six medicinal herbs 🌿 design - grasses & boulders 🌿 marché de nuit 🌿 mycology 101

NURSERY NOTES: at "Marché de Nuit" on Sept. 20, Barton Springs Nursery will be transformed into a gathering place "filled with wonder, connection, and community." DJ, vendors, plants, drinks. Free. Barton Springs Nursery 🌿 Tomorrow (Sept 13) the Natural Gardener offers "Mycology 101 for Growers and Gardeners," with Angel Schatz from the Mycological Society. 10 a.m. Free. T.N.G. 🌿 Also tomorrow, join experts at Turner Roberts Rec Center for 4 hours of talks, seed-swapping, and cooking demos. 10 - 2 p.m. Parks & Rec 🌿 TreeFolks holds its annual RootBall fundraiser on Oct 23, at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden. RootBall 2025 🌿

GRASS DESIGN: seeking ideas for weaving grasses into your landscapes? Enter a world of miscanthus, Mexican feather grass, feather reed grass and much more in this wide-ranging article by Krista. Happy House ❦

BLUE CORN PUEBLO COLLEGE: near Santa Fe, NM, the Feasting Place gets students off their phones, and connects them to ancestral knowledge about food, living and culture. Says Norma Naranjo: "Food bring people together. It doesn't matter where you're from." Modern Farmer ❦

HARD ROCK: in this Gardenista piece, designers offer advice on bringing boulders into landscapes. 1. Start with a sketch. 2. Pick the right rock for your locale. 3. Dig them in. Designer Gavin Boyce-Ratliff uses boulders to bring a sense of age to the landscape. "An element of weathered stone helps make that possible." Gardenista. (ASAP Stone Supply Austin) ❦

THE AUSTIN GARDEN relies on readers for support. Whether annual or monthly, all donations are welcome. At present 6% of readers fund this newsletter. Many thanks in advance. PayPal link ❦

Six Medicinal Herbs of Texas

by Ellen Zimmerman

I live in the Driftwood area south of Austin and I have become acquainted with many, many native plants, herbs and trees over the years. Today I am going to introduce you to several herbs that are all useful and precious in their own special way.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) The purple coneflower is a beautiful, stately landscape and medicinal plant. You can use this herb to boost your immune system, and also as a preventative; i.e. when traveling to avoid getting sick, and to assist your own healthy immune system in fighting a cold, flu or infection. It can also help to ease nausea.

You can use the root, flower, leaves and seed of this perennial as a tea or tincture, and the medicine tingles in your mouth while making its magic. Scatter fresh seeds in October or plant transplants in full to part-sun.

Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) I have seen this plant growing along creeks and streams here in Austin. The inner bark of the trunk can be harvested and used as a soothing remedy for inflammation.

The strong demulcent properties make it useful for gastro-intestinal irritation and for the throat, lungs and kidneys. (Demulcent herbs relieve irritation of mucous membranes in the mouth by forming a protective film.)

It can be used externally as a poultice for ulcers and abscesses and its highly nutritional value make it useful as a food during convalescence.

You can plant a small sapling in your yard and nurture it as a lovely shade tree. I’ve planted two, and the one in my garden is at least 20 feet high and gorgeous.

The potent remedy of the inner bark should be harvested from a 10-year-old tree. We need to wait for Slippery Elm. Also known as Indian Elm, Moose Elm, Sweet Elm, Soft Elm and more, Slippery Elm is a soothing remedy for inflammation.

I also like it for respiratory issues, and use it as my demulcent herb in bronchial and kidney teas. During convalescence, Slippery Elm gruel was often used as a nutritive food.

In times of famine, early American settlers used it as a survival food. George Washington and his troops survived for several days on Slippery Elm gruel during the bitter winter of 1777 - 78 at Valley Forge.

I mixed it with oatmeal and fed it to my husband after an illness and it is really quite good with honey or maple syrup added.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepius tuberosa) This spectacular flower, which provides a favorite home for the Monarch butterfly, is sadly at-risk in the wild. We can easily grow Butterfly Weed from seed, sown in the fall, or it can be propagated from root cuttings.

This showy Milkweed is used as a diaphoretic (promotes sweating), antispasmodic, expectorant and a tonic. One of its common names is Pleurisy Root, and it was often used for lung and bronchial congestion, and to relieve the sharp chest pains of pleurisy.

Another local milkweed I love is Inmortal, AKA, Antelope Horns (Asclepius asperula) which grows wild on my front property where it is dry and the soil is shallow.

It seems to thrive hardily and is used medicinally. Mid-wives use Asclepius asperula to facilitate childbirth. According to herbalist Michael Moore, the aerial part of Inmortal is good for the respiratory system and the heart. This plant is elusive and oh so beautiful!!

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate) The leaves and flowers of this easy-to-grow climber are used as an herbal sedative. It is effective and non-addictive, and can be used to treat insomnia, regulate blood pressure, and as a pain killer. It is best to plant a transplant in the sun in early spring.

Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata) This common wild plant grows abundantly in fields, meadows and wooded areas. The stems and bright yellow roots contain high levels of berberine, and are known for their anti-viral and digestive properties.

From the tasty red berries you can make a delicious jam. (Native Americans used it for toothaches.) Great for digestive health and liver support.

Cedar (Juniperus ashei) This prevalent hardwood tree has useful blue berries that act as a urinary antiseptic. It can also be used for indigestion, colic and flatulence. Eating one juniper berry a day prior to cedar fever season can help ease the uncomfortable symptoms of Cedar Fever. ❦

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Ellen Zimmerman, a Certified Herbalist, founded EZ Herbs in 1995. She is also founder and director of the Austin School of Herbal Studies, and a range of herbal products are available at ezherbs.net. (The content of this article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice.) Reprinted from June 2019