Did you know you can make stunning floral arrangements year-round using flowers planted in a cutting garden? Bouquets from homegrown flowers are just as beautiful as those from a store or florist — or, dare we say, even more beautiful? — for a fraction of the cost. We’ve been growing flowers in a cu...

Medicinal herbs have been harvested in monasteries like St. Gall’s for thousands of years, but knowing when to pick your herbs from your garden can be confusing at times. Does harvest time depend on the herb? Does harvesting herbs depend on the weather? Or does harvesting medicinal herbs depen...

What is the right name for it—coneflower or echinacea?

The answer is both!

It's called a coneflower, the name given for the cone-shaped portion of the flower. It's also sometimes called echinacea, the name derived from the Greek word “ekhinos” meaning sea urchin.

Whether you call it coneflower or...

Plants have been used as medicine for thousands of years.

Today, much of the world's population uses herbal medicine in some form as remedies for a wide variety of ailments. It's time we planted some of these herbs in our own backyards!

What better time is there to grow healing plants than when th...

Imagine the joy of being able to shop for fruit and vegetables right in your backyard rather than at the grocery store. That dream is now a reality for around 42% of Americans. They now spend their hard-earned dollars on seed and saplings rather than squash and spinach from the store.

If you'd love...

Many of us are not new to getting started with essential oils but when it comes to the art of infusing our own oils with botanicals it may seem a little daunting.

The art of infusing oil for health and well-being is steeped in history, but how do we know where to start with so many options avail...

Did you know the first roses were most likely cultivated in China around 5,000 years ago? The Romans started using rosehips for medicinal purposes soon after, and the Egyptians for scent.

Filled to the brim with juicy, vitamin-packed flesh, the hips of a rose plant are an incredibly multi-functi...

Did you know archaeologists have found rose bushes that are 1000 years old? And really, it's no wonder they're still a popular choice for gardens and budding horticulturists.

They have incredible scents, look gorgeous in a garden, and you can even eat them and add them to teas!

But learning the...

While herbs were cultivated clear back to the time of Adam and Eve, medicinal herbalist gardens such as that of St. Gall have been in use for hundreds of years. This just shows that humanity has not only been using but has been reliant on natural remedies and plants for thousands of years. 

When...

Imagine going out to your rose garden to cut a few stems for your dinner plate, not for your sweetheart. Growing edible roses is a time-honored pastime, though it may sound weird at first.

Did you know the Greeks, Romans, and Persians all loved using roses to cook with? They also infused them in...