116 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
116 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
HERBGARDENBEESAPPLEHERBALISMHEALTHGARDENINGHONEY
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A HERB GARDEN FOR BEES - Heather Apple
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A Herb Garden for Bees - Heather Apple
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Did you know that bees are instinctive and highly skilled
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herbalists? Juliette de Bairacli Levy, the Master Herbalist, has
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found that bees are wonderful doctors in their own right and know
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how to dose themselves with herbs to maintain health within the
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hive.
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When I read this, I did not keep bees myself, but was very aware
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of the many bees that visited my garden. There was a wonderful
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variety ranging from tiny wild bees, to domestic honey bees, to
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great fat bumble bees.
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I realized that bees were facing incredible challenges with
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pollution, acid rain and especially the pesticides sprayed on
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crops and roadside weeds. I decided that I would combine my love
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of herbs with my love for bees and plant a special medicinal
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garden to help the bees cope with our present environment.
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I did some research to discover which herbs were especially
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beneficial to bees. These include aromatic herbs such as
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lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, bee balm (bergamot), hyssop,
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anise-hyssop, basil and marjoram; wild herbs such as motherwort,
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catnip and purple loosestrife; bitter herbs such as southernwood,
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wormwood and rue; nectar rich herbs such as clover and alfalfa;
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all the mints; the borage family; and the rose family.
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I had already known that bees loved borage and I had planted it
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among my squashes, cucumbers and melons in order to attract bees
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for pollination. Now, I planted patches all over the garden,
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making good use of the plants that had self-seeded from the
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previous year.
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I also carefully noted the blooming periods of all the herbs,
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flowers, weeds, and flowering shrubs and trees on our property.
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Over the next couple of years I planted additional varieties to
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assure that there was an uninterrupted and rich banquet of
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blossoms from the first crocuses in spring, all through the
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summer, to the crisp days of autumn when bees are immobilized by
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the cold and no longer able to work.
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I also increased the size of my herb garden. Generally, I harvest
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my herbs just before they come into flower, or else I harvest the
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flowers themselves as soon as they open. I planted extras of each
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variety so that I could allow a number of plants to go to full
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flower and so supply the bees.
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The rewards of this bit of extra effort have been enormous. The
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population of bees has continued to increase over the years. It
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is a pleasure to go out to the garden and hear my comfrey patch
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buzzing as the blossoms are visited by hoards of honey bees and
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bumble bees.
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My Rosa rugosa patch is a special treat for the senses - the
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sight of masses of pink blossoms, the scent of the warm, sunny
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air, heavy with sweet rose fragrance and the sound of droves of
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buzzing bees. Often I have watched bees actually rolling around
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among the stamens of the rose blossoms. This may serve the
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utilitarian purpose of gathering extra large amounts of pollen.
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But to me, it almost seems something more. Imagine being a bee
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and spending your day climbing inside giant, fragrant flower
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blossoms to gather golden pollen and sweet nectar. What an
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ecstatic life!
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Juliette de Bairacli Levy praises the healing properties of
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honey. She says that the test for pure, good and powerful honey
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is that it should burn the throat of the consumer.
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Her own herbal honey was so strong that some people accused her
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of adding hot pepper. However, she took honey comb straight from
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the hive to show them that this was its natural flavour.
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Flowers are the most vital part of the plant - a glorious
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expression of its moment of perfection. This is something
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understood by those who make and use Flower Essences. Imagine a
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rich honey, gathered on sunny summer days from the blossoms of
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healing herbs - a rich nectar transformed by golden bees in the
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heart of their hive. What healing qualities, what a taste and
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fragrance of summer herbs it can bring to dark winter days!
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One can believe that the curative properties of such honey would
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be great. This could be something that practising herbalists and
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interested individuals might be interested in experimenting with.
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If you don't have your own hive, you could invite a beekeeper to
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keep a hive on your land in return for a share of the honey.
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But even if you can't have a hive, you can still have the
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pleasure that comes from watching the bees at work in your
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garden, and the satisfaction of knowing that you are providing
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them with healthful herbs that will help them survive in a
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difficult world.
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This Article is taken from The Herbalist, newsletter of the
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Canadian Society for Herbal Research. COPYRIGHT March 1989.
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Membership in the Society is $25.00 Canadian per year. You
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receive four copies of the Journal each year and help to promote
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herbalism and botanic medicine throughout Canada.
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THE SOCIETY HAS NO PAID OFFICIALS and is run entirely by
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volunteers from among the membership.
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If you would like more info please write:
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Canadian Society for Herbal Research
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P.O. Box 82. Stn. A.
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Willowdale, Ont. CANADA.
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M2N 5S7.
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