The entries had to be on a dinner plate, which was a bit of a challenge for little ones.
However, my daughter decided she wanted to make a "Healing Garden", so I helped her a little, by explaining which plants from our limited collection had healing properties.
She produced a very nice display, with Lavender, Rose, Rosemary, Hypericum and Thyme, spending ages arranging them on the plate.
I was so proud and delighted when she got 2nd prize! She was delighted with the prize- namely an envelope with €10 in it! To a 5-year old, this was a lot of money!
Sitting in the garden today, I was reminded of that time. The Hypericum and Thyme have, unfortunately died, but the other plants are still thriving.
As to the healing properties- well, Lavender is calming and very good for insomnia.However, if you overuse it, especially in the oil form, it can actually have the opposite effect. I wonder does the bee in this picture sleep well? He/she was certainly busy today.
Rose is one of the most wonderful oils for healing a grieving heart. True Rose oil is expensive, but when you consider that it takes the petals from over 40 roses to make just one drop of essential oil, you appreciate how powerful just one drop is. I always think that it's impossible not to be uplifted by the look, feel and scent of a rose.
Hypericum (St. John's Wort) is usually macerated in olive oil, and is used as a carrier oil. It is excellent for inflammatory conditions, especially when used together with calendula.
Thyme has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and is also a good circulatory stimulant.
I'm not the world's greatest photographer, but these photos were taken today in the garden. The last one shows Lavender, Rose (peeping through) and one yellow blossom of Hypericum. A branch of the apple tree insisted in getting in the photo too. I was tempted to clip its wings, but in the end relented!
The rose bush actually belongs to my son, who's still away at his writing camp. I need to see that flower- I miss him like crazy. He decided not to come home this weekend, instead opting to go on some outings. The novel they were writing is finished-165,000 words in 4 days! Apparently their group wrote more words in less time with fewer members than last year's group. That's one way of measuring success!
They wrote a novel! Wow! I didn't actually expect anything like that. Good for them. That must be great team work.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the properties of the garden plants. Nothing is really just 'plain old garden variety', is it?
Stephanie, thanks for your comment. My motto in the garden is that a plant has to either look good, smell good or be edible!Mostly I like the ones that smell good, cos most of them look good too, mimi
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