ScottsMiracle-Gro Makes Pollinator Promise

By Paris Wolfe, Blogmaster, Herb Society of America

I’m a dedicated supporter of small and local businesses. I buy organic, grass-fed, cage-free. I avoid corn syrup and hydrogenated fat. I advocate social responsibility and promote social justice.

Given my crunchy idealism, I sometimes, even unfairly, snub corporate America. I forget small movements turn into big movements that change the world. When big business seizes those opportunities we all benefit.

I was reminded of that in a previous blog post about seasoning giant McCormick & Co. going organic. Organic demand may have started small, but McCormick heard the demand and initiated the supply. And, thus, a considerable market shifts.

With that in mind, I applaud $3 billion gardening giant ScottsMiracle-Gro Company for its mid-December announcement of the “Pollinator Promise.” This is yearlong effort to improve consumer education about pollinators and promote backyard and urban habitats where pollinators thrive.

Sounds a lot like The Herb Society’s Green Bridges Program which shows members and others how to develop butterfly- and bee-friendly gardens. These create “green bridges” linking islands of habitat so critical pollinators can move safely around the country.

Scotts recognizes that bees, butterflies and other pollinators are critical to the sustainability of one-third of the planet’s food supply and the health of flower gardens. The company’s program also combats the loss of pollinator habitats and encourages new ones.

Following is the text of the company’s press release explaining the “promise” and funding effort to support it. Every effort helps.

The “Pollinator Promise” will fund the establishment of at least 50 pollinator gardens throughout the United States in 2016, as part of the company’s GRO1000 community gardening initiative.  The GRO1000 initiative, now in its sixth year, partners with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Pollinator Stewardship Council, and others, to promote the availability of grants for gardens and green spaces throughout the country.

“The importance of pollinators is unquestionable and it is easier than most people think to create a habitat where they can thrive,” says Jim King, senior vice president of corporate affairs at ScottsMiracle-Gro. “The Pollinator Promise is a year-long effort to help home gardeners and urban planners understand the critical role these creatures play in our ecosystem and to provide them the tools necessary to grow successful pollinator gardens.”

ScottsMiracleGro.com/PollinatorPromise provides online answers to common questions about backyard pollinator gardens.

“We are calling upon individual gardeners and communities to help reverse the downward population trend by restoring the natural habitat bees and butterflies need to survive,” says Michele Colopy, program director of the Pollinator Stewardship Council.

To join the effort, non-profit organizations can submit a grant application by February 22 for up to $1,500 in funding.

Magical Mistletoe Myth

By Paris Wolfe, Blogmaster, Herb Society of America

Mistletoe hangs in the archway to my kitchen. I hung it for a late December party and it will remain through January. The dried leaves are a spot of color in an otherwise grey and gloomy season.

I know it promotes kissing in modern culture. Pretty ironic for a parasitic plant with toxic berries.

But why?

Like many plants mistletoe’s enchanting properties are legendary.

Ask History explains it thus: “The plant’s romantic overtones most likely started with the Celtic Druids of the 1st century A.D. Because mistletoe could blossom even during the frozen winter, the Druids came to view it as a sacred symbol of vivacity, and they administered it to humans and animals alike in the hope of restoring fertility.”

Another legend was born in from Norse mythology. It seems when the god Odin’s son Baldur was prophesied to die, his mother Frigg, the goddess of love, sought help from the animals and plants. All agreed to not hurt him. Ah, but mom neglected to consult with the unassuming mistletoe, so the enemy god Loki made an arrow of mistletoe, which killed Baldur.

The mistletoe myth continues as the gods resurrect Baldur and his mother pronounces the herb a symbol of love and vows to kiss those who passed beneath it.

Interestingly, in Vancouver, Canada, this year, “elves” have hung it around the city to inspire public displays of affection.

Whatever the reason its role in the season, I’m happy to cozy up under it and kiss my favorite man.

Happy New Year 2016!

New GreenBridges Logo Honors Pollinators

By Paris Wolfe, Blogmaster, Herb Society of America

A healthy ecosystem requires butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. In fact, more than two-thirds of the food we eat depends on their role as pollinators. Alas, many of these insects are suffering from loss of wildflower habitat, pesticide poisoning, and more.

Plant More Natives does an eloquent job explaining what’s becoming an ecosystem crisis:

“Since the first English settlers landed on our shores over 400 years ago, we have modified 95% of the natural landscape for farming, housing, and commerce without, unfortunately, an understanding of the long-term implications. Seventy percent of the contiguous forest along the eastern seaboard has been eliminated, leaving behind ever-shrinking habitat islands for animals and more than 32 million acres of the default non-native landscape…. the lawn. These habitat islands lack the plant diversity necessary to support a diverse group of insects and animals.”

The Herb Society of America’s GreenBridges Initiative shows members and others how to develop butterfly- and bee-friendly gardens. These are “green bridges” linking islands of habitat so critical pollinators can move safely around the country.

To draw attention to the program in the minds of the members and non-members alike, HSA Editor Brent DeWitt has devised a signature logo. This graphic expression of the society’s initiative is a shorthand way of advertising and anchoring the program.

Brent explains thought that went into the logo: “The new GreenBridges logo is in a seal form, with inspiration based in the Arts & Crafts movement and a distinctive type font that has both a vintage and organic feel. This approach conveys the environmental focus, reverence of and connection to nature. It reflects the heart of the GreenBridges program.”

Learn how to attract more butterflies.

 

Mountain Mint: Native Herb of 2016

By Paris Wolfe, Blogmaster, The Herb Society of America

The mountain mint in Karen O’Brien’s garden was more than pretty; it was a pollination feast. Until, one fall morning when a helper mistook it for a weed and yanked it from its bed. Undeterred, O’Brien set out to replace the plant the following spring. And, she did it from seed.

Karen lives in Mendon, Mass., and is Chair of Botany and Horticulture for The Herb Society of America.

“It was very easy to grow,” she says. “It came up gang busters. Just put it in a good starter mix, keep it warm and it comes up easily. There are about 20 kinds of mountain mint. I picked the ones that are good for my zone.”

Despite its name and minty aroma , the native herb shouldn’t be mistaken for part of the common Mentha genus. Instead, mountain mint comprises 19 plants in the genus Pycnanthemum. And, it’s one of the few mints native only to North America.

Its strengths have earned Pycnanthemum or Mountain Mint the 2016 title Notable Native of the Year. Mountain Mint was chosen by the Native Herb Conservation Committee. “They select a native plant to highlight, trying to focus on plants that cover a large range and are less well-known or underutilized,” explains O’Brien.

Native herbs are seed-bearing, generally fleshy,  annual, biennial, or perennial or aromatic or useful shrub, vine and tree which grows naturally in North America, without the influence — accidental or intentional — of man. It has been in the United States before European settlement. Excluded from this definition are crop vegetables and hardwood trees used for lumber.

Natives must be useful — past or present – for flavoring, medicine, ornament, economic, industrial, or cosmetic purposes to be considered an herb.

Demonstrating the value of natives – and highlighting one each year — encourages herb lovers to include them in gardens. Conserving native plants is like protecting endangered animal species.  It ensures their long-term survival and contribution, both known and unknown, to the ecosystem.

Mountain Mint is a perfect plant for gardeners engaged in the The Herb Society of America’s GreenBridges initiative to preserve native herbs as well as pollinators. GreenBridges Program shows members and others how to develop butterfly- and bee-friendly gardens. These are “green bridges” linking islands of habitat so critical pollinators can move safely around the country.

Functionality aside, O’Brien says, “I would encourage people to grow it because it really is a pretty plant and it’s useful in so many ways.”

Check out HSA’s  herb profiles for more information.

 

 

Samull Grant Winner to Educate Through Medicinal Garden

By Paris Wolfe, Blogmaster, The Herb Society of America

Karen Diaz has a passion for herbalism that stems from her roots as the granddaughter of braceros and farmers from rural Jalisco, Mexico. (If you don’t know the word “bracero,” look it up. It’s a fascinating part of history.)

An educator, she is bringing that history into third to fifth grade classrooms at 6th Street Elementary School in Silver City, New Mexico.

“For generations my family has used herbs as a form of healing, medicine, and food,” say Diaz. “As I became involved in environmental justice and community organizing, I was drawn back to my roots of connecting to herbs as a tool for teaching and incorporating them into local food systems.”

6th Street Elementary is one of nine schools to receive HSA’s Donald Samull Classroom Herb Garden Grant.  The grant is funded by a bequest from the estate of Donald Samull, an elementary school teacher who used his love of herbs in the classroom with his students, grades three to six.

Diaz’s classroom was one of five that received $200 to establish an outdoor herb garden.  An additional four received monies for indoor herb gardens.

“I plan to establish an herbal medicinal garden with my students where we would also have lessons pertaining to how these herbs were traditionally used by cultures native to rural Grant County, which would include the Apache tribe and Mexican people,” says Diaz. “I also want to highlight ethnobotany, history, science, art, and math concepts in my lesson plans with my 3rd to 5th graders.”

2015-2016 Award recipients:

Indoor Herb Garden

• Bailey Middle School Cornelius, NC
• Evergreen Middle School Brooklyn, NY
• Jere Whitston Elementary School Cookville, TN
• Albert Hall School Waterville, ME

 

Outdoor Herb Garden

• Douglas Elementary Tyler, TX
• Dahlonegah Public School Stilwell, OK
• 6th Street Elementary Silver City, NM
• Simonton Elementary School Lawrenceville, GA
• South Side Elementary Nuseum Magnet School Miami, FL

 

“I am amazed at the number of applications we receive each year for this grant,” says Katrinka Morgan, executive director of HSA. “Mr. Samull inspired when he taught and continues to inspire. We are honored to continue to share his love of herbs through this grant program.“

Don’t Miss Today’s Deal

By Paris Wolfe, Blogmaster, Herb Society of America

How many herbs can you identify on this custom-designed silk scarf? Rendered in soft, pastel tones, the scarf design was first produced in 1997. It sold out then and will do so again. Until midnight, today only (Monday, December 7, 2015), the scarf it is available for $5 off. That’s $40, plus $2.60 shipping.

The bargain is part of HSA’s “10 Days of Giving” which ends December 10, 2015.

Designed by established textile artist Kevin O’Brien the silk scarf can be worn in a number of ways, from simply draping the fabric square to complicated tied constructions.

O’Brien, as his website tells it, switched from painting to textile art in 1997, the same year HSA first worked with him. Since then, his upscale textiles have become well-known and sold worldwide. They can be found online through a number of vendors.

HSA also offers an O’Brien’s vibrant work on an 18- by 72-inch rectangle. It features brightly colored Monarda fistulosa (bee balm) and hummingbirds against a black background. Learn more about purchasing.

Get Your Daily Herb-Inspired Deal

The Herb Society of America is offering “10 Days of Giving.” That’s a daily sale on items from the Garden Gallery. At 9 a.m. EST from December 1 to December 10, the deal-of-the-day will be listed on the Herb Society home page.  That special price will expire at midnight.

These herb-inspired items make great holiday gifts. Think: One for me, one for Mom. One for me, one for Grandpa.

Get started with Tuesday’s deal … Anne Ophelia Dowden Notecards marked down 33 percent. I use mine to say Thank You, Get Well and more in a personal way.

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Need more holiday gift giving ideas?

You may have missed HSA’s November Open House. But, you can still be inspired by the vendors who sold handcrafted products. Browse pictures from that day to see soaps, jellies, tiles, salts and more.