by Briscoe White | Nov 22, 2010 | Containers, Indoor Gardening, Inspiration, Miscellaneous |
As the holidays quickly approach, we’ve started thinking about some of our favorite aromatic herbs that will help bring your home to life this season. It’s time to toss out those artificially scented candles and store bought fragrances and go all natural instead!
Hyssop
Hyssop has a long been popular for its warm anise fragrance. Used originally by the Ancient Greeks to cleanse their homes and temples of evil spirits and misfortune, Hyssop’s rich sweet smell continues to permeate homes across the world. A terrific medicinal herb as well, Hyssop has proven in modern medical trials that it may act as an herbal deterrent to symptoms of HIV. A member of the Mint family, Hyssop makes a wonderful addition to any wreath or centerpiece for an all natural perfume as inviting as the smell of holiday cooking!
Patchouli
Another cousin from the Mint family, Patchouli has been a friendly favorite well before Woodstock! Patchouli’s leaves are chocked full of its warm, earthy aroma and its essential oils are used by many as an herbal perfume. When warmed, these oils emit a stronger fragrance. Try dabbing a little on a cooled sixty watt light bulb, and once turned on, the smell of Patchouli will begin to heat and waft throughout your home! Patchouli oil also makes a great skin conditioner to help keep your skin soft and supple against abrasive winter winds. Try introducing this sweet scent of the Sixties to your family this holiday season by mixing it in with wreaths or centerpieces!
Sage
You may be familiar with tried and true Sage varieties that make great culinary companions like Garden Sage, but for gorgeous centerpieces and fragrant house plants, try planting Purple Sage! Slightly less aromatic than Garden Sage, Purple Sage makes up in beauty what it may lack in scent. With alternating green and purple leaves that grow more vibrant as cooler weather sets in, Purple Sage will make a terrific addition to any wreath or holiday decoration. The dusty purple contrasts nicely with Magnolia leaves, Evergreens and Hyssop and the faint scent of camphor will remind you of a home cooked meal.
Mint
For a more traditional holiday smell, celebrate the season with Mint! Used in many holiday drinks, Mint is an extremely fragrant herb that conjures memories of candy canes and visions of sugar plums. Whether added to hot chocolate, utilized in a savory centerpiece or just grown in a decorative pot or container, Mint makes a great holiday scent. The menthol in Mint’s essential oils will bring a cool, fresh breath to your home during those stuffy winter months. Try a modern twist on an old favorite herb and give the spicy Cuban Mojito Mint or lemon-scented Citrus Kitchen Mint a try!
Lemon Verbena
Lemon Verbena blends pleasantly with the Mentholated smell of Mint to really make your home smell cool and clean! Terrific in teas Lemon Verbena has a strong lemon scent that will remind you of Summer, all Winter long. Whether used in holiday decorations, family meals or just grown on a sunny window sill, Lemon Verbena will be a delight all season long. For a blend of citrus perfumes, try creating a tea or arrangement with Lemon Verbena and Citrus Kitchen Mint. Let sunny Lemon Verbena chase away the Winter blues!
by Briscoe White | Nov 12, 2010 | Life on the Farm |
A sick horse is no joke. That’s a whole lot of animal to take care of, which usually means a whole lot of money and time spent dressing and caring for your four legged patient. Recently, my wife’s Quarter Horse, Poco, developed a wicked looking abscess on his stomach. Since we live out in the middle of nowhere, it’s not easy or cheap to get a Vet to come out and visit in a timely manner, so we had no idea what to do.
We remembered a five time recommended topical spray from Horse Quarterly that was supposed to be a great natural cure for skin irritations and lesions, so we gave it a try. Within the first three days, this miracle spray had Poco feeling much more like himself! The spray is an all natural topical ointment used to help soothe sores and boost an animal’s natural ability to heal. The only ingredients in the spray are Canola, Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Tea Tree Oils, which got us thinking about the healing properties of the herbs we grow.
For centuries, people have used herbs like Agrimony, St. John’s Wort, Chamomile and many others for medicinal purposes to cure everything from allergies to arthritis, many of which we actually grow here and sell through our website. So, the next time you or your pets are feeling a little under the weather, see us instead of the pharmacy. Herbal remedies are a lot better for your body AND your wallet! (more…)
by Briscoe White | Nov 8, 2010 | Gardening |
Now that cool temperatures are finally here, we keep the big vent on the greenhouse closed. Even with netting, our fans manage to pull some small insects into the greenhouse all summer. We cannot control the greenhouse environment until it is cold outside. And now that we are closed up for winter, Every gardener hopes these relentless hunters will prowl their plants, keeping the garden free of plant pest.
Praying Mantis egg cases are easy to find on young cedar trees. Each of these has thousands of eggs waiting for warm temperatures to hatch. We hang the egg cases around the greenhouse and wait for the day our pest control helpers arrive. Though we have invited these insect helpers in for many years, never have we measured how long it takes the little mantises to hatch. This year we will be watching! Stay tuned for the conclusion of this greenhouse version of the movie “Predator”. Just be glad they are too small to hunt us!
by Briscoe White | Sep 7, 2010 | Exploring, Inspiration, Miscellaneous |
Every wonder where that phrase comes from … read this!
A very attentive customer pointed out that we were quite adamant about NOT printing a catalog – we had really good reasons under our Facts and Questions Section on the website. Pretty impressive reasons.
But, wait, we do print a catalog .. huh?
So, you might ask: Why did you start printing a catalog?
Good question. And, we understand the question. There are costs to that glossy piece of print – expense to us and the environment. We held out for a long time but we did a cost – benefit analysis and then factored in the many requests we have gotten over the 3 years on the internet, and we decided that it was time. Being long-time gardeners, we know the anticipation waiting for a catalog to arrive in the mail. It’s cold outside, cloudy and cold, and there is nothing better than settling in with the newest plant catalog with its glossy promises of spring.
The negative points of a catalog are obvious – number of direct mail solicitations, the fact that over 95% of those contain almost no recycled content and the amount of trees used. However, on the other side is that we ONLY send catalogs to our customers and anyone else that makes a direct request. We figure that if you go to the trouble to call, write or email, you must really want one.
Our catalog uses 100% Post Consumer paper to print our catalog; we are using paper containing wood fiber that has been recuperated entirely from paper used by consumers through recycling programs and has been de-inked. The paper is FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council) meaning that the paper is 100% post-consumer content. The paper has been manufactured with no chlorine, and has been certified by the CFPA (Clorine Free Product Association) and has been processed using green energy – the gas used in the paper making process comes fro the decomposition of waste. Therefore, it is a BIOGAS product. Lastly, the paper is certified as a Permanent Paper meaning that it can resist aging fore more than 100 years and is certified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). So, please do your part – if you really don’t want the catalog, PASS IT ON to a friend or neighbor. And if you must toss it, please recycle.
Here is what we do know:
50 percent of consumers polled by the Environmental Research Associates said they no longer buy a particular brand because the product, packaging or manufacturer is detrimental to the environment.
Here is what we want:
To protect our resources and provide our customers with all the information they need to make the right choice we constantly update our website to make sure that you have all that you need to make the right purchase from the right company! And, we want to give you the option of also ordering from a catalog that was printed and distributed the RIGHT way. We are really proud of our catalog and hope that they bring enjoyment to our friends!
And, contrary to popular belief, a little boiled crow ain’t bad …
by Briscoe White | Sep 1, 2010 | Exploring, Inspiration |
About Joie ….
Over the years, we have been extraordinarily lucky to find talented folks that have
added much to both our business and our lives. Joie came to work at The Growers
Exchange in the mid-90’s. She was a gifted art student who was working her way
through college – her talents didn’t stop at art. She was a fabulous flower arranger and
she became the ‘go to ‘ girl for customers looking for flower arrangements that were art!
Like a cool summer breeze, Joie came in and out of our lives – she eventually returned as
manager of the store until we decided to close our doors. Without her genius, as well as
youth, we would never have made it into cyber space!
When the time came for her to move on, she built her own business in the Richmond
area, Gone To Pot, and created amazing flowering containers that graced yards and
gardens all over the area. Watching her grow, from a talented student, to a gifted busi-
ness woman to a loving wife and mother, has been our pleasure. She has now moved
north and is attempting to garden in Zone 4. But, she is always a part of The Growers
Exchange and her lovely watercolors grace our site. Thanks Joie!
