKARI Movement to save the lake Koumoundourou. Furthermore, twelve of the most important wetlands in the country are monitored regularly by volunteers of the Ornithological Society.''

This, in antiquity, the sacred lake of Persephone, is the modern battlefield, where an unequal struggle unfolds. On one side stands the ruinous industries and political giant and on the other, battling defender, the natural world of the lake. In this semantic specialty, 'guerrilla Lake', the world of wetland are armed only with the ability of survival. The birds and the lake try againto resist to the toxic war. Not protected by any modern law, just struggling to survive in a place that is canceled in the minds of sophisticated Athenians.

(only some photos are taken by me, the others are kindly provided by these two blogs:
http://limnik.blogspot.com/

http://thriasiofoto.blogspot.com/)

The Pansy: curiosities and insights

2010-03-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

In these days, as the persistence of the sun in the sky increases, the days are getting longer and the air is warm and fragrant, the pansies are blooming in my garden.

The spectacle of their bloom and their colors, all different and equally amazing, are adding a touch of grace and joy throughout the whole garden. It is a joy to watch them bloom every year, so I could not avoid writing an article for praise them, telling their botanical characteristics, their origin in ancient legends and myths and their various and great medicinal properties .

It is an herbaceous plant, annual, and it has a small root. The stem can reach 40 cm in height and is very simple, covered by tiny hairs, almost invisibles. The leaves are oval in shape. The flowers are brought individually by a thin stem. The corolla has five petals, their color is highly variable, it can go from blue to purple (all combinations are indeed possible: yellow, gold, orange, purple, violet, red, white, and even black very dark purple, many with large showy face markings. A large number of bicoloured flowers have also been produced). These aren't small blossoms you have to strain to see. Pansy flowers are huge and held high above the plant, like colorful little faces looking at you.

Finally, the fruit is an oval-shaped capsule, and when it reaches maturity, it opens in three parts that contain many brown seeds. It grows naturally in meadows and cultivated fields. It is often cultivated for its beautiful and striking colors. When cultivated, one must choose a limestone and clay ground, well fertilized and exposed to the sun only for few hours in a day, because this flower prefers the shadows.
It should be watered abundantly in spring and scatter the watering in summer to suspend almost all in the autumn and winter. Growing pansies could be very successfully during fall and winter. Experts recommend to sow seed indoors in mid-summer, six to eight weeks before transplanting. The pansies can be transplanted into the garden once the summer heat has been broken and cooler weather arrives. It does not fear the frost of the winter, for this reason it is a plant that is also widespread in the wild. Protect your pansies during cold weather by temporarily allowing them to wilt. The dry leaves are not damaged by cold; they recover nicely when warmer temperatures appear. But if the soil is frozen while dry, with frigid winds howling across the leaves, the roots of the pansy plants will be unable to transport water back to the leaves. For this reason, keep beds thoroughly mulched with at least two inches of a living organic mulch during the winter. In fact, that's the real secret of pansies: the only time they won't grow well is in the hottest months of summer, generally July and August. So if you plant them early in September, you have a chance of enjoying an amazing ten months of bloom, especially if we have a mild winter.

A Passion for Pansies.(fall flower gardening): An article from: Mississippi Magazine

Pansies, Violas and Violettas: The Complete Guide (Crowood Gardening Guide Series)

The Book of the Pansy, Viola, & Violet;

PANSIES, VIOLAS AND VIOLETS. WITH PLATES

It is a classic flower of the spring, because it blooms from late March until August (in climates where summers are not too dry and hot).

Chalon Giant Pansy 100 Seeds/Seed -Heirloom SALE*

The pansy must be harvested when blooming in spring; the parts used for medicinal purposes are the flowers. When harvested, it must be cut close to the ground, removing any leaves and woody parts. The flowers must be provided to dry in the shade, in thin layers. The dried flowers should be stored in paper or canvas bags.

The pansies are used as an expectorant and emollient in respiratory diseases, especially those due to phlegm, but the most important property of these flowers is that of purifying the skin. Some researchers have reported the utility in case of acne, eczema and pimples, and even the milk crust of childrens. I read that the pansy has also a diuretic and slightly laxative property. The better exploitation of its virtues need a contemporary interior and exterior treatment with infusions and skin applications.

Here are the most common prescriptions for dual-use, internal and external, for the treatment of skin diseases, with cleansing and diuretic:
-Internal use: make an infusion of four grams of flowers in 100 milliliters of water. You should drink a cup in the morning, fasting.
-External use: Make a decoction of flowers of six grams in 100 milliliters of water. Do washing and wet on the parts of the skin that are irritated.

A very old and popular use of this flower is cosmetic: take a cup, filled to three quarters of violet flowers (fresh or dried), and pour over them the boiling milk until cover all the flowers with milk. Then allow to cool, stirring the mixture. Once ready, use this milk to soften the skin of the hands and face.

The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Magical Plants [COMP ILLUS ENCY OF MAGICAL]

The Complete Herbal Guide: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body

Tells the myth that the young Attis, Prince of Asia Minor, dying, gave birth to the pansies from his blood. Desperate for his death, his betrothed, Atta took her own life and also from her blood sprang other pansies; those born from the blood of Attis are the pansies with reddish petals, while all other varieties grew from blood Atta. In the imperial Rome it was celebrated the cult of Attis, and his feast day, March 22, was called "dies violae" the day of the Pansy.

Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance: A Dictionary of Allegorical Meanings

In greek, the pansy is called "ion". Ion was the founder of the ancestry of the Ions; one day after the hunt, he came on the river Alpheus where the Ioniades, the nymphs of pansies, offered him a crown of yellow pansies as a symbol of human and divine kingship. These flowers, among the Greeks, were always called "flowers of Ionia". The Athenians, the Ionian race, had a particular fondness for the pansy, Pindar also called Athens "City crowned with violets", crowned by the sacred flower which gives kingship and power.
Even in England this flower has always been loved, by the Celts and even during the Middle Ages: it is said that the Knights of the Round Table consulted the pansy to know their fate by interpreting the number and arrangement of rays from the center of the flower: seven lines (a lucky amount) meant constancy in love, while more meant fickleness and even disappointment in affairs of the heart.

The legend of the pansy says the flower was originally white but turned bright purple where it was pierced by Cupid's arrow. It's said that you can see a loved one in the face of a pansy. Even the flower's named is derived from the French pensee, meaning thought, reflecting the flower's reputation for bringing thoughts of loved ones. Shakespeare clearly understood the meaning of the flower when, in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" , he wrote that the sleeping Titania will fall in love with the first creature she will see when she will awake, thanks to the pansy juice on her eyes ("the juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid, will make a man or woman madly dote (fall in love) upon the next live creature that it sees.". The pansy is also known as Heart's Ease, for it was believed that carrying the flower would ensure the love of your sweetheart.
The pansy was one of the ingredients in a Celtic love potion, because the pansy was supposed to have magical love powers. The petals, being heart-shaped, were thought to cure the broken hearts of the lovers.
According to a german legend, the pancy once had a wonderful and strong scent. People came from miles to smell the flowers. By doing this, the people destroy the grass around the pansies. The pansy prayed to the Gods for help because the feed for the cattle was being destroyed. So the Gods took away its loveable scent, but gave it great beauty instead. The pansy is associated with the St. Valentine's Day and has long been exchanged by lovers. According to a legend, the pansies should not be picked while the dew is upon them, for that would cause the death of a loved one. The pansy should never be picked in the middle of a spell of fine weather, or it is said that the rain will surely soon return. Oddly enough, to dream of this otherwise delightful little flower is said to forecast an unpleasant experience or misunderstanding with someone of the slumberer's own sex.

Dorothea Lynde Dix proclaims that “Perhaps no flower (not excepting even the queenly rose) claims to be so universal a favorite, as the viola tricolor; none currently has been honored with so rich a variety of names, at once expressive of grace, delicacy and tenderness.”
The pansy was said to be Jove’s flower, as Rapin contemplates about “…all the beauties in the vallies bred,/See Jove’s own flower, that shared/The violet’s pride; - its want of scent/With triple charm supplied.”

The Language of Flowers: Symbols And Myths

A Contemplation upon Flowers: Garden Plants in Myth and Literature

Myths And Legends Of Flowers, Trees, Fruits And Plants

De Carmine Pastorali (1684)

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Berkeley Square by John Balderston. (Noble's comparative classics)

Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend & Folklore: Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry

Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions

Meaning of Flowers Myth Language & Love

Language of Flowers Symbols And Myths

Pansies are edible and they taste good in certain recipes. Be sure to wash them well before adding to recipes especially if you have used an insecticide on them.

Edible Flowers: A Recipe Collection

-Herb and Pansy Salad
Ingredients
•4 cups mixed salad greens
•¼ cup fresh dill springs
•¼ cup flat leaf parsley leaves
•¼ cup basil leaves, rolled and thinly sliced crosswise.
•1 large lemon, halves
•pinch of salt
•fresh ground pepper to taste
•1 cup toasted pecans
•¾ cup feta, crumbled
•1 cup pansies or violas
Directions
1.In a salad bowl combine greens and herbs.
2.Squeeze lemon juice (remove seeds) over and season with salt and pepper. Toss.
3.Right before serving add walnuts and feta and toss.
4.Sprinkle flowers on top and serve.

-Melon Salad with Pansies or Violas
Ingredients
•¼ cup vegetable oil
•2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
•dash of salt
•dash of fresh ground pepper
•3 cups assorted melon cut in ¾ inch pieces
•2 small cucumbers, sliced thin
•Salad greens
•Pansy or viola flowers
Directions
1.In a tightly covered container combine vegetable oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper.
2.Shake to combine well. In a bowl combine melon pieces, greens, cucumber, and pansies or violas.
3.Right before serving pour on dressing and toss to combine well.

-Candied Flower Petals Recipe
Ingredients

•1/4 cup egg white, beaten
•1/2 cup caster sugar
•2 cups of pansies (if you use the entire blossom make sure to remove the stamens).
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350F for 30 minutes while preparing petals, then turn off the oven.
2.Clean and dry blossoms or petals.
3.Use a fine brush to paint a thin layer of egg white on each side of the flower petals or blossoms.
4.Gently place them into a shallow bowl of caster sugar and sprinkle sugar over them to coat each side.
5.Remove from bowl and place them on a piece of waxed paper, or place them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.
6.Sprinkle more sugar over the petals.
7.Allow them to dry until stiff, about 8 hours, or place them in the oven (preheated, but with the heat turned off and oven still very warm) for about 4 hours or until petals are stiff.
8.Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

The Edible Flower Garden

The Edible Flower Garden (Edible Garden Series)

Edible Flowers: From garden to kitchen: growing flowers you can eat, with a directory of 40 edible varieties and 25 recipes, with 350 glorious colour photographs.

AeroGarden 800551-0300 6-Pod Seed Kit Incredible Edibles Flowers

The Gourmet's Garden: Cooking With Edible Flowers, Herbs and Berries

Edible Flowers 25 Recipes and an A-Z Pictorial Directory of Culinary Flora

An Herbalist's Guide to Growing and Using Violets (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A. 239): A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin

Good Enough to Eat: Growing and Cooking Edible Flowers

Rosalind Creasy's Recipes from the Garden: 200 Exciting Recipes from the Author of the Complete Book of Edible Landscaping

The grandmother's medicative recipes with medical herbs

2010-03-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

Introduction

In my family, we have always used these recipes based on herbs, but despite this, I have also done several searches and found that they do not vary and are always the same, intact, and this because, probably, they are part of an ancient knowledge, ancient as the world. These recipes are very simple, even those without extensive experience in the use of herbs may groped without any danger as long as you follow the instructions and do not ever change the quantity, and dosage recommendations. The herbs used are to be collected according to their balsamic time, so that they have the highest degree of force, all the characteristics and their unique properties. These herbs should also be harvested in safe and clean places, away from harmful influences such as busy roads or industrial sites, certainly the best thing is to have a small vegetable garden or to have the luck to find in the wild in the unspoiled woods. In the absence of these two options, you can order the herbs dried by specialized herbalists. They must be stored by the rules and used as recommended.
Finally, we must keep in mind that these herbs are rare and precious gifts and as such should be treated with respect and love, so the preparations will grow in goodness and curative strength.

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Fruit jams

The jams, also called marmalades, are saccharic derivatives of soft consistency, rarely solid, resulting from the union of fruits with the sugar; the sugar has the aim of preventing their alteration and make them more palatable. To get a jam from fresh produce, the sugar is added to the fruits, previously reduced to a pulp. Then you must heat the mixture to double boiler, over moderate heat, to facilitate the melting of the sugar and the jam to obtain the necessary consistency.
Herbs/ fruits can be used for preparing the jams, or fresh or dried, you can use the fresh plant or its first derivatives (infusions, decoctions, extracts, etc..), following the prescribed information in different pharmacotherapeutic documents on syrups and with the same daily dosing.
Here are a couple of recipes for the preparation of medicative jams.

-Peppermint jam
150g of fresh leaves of peppermint; 1kg apples, peeled and chopped, 700g of sugar, 2 lemons
This jam has the digestive and refreshing properties of the mint.
This recipe is prepared peeling the apples and cutting them into pieces, then you must put the chopped apples in cold water mixed with lemon juice and leave to soak for a while. Then the apples, having drained the water, are to be placed in a pot of tinned copper. To these you must add the grated rind of one lemon and fresh mint leaves, finely chopped. You must boil all this mixture, stirring constantly, until the apples are cooked. Then, you must remove the pan from the heat and you must pass the whole through a sieve: it produces a bright green puree. You must then add the purea and the remaining sugar and lemon juice. This should be boiled again, stirring carefully, until the jam reaches the right consistency.Only then will you remove the jam from heat and pour, still hot, into glass jars, the jars must be sealed and kept in a cool place.
-raspberry jam
1kg of ripe raspberries, 600g of sugar, 1 lemon
The raspberries are to be harvested early in the morning and never during the hottest hours of the day, and must be chosen the more mature and the perfectly well.
You have to wash them in abundant cold water. After they are well dried, are to be placed in a glass container with sugar and lemon juice. They are left to macerate in the bowl for at least two hours. Then, the juice formed must be dried and this juice must be put to stagnation in a pan of copper tinned. When this sauce has reduced by half, add the raspberries and put the mixture on the stove, stirring carefully.When it reaches the desired consistency, it is removed from the heat and it is poured, still hot, in glass jars, hermetically sealed, so that the scent of fresh raspberries is preserved intact.
-blueberry jam
1kg of wild blueberries, 500 grams of sugar, 1 lemon
The wild blueberries are, without doubt, the most fragrant and flavorful, and therefore the most suitable for the preparation of jams. The blueberries should be washed with great delicacy, under cold running water.
After drying them, they must be placed into an earthenware bowl, and you need to pour over the sugar andgrated rind of the lemon and you need to mix thoroughly. You must cover the bowl and soak the blueberries for half a day. Then, you have to put it in a pot (not aluminum) and it must be boiled over a fire, stirring constantly, because it can often happens that the jam will stick to the bottom of the pot. When the jam has thickened and has the right density, you must remove it from heat and pour, still hot, in glass jars, closing them tightly and kept them in a cool, dark place.
-orange jam
7 / 8 oranges, rich in juice, 200g of peeled and sliced apples, 600g of sugar
You must remove the rind of two oranges (only the superficial part and not the bitter white rind), and then you must cut the rind very finely. Then all you have to do is to peel the remaining oranges, removing even the white rind. You must cut the pulp of the oranges into small pieces, discarding the seeds and stringy parts. You must collect all the pulp and juice in a saucepan (not aluminum).
You must add the apples and the sugar, putting the pot on a medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for about ten minutes. When the apples are cooked, the pot must be removed from the heat and you must pass the mixture to get a thick puree. You must make this puree and put it in the pot again, adding the rind of the two oranges and cook again, bringing the mixture to a boil again. When the jam will become thick like honey, then you must remove from heat and pour it, still hot, in glass jars, closing them tightly.

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The medicative honeys

Premise the abundance of honey plants, including medicinal ones, one must say that there are at least thirty varieties of honey from herbs (gentian honey, thyme honey, lavender honey, etc...). Medicative honeys or mellitus, are obtained by mixing an aqueous solution of one or more drugs with the honey. Medicative honeys an be prepared with either fluid extracts or infusions or decoctions concentrated, adjusting for doses as for the syrup. In some cases, simply add to the honey the medicinal herbs, finely chopped, fresh, or half the amount for the dry ones.

Here are a couple of recipes for the preparation of medicated honeys. (The same operation can be made with many other plants as well).
-Mellitus of roses (or violets)
You must prepare an infusion with 60g of rose petals, collected in May (the petals must first be crushed gently) with 150 grams of water. You must then pass the infusion through a cloth and then add it to 450gr of honey. You will get a very thick syrup with the medicinal properties of the flowers used. If you used the violets, the syrup will have pectoral property, if you used the rose it will have soothing, emollient and slightly astringent properties.
-Mellitus of linden
You must prepare a concentrate infusion with 60gr of linden flowers and 150g of water. After boiling it, you must filter the infusion through a cloth and then add it to 900 grams of honey, making sure to mix very well.You get a syrup to be taken, by spoons, as perspiratory and antispasmodic.

The medicative wines

The medicinal wines are now almost forgotten and abandoned, but these medicinal wines were once much used for a large number of species, both aromatic or medicinal plants.
It is simply the transfer to the wine of the characteristics of medicinal substances in order to use the solvent properties of the wine (well above that of the water, for alcohol it contains and for its slight acidity).These wines can be prepared or by the maceration of herbs or through dilution of the corresponding fluid extracts. In this way you can get wine digestives, tonics, laxatives etc.

Here are some simple examples:
-wine of wormwood
You have to soak 30gr of flowering tops of wormwood in 60g of alcohol (50 °). Then you must add 1l of excellent white wine and allow to rest for a day. You must then filter all the liquid through a cloth and pour it in a glass bottle. You get a wine to take by small glasses, as a digestive.
-wine of cinnamon
You have to soak 30g of cinnamon bark powder in 500gr of wine from Pantelleria and this compound should remain at rest for six days. Then you have to filter all the liquid through a cloth. This is the famous wine of Hippocrates, well known to the ancients. This wine has great tonic and digestive properties.
Similarly prepare the wines of juniper, ginger and cardamom.
-rhubarb wine, composed
You have to soak 30g of rhubarb root powder, 30g marsh mallow root powder, 8gr dried peel of bitter orange, 4g cardamom in 480 g of wine of Pantelleria or in Marsala , and this compound should remain in soak for a fortnight. Every two days, you must shake the bottle. Finally you have to filter all the liquid through a paper. This medicinal wine is also known as "Elixir of health," because of its property on liver and its digestive and tonic properties.

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The New Age Herbalist: How to Use Herbs for Healing, Nutrition, Body Care, and Relaxation

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Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition

Liqueurs and herbal elixir Prescription for Herbal Healing An Easy - to - Use A - Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders &Their Herbal Remedies - 2002 publication

These compounds are obtained by first soaking the herb in alcohol, and then mixing the aqueous solution obtained in the aqueous solution of sugar.
Instead of soaking, you can also use the infusion of herbs bruised or powdered extracts and finally the essences of aromatic species.
Here are some simple recipes to prepare at home for some liquors based on herbs.
-Lemon liqueur
You have to soak, for 15 days in the dark in a closed vessel, the peels of twelve lemons, (the peels must not have the white peel) and 36 fresh leaves of lemon, all in one liter of alcohol. Then add a quart of water, in which were dissolved 800gr of sugar. Let stand briefly, then stir and filter through a sheet of paper. It can be drunk as a digestive after meals.
-Peppermint liqueur
You have to macerate, for fifteen days, 50g of peppermint leaves, fresh, in 500 grams of alcohol (50 °). Then add 150g of water in which were dissolved 150 grams of sugar. Finally filter through a sheet of paper. You can drink it as refreshing and digestive.
In the same way, are to be prepared the liqueurs of Melissa and Cedar.
-Elixir of Coffee
Make infusion with 100gr of coffee powder and 500 grams of water, dissolve in it 500 grams of sugar. When it has cooled, add 200g of alcohol, in which were previously left to soak two vanilla bean. Mix and filter everything through a sheet of paper. You can drink as appetizer and invigorating.
-Elixir of anise
You have to macerate, for fifteen days, 50g of bruised anise seeds in 800dl alcohol, then add a quart of water in which were dissolved 800gr of sugar. Filter the whole through a sheet of paper. It can be drunk as a digestive and tonic.
-Liquor of Alpine juniper
You have to macerate for fifteen days, 30gr of Achillea moschata (or dry Artemisia glacialis) and ten bruised juniper berries in 300g of alcohol. Then add 350g of water in which were dissolved 300g of sugar. Finally filter everything through a sheet of paper. The result is a great mountain liquor to be taken as a digestive.

Medicative syrups

These syrups are solutions of two parts of sugar with one of water (or of the medicative solution). They are an important form of practical use of medicinal herbs.
Medicinal syrups can be prepared or starting from extracts or from tinctures of the select species or even from tea concentrates. It is very important to remain always within the limits of the doses recommended or prescribed.
Here are some simple examples.
-Blackberry syrup (or currants, or raspberries)
You must heat the mixture to double boiler, of 335gr of juice obtained by their fruits and 670gr of sugar. A refreshing and tasty syrup.
-Chamomile syrup
Make an infusion with 10gr of chamomile flowers in 50g of boiling water, then add to the infusion obtained, 65gr of sugar. Calming and soothing syrup, very good for young children.
-Mint syrup (or melissa)
Prepared with 10gr of mint leaves, 5g of alcohol, 50g of water in which have already been dissolved 60g of sugar. Finally, filter everything through a sheet of paper. Refreshing and digestive syrup .

Tinctures of medicinal plants

The tinctures are obtained by employing as a solvent the alcohol at different dilutions with water. The best known are those obtained, for example, from aloe, hive, belladonna, cardamom, eucalyptus, gentian, thrush, rhubarb, scylla, and from saffron.
There are also composite tinctures, here there are some examples.
-"Elixir of Life"
50g of aloe, and 5g for each of the following herbs: gentian, rhubarb, zedoaria, saffron and white agaric. Soak the herbs in 2l of alcohol (60 °). Filter through. Take 10/20 drops dissolved in half cup of water. It has properties invigorating the stomach and it is also a powerful tonic.
-Tincture of wormwood in Venice
50g of wormwood, 20g of bitter orange bark, 10gr calamus root, 10gr of gentian root, 5g of cinnamon. Soak it in 1/2l alcohol for a week. Take 10 drops in half glass of water, in case of dyspepsia and as a digestive.
-Toothpaste tincture of Muller
250gr tincture of lemon balm, 20gr tincture of vanilla, 10gr of tincture of myrrh, 50g of essence of peppermint. Mix all the different, simple tinctures. A few drops in a glass of water serve as a mouthwash for cleaning the teeth.
-Composite tincture against injuries
25gr of arnica flowers, and 25gr of lavender, rosemary and sage. Macerate all herbs in alcohol (80 °) for a week, then press and filter thoroughly. Apply on gauze pads, after having cleaned the wounds, to promote a rapid healing and to prevent the infections.

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Boboli Gardens- Part IV

2010-03-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

-The Islet
At the end of the great avenue, the botanical furniture changes suddenly, disappear the cypress trees and hedges and it comes to the soft forms of the Islet, designed by Giulio and Alfonso Parigi since 1618. The square is surrounded by hedges of oak about 12 feet high, forming a backdrop to the many stone and marble statues depicting various subjects: mythological, historical, rural, commoners.
At the center of the square is the protagonist, the large circular bath, with the island in the middle connected to the mainland by two bridges. The great gates of the walkways are supported by two columns on each of which is the statue of a Capricorn. The sides of the columns are the fanciful fountains shaped as "harpies" men who pay the water in tanks shell-shaped, with a complex decoration of grotesque marine life.
At the axis, perpendicular to the Avenue, are four fountains , two on each side: the fountains of the Harpies and those of putti decorated with entwined dolphins, sea animals, fantastic masks and statues. Near these fountains, marble groups emerge from the water, by the school of Giambologna (1637), of considerable charm: the Perseus on horseback (southeast) and Andromeda with his ankles chained to the rock (northwest); in particular the Perseus has placed itself as jumping out of water, an effect that was highlighted by the fountains. In the middle of the basin, the island is surrounded by a stone balustrade.
The center of the island is decorated by the fountain of the Ocean, by Giambologna, that consists of a base with bas-reliefs (The Rape of Europa, the Triumph of Neptune and The bath of Diana) which supports a vast, circular pool made of granite of the island of Elba , above which rises the group of sculptures of Neptune, surrounded by the reclining river Gods. They represent the Nile, the Ganges and the Euphrates, symbolically pouring their waters into the big pool, representing the ocean. The fountain of the Ocean is more ancient than this part of the garden and once stood at the center of the amphitheater of Boboli, executed for Francis I in 1576 and served as the prototype for all the sculptures of this subject.

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Statues around the Islet:

The Islet, the Fountain:

Statues and Fountains:

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GIAMBOLOGNA An Exhibition of Sculpture By the Master and His Followers, From the Collection of Michael Hall Esq.

-The Hemicycle or the Lawn of the Columns
In Axis with the Avenue, by the small island separated by two trees, marked by a symmetrical neoclassical design with small obelisks, is the large semicircular Square of the House or Lawn of the Columns, so called by the two red Egyptian granite columns that support many vessels of white marble.
The Hemicycle is surrounded on the curved side by twelve green niches with statues (mostly busts of the seventeenth century). The straight hand side consists of a high box hedge of greenery with niches containing four ancient colossal busts: Jupiter Serapis, Jupiter, a male god and perhaps the Emperor Claudius. Remarkable is also the statue of Vulcan, by Chiarissimo Fancelli.

-Towards Porta Romana
The tip of the garden behind the Chamber, is occupied by a roundabout with geometric hedges, where are located numerous stone statues like three grotesque figures of Romulus Tadda depicting Venus, Cupid and the personification of Architecture. Also interesting is the fountain of Botticelli, formed by a statue of a peasant who empty a barrel (of John Fancelli, 1560) in a tank made of a Roman sarcophagus.

Italian gardens of the Renaissance and other studies by Julia Ca

-The limonaia
The doctors were among the first to spread the fashion of citrus fruit in their gardens. Citrus plants are not growing normally in Tuscany because the winters are too rigid, so they were actually considered as exotic plants. Their great ornamental value led to a desire to collect these plants, which had to find shelter during the winter indoors, in buildings dedicated to them, just called "limonaia". These plants should not be planted in the ground, but in large clay pots. The lemon should have a mild but dry microclimate. The limonaia of Boboli is located half way between the Palace and the end of the garden. It is the result of the conversion of a former factory of mosaics, statues and sponges, and it was built around 1778 and designed by Zanobi del Rosso, during a general reorganization of the garden by the Grand Duke Peter Leopold. This site at the time of Cosimo III there was a seraglio of exotic animals, bought or received as gifts from foreign rulers, but also the animals of the kitchen. The facade of limonaia is constructed by the regular repetition of four bays with four windows plus four upper windows separated by pilasters; at the top is a scroll with festoons of fruit and a slightly projecting gable, the panels around the windows have a the "Lorraine Green" also used in Kaffeehaus. But, unlike the latter, the color of limonaia has remained the same over the centuries. A long slightly projecting cornice above the doors concludes the elegant facade. The sculptures on the facade are the Muses, while in the front is the group of Fortuna with a cornucopia, a Roman work copied from Hellenistic sculptures, as well as the piper by Giovanni Battista Caccini.
During the winter, the limonaia is still crowded with a lot of plants, especially citrus fruits, some of which date back to the Medici.

-The house of the Meridian
The Palace of Meridiana, neoclassical work started by Gaspare Maria Paoletti under the Grand Duke Peter Leopold in 1778 and completed by Pasquale Poccianti in 1822-1840, named after the meridian which is inside. It is accessed from Palazzo Pitti. Currently it houses the Gallery of Fashion, but some years ago hosted Collection Contini-Bonacossi.

-The garden of Count
Adjoining to the Lawn of Columns, there is a n hidden garden, very difficult to find out, known as the Sundial Garden of the Count, closed by a gate and shielded by a hedge of oak and laurel.

the Limonaia

Virtual tour of the Gardens

Giambologna tra Firenze e l'Europa: Atti del convegno internazionale, Firenze, Istituto universitario olandese di storia dell'arte (Italia e i Paesi Bassi) (Italian Edition)

GIAMBOLOGNA, 1529-1608, Sculptor to the Medici. Aug.-Sept. 1978. Catalogue edited by Charles Avery and Anthony Radcliffe.

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Boboli Gardens- Part III

2010-03-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

4) The second axis

-The Bird GardenThe ideal entrance of the second axis is called the Bird Garden or "Uccellare" ("Uccellare" means to hunt small birds), located on higher ground and crossed by the Grand Boulevard.
This large meadow is surrounded by oaks and cypresses and it marks the border with the western part of the garden. At the center is decorated with a broken column, while on the one hand there is one of the few contemporary works of the garden: a monumental bronze head by Igor Mitoraj, remained in the garden after the exhibition in 2002. From here you can enjoy a stunning view of neighborhood Oltrarno, beyond the house of the Meridian.

- The Garden of Pegasus
Below the Bird Garden, crossed by zig-zag paths, lies the so-called Garden of the Pegasus, a hilly slope who brings back to the level of the palace, especially in front of the square covered with gravel of the Meridian building. This area owes its name to the marble sculpture of Pegasus, by Aristodemo Costoli 1865. There are other statues and a large pool of gray granite. The large trees that stand isolated and asymmetric remember the taste of the english garden.

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-The Grand Boulevard
The Grand Boulevard (Viottolone) is a wide avenue in steep descent, flanked by two rows of cypress trees planted in 1637, and decorated with numerous beautiful statues, which marks the secondary axis (the six-eighteenth-century south-west) of the garden. The statues, placed symmetrically close to the crossroads with the three cross paths, they are both ancient (Roman) and of recent construction, mainly eighteenth century.
The area to the left of the avenue, once a maze, today has the fascinating serpentine road. In this area remains the central basin of the maze, now surrounded by an elliptical bed. The right side was dedicated to hunting and there is also the walled garden. On both sides of the avenue running two galleries straight suggestively surrounded by vegetation.
The beginning of the Grand Boulevard from the Bird Garden is marked by two statues known as the Greek Tyrannicides, before a backdrop of cypress and laurel hedges. Only the torsos came from ancient statues. The Alley is then cut by three side streets that create six compartments of the garden.
-The first cross-street
The first cross street is an oak pergola forming two tunnels with low stone seats on the sides. Before arriving at the main driveway, the way is marked by two statues; in perspective on the left there is a pool surrounded by an elliptical flower bed, which was the center of one of the labyrinths of this part of the garden.
At the junction with Boulevard, four statues were placed on each corner, all by Giovanni Caccini: Prudence, Aesculapius and Hippolytus dying (from Polyclitus), Autumn and Hygeia. Further, on the right is the Ocean Fountain (it is not the most famous fountain in the Isolotto of Boboli, by Giambologna). This smaller fountain depicts a young man at whose foot is a dolphin who pours water.
-The second cross-street
The second cross street intersects the Avenue at an intersection with three Roman statues, a Senator, a Bacchus and a bald philosopher, while a fourth statue of Andromeda is of the eighteenth century. Down the left, at the cross street near the city walls, we have the perspective view of the colossal bust of Jupiter Olympian, attributed to Giambologna (1560), on a sandstone. Beside the statue is also the curious "fountain of Mostaccini" by Romolo del Tadda (1619-1621), consisting of a series of small pools on different terraces connected by canals and masks who pay the water from one level to the bottom.
-The third cross-street
The third cross-street is on the south-west, from the intersection with the Avenue, and it branches in numerous, complicate and intertwined paths leading to the final segment of the garden. At the intersection of the boulevards, boxtrees hedges designe four exedras in which are placed many statues: Aesculapius, Andromeda, Ninfa and Modesty. To these must be added the neighboring groups of players, according to the taste of eighteenth-century for peasants and commoners themes.

the Bird Garden

The Viottolone from the Bird Garden

romantic view of the Great Boulevard

the Viottolone at sunset

-Various statues of the Viottolone:

The first cross-street

the pergola

The second cross-street:

the colossal bust of Zeus

Fountain of Mostaccini

The third cross-street:

GIAMBOLOGNA An Exhibition of Sculpture By the Master and His Followers, From the Collection of Michael Hall Esq.

Giambologna tra Firenze e l'Europa: Atti del convegno internazionale, Firenze, Istituto universitario olandese di storia dell'arte (Italia e i Paesi Bassi) (Italian Edition)

GIAMBOLOGNA, 1529-1608, Sculptor to the Medici. Aug.-Sept. 1978. Catalogue edited by Charles Avery and Anthony Radcliffe.

The Animals of Giambologna (Great Masterpieces)

Boboli Gardens- Part II

2010-03-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

2) To the left of the first axis

-The Kaffeehause
Going back down the hill to the northeast, where there is the Statue of the Abundance, you will reach the Kaffeehaus, a pavilion with an exotic rococo dome with windows and terraces, by Zanobi del Rosso (1776) , at whose base, surrounded by a double staircase, there is a little cave. The building, that now houses a bar, is in a highly scenic position and is also the visual point of the great avenue which is the second axis of the enlargement of the garden, ideally leading to the Villa Medici at Poggio Imperiale. From here, going toward north, you will arrive at the entrance of the Forte Belvedere, at the foot of the defensive ramparts.
-The lawn of Ganymede
Before the Kaffeehaus is the sloping lawn with the Fountain of Ganymede, the seventeenth century (instead of the marble group, today there is a copy).
-The garden of Madama
On this side, you will also find the little Cave of the Goats or the Cave of Madama, built by David Fortini and designed by Tribolo. Decorated with sponges, stalactites and a marble basin surmounted by four statues of goats who, once, threw the water. The cave is located at one end of the so-called Garden of Madama, with some geometric flower beds, built around 1570 for Joan of Austria. The garden in front of the cave, featuring some flower beds bordered by hedges, is called the Garden of Madama.
-The Garden of Jupiter
Further down below there is the Garden of Jupiter, from the statue of Zeus seated in the centre of it, by Baccio Bandinelli (1556), while near the garden are two large statues of Dacian prisoners,ancient sculptures of the second century, already at Villa Medici; the two submissive barbarians with their hands tied and dressed in red granite are likely to come from the Forum of Trajan.
-The level of the palace
Going down to the level of the building through a serpentine path used by coaches, one arrives at an area covered with gravel, where cars once stationed with horses.
Near the exit on Piazza Pitti is the Fountain of Bacchus, a grotesque example of the style so popular in the gardens of the period between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It is constituted by the Nano Morgante's obese figure, the most popular dwarf in the court of Cosimo I, portrait, by Valerio Cioli, naked and astride a tortoise (1560). The statue is now replaced by a copy.
Slightly further still along the edge is the famous Cave of Buontalenti.

Italian Gardens A Cultural History

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The Kaffeehause

the Cave of the Goats

The Garden of Jupiter

Nano Morgante

Italian Gardens of the Renaissance (Reprint Series)

Italian Villas and Their Gardens: The Original 1904 Edition

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Buontalenti architettura e teatro

MOSTRA DI DISEGNI DI BERNARDO BUONTALENTI, 1531-1608 (Exhibition of Drawings by Bernardo Buontalenti, 1531-1608) - Gabinetto Disegni E Stampe Degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy - 1968

Mostra di Disegni de Bernardo Buontalenti (1531-1608)

-The Cave of Buontalenti
The Cave of Buontalenti or the Great Cave is one of the finest and most famous areas of the Boboli Gardens in Florence.

History: It was begun by Giorgio Vasari, who created the lower part of the facade, but its construction is mainly due to Bernardo Buontalenti, who built it between 1583 and 1593, commissioned by Francesco I de 'Medici. The grotto is a masterpiece of Mannerist culture and is a singular blend of architecture, painting and sculpture.
The external facade: the exterior of the cave heralds the bizarre and amazing internal. It features a large entrance between two columns surmounted by an architrave, with sponge-like stalagmite concretions above the capitals, which seem to be "cast" opening in irregular bezel top, where there are concretions similar to typical stalactite caves . On both sides of the entrance are many niches containing the statues of Ceres and Apollo by Baccio Bandinelli. The upper register, dominated from the opening above, is also decorated with two frames made of mosaics, with colorful pebbles, within which there are stucco with sea scallops and Capricorns. Even the gable is decorated by spongy concretions on each board, while in the center there is the emblem of the Medici. It is assisted by two female figures lying just below, made a relief mosaic.
The first room:
The first room of the cave is much wider than the other and is decorated, where pictorial elements, sculptural and architectural blend giving a sense of wonder and bewilderment.
The theme is the formless matter, the chaos, through the metamorphosis it finds order and harmony, a theme linked to alchemy so dear to Francis I. The walls, because of the rocks, stalactites, sponges, shells seem to be alive, composing an anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures. Only later the image is restored as the scene of a natural grotto in which shelter the shepherds (both made of stucco or fresco) defend themselves from wild animals. The fresco paintings of Bernardino Poccetti blend beautifully with other factors, continuing up to the ceiling that is decorated like a pergola with illusionistic oculus open to the center from which filters the light. At the center of the room is still a fountain with a rock that once oozed water.
The second room : in the second room, aligned between the first and third and smaller in size, we find the similar shells and it is all around decorated with stalactites and frescoes. On the side walls are painted Juno and Minerva by two niches with illusionist eardrum. At the center of this room there is the marble group of Paris carrying off Helen (or Theseus and Ariadne) by Vincenzo de 'Rossi (1560)
The third room: the last room is well laid out like a cave with an artificial sky where the birds fly. The room is dominated by the fountain of Venus emerging from the bathroom, by Giambologna, which rises above the marble basin on which climb the four malicious satyrs. All the decorations can also be read according to an erotic theme that, though sublimated from mythology and philosophical schema, is too obvious to savvy for a modern visitor: in the first room the victims were stunned by the sense of the beautiful and grotesque, in the second issue of the kidnapped beauty, it facilitates attempts to approach, while in the third room the perfect nudity of Venus could provide the final goal of Beauty.

particular of the external facade

an another particular of the external facade

the first room

fresco paintings

the second room

the fountain

Paris carrying off Helen

Venus emerging from the bathroom

Il Luogo Teatrale a Firenze: Brunelleschi, Vasari, Buontalenti, Parigi

L'officina delle nuvole: Il teatro mediceo nel 1589 e gli Intermedi del Buontalenti nel Memoriale di Girolamo Seriacopi (Musica e teatro)

3) To the right of first axis

If from the garden of the Knight, coming down, we go instead to the south, before reaching the Bird Garden (inlet point of view of the second axis of the garden, or the Grand Boulevard) is found a second staircase flanked by hedges and decorated with two seated statues of the Muses. Soon there is the marble group called "Lavacapo" (1595-1597), by Valerio Cioli for Ferdinand I. From here you enter a field that follows from the basin of Neptune, where there are some buildings that once served as homes for gardeners, store tools and plants during the winter. Here lie the dense woods where they put out nets to catch the small birds.
In the shady paths that occupy the space between the amphitheater and the lawn of the Pegasus, surrounded by tall trees, there are two curious architectures covered by domes and partially buried: they are two ice houses of Boboli, the precursors of refrigerators. Here, thanks to the ice that were transported daily from the Abetone and the environment through which recreate the conditions of the caves, the food was stored for the grand ducal kitchens.

the lawn of Pegasus

statue of Athena at sunset

a boulevard leading to the lawnof Pegasus

Boboli Gardens- Part I

2010-03-23T03:54:00.000-07:00

BOBOLI GARDENS- part I

Florence

INTRODUCTION

The Boboli Gardens are an historic park in the city of Florence. They were born as a garden of the Grand Ducal Palazzo Pitti, they are also linked to Fort Belvedere, a military outpost for the safety of the king and his family. The garden, which annually hosts over 800,000 visitors, is one of the most important examples of Italian garden in the world and is a veritable outdoor museum, setting architectural and landscaping for the sculpture collection, which ranging from Roman antiquity to the nineteenth century.

The gardens are behind the Pitti Palace, residence of the Medici first, then of the Lorraine and the Savoy, and were built between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, occupying an area of 45,000 square meters. The first setting of the Renaissance style is visible in the nucleus closest to the palace, new parts were added over the years with different settings: the long axis parallel to the axis of perspective building born of this avenue, from which the unfold gravel paths that lead in ponds, fountains, nymphs, temples and caves. Remarkable is the importance of taking in the garden statues and buildings, as the eighteenth century Kaffeehaus (rare example of rococo), which allows you to enjoy the view over the city, or the Limonaia, still in the original green of Lorraine.
The name "Boboli" may have arisen from the possessions of the Borgoli family, that were in the territory of the church of Santa Felicita Oltrarno. Luca Pitti bought them as allotments in 1418, forty years before starting the construction of the palace who bore his family's name.
With the passage of the Medici property in 1549 for the purchase by Eleonora from Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de 'Medici, began the beautification and expansion, which involved, off course, the garden. It was started by Nicholas Tribolo, the architect who, ten years earlier, had proudly worked on the gardens of the Villa Medici at Castello. Tribolo left a project with the amphitheater, the first axial perspective north-west/south-east, a natural extension of the courtyard of Ammannati, between the palace and the Future Fort Belvedere . The stone used to build the Palazzo Pitti was in fact taken from the basin of the amphitheater, that is artificial. Tribolo died shortly thereafter in 1550, then the direction of the work passed to Bartholomew Ammanati and then to Bernardo Buontalenti. During the reign of Cosimo II (1609-1621) the garden undergone the most great magnification, nearly tripling its size by Julius Parigi and his son Alfonso, the creators of the second axis towards Porta Romana (the so called Viottolone). The garden was opened to the public for the first time, although with proper restrictions, during the reign of Peter Leopold of Lorraine.

- Architecture and landscape
The gardens have an overall configuration of a vaguely elongated triangle, with steep slopes and two almost perpendicular axes that intersect near the Neptune Fountain which stands on the landscape. From the central axis paths, then develop a series of terraces, walkways, prospectic views with statues, paths, clearings, walled gardens and buildings, in an inexhaustible source of curiosity and scenic environments.
Among the various architects, excells the genial figure of Bernardo Buontalenti whom we owe the realization of the Buontalenti Big Cave, a masterpiece of Boboli Gardens. Behind the elegant entrance, supported by precious red marble columns, which dates back to the existing nursery by Giorgio Vasari, the Mannerist fantasy author has created three beautiful and amazing environments inspired by the theme of metamorphosis.

I have often walked in these gardens, so mysterious and fascinating. I can say I know them very well and, having often visited during the year, during different seasons, I took many photos of the various sections of these gardens. If anyone has seen the movie "The secret Garden", will understand perfectly the atmosphere of this vast park full of secrets and unusual and adorable landscapes...

The Pitti palace and its art treasures: A practical guide book with many colour reproductions of the Palatine Gallery, Museum of Silverware, Boboli Garden, ... of Modern Art, Museum of Historical Coaches

Pitti Palace - Art And History - Palatine Gallery, Museo Degli Argenit, State Apartments, Gallery Of Modern Art, Boboli Gardens

The Art of the Pitti Palace With a Short History of the Building of the Palace,

The Italian Garden: Art, Design and Culture (Cambridge Studies in Italian History and Culture)

Family Portrait THE MEDICI OF FLORENCE

Medici: Story of a European Dynasty

modern map of the Gardens

old map of the Gardens

1) The first axis

-The amphitheater
The main axis, centered on the rear façade of the palace, rooms on the hill of Boboli, through a deep horseshoe- shaped amphitheater.
The Amphitheatre is one of the major architectures of Boboli's Garden. Used as a venue for summer performances (especially carousels and ballet on horseback broad stage), is the oldest theater in Florence.
The Boboli hill was used as a quarry of stone since the Middle Ages, for example the father of Arnolfo di Cambio had to extract the material for paving the streets. A deep hollow behind the Pitti Palace is already apparent in the siege of Florence Road in the fresco in the Palazzo Vecchio. Even for the construction of the palace Pitti was taken material from the nearby quarry. The work was started in 1550 (perhaps the preliminary work had taken place the previous year), expanding and regularizing the form the reservoir, with scores of geometric green, composed of oaks and, in the corners, cypress. The work was completed in 1551 when Tribolo had already disappeared and was replaced by David Fortini. Besides the evergreen thickets there were oaks, maples, beeches, limes and two groves of "dwarf fruit". The same year he was made a pipeline carrying water from a fountain at the center of John Fancelli's reservoir, carved in 1553. This decoration was replaced in 1576 by Giambologna's fountain of the Ocean, which now lies to the south, in the 'Islet of Boboli'. In 1561-1564 Ammannati stabilized the original architectural building with the retaining walls, the ornate cornices and other decorations in stone.
In 1615 the idea of the amphitheater "of greenery" was copied by Maria de 'Medici, the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.
-The amphitheater itself: the old set was dismantled in the sixteenth century to create a more complex structure that, through various changes, is what we see today. In 1618 the fountain of the Ocean was dismantled to realize a second ambitious project to create a real theater with bleachers. The work was soon interrupted by the death of Cosimo II. Only in 1630, on behalf of Ferdinand II, he took up the project, which aimed to create a high masonry base, with seven orders of steps, linked to the audience by a system of internal stairs called "Boboli". In practice they could only construct the bleachers on the south side, being on the other side of a rock outcrop. The upper ring was decorated by gray stone niches that still exist, but moved to an another area of the garden, in the "orticini Buontalenti'. There were classical statues, statues inspired by Classical Times (like Apollinaris of Michelangelo, now in the Bargello) and statues of stone dogs that looked towards the palace.By that year the project, to which had also collaborated Alfonso Parigi the Younger, was completed. The building was inaugurated in 1637 during the coronation of Vittoria della Rovere, wife of Ferdinando II de 'Medici, Grand Duchess of Tuscany: on that occasion was staged a carousel horse.
The Lorraine period: later, however, the amphitheater was abandoned as a place of spectacle in favor of Italian opera of modern design. With the architect Jean-Nicolas Jadot of Lorraine, the audience turned into a parterre (a garden with geometric hedges), beautified with five statues taken from the Casino di San Marco. At the time of Peter Leopold there are minor interventions: the stairs, the kiosks and new terracotta pots placed between the newstands. The center of the amphitheater was embellished in 1790 with an Egyptian obelisk, one of the oldest monuments across the region that dates back to 1500 BC and comes from Heliopolis in Egypt. It was brought to Rome from Egypt at the time of Domitian in the Temple of Isis, built in the Campus Martius; after being unearthed at the end of the sixteenth century, it was placed in the garden of Villa Medici in Rome. He was transported to Florence in 1788 for the Grand Duke Peter Leopold, when he gathered all the Medici's collections in town to decorate his palaces. In 1840 was coupled with the large gray granite basin carved from a single block.From the amphitheater there is a fine view of the back of the palace, with wings arranged around the courtyard of the Ammannati, and of the fountain of the Artichoke.The festoons are instead largely the result of the restoration of 1924-1926.

old view of the amphitheater

view with the Aegyptian obelisk

general view

general view from the palace

view of Pitti palace and the fountain of the Artichoke

particular of the fountain of the Artichoke

-The basin of Neptune
Higher than the amphitheater, there is the basin of Neptune, through a double ramp adorned with three statues from Roman times: on the left Septimius Severus, a Roman magistrate on the right (each on a memorial stone), and in the center Demeter on a Roman base. The statue of Demeter is a Roman copy of an original greek, probably by Alcamenes, a pupil of Phidias.
The basin of Neptune, was created in 1777-1778 in place of a nursery. Here are gathered the waters irrigating the whole garden who have their source further higher, in the Garden of the Knight.
At the center of the basin stands the Fountain of Neptune, with the statue of the God of the sea rising from a rocky outcrop on which are also water nymphs and tritons. The main statue is the work of the sculptor in 1571 Stoldo Lorenzi and the fountain is called by the irreverent Florentines "pitchfork's fountain" because of Neptune's trident. Around the fountain, there are terraced lawns, sloping, similar to the amphitheater of which they reproduce the form below. At the top of this area is a statue of Abundance (1636) by Pietro Tacca (in collaboration with Sebastiano Salvini), already begun by Giambologna in 1608. It is a work in white marble with gilded bronze sheaf of wheat. The figure has the appearance of Joan of Austria, wife of Francesco I de 'Medici, and was commissioned as a memorial to a deceased Grand Duchess. Originally the statue was intended for a celebrating column for Piazza San Marco, which was never realized.
In this area, the garden is characterized by defensive walls that extend from near Fort Belvedere, which stands on the left. To soften the view of the wall there are many trees, hedges and a variety of plants that create some picturesque alleys. It is fair and pleasant, while visiting this area, to take time to discover all the alleys and the hidden paths created by high edges, all around this section of the gardens.

a mysterious alley

the roman magistrate on the right

a shadowy path

Fountain of Neptune

The statue of the Abundance

The statue of the Abundance, from an another point of view

-The garden of the Knight

At the height of this axis, located south and out of phase with the city walls to mark the border, lies the Garden of the Knight, one of the walled gardens of Boboli, which is located exactly on a bastion of the fortifications built by Michelangelo in 1529, one year before the siege of the following year. In military architecture, the Knight was a structure built above of a rampart and from this derives the name of the garden. To access it you get on a strange scale, ie ramps and curves cross with a terrace built over a small circular room, this staircase was designed by Zanobi del Rosso between 1790 and 1793. The two statues that decorate the staircase depicting Flora and Jupiter both by Giovanni Caccini the young.
The garden is decorated with low hedges of boxwood that create geometric shapes and contain rare dahlias and roses, which bloom between May and June (but I've found the beautiful rose of the picture, blossoming in December!). The central fountain is called Monkey's fountain, by the three monkeys in bronze at the base of the fountain itself; at the center of the tank, the water gushes from a marble cherub.
Here you will find the casino of the Knight, a building built about 1700, commissioned by Cosimo III, where Cardinal Leopoldo de 'Medici kept his artistic and literary conversations, and where John Gastone had his retirement. The present form is simple, with walls decorated with painted frames and cornice decorated with terracotta statues and vases, are due to the arrangement of Zanobi del Rosso on behalf of the Lorraine, who used it to host the summer festivities of the court. Today it houses the Museum of Porcelain, since 1973.
The privileged position overlooking the back of the Boboli's hill still offers fresh views to the Tower of the Cock, with the agricultural lands with many olive trees, where it seems that the time has stood still.
Under the Casino of the Knight, there is a large store of water, called "basin of the trout", from which begins the pipes to irrigate the whole garden.

hedges of boxwood creating geometric shapes

a beautiful rose of December

The marble cherub of the Monkey's fountain

Landscapes around the Garden

Another view of landscape

How to create a garden of aromatic plants: part two

2010-03-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the necessary completion of the previous article on the design of a garden of aromatic herbs. Necessary because now, here follow a brief description of the main species of aromatic and medicinal herbs , in which description will be provided brief details on the best types of soils and climates for a strong and impressive growth of these plants so beautiful and generous.

Oxalis acetosella (Wood sorrel)

It is a perennial, has a small rhizome, trefoil leaves very similar to those of clover. The flowers have five petals are pinkish-white with darker streaks.
Is a plant that loves shade, as it naturally grows in shady woods and meadows, especially in northern Italy, so it is a strong plant, resistant to the cold of the winter season, snow and frost. Is a plant that can grows in any terrain, in any case it prefers light soils poor in calcium. It loves the shade, but it is not afraid of the sun. In the gardens, as well as for its aromatic and medicinal virtues, it is grown for its attractive flowering that occurs in the spring.

Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)
This plant is also called "devil's claw" ; is a perennial herb with tall and slender stem. The leaves are alternate and finely pinnate and jagged. It blooms during all the summer, its flowers are white, or pink, small and compact. This plant is very strong and durable, I have found it even above 2000 meters altitude in the Alps, it grows wild and is easy to find it in fields and meadows, sometimes for its remarkable expansion is considered as a common weed.
It prefers full sun areas, but it is not reluctant to grow in shaded areas, as it is a very rustic plant that does not require special attention. For cultivation in the gardens, there are particular varieties with red flowers, suitable for the formation of flower broths, or there are also some dwarf varieties that are very appropriate in rock gardens.
This plant is one that needs not a lot of water (just after sowing) and when the climate turns cold, we must cut the base and protect the roots with straw in the event of very cold winters. If the plant is cut at 8cm above the ground, you can get three harvests per season.

Laurus nobilis (Laurel)
It is a dioecious shrub,evergreen, with an ash-colored bark and lance-shaped leaves, slightly wavy on the edges. It can reach 10m in height, appearing as a small tree rather than as a plant. The flowers are very small and white, they appear in spring and are of short duration. The fruit is only found in female specimens, is a berry ovoid, first green and then matured, bluish black, each berry contains only one seed. It prefers sunny areas, it grows spontaneous in Mediterranean climate zones along the coast and near the lakes. It has not special needs, but it prefers surely the areas sheltered from the cold winter winds and it can not tolerate the prolonged cold, although you can grow it in large pots to be removed indoors during the winter. It is also used in gardens for ornamental purposes, for its dense foliage that lends itself very well to the formation of hedges, also because it is not affected negatively by the pruning to give the plant the desired shape.

Anethum graveolens (Dill)

It differs from the wild fennel only for the bitter taste of the leaves. It is an annual plant, has a cable trunk, it is light green. It blooms abundantly from June until September, with small yellow flowers gathered in umbrellas. It originated in Europe, it is found wild in the plains and hills (never more than 600m above the sea level), it prefers grasslands and abandoned lands. It is cultivated for its aromatic properties, but we must have great care in choosing the location to plant it in a garden, because it loves only the sun and heat and it is very much afraid of the cold and of the wind. Always it needs a lot of water so the soil must always be well drained to prevent the formation of rot at the roots, but once that has taken root, this plant becomes "permanent" and reproduce itself, year after year, thanks to its own seeds.

Angelica archangelica (Angelica)
It is a perennial herb, alpine, good looking and it easily reaches large sizes. It has a large root and a tall stem, the leaves are green in the lower page, are very long and have serrated edge. The flowers are white or greenish yellow, are placed on top of the plant, grouped in an umbrella. The flowers appear only in the summer of the second year after birth, and it blooms all summer in mild and temperate cliamtes. Although very often it is cultivated in gardens, it is rare to find it in the wild, in wetlands and mountain meadows. It prefers deep, fertile soils and a temperate climate with mild winters and summers not too dry.

Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood)

It is a vigorous plant that tends to take on the appearance of shrubs, has an erect stem that can reach the meter in height. The leaves are dark green in the upper side and silvery on the bottom, the whole plant is covered with a thick silver hair. The flowers are small, meeting heads, are yellow, are contained in a green and white wrapper. It grows naturally from the plains to the mountain, in fallow fields and along roads and trails. It prefers arid and rocky soils, very well exposed to the sunlight, and it should not be exposed to excessive cold.

Ocymum basilicum (Basil)
It is an annual plant, the stem is erect and branched. The leaves differ depending on the variety, for the shape and the size, however, they are usually oval pointed, opposite and darker on top. The flowers are small but very beautiful, white or pink, and appear in summer. This plant is very delicate and sensitive to frost, so if you live in cold areas, it is best to plant it in large pots that can be brought inside when the temperature drops below 10 degrees. Its only requirement concerns the climate, because, for the rest, it is a plant very resistant to diseases and it has a very fast growing and flourishing.

Borrago officinalis (Borage)

It is an annual plant, its trunk is hollow, fleshy and covered with whitish hairs. The leaves are alternate, covered with white hairs, the flowers are beautiful, a deep purple color or blue, star-shaped, arranged in clusters. It blooms from May to September. It grows in the wild especially in fallow fields and along the edges of roads in all the Mediterranean countries in temperate climate (Greece, southern Italy, Spain etc..). It is a plant that was appreciated a lot in the past, now it is grown in gardens a little 'less, it is very rustic and has not any special need. Only it wants well-drained soil and plenty of sun exposure, of which it is a great lover, it does not fear too much the cold but, like all aromatic herbs, want lots of light and ample space to be able to reproduce itself from its seeds.

Calendula officinalis (Marigold)

It is also called "carnation of Spain". It is an herbaceous plant, perennial or annual, with branched stems, often forming large bushes. The flowers can have a diameter up to 10cm, are yellow orange, while budding they have a very pleasant smell but then became uncomfortable when they are dry. The whole plant is covered with soft hair and, if rubbed, gives off a very pleasant fragrance. It grows easily in the wild, but very often it is cultivated mainly for ornamental purposes, thanks to its long flowering ranging from late winter to early autumn. It requires a land not too dry and a sunny position, it does not fear the winter, but it must be protected from the excessive moisture.

Matricaria chamomilla (Chamomile)

It is an annual plant with tall, erect and much branched stem. Its leaves are light green and bi-pinnate. The flowers appear from May to September, are very numerous and very fragrant, with a yellow heart surrounded by small white petals. It is frequently found in the wild in Mediterranean countries, on dry land, in fallow lands, particularly along the country lanes. It can be easily confused with the Chamomilla inodora, but this one does not smell nor have any medicinal property.
It is easy to cultivate, on the plains and hills, but you have to choose a dry land, with excellent exposure to the sun, the soil must be very dry and slightly chalky. Often, once it has been sown, it multiplies spontaneously.

Coriandrum sativum (Coriander)

It is an annual plant, it has an erect stem. The leaves can have different forms but all give off an unpleasant odor. The flowers are white or pink, gathered in umbrellas, they appear in spring or early summer. Now it's almost impossible to find it in the wild, if that happens it is only because some seeds escaped from cultivated specimens.
Not require a particular ground, the only thing it needs is a continuous exposure to the sun. Depending on the region's climate, one must carefully choose the variety to be cultivated: one must avoid the varieties with large fruits, in the mountains and hills where are possible late frosts, and therefore in this case are preferred varieties with smaller fruits, more rustic and resistant. The seeds, freshly harvested, have the same unpleasant odor of the plant, but, when dried, they have the unmistakable sweet smell of the spice.

Carum curvi (Caraway)

It is a biennial, herbaceous plant with an erect and thin stem, much branched from the ground up. The flowers appear in May / June, are white or greenish and are collected in umbrellas. In the wild it grows in meadows and pastures in the submontane area and on mountain climber. It prefers neutral soils or slightly alkaline, sandy and very sunny. It does not need much water, except after sowing and in the case of very dry summers, and it does not fear neither cold nor frost, once it has already reached two years of age.

Artemisia dracunculus (Tarragon)

It is an herbaceous perennial plant, deciduous, it forms frequently large bushes up to almost one meter high. The leaves are light green, linear, long and thin. The flowering season is from July to October, with small but very fragrant flowers, yellow, collected in panicles. The Tarragon is of two varieties: one comes from Russia, it is found in the wild when some seeds escape from family farming; the other comes from France, but it is sterile and can not be found naturally in the wild but must be played for division of assets . The first type is more rustic and robust, while the second is more subtle but definitely better in terms of aroma.
The best soil for its cultivation must be deep and fertile, well sheltered from the wind and constantly exposed to sunlight, because this plant is very much afraid of the frost.

Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssop)

It is a perennial plant, bushy, whose stems are thick, thin and erect. Flowers (vaguely reminiscent of lavender flowers) are blue violet, more rarely white pink, they appear in high summer on the higher leaves. In the wild, it grows in temperate and mild climates, preferring warm and sunny hilly areas, on dry and stony soils. It grows very easily, it multiplies by seed spontaneously. You must choose a place completely exposed to the sun all day, because it fears much the cold and the frost, the soil may be dry but must always be a well-drained soil.

Lavandula officinale (Lavander)

It is a perennial and evergreen plant, with erect branches, but on the sides they are slightly broken. This plant has a facility clearance, and it is a branched herb in all the year until the end of flowering; it becomes woody until the following spring. The leaves, in June / July, are surmounted by slender stalks that bear, on their top, a spike of violet-blue flowers. It is found in the wild in all coastal areas of the Mediterranean sea but it is also cultivated everywhere, through its adaptation of its ornamental bushes, silvery gray, for its beautiful flowers and for its sweet aroma. It prefers limestone soils, dry and free of stagnant water, and the place in which it grows must be very well exposed to the sun.
It does not fear the cold and this plant is very resistant to even more cold winters, what is most important for its growth is especially a lot of sun light.

Origanum majorana (Marjoram)

It is an herbaceous perennial, it has erect stems and rich branches. The leaves are small, oval, and slightly covered with dense hair. It blooms in summer with small white-rose flowers in spikes. This plant is of Asian origin and has a strong scent, and precisely because of its intense aroma is very common in gardens. It grows well in hot or temperate climates, it loves the hot and sunny position, in areas with harsh climate it changes from perennial to annual plant and, at the arrival of the cold, it dies. In areas of the temperate climate is sufficient to cover and protect the roots during the winter. It is very sensitive to excessive humidity, it must be watered only when there are very dry summers, or in the garden is sufficient rainwater.

Malva silvestris (Mallow)

It is a biennial plant, sometimes perennial, bushy, with upright gait. The flowers bloom from April to October, in pairs, are usually pink with purple longitudinal streaks darker.
It is a plant of campaign, it grows easily and spontaneously from the coast to the mountains in countries with a Mediterranean climate, often grows wild even in the gardens. It prefers rich, fertile soils, in areas with temperate climates and well exposed to sunlight.

Melissa officinalis (Melissa)

It is also known as Citronella for its intense lemon fragrance that emanates on contact. It is an herbaceous perennial with stems very erect, the leaves are bright green, heart shaped, shiny and covered with hair on top, opaque at the bottom. The flowers appear from May to August, are yellowish white first and then, once fertilized, light pink. It is a plant that comes from Asia but has spread to all Mediterranean countries, it is easily found in the wild, along fences, ditches and trails from the low plains up to 1000m of altitude. This plant likes cool and shady soils, not so much afraid of the cold and shadow, but rather of the excessive heat and sun, so you must water it thoroughly and regularly throughout the summer.

Mentha piperita (Peppermint)

It is a perennial herb with a root system well developed, the stem is erect and purplish-green, the leaves are deep green, opposite, their margin toothed. The flowers, grouped in spikes, appear in July and have red and rosy colour, an intense and pleasant aroma. It is much cultivated, but it is also found in the wild, although in lesser amounts than other species of mint (M. aquatica, M. longifolia etc.). It has no special needs, the temperate zones are more suited to its cultivation, the best lands are those rich in organic matter and dry. If not contained, this plant can invade the entire flower bed with its thick roots.

Origanum vulgare (Origanum)

It is an herbaceous perennial. The flowers are red or white, gathered in spikes forming panicles, they appear in midsummer. It is a typical Mediterranean plant, it prefers areas exposed to full sun, drought, it is found growing naturally throughout the Mediterranean area. It grows easily in both north and south areas, from the sea to the mountains, but it prefers a temperate climate and its flavor is more intense if it grows in a sunny position. It is incredibly durable and strong, and no diseases are reported to which it could be subject, it is only necessary to take care to avoid stagnant water and the frozen of the winter or of the spring.

Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)

It is an evergreen shrub, a bush in the family of the Labiatae. The stem can be high by a few tens of cm up to two / three meters in height, the stem is initially prostrate at the base, where it occasionally produces many natural offshoots, then becomes gradually more and more erect and much branched. The leaves are leathery and persistent, have a linear form with the folded edge down, the upper surface is green and glossy, the lower one is white, because of unbranched and glandular hairs. The flowers are present for most of the year in the warmer parts of the Mediterranean coastline, they are of a beautiful color blue violet or lilac, and are grouped in cluster, have five petals, three upper and two lower. It loves the sun and the heat, it fears only the cold and, above all, the prolonged frost, but aside from the cold, it is a rustic plant, highly resistant, which does not need particularly fertile or treated ground, does not need rain and is not subject almost to any illness or infection, to which are often subject all plants.

Ruta graveolens (Rue)

It is a perennial, glabrous, green-colored ash. The branches are herbaceous, with small leaves very small, that give off a strong smell and rather unpleasant. From May to September it blooms with tiny yellow flowers. There is also a very decorative variety with gray-blue foliage. Is not very widespread in the wild but it is frequently seen in the Mediterranean area. It prefers dry, calcareous, stony soils and well exposed to the sun. In early winter we must cover the roots with straw, while it is necessary to water frequently during extremely dry summers.

Salvia officinalis (Sage)

It is an evergreen shrub, with stems much branched and woody at the base. The leaves are grayish green, thick and wrinkled, the young ones are covered with dense hair. The flowers appear at the apex of the stem at the end of spring, are blue violet. It is common in southern and island regions in the wild, from the coast up to 800m altitude. Preferably growing on calcareous and stony soils. It is a plant who loves the heat and sun, tolerate the drought well, but is also resistant to winter frosts, being a rustic plant, it adapts well to any type of climate and terrain.

Satureja hortensis (Savory)

It is an annual plant with branching stems. The branches are ascending and quadrangular, lead opposite leaves light green and covered with a light fuzz. The flowers appear in summer, are white or pink. It is not very widespread in the wild, it grows in the northern plains and hills. It is one of the easiest herbs to grow, it develops without any difficulty in any type of terrain, especially on those dry and well exposed to the sun. The plant reproduces by itself, without sowing it every time, and therefore can become a weed in the garden.

Taraxacum officinalis (Dandelion)

It is an herbaceous perennial, green, with short stature. The leaves are arranged in rosettes and, if cut, emit a white sap. The flower is composed of large heads of deep yellow color. It is very common in the wild, there is a bit 'everywhere, from the plains up to high altitudes in the mountains, fields and pastures, forests and on roadsides. Not very cultivated, it adapts well to any soil, preferring those that are well endowed with organic matter. It adapts well to dry climates and almost devoid of rainfall and also safely survive in very cold winters.

Thymus vulgaris (Thyme)

It is a small and perennial shrub, it forms very compact shrubs. The trunk is full of branches that become woody with great ease. The leaves are very small, silvery green, the flowers are white or rosy lilac, they appear from spring until late summer, grouped in spikes. It is so common that it can be seen everywhere, from the lowlands up to 2000m in elevation, typically it develops in environments poor, barren and stony. It is a very rustic plant that grows well almost anywhere, but prefers stony soils and limestone, well exposed to the sun. It not requires any special care, only the cleaning of weeds because, being very low, it can be hidden by plants more luxuriant.

Flowers of Springtime: the Primrose and other blooms

2010-03-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Primrose

The primrose is a plant of the family Primulacee (there are, by approximation, at least two hundred different species, all belonging to the same family). It blooms between March and late April. It can be seen from the range of hills to the Alpine belt, it prefers fertile, moist soils and can grow both in the shadows as in the sun. It grows in moist, deciduous forests and grassland. In fact, all the photographs I made of this flower, I've taken in a very humid forest, traversed by a brook and surrounded by fallow fields and ruined homes. This is a protected species.

It resembles very much the primula veris, and the flowers have a pale yellow corolla (but the flowers have a wide range of colors and, sometimes, can be scented), the flower has five petals, heart shaped, the calyx of the flower is very tight .

I found these days a very abundant blossoming, helped by the warm weather of the spring. This plant blooms when the insects are still very few (I've only seen two bees and a pale green butterfly visit these tender flowers), and because of this, its flowers are often not pollinated. Shakespeare, in "The Winter's Tale," has drawn a poetic metaphor: "the pale primroses who die unmarried".
Its name reflects its early birth; in the language of flowers, it has inspired the symbol of the first youth. Lovers have endeavored to tell the beloved: "The key to my heaven is in your heart." with this flower.
Like everything announcing the new season and the renewal of the year, the primrose is also a symbol of good luck and good wishes (for example in England, where such a plant also known as "bunch of keys").
The primrose is considered a "Plant of Fairies".

This plant is popular for its numerous medicinal properties; it is rich in active ingredients such as saponins, flavonoids, etc.. It is used as an expectorant and against respiratory diseases, it is indeed an excellent sedative for the cough: the dried flowers are used to improve the herbal against the cough, as well as sweating and tranquilizer. The root has a diuretic property, but it is also used against rheumatic pains; it also has a stimulating effect on the sneezing. In homeopathy, it is used in cases of cardiovascular weakness and headache.
The cowslip's wine is obtained by putting the flowers in a bottle and covering them with white wine: this preparation promotes the good circulation. The dried flowers are also used to prepare an aromatic tea but with no exciting action, to perfume the beer and to improve the bouquet of wine. Prepared as candied, they become a delicious dessert.
In the wild, it should not be collected because it is a protected plant, but it may be cultivated. The time of harvest, in this case, is: the roots in autumn, the leaves before flowering and the flowers, the perfect ones, towards the end of March and in April (if they are still in the period of full bloom: this depends on climate and the variety of flower).

The florist's guide and cultivator's directory: Containing coloured figures of the choicest flowers cultivated by florists : including ranunculus, carnations, ... of the most approved methods of culture

PRIMROSES, COWSLIPS, PANSIES AND PEAS

Our common wild flowers of springtime and autumn

SPRINGTIME FLOWERS EASY LESSONS IN BOTANY

Gardens, birds and flowers: A springtime list

Primulas, for garden and greenhouse

Primulas in the garden

http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/primrose.htm : How to grow Primrose plants, or Primula, a hardy perennial flower, that includes a wide range of varieties.
http://www.plantideas.com/in/in35.html : The fairy primrose, Primula malacoides, has loose clusters of small, delicate flowers borne on thin stems, which tower above the slightly hairy leaves. ...

http://www.gardenguides.com/primrose-flower/ : Primrose Flower. Learn about Primrose Flower on GardenGuides.com. Info and videos including: How to Prune Primrose, How to Winterize Primrose, ...

http://www.plantguide.org/primrose.html : Primrose flower Among the many beautiful blossoms to be found in the field, the forest, or the garden, probably none have served to inspire the poet more ...

Lunar calendar for gardening

2010-03-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Is lost in the mists of time, the knowledge of the fact that the Moon has a direct influence on the biological behavior of all plants and, consequently, on farming practices, and it determines their success or their failure.
The advices, that came from the peasant wisdom, belong to a tradition as old as the world, and probably it's began when the men began to sow their fields and started making agriculture their only method of survival.The "watching the sky and then sow" fits in very well in the current climate of rediscovery of Nature and its delicious secrets, forgotten because of the cold rationalism that dominates the modern life and that was threatening to erase from the memory of men these ancient knowledges. There is a deep connection between lunar phases and natural phenomena that take place on earth. The focus falls mainly on those events that have teh character of periodicity, remarkably regular, just like those typical of the vegetation, of course, that are highly dependent on the course and return of the seasons.
The alternation of phases of the Moon perfectly evokes the inexhaustible and continuous cycle that characterizes the entire plant world. Since time immemorial this phenomenon has been noticed and studied with great care, not only in Europe but among all the ancient civilizations of the world, only in 1600, however, some scholars attracted to this ancient knowledge, have picked up the topic and have began a critical study, based on scientific method, to discover which and how much influence The moon has on the Earth and its elements.
The well-known influence of the moon on tides is a proof that the moon exerts against the Earth, an attraction which, mainly, affects the bodies who consist largely of water. Is believed that the Moon "moves the humours" of the bodies of living beings, ie the blood of all animals and the sap of plants, activating their movement in favor of biological functions.
One can say that it is rooted in the human mind from the very beginning, the idea of the link between the appearing and disappearing of the Moon and the birth and death of human beings, between increasing phases and growing, between waning phases and decay.
The lunar calendar existed since time immemorial. A lunar month corresponds roughly to a calendar month, every month the moon may in turn be divided into shorter periods, corresponding to approximation: a quarter of the moon for each week. But, since the Moon makes its way through, delaying slightly each day, there cannot be an exact correspondence between the date of the month and moon phase. That's why, for example, the Hindu Festival calendar, a lunar calendar very old, always sees the change, every year, of the dates of the holy holidays, and a feast shall never fall on the same day of the last year, because of this continuous change of the phases of moon.

the lunar phases, the climate and the weather previsions

Since antiquity it is known that the moon has some influence also on the "atmospheric tides". The higher deductions in this field were gathered by Erato of Soli, a greek astronomer by 270 BC, who wrote a didactic poem, "The phenomena and predictions".
Here's a short list of "weather signs" most followed, both among farmers and among seafarers: -disk white and clear: beautiful climate and serene;
-the rising of the moon, the horns of the crescent have little brightness, or have dark edges: bad weather, possible storms;
-pale-disc, surrounded by colored halos, when they are close, then the weather will be cloudy and sunny, but if they are distant, bad weather and rain should be expected;
-disk with reddish hues: wind.
A phenomenon linked to the full moon in late April-early May, is indicated by the word "Red Moon". During this time, the sky is often quite calm and the air is crystal clear, and the moon seems very bright: in conjunction with this clearness of the atmosphere, the night temperature drops considerably compared to daylight, and causes the so-called white frost, due to the formation of a thin layer of frost on the young shoots that, at dawn, appear reddish.
The most reliable estimate is that which is based on the presence of halos and shades of color. These phenomena are in fact visible when the atmosphere is rich in moisture and is therefore very likely that they are to be expected rain clouds. The moonlight through the tiny water droplets that are suspended in the air, undergoes a phenomenon of refraction, similar to that which causes the appearance of the rainbow after a storm.

Other beliefs about the weather and moon phases:
-The time that occurs with the new moon is to last;
-are more numerous the sunny days during the initial part of the last quarter;
-are more numerous the overcast days in the period immediately preceding the new moon.

The Moon and the Zodiac

Some believe that the influence of the Moon on Earth is correct, and complicated, by the constellations that the Moon encounters during his journey in the zodiacal band, ie the ring of the sky where you can observe the movements of the Sun, Moon and other planets.
The zodiac was originally divided into twelve sectors of 30 ° each, each of which corresponds to a constellation, characterized by a zodiac sign. It is thought that, even in agriculture, we should exploit the combined effect of moon phases and astrological signs conducive to perform individual work and for the various plant species.
However, the already difficult connection between season, the weather and moon phase, it becomes even more difficult to determine when we consider also the signs of the zodiac. This is also due to the phenomenon of downgrading of the spring equinox (around 50''per year), because of which each constellation gradually slips in front of the field that bears his name, which was established in ancient by ancient astronomers and scholars. For example, where 3500 years ago, there was the Ram, today you find the Fishes. This means in practice that each sign corresponds to the constellation which precedes it. Signs that have a similar influence on vegetation are at the top of an ideal triangle, and hence the twelve constellations are grouped in four stingrays:
1) Triangle of the Heat: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
2) Triangle of the Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
3) Triangle of the Light: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
4) Triangle of the Water : Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Signs of Heat are favorable to crops who desire heat (vegetables, fruit, corn); Earth Signs stimulate root development, and therefore all the underground vegetables (carrots, turnips, onions), the signs of Light are auspicious to each crop, but in particular the cultivation of flowers, signs of Water are particularly suitable for the cultivation of vegetables, tender and juicy (salads, tomatoes, zucchini, etc..).

The Moon and the plants, other notes

Suggestions of the Tradition

"hard moon" and "soft moon": the peasant tradition recommends to sow the grass in strict lunar phases, depending on the type of crop you want.
The waning moon is called the "tender" because it promotes the development of herbaceous stems, with its abundant production of forage.
The crescent moon is called "hard" because, in contrast, induces an early and abundant earing, with its production of grain.
The lawn sown in the declining phase is maintained, in the long, young and green, while that sown in the growing phase prematurely ages and yellow in a hurry.

> Waning Moon: sow and plant vegetables under the ground or plants that grow near the ground. In the kitchen garden, carrots, onions, turnips and spinach etc, salads etc.. in the garden, bulbs and tubers to regenerate, and even by planting ground cover and edging.

> Crescent Moon: sow and plant plants that grow on the earth, in which the flowering and fruit production are linked to a remarkable luxuriance of vegetation. In the kitchen garden, tomatoes, beans, eggplant, etc.. in the garden, flowering vines, roses burgeoning etc.

Schedule of interventions in the garden and orchard

-Sowing and planting
Though the crescent moon is found to be conducive to germination and to engraftment, in practice this is what recommends the tradition:

> Crescent Moon: sowing and planting those species in which the vigor is not in contrast with the flowering or fruit production, but on the contrary it is essential to support them.In the garden: flowering plants in general, climbers in particular, re-bloom roses, hydrangeas etc.In the kitchen garden: tomatoes, eggplants, beans, peppers, etc..

> Moonset: sowing and planting those species in which the vegetative development is inversely proportional to the flowering and fruit production.
In the garden: the species border and ground cover, which, for having flowers, must be kept low and compact. In the kitchen garden: lettuce, spinach, radishes, which tend to get up early with their flowering stem, ending their cycle.
-bare-root transplants
These types of transplants are performed with the waning moon, which assist in the resting phase, during which we proceed with just the planting of trees without the bread of earth.
-bulbs, tubers and rhizomatic
With the crescent moon will be planted bulbs and tubers that you want to flourish.
With the waning moon will grub up the bulbs underground to store them.
-multiplication
With the crescent moon is to made layers, spurs, a division of assets, planting of suckers: for the rooting is necessary that the plant is in full swing and full of juice. With the waning moon bury the cuttings, so that the nutrient substances will remain available to the roots that need to grow, and not instead referred to the quotes, as in the increasing phase.
-Grafts
Always perform them with the crescent moon, because the plants must be in full operation, to allow the removal of the cortex and the rapid welding of tissues in contact. This also applies to grafts performed during the winter rest.
-Pruning and chamfer
With the crescent moon, the stimulating effects of pruning in the era preceding the awakening of vegetation as well as those of the summer flock, are assisted by the influence of the moon.
With the waning moon, the depressing effects of pruning performed in the course of vegetative growing became more marked, while the stimulating effects of green topping become more marked.
-Harvest: given the lunar influence on the circulation of juices in plant tissues, it is recommended:
with a crescent moon, gather vegetables and fruits for fresh consumption, and in general all those products that you appreciate for the tenderness and juiciness.
with a waning moon, harvest seed, such as beans, peas, as also tinned tomatoes, fruit for jam, nuts like walnuts and hazelnuts, and in general all the products for the conservation and of rescheduled use.

Moon Phases

The calendar of the garden

January-waning moon
-Trees and shrubs that lose their leaves, are planted when they are completely at rest, so they do not suffer from the low temperatures and possible drought.Complete the cleansing of the dead parts and of the branches damaged.
-Rose: they need to be planted at this time, in cold climates, where they give no sign of revival.

February-crescent moon
-Trees and flowering shrubs: species are pruned that have already bloomed (Calicanto, Witch Hazel), so, at once, they start to form new buds. The same treatment should be given to plants that have lost the berries (Pyracantha, Cotoneaster etc.).
February-waning moon
-Annual: they are to be sown in the middle of the month, under shelter, for early spring flowering species (Ager, Petunia, Salvia etc.).
-Perennials: Spring-flowering species are divided and replanted, if you have not already done so in the autumn (Aubrezia, Arabida etc.). Vivacious species, or those who lose their bright leaves, are to be divided before awakening (Astro, Saponaria, Valerian,etc..).
-Lawn: at the awakening of vegetation, rake, mop up, sow to thicken stains dry.
-Climbing: the annuals of great development are sown directly into the ground, covered with dry leaves (morning glories, sweet peas, Ipomea etc.).
-Trees and shrubs: those with bare root are to be planted not later than the end of the month. Carry out pruning, but not in areas that have late frosts.
-Hedges: Prune species that lose their leaves, to restore the geometry in view of the spring.

March- crescent moon
-Trees and flowering shrubs: prune all species that have already bloomed in this month (Forsizia etc.)
-Annual: sow all the species that have the flowering in summer / autumn (Zinnia, Cosmea etc.), also directly in the soil, but under shelter at night.
-Bulbs/ tubers: sow all the plants that have the flowering in summer/ autumn (garlic, amaryllis, mombrezia, Dalia, etc.) but the buds must already be in the process of awakening.
-Moltiplication: the plants that are already in the state of awakening, are reproduced by cuttings, layering and offshoot.
-Hydrangeas: as soon as the buds begin to swell, prune or above a bud to flower (large) or above a bud wood (thin): the first to stimulate flowering, the second to encourage the growth of new branches.
-Perennials: the flowering annuals are replanted immediately (Campanula, Aubrezia etc.).
March-waning moon
-Trees and shrubs that lost their leaves: the last time to sow them in the earth. Be careful of their need of water, modest but steady.
-Rose: sow those that have their bread of earth. Prune carefully the burgeoning varieties.

April- crescent moon
-Annual: the species that have the flowering in summer/ autumn can be still sown, but they must be under shade during the day. Are to planted in the open all the species sown in vases.
-Bulbs/ tubers: it is the last moment to plant bulbs and tubers, flowering in summer / autumn, provided that they are equipped with well-developed buds. (Amaryllis, Dahlia, Begonia, Canna etc.)
-Moltiplication: cuttings and layers give excellent results in this month.
-Perennials: prune the plants with long stem, so that they could create compact clumps before their blossoming
-Hedges: prune all the species, energically.
April- waning moon
-Leafy perennial: species grown for their foliage should be divided and pruned frequently to ensure they run out.
-Rose: cut the wild stems arising at the base from the roots and along the stem of the tree, below the point of grafting.
-Hedges: prune, especially in places where they tend to escape from the established forms.

May- crescent moon
-Trees and flowering shrubs: must be cut soon the withered tops, to allow plants to form new flower buds for the following year (save the species with berries such as Pyracantha).
-Annuals: must be planted with the bread of earth, the autumn flowering ones (Ager, lobelia etc.).
-Perennials: must frequently be pruned the continues flowering species (Alissa, Achillea etc.).
-Rose: the time of their complete flowering. You must gradually remove the faded flowers, cutting off below the third / fourth leaf.
May- waning moon
-Trees and shrubs: you must remove the branches that have no buds or those above the flowers. Time of suckering along the trunks and at the base of the plants.
-Perennials: thinning and clean up, uproot the plants that tend to invade the spaces or appear exhausted and dry.
- Lawn: shear with care, severing only the regrowth.
-Rose: the varieties that don't flourish again, are to be induced to sleep, so that they can have the time to form new shoots, pruning the branches to 5 cm from the branch insertion.

June- crescent moon
-Trees and flowering shrubs: is the last possible moment to remove the branches that have finished flowering. (Lille, viburnum, spirea etc.).
-Moltiplication: cuttings and layers give excellent results with woody branches newly formed.
-Perennials: the grass withered, especially the species ground- cover, must be cut at the base to stimulate new growth
-Climbing: the. herbaceous vines are shortened drastically in favor of the next annual flowering.
June-waning moon
-Bulbs and tubers: you must cut the leaves of the species that have finished flowering. Must weed, and replant immediately organs of the hardy species; the organs of the non hardy species are extracted and preserved by the rules. Must pick up the small bulbs, born around the main one, and cultivate them in a suitable ground, and well fertilized, to make them swell.
-Lawn: it must be cut frequently, before the grasses make the ears and become yellow, and before the weeds go to flower, causing their dissemination.

July- crescent moon
-Bulbs and tubers: must plant the autumn flowering species (Dalia, lily etc.).
-Moltiplication: must perform the cuttings and layers with woody branches, branches of flowering shrubs and herbaceous species and creepers.
-Perennials: most of them are in full blossoming and flowering (valerian, saponaria etc.); frequent removal of withered flowers.
-Rose: the varieties that don't flourish again have completed the rest, must be awakened by cutting at the base the thicker branches, of very dark wood, and you should prune also the branches of the previous year.
The varieties that flourished again need to be supported by cutting the branches withered, to a third of their length.
July- waning moon
-Trees and flowering shrubs: it's always necessary to remove the withered flowers in order to preserve the beauty of the whole foliage.
-Biennial plants: you must sow the seeds so that they can form a good root system before winter.
-Bulbs and tubers: you must cut the leaves of the species that have finished flowering. Must weed, and replant immediately organs of the hardy species; the organs of the non hardy species are extracted and preserved by the rules. Must pick up the small bulbs, born around the main one, and cultivate them in a suitable ground, and well fertilized, to make them swell.
-Hedges: you must eliminate the growth gradually.

August- crescent moon
-Bulbs: the species that bloom in late winter are to be planted, in places that have short summers.(Snowdrops, Tulips, Crocus etc.).
-Grafts: you must do them, when the bud is dormant.
-Moltiplication: cuttings and layers of the evrgreen species.
-Perennials: species that bloom in late winter should be transplanted (Aubrezia, primrose etc.).
-Lawn: the vegetation should be revived and supported by shearing and irrigation.
-Climbing: the evergreens are pruned to avoid being drained internally (honeysuckle, ivy, passion flower, etc..).
-Rose: you must gradually remove the faded flowers, cutting off below the third /fourth leaf.
August- waning moon
-Trees and shrubs: the withered plants are to be pruned to rebalce the foliage.
-Moltiplication: you must take the branches of the year, to make cuttings to be placed in sand, in boxes, for the spring embedding of evergreens, hydrangeas and other flowering shrubs.
-Rose: the rose gardens that don't flourish again, must be adjusted to accommodate the rest and the balance of the vegetation.

September-crescent moon
-Annuals: species that will flower in the following spring, are sown in a protected crop (petunia, pansy, Agere etc.).
-Bulbs: the species that bloom in late winter are to be planted, in places that have short summers.(Snowdrops, Tulips, Crocus etc.).
-Perennials: species that are still in bloom are cut, to prolong the bloom itself (snapdragon, astro etc.). Must be replanted every flower species.
-Rose: you must gradually remove the faded flowers, cutting off below the third /fourth leaf.
September-waning moon
-Annuals: must sow all species cultivated for their foliage, but under shelter.
-Moltiplications: you must take the branches of the year, to make cuttings to be placed in sand, in boxes, for the spring.
-Hedges: they must be finally regulated in all the details.

October-crescent moon
-Biennals: must plant the seedlings, sown in July. (pansies, forget-me not etc..)
-Annuals: must sow, under shelter, the species to be planted in the last phases of winter (ager, begonia, salvia).
-Bulbs: the species that bloom in late winter are to be planted, in places that have short summers.(Snowdrops, Tulips, Crocus etc.).
-Moltiplication: layes give good results in evergreen species and in some other species too (Spirea, forsitia etc.)
-Lawn: last shearing.
October-waning moon
-Trees and flowering shrubs: withered tops must be removed with care, except in early winter climates where, for this, you will have to wait until the following spring.
-Rose: promote their rest for the winter, by frequent husking.
-All plants: all the species that don't tolerate temperature below 5° must be prepared for the shelter or to be rolled out an appropriate protection.

November-crescent moon
-Bulbs: sow the species who will flourish in spring/ summer (tulips, iris, hyacinth, narcissus, etc..)
November-waning moon
-Trees and shrubs: prune without danger, because the low temperature does not allow the development of buds.
-Climbing: those that form bowers must be trimmed, so that the weight of snow will not tear them or backgrounds.
-Rose: must be planted those that have the bare root. Drastically prune the varieties that bloom on the branches which are formed in the following spring.

December-crescent moon
Trees and shrubs: prune, but avoid the too cold temperatures (below 0°). Run this time all the cleaning and husking...and await, Nature will do the rest!

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/moon/ •Phases of the Moon Calendar 2010 - month by month
http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/ A garden calendar showing the best times for starting seeds based on moon phases and astrological signs. The Gardening by the Moon calendar shows the best days for planting vegetables and flowers,gardening tips, lunar planting,organic gardening techn etc.
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/calendar/gardening/ •Farmers\' Almanac\'s Gardening Calendar

Try lunar lore in your garden: The fruitful planting days for all flowers and vegetables for maximum yields and healthy growth for 1966

Gardening Success With Lunar Aspects

How to create a garden of aromatic plants

2010-03-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

The garden of the aromatic plants

The aromatic and medicinal plants are hardy and resistant species, often survive with both hot climates or cold climates, hardly they are attacked by pests or fungal diseases that can affect their development.
In addition to the undisputed culinary and medicinal properties, these plants are sometimes very decorative, beautiful to behold, with colorful and fragrant blooms. But we must choose the area of the garden that best suits the needs of each plant, and we must also prepare the ground carefully, in which we intend to plant them. The carefully chosen planting provides year-round colour and texture and even, fragrance and some protection on a windy day.

-The right place
In choosing the corner of the garden dedicated to the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, we should pay particular attention to locate the place less exposed to pollution sources (neighboring streets, busy traffic, etc...). Among the variables that are very important to calculate for the choice of place, there are:

1) Exposure to the sun: some plants are lovers of light and for a thriving development, they need to grow up in areas exposed to sunlight for several hours a day, but other plants vegetate well only if they grow in shade or full dim.

2) Exposure to wind: almost all plants, even those most resistant, must be protected from the wind with great care. Hence we must identify the most sheltered position, which will ensure to the plants some protection from the too excessive cold.

3) Type of soil: is almost always necessary to choose well-drained soils, so as to avoid the dreaded standing water, causing endless problems for the plants and their care. In fact, the excessive moisture, in addition to promoting the development of fungal diseases, affects negatively the quality of aromatic and medicinal plants.
Should therefore, normally, avoided clay soils, where there is an excessive retention of water with the consequences described above, one must also take care to avoid soil too rich, in fact, the development of lush vegetation will diminish the amount of active and aromatic compounds present in the plant.
In general, therefore, the best choice for this type of garden is a lightweight and slightly alkaline soil, facing south in areas with colder climates, and well protected from drafts.

scheme for the provision of the plants

Plants and balsamic time

The harvesting of the aromatic and medicinal plants for conservation should always be made at the balsamic time of each species. The balsamic time is the time when the presence, in the plant, of essential oils and aromatic principles is at its peak. Must be remembered that these characteristics also depend on the age of the plant, on the character of the seasons and on the hour of harvesting.

This is a general outline for the collection of different aromatic plants:
- March: caper, gentian
- April: calendula, dandelion
- May: lovage, sorrel, chamomile, parsley
- June: borage, tarragon, mallow, yarrow, rosemary, rue, sage, thyme
- July: bay leaf, wormwood, basil, cumin, mugwort, hyssop, lavender, lemon balm, mint, oregano, mustard
- August: garlic, onion, coriander, fennel, iris, hops, marjoram, red pepper, savory, parsley, celery
-September: dill, angelica, calendula, caper, dandelion, horseradish
-October: gentian, juniper, mauve, lovage
-November: laurel

Some examples of garden design with these plants

-Scented garden: how to create a corner featuring delicious fragrance of flowers, so that in summer it spreads all around. The species used are summer flowering, bloom simultaneously and are predominantly white. The species are all bulbous plants, with the exception of Nepeta, an herbaceous perennial, blue-purple, possesses in addition to an exquisite perfume of flowers, a lingering fragrance of its leaves. The species are all to be grown in the ground and not in pots.

1) Hymenocallis X festalis
2) Nepeta X fassen
3) Amaryllis belladonna
4) Acidanthera bicolor
5) Galtonia candicans
6) Cardiocrinum giganteum

-An hedge for the bees: The planting of a hedge of trees for bees requires the guarantee of a continuous production of nectar and pollen from February to September. It requires a large production of pollen at the beginning of the season and a great production of nectar from April to July.

1) Linden
2) False acacia
3) Cherry tree
4) Hazel
5) Wild plum tree
6) Viburnum opalus
7) Wild Rose
8) Privet
9) Cornus sanguinea
10) Dandelion
11) Spirea Filipendula
12) Clover
13) Ipomea
14) Lotus corniculatus
15) Mallow

A flowerbed of aromatic plants

1)Angelica archangelica
2)Laurus nobilis
3)Petroselinum hortense
4)Ocymum basilicum
5)Rosmarinus officinalis
6)Symphytum officinalis

A flowerbed of aromatic plants 2

1)Lavanda spica
2)Foeniculum vulgare
3)Borrago officinalis
4)Salvia officinalis
5)Matricaria chamomilla
6)Petroselinum hortense
7)Allium cepa

To learn more...
http://www.gardenguides.com/89131-good-garden-ideas.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1152310/quick_tips_and_guide_to_start_an_aromatic.html

Handbook of herbs and spices, Volume 3
The Art of Cooking with Herbs and Spices A Handbook of Flavors and Savors
The Penguin Book Of Herbs And Spices (Penguin Handbooks)

Greek flora: a description of three flowers

2010-03-18T03:51:00.000-07:00

-Some landscapes of Greece-

There are many things you can love of Greece, many may be recalled with nostalgia, and many remain etched in memory for their enchanting beauty and uniqueness. One of these things is the natural vegetation that grows wild in many parts of Hellas, in those lonely, mysterious places in which hardly seems that the time has elapsed, and where modern men go so rarely.This is a small tribute to the beauty of the Greek flora, that I love so greatly!

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.)The rosemary is an evergreen shrub, a bush in the family of the Labiatae. The stem can be high by a few tens of cm up to two / three meters in height, the stem is initially prostrate at the base, where it occasionally produces many natural offshoots, then becomes gradually more and more erect and much branched. At the bottom, the trunk has a bark that browses in longitudinal strips, dark brown in colour. The leaves are leathery and persistent, have a linear form with the folded edge down, the upper surface is green and glossy, the lower one is white, because of unbranched and glandular hairs. The flowers are present for most of the year in the warmer parts of the Mediterranean coastline, they are of a beautiful color blue violet or lilac, and are grouped in cluster, have five petals, three upper and two lower. Look at the shape of each individual flower: does not looks like a little fairy with a sparkling and delicate dress? As it only grows naturally along the coastline and forests that are located near the sea, never or almost never goes to the interior of a territory. Definitely it loves the sun and the heat, it fears only the cold and, above all, the prolonged frost, but aside from the cold, it is a rustic plant, highly resistant, which does not need particularly fertile or treated ground, does not need rain and is not subject almost to any illness or infection, to which are often subject all plants. Sometimes the growth is so luxuriant that comes to form dense and compact hedges, often covered with bees and butterflies, because they enjoy greatly its scent and its pollen.The rosemary is a plant that, since ancient times, has inspired legends, traditions and miraculous medicines.Its Latin name, "Rosmarinus", relates it closely to the sea: according to some scholars it would derive from "ros" dew, "maris", of the sea, with the meaning of "dew of the sea". According to other scholars the name derives from "rosa", rose, and" maris ", with the meaning of " rose of the sea". Still others claim it comes from "rhus", shrub, and therefore it could mean "a shrub of the sea". In any case, his pale blue color reminds of the color of the marine water of the Aegean sea.In ancient Egypt was considered a symbol of immortality and ,because of this, they used to put a buch of it in the hands of the deceased. The Romans crowned with rosemary the idols of the Lares, the genii of the family home. His funeral use was maintained even in modern times, and even today, in Sicily, the funeral wreaths are woven with myrtle and rosemary. According to the doctrine which connects the plants to astral influences, and hence to the body parts, the rosemary is a plant of Gemini and rules on the hands and their woes. For this reason, in the ancient rites of purification, the manual ablutions with rosemary solutions were a prerequisite. This plant was considered so sacred that it could be used instead of incense in the religious ceremonies.It is believed, in the folk tradition, that the rosemary is particularly dear to the fairies, often hidden in its flowers, sometimes taking the form of little snakes. Further, it is alleged that the poisonous animals nourish invincible aversion toward this plant and none of them would ever enter a house protected by the presence of the rosemary. It is a plant that gives joy and happiness, especially if planted near the house, and this is clear also by its Doric name, "makarìtes" , blessed. It is said that its scent removes the nightmares, carry away the smell that carry diseases and protects against lightning strikes (Corpus Hermeticum). In addition, its scent has the power to strengthen memory, so it was used to study near it or by holding a crown of it. Alludes to this property, in "Hamlet", Ophelia, when she says: "That's rosemary, that's for remembrance ..."In the language of flowers, it means the happy heart, or the sincerity of love and marital fidelity, and, because of its beautiful meanings, is also considered an auspicious plant on the day of the wedding. Apart from the legends, the rosemary is a plant with unique medicinal and cosmetic properties, and in this sense has always been used since remote antiquity. The part to be used in herbal medicine are the young twigs which must be carefully picked in early spring, and eventually dried in the shade (but with the drying up it loses most of its heady aroma). Many oils are obtained from the rosemary and many extracts useful in pharmacy, perfumery, and liquor. The plant has indeed stimulating and digestive properties, especially for the liver, has the ability to suppress the cough, thin the phlegm and accelerate the healing of illness. The essential oil is useful for the treatment of bruises, joint and muscle pains etc. In cosmetics, lotions and baths render fragrant and purify the skin, invigorate and strengthen, not to mention the lovely scent that can be enjoyed for long because it is very persistent and delicate.

Asphodel (Asphodelus albus)The asphodel belongs to the lily family, is a herbaceous plant with a root system very complex, it consists of numerous swollen and tuberous roots, gathered together at the apex. The stem is variously branched and can be high from 50 to 100 cm. All leaves arise from the base of the plant, have triangular cross section, and can be very short to reach even 70 cm in length. The leaves become narrow gradually towards the top, are completely hairless and light green. The flowers have six petals fleshy, whites, and whose median rib is red or green to very dark. The fruit is a capsule oval and elongated, maturing, it opens in three perfect parts to release the seeds blackish brown. It is a plant that grows in grassy and open places in all the Mediterranean, provided that they are very sunny. It is very frequently found in the so called "zone of the olive" and near the beaches. It much prefers the rocky soils or loose soils, such as limestone. This ornamental plant, of great charm and beauty, with grace appears in the meadows, both solo and in large floral carpets. is an apparition almost magical in the woods and sunny beaches along the Mediterranean, with its high stem and its ethereal bearing . Ever since Homer, the asphodel has always been regarded as a plant of the Underworld, as Homer remembers in the Odyssey (Od. XI, 487 to 491 / 539-573). In the classical division of the Underworld, the house of Hades is divided into three sections: Tartarus is for the wicked and unjust, the Elysian Fields are for the just and virtuous, and finally the Asphodel Meadows are for those who, during their lifetime, were neither good nor evil but a mixture of both. Moreover, being necessary to the dead the food, the asphodel was planted on the graves and considered as their source of sustenance in the afterlife. Therefore, even in modern times, in the Mediterranean countries, a meadow covered with its flowers is always considered as a place to stay or visit of the dead. Theocritus links this flower to the Mystery religions and their Gods, which often, in frescoes, are shown wearing crowns of white asphodel. The asphodel is also said to be part of the "Kepos", the garden of the Gods, where they grow all the magical plants of the tradition. Pliny tells us that another name used to describe this flower so special, was "hastula regia", the royal scepter, and therefore a manifestation of an higher divine power. Always Pliny relates that, in his days, it was sown before the door of country houses as a remedy against the negative sorcery. The authors cite many ancient recipes to cook the root: Theophrastus says that the root bulb is the best part, that they used to eat with figs; Pliny notes that the bulb could be cooked in the ashes with the addition of salt and oil. It is said that Pythagoras was very fond of this type of food. Mallow and asphodel were considered to have been the first nourishment of mankind and so these flowers were offered on the altars (Plutarch, Moralia). The ancient medicine, Greek in particular, suggests many therapeutic uses of this flower: the bulbs, cooked and used in the preparation of herbal teas were recommended as tonics, and pulped were useful for treating diseases of the joints and nerves, the seeds instead, taken into the wine, heal snake bites and scorpion stings. The part used for herbal and medicinal uses is just the bulb, but it contains a certain amount of alkaloids, which makes the therapeutic use inadvisable for internal use. The bulbs should be harvested when the plant enters the resting phase, in September / October, after the flower has dried, or in March, before it starts again the growth cycle. After being washed, you have to let them dry in the sun and always keep them away from moisture. The asphodel has a long traditional use for cosmetics applications as an emollient, cooling and decongestant for skin irritation, especially from the sun. An another traditional use is also that of the fresh pulp of the bulbs to remove the freckles.

Poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.)The poppy belongs to the family of Papaveraceae, is an annual plant, very hardy and very easy to observe. The root is white, the top produces a rosette of leaves, from which rises then the stem, up to 80 cm long. The stem is covered with long silky hair, turned horizontally. The basal leaves form a dense rosette, they are lanceolate and have an elliptical form, the margin is toothed, the base narrows into a long stalk; on the contrary, the leaves of the stem are much simpler and smaller. All the leaves are covered with silky and soft hair. The flowers are solitary, one for each stem. Before flowering, the buds are hanging. The cup has two sepals that fall at the flowering, and the corolla has four petals rounded, wider than long, deep red, and often have a black or dark purple spot at the base. The stamens are very numerous, all black. The fruit, which contains many seeds blackish brown, is an oval capsule, maturing, it opens with small holes from which it drops its seeds. The poppy grows naturally almost to the submontane belt, in grassy places shared with other species of flowers, and especially in the fields of wheat, but it is not uncommon, during periods of maximum flowering (May / July), to observe it on the edges of railways and country roads and grassland pastures on the hills. Sometimes it grows so dense to cover of bright red all the lawn, creating an incredible visual effect.The Greeks represented Hypnos, the God of sleep, with his head crowned with this flower or we can see images of him, holding this flower in his hand. Likewise they depicted also Death and Night. Following this inspiration, the Baroque artists have adorned of the poppies the front of Oblivion of love, a winged boy asleep near the source of Cyzicus, where the water had the power to erase from the mind the remembrance of the past loves. All the species of poppy have similar effects, but not all contain substances of very high drug effects, like the papaver somniferum from which opium is extracted. The poppy is extremely common in Mediterranean regions during the late spring, its appearance indicates that the beginning of summer is near. This flower is associated with the power, in particular the political power, because of the legend regarding the last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud. Legend says that one day the king, wishing to show to his child the safest way to seize the city of Gabi, tore down, with a stick, the higher poppies in the garden, explaining with a symbolic action, that one had to remove, before all, the citizens most influential and powerful. Because of its sedative and soporific virtues, the poppy is regarded as being under the influence of the planet Saturn and took the meanings of laziness and misanthropy, sleep and death. In nineteenth-century language of flowers is instead the symbol of the dormant pride. In popular tradition, its petal was used as a test of loyalty in love affairs: place it on the palm of your hand and punch him, it must produce a snap to show that the beloved one is faithful. The part with medicinal properties is the petal. They should be collected during the period of full bloom, the best time is late May and early June until the summer solstice and the petals should be detached with great delicacy. They must be dried in the shade and in shadows must always be preserved. The poppy is considered harmless because, in herbal medicine, are used the petals and not the capsules, but this does not exempt from a certain caution in the use of this flower at home. Infusions of poppy petals were reported as mild sedatives, acts to facilitate sleep, especially for the children and the elderly. To these infusions is attributed, since time immemorial, the ability to calm the cough and soothe the pains of stomach. The poppy should be used only when strictly necessary but, in the absence of precise knowledge, the capsules should never be used. The petals, because of their bright red color, were used in the past by women to make up the lips and cheeks. Extracts of the flowers have a calming and anti-inflammatory effect on the reddened skin. A beautiful and often a dangerous, wondrous flower!

To learn more...
Mountain flora of Greece plantindex A
SpringerLink - Journal ArticleMountain flora of Greece, volume 1
http://www.deastore.com/book/mountain-flora-of-greece-2-anne-strid-cambridge-university-press/9780521127240.html
PLANTS & FLOWERS OF GREEK MYTH 1Illustrated Guide to the plants and flowers of Greek mythology
Greek Mountain Flora of Greece alpines griekse bergflora planten griekenland Jankaea heldreichii oly
FLORA MEDITERRANEA * MEDITERRANEAN FLORAflora mediterranea spontanea della Penisola Sorrentina, Costa d'Amalfi e Capri - spontaneous mediterranean flora in the Amalfi Coast, Sorrentine Peninsula and Capri, photo, flower
Language of Flowers - Greenaway, Kate - Book - IBS
The Magnificent Flora Graeca: How the Mediterranean Came to the English Garden - Harris, Stephen - B
Botanical.com - herbal information, organic herbs, books, & hydroponic suppliesBotanical.com: botanical & herbal information, organic herbs, spices, teas, Herbal Products hydroponic and indoor growing supplies

Mountain Flora of Greece 2 Part Set: Volume 1Floristic notes from the mountains of Northern Greece: Materials for the mountain Flora of Greece, 7New floristic records from the mountains of Narthern Greece: Materials for the Mountain flora of GreeceFloristic notes from Greek Macedonia: Materials for the Mountain flora of Greece, 11
Wild Flowers of Greece
Greek Wild Flowers and plant lore in ancient Greece
Wild flowers of Greece

Search Amazon.com for Wild Flowers of Greece

Flowers of Alps: a description of three species

2010-03-18T02:26:00.000-07:00

-panorama of the Alpine meadows-

Springtime is at hand. The first cowslips are now flourishing in the plains. The mountains still are covered by white snow, but, soon, the growing heat of the Sun will dissolve the snow of the fierce winter and will enable us to enjoy the seasonal return of all the flowers and fruits of the generous Earth.Many love the beauties of this Earth, but so few are able to recognize, know and call with its proper name a plant, a flower, a tree. I wish to be helpful in this matter, so that all my walkings on mountains and among forests shall be fruitful and bring delight as well.

-Carduus Defloratus (Alpine thistle)It belongs to the family of Composite. It 'a perennial herb, of vivid color, slender and devoid of leaves on the stem. But in the bottom of the stem, closest to the earth, has very prickly leaves, oblong, divided into lobes of variable size, toothed and thorny. The flower is a peep out of flowers, purple or dark purple, surrounded and protected by a crown of small leaves, all very thorny. This plant grows, and can be seen, mainly on scree, in non-fertilized lawns and in woodlands full of brightness. It prefers soils rich in humus, very sunny and limestone. It is not uncommon, in the Alps, to see great expanses of lawn, even at high altitude where trees do not grow more, not even the strongest trees, rich with all these colorful flowers and the lawns are invaded by butterflies and bees, which are very greedies of the pollen from this flower. It 'a very happy plant visited by butterflies and bumblebees of all kinds, especially in July / August when is the peak of its flowering. Its seeds, collected in this period towards the end of August, dried in the sun and then taken into the tea, have cleansing properties, in general, especially for the liver, it is well known since antiquity (Pseudo Apuleius in his book "De virtutibus herbarum"). The tradition considers it as a solar plant, a plant of the summer solstice, for this reason, in all the folk traditions of Europe, is used to protect and ward off harmful spirits.

-Rhododendron Ferrugineum (Rhododendron ferruginea)It belongs to the family of Ericaceous. It 'an evergreen shrub, bushy, much branched. Its leaves are oval and oblong, bright green on the upper and rust-colored on the lower side: from this particular is his name. The flowers are pink or purplish red, bell- shaped, are in inflorescences. It blooms in June / July. It lives in high altitude moorland, in the sparse forest, not too thick but moist, rocky places, and preferably on soil acidic. It 'a species that requires high protection, (the Alps have declared this plant a protected species) because its full development requires many years, even a single twig has many dozens of annual rings. In the past, was collected in an intense way, because, with its branches, small twigs were manufactured, used for lighting fires in the fireplaces.This plant may be infested by the parasitic fungus Exobasidium rhododendri, whitish and with rounded shape. This fungus can be collected and, if marinated with the oil of prunus brigantina, provides a medicated oil for arthritis, rheumatism and sciatica. However the leaves are highly toxic and in any Herbal manual is indicated as not suitable for personal use, unless you are experienced herbalists.This plant was well known in antiquity: his name is greek and means "tree of the rose" and was also called "pink graduation" because its leaves resemble the laurel. Pliny refers to it, recalling the toxicity of its leaves, especially for the animals; Apuleius speaks of it also in his "Metamorphoses," when the protagonist, Lucius, mistakes it for a bush of roses, and realizes his mistake finally, because the rhododendron has no scent.Its beauty, coupled with its venom, have meant that in the vocabulary of flowers is a symbol of the misleading allurements.

-Aconitum napellus (Aconite)It belongs to the family of Buttercups. It is a protected species. The aconite is a perennial plant, with a sturdy stem that can become up to one meter high, the leaves are deeply affected on the margin, to take an almost ragged form. The flowers are very distinctive and very beautiful, when there's his full flowering in July and August, are colored dark blue or bluish purple very intense. Each flower has five sepals. The upper petal is shaped like a helmet, two egg-shaped petals are on the sides and are called "wings", while the two lower petals are very small and hidden. The corolla is composed of yellow filaments that can be seen only if the flower is fully opened. It grows mainly in alpine meadows, along the course of streams and near the huts on moist soil rich in nutrients, and also in undergrowth. It is one of the most poisonous plants known, its active ingredient, the aconitine, is a poison that is absorbed directly through the skin. As taught the ancestors, Pliny recalls: "there is no evil from which don't derive something good." So, this poisonous plant is also used for medical use, it has properties painkillers, decongestants, anti-inflammatory and sedative and are studied its antitumor properties. In antiquity, however, was used primarily as a strong poison, spread on the tips of arrows and weapons, and the farmers used it to kill the wolves that threatened their herds. According to legend, the name of this plant is derived from Acone, the port of Heraclea in Bithynia, where it sprung for the first time from the drool of Cerberus, driven by Heracles during the twelfth labor. According to the derivation of terminology, instead, Ovid, said that the name derives from "akone" that in greek means stone. "An herb that is born and is resistant on the hard stone and so is called aconite by the peasants." The flower has the names: "Helm of Jupiter", "Helm of Odin" or "Helm of Thor" and in the Norse mythology it represents the errant knight and it is said that it has the power to render invisible. It is also called "Coach of Venus" because its reproductive system looks like that of the women. It is best known as "Devil's Grass," was widely used by witches for their magic, and also was one of the ingredients of the famous ointment with which witches could went, flying, to the sabbath.

general informations: if you wish to learn more...
Aconitum napellus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Order Aconite, Aconitum napellus, Herb SeedsOrder Recognized as a poison since antiquity . Contains Aconite, a useful sedative for many conditions. Aconite, Aconitum napellus, easily at Sand Mountain Herbs.com. Aconite and every herb sold is useful medicinally or in some other practical applic
Rhododendron - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henning\'s Rhododendron & Azalea PagesHenning's rhododendron and azalea page: how to grow them and trouble shooting problems.
Quarterly Bulletin of the ARS - Vol 23 No 4, Black, Historical Survey of Rhododendron Collecting Wit
Flora of the Alps - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pliny. Natural History. Complete Collection in Ten Volumes (The Loeb Classical Library, No. 330, 352, 353, 370, 371, 392, 393, 394, 418, 419)

Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants (Macdonald encyclopedias)

Search Amazon.com for Alps flowers