Summary
If you like to garden and haven't yet explored the wonderful world of herbs, you don't know what you're missing. For starters, herbs are both beautiful and practical. There's no prettier blue flower than borage's-celebrated since the fourteenth century as a mood elevator and "emboldener of the heart"-and no more fascinating foliage than santolina's, which is good for treating bites, skin problems, worms, and discouraging moths. As for freshness and variety, nothing on a supermarket spice shelf can compare to the savory delights you'll find in your own herb garden. And as an added bonus, as an herb gardener, you are the inheritor of a rich body of fascinating, often wacky folklore going back thousands of years-for instance, did you know that parsley grows better for a wicked gardener than for a virtuous one? Your guide to creating a garden that smells and tastes as good as it looks, Herb Gardening For Dummies fills you in on everything you need to know to: Understand the different types of herbs Landscape with herbs Cultivate herbs indoors and in containers Harvest and preserve your herbs Use herbs for cooking, potpourris, health, or teas Written by award-winning garden writer Kathleen Fisher with the support and participation of the experts at The National Gardening Association, Herb Gardening For Dummies: Tells the story of herbs, including where they grow, how they were used in the past, and how they're used today Fills you in on what every herb gardener needs to know about soil and location Shows you, step by step, how to plan and design an herb garden of any size Features an A-to-Z Encyclopedia of Herbs that includes specific information on how to plant, grow, preserve and use sixty-five different herbs Is packed with tips and tricks on how to harvest herbs, propagate new plants, and prepare for next year Includes a gallery of stunning full-color photos of herbs in full bloom If you delight in dill, cherish chevril, or go bonkers for basil, Herb Gardening For Dummies is the book for you.
Author Biography
Karan Davis Cutler is an award-winning garden writer. Kathleen Fisher is the former editor of The American Gardener. The National Gardening Association has helped develop many For Dummies<SUP>®</SUP> gardening books.
Table of Contents
Introduction |
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1 | (6) |
Part I: Herb Basics |
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7 | (24) |
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For Meate and Medicine: How We Use Herbs |
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9 | (10) |
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19 | (12) |
Part II: Down to Earth |
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31 | (28) |
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33 | (14) |
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There's No Place Like Loam |
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47 | (12) |
Part III: The Best-Laid Plans |
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59 | (46) |
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Designing Your Herb Garden |
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61 | (24) |
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Of Herbal Bondage: Ideas for Limited Space |
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85 | (20) |
Part IV: An Encyclopedia of Herbs |
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105 | (102) |
Part V: Weed 'Em and Reap |
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207 | (82) |
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209 | (12) |
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221 | (16) |
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From Plagues and Pestilence, Deliver Us |
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237 | (18) |
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255 | (16) |
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271 | (18) |
Part VI: Cut and Dried: Handling the Herbal Bounty |
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289 | (40) |
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291 | (16) |
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Herbs for Aches and Aesthetics |
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307 | (22) |
Part VII: The Part of Tens |
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329 | (8) |
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Ten Often-Asked Questions about Herbs |
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331 | (4) |
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Ten (Times Two) Great Herb Gardening Tools |
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335 | (2) |
Appendix: Additional Resources |
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337 | (10) |
Index |
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347 | |