Lovage Herb Info

By Tim Adam

A lot of people are now realizing the importance of living a healthier lifestyle and using the lovage herb is an excellent way to get started. If you are fond of using salt, you can use this herb as a substitute because of its superb flavor. Soups and vegetable stews will taste better if you use the herb in such dishes. The different parts of the lovage herb are edible and you can use them in potato and tomato dishes.

You must be aware that it will take about a year before you can start using the herb. One plant is enough for the needs of the family. The matured plant can grow as high as six feet and it does not require too much sunlight. In fact, you can plant it in the area where there is partial shade. Lovage herb will grow as long as you provide fairly fertilized soil and well drained soil. The germination usually takes 10 to 12 days and so you need t check during this time frame. Each pot can also have 4 seeds.

When the herb is already large enough for transplanting, you need to provide natural fertilizer and water frequently. Do this for a week and you can already transplant the lovage herb outdoors. When the herb is already 2 ft, you can now harvest little by little. You may use the stems for various recipes. Just chop the stems finely and you can already enjoy your favorite dishes.

Some people even eat the seeds or it can also be used when cooking. If you want a sweet flavor, you must use the seeds instead of the leaves of the herb. The lovage seeds are similar to celery seeds. Check the seeds during early summer and wait until it ripens or turns brown in color. Cut the stalk and you can start drying the seeds. By cutting the stalk, the herb will still reseed.

Every spring, you can dig up the roots and split them. The roots can be preserved and you can use it as well. Before storing the roots of the lovage herb, you must ensure that it is completely dry. The good thing about this great herb is that you can use fresh, dried, or preserved. You can give it as a gift to a friend who loves the herb.

It is also possible to freeze the leaves and stems. Blanch lovage leaves and place them in ice water. After several minutes, drain it, store inside a plastic bag and freeze. Lovage herb is also best for chicken soup and tomato soup. The minced lovage can also be used in biscuits, breads, meats, salad dressings, and pickles.

As you can see, the herb has many uses. Since every part can be used, it is worth planting this magnificent herb and it is also not difficult to grow. Just make sure to comply with the planting and growing requirements. Soon, you can have a flourishing lovage herb garden where you can harvest the leaves, seeds, roots, and stems with ease.

Tim is an experienced herb gardener and loves to grow herbs. To learn more about lovage herb as well as other great herb gardening, planting, growing and using techniques check out his dedicated herb growing and care website http://www.herbgardeningplace.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more on Planting Herbs, see www.bestguidetogardening.com.

How to Create an Art of Landscape Gardening That Will Please the Eye?

By Satya Narayan Das

Landscape gardening is liked to art as in painting a picture. If you are an artist your art teacher would have probably told you that painting a good picture should have a main point of interest, and that the rest of the points add to the picture to make it more beautiful and interesting. Therefore when landscaping gardening your need to create a picture with a central point and the rest an addition to the main feature.

1. Let's start with the lawn, this can be the central feature of your garden, a good lawn is not overcrowded with fussy bits of bedding and statuary or ornamentation. A lawn is best left as an open space to enhance the beauty of the bedding that surrounds it.

2. One or two additions in a large lawn space can break up a very large area; tasteful bedding at some point in a large lawn can create a point of interest.

3. If the lawn area is quite large you could place a gazebo with some bedding around the gazebo to make it easy to mow the lawn. Any structure directly on a lawn without a break such as flower bed will make mowing a lawn more difficult.

4. Large lawn can also handle a few trees, one or two depending on the size of the lawn, don't put too many trees else they will be in competition with each other for root space and air space, it will also create too much shade and the lawn around lots of trees will not do too well. Lawn requires a certain amount of sunlight and daylight to flourish.

5. Choosing trees for the garden don't place an over large tree that will overpower the garden, choose trees for their interesting features such as interesting foliage, unusual bark patterns, flowering trees, or fruit trees can have interesting features

6. A cluster of interesting shrubs in a flower bed can create extra points of interest to add to a flower bed, group the larger shrubs to the back and add smaller ones to the front; Shrubs also come in a variety of different foliage and colours which can give the painted effect.

7. The broad leaves of the Catalpa with its attractive flowers and seed pods that cling to the tree right into winter will give added interest through most of nature's seasons.

8. The Sugar Maple with its brilliant foliage, the interesting blossoms of a Tulip tree, the bright berries of an Ash, the bark of a White Birch, and the Copper beech leaves are all trees that can give your garden lots of colour and interest.

9. When placing your trees consider how they will look when fully grown. Take their height and spread into consideration when deciding where to place your trees, consider if the trees would look awkward next to each other. A long tall thin tree such as popular would look quite out of place next a Tulip tree for instance.

10. Some trees are evergreens and others shed leaves seasonally, these are factors to take into consideration the placing of the trees, for example placing a cluster of evergreens close to the dwelling will create a gloomy out look in the home. The home will never receive any sunlight. So be ware of placing trees near a house especially near the window areas, houses like gardens require sunlight to give it a feel of warmth and comfort.

Trees and lawn should be carefully chooses and placed to good effect. If you are not sure consult an expert who will help you in your choice.

Visit out blog http://www.landscape-idea-com for more interesting gardening ideas and tips.

How to create the art of landscape gardening for the beautification of your house and your lifestyle Tips on Landscape gardening

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information on Landscape Gardening, see www.bestguidetogardening.com.