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Letter From The Editor

The middle of June finds our garden in full bloom. The hummingbirds have arrived at our feeder, our honeybees are busy visiting all of our blooming herbs, and the rabbits hop around our fenced in vegetable garden around 6:30 each morning looking for an easy meal (luckily for all of us they haven't found a way in yet.)

This month I have a special treat for all my subscribers (newest subscribers may have already received it.)

Right now, you have the opportunity to download my latest e-book entitled Herbs For Your Health: How to Grow and Use Them for free. It's just my way of saying "Thanks" for being a loyal subscriber each month. First, let me tell you a little bit about it.

This is an informative and fun book originally written by Louise Evens.Doole that I found in the public domain sector and have completely revised and updated with growing and harvesting charts, pictures from our garden, crafting and cooking ideas, and an updated list of resources.

If you're interested in grabbing your free copy, be sure you have a high speed internet connection for a faster download.

You will also need Adobe Reader (the latest version is recommended) installed on your computer in order to open and read this e-book.

Need Adobe Reader? You can get it by clicking here (a new window will open so you can download it and come right back to this page.)

All set?

Go ahead grab your download by clicking here

This book will continue to be a free download for anyone signing up for our newsletter. Feel free to pass it along to whoever you want.

Thanks again for stopping by!

We hope you enjoy this issue and your free book!
I would love to hear your comments. Please share on the link at the end of this newsletter.

We've had lots of updates to our website this month. Our herb garden is loving the hotter days and is really taking off. Even though I've been growing and using herbs for over 20 years, there's always more to learn, so this summer I'm making a new commitment to experiment more with cooking and crafting with herbs.

My favorite herb growing area is our "potager" herb garden. These gardens date back to medieval times and were usually enclosed by a wall and used for medicinal purposes, adjacent to churches.

Today "potager" refers more to a kitchen or herb garden laid out in a formal pattern based on geometrical shapes, mainly circular, square, rectangular or triangular.

Colonists also used these gardens and had mixture of herbs, fruits and vegetables which they used for everything from dyeing their clothing to cooking and crafting. That's what we have fashioned ours after. See pictures and learn more about potager gardens here

Mint is one of my favorite herbs to grow and it's one that most people grow. If you have it growing in your yard, experiment with using more than just for tea. Its benefits are numerous.

Medicinally, it is used for indigestion, reduces flatulent, colic, colds, excess mucus and nausea. Externally, peppermint is good for skin irritations, upper respiratory tract infections, burns and sinusitis.

Just this week I had an upper-respiratory infection and used one drop of peppermint essential oil in my drinking water. I could tell it made a big difference. I also used my peppermint outside by taking a handful of stems, placing them in a cup of hot water and letting them steep for about 10 minutes. I then strained it and added it to my brewed tea.

Be sure you are drying all the mint you can this summer for use in the winter by taking 5 or 6 stems, tying them with a rubber band, and hanging in your kitchen or any dry airy place.

Learn more about how to dry mint here.

Much of the 'how-to" of using mint are in my knew e-book so be sure and check it out for more information. See how to keep it from taking over your yard here.

Recently my son backpacked through Europe and found some interesting herb gardens. Check out this awesome knot garden in Brussels.

Want to have a backyard like a queen? Check out his picture of what the queen sees out of here window when she's at Windsor Castle.

If you love roses, you may have a spot where you could have your own knot garden like the one here at Regents Park in London, England. Check it out here.

You're sure to get some great ideas from this picture in Bruges, Belgium.

Help us out! As you travel around this summer, even it's just to your own backyard, please share your pictures with us. Maybe it's your favorite flower in bloom, best garden you visited, most interesting plant you've seen, or your own great vegetable garden...whatever.

We would all love to see and be inspired!

Don't miss thisWhen you submit a picture, your name will go in the pot for a drawing at the end of August for real live book entitled 50 High-Impact, Low-Care Garden Plants: Tough-But-Beautiful Plants Anyone Can Grow.

This is the latest book by renowned gardening author Tracy Disabato-Aust. The name says it all. This is one book everyone needs as a great reference tool.

Already have a picture ready? Great, submit it now here and see it as your very own web page that you can share with others.

Last but by no means least, my latest page on our website is one you'll want to see if you want an outstanding full-sun to part-shade perennial. Even the name is great. Spiny Bear's Breeches. See a picture and read more about it here.

• Be sure your plants are getting deep waterings each week. Early morning is the best time to water.
• Be sure ground is mulched around your plants to retain moisture
• Change the water in your hummingbird feeder every three days
• Pinch back annuals like coleus to encourage bushy plants.
• Use herbs like basil and mint by pinching back the tips
• Check on your veggies like squash daily so they don't get too big.

Nature Hills Nursery has a large selection of live plants that bees love. Also gardening tools and edible plants.

Be sure to check out there ergonomically designed hand tools that make gardening as pain free as possible. Even learn the history of gazing balls!

Find all kinds of eco products that are cool, hip, and green. Items like clothing and gardening stuff, as well as pet and baby products.

Visit our blog for the latest updates to our web site. We have added many more pages this month.

Happy 4th of July!

Julia and Alfred Stewart
We would love to hear from you! Let us know what you think by emailing us your comments and questions