So once I snap back to reality, my goal is to find ways to integrate those dreamy aspects I love about that wide open space into the more limited space I have at home. One great way to do this is through planting a variety of herbs in my urban yard. They are versatile, useful, and add to the biodiversity in my area. In addition, many herbs are easy to grow, perennial, cold-hardy, or a combination of these traits. Beneficial AND easy? That's a win-win for my urban lifestyle.
Sometimes I think I only benefit from herbs that I use to add or enhance the flavor in my food. But in addition to delicious flavor, herbs are handy for the following reasons too:
* Food for bees
* Attracting beneficial insects to your garden or landscape
* Deter unwanted insects (ex. lemongrass for mosquitos)
* Medicinal use (teas, tinctures, poultices, infused oils)
* Used as cut flowers or as greenery in arrangements
* Beautify your landscape
* Aromatic (perfumes, cover odors)
* For coloring as a dye
* Grown indoors as plant therapy (Read here about the physical and mental benefits of indoor plants.)
{chives can have beautiful flowers like these}
Now that you're completely convinced that growing herbs in an urban setting is absolutely a grand idea, here are some great herbs to get started with...
borage
Borage refills with nectar every 2 minutes, so it is great for attracting and feeding honey bees and other beneficial pollinators. It's easy to grow from seed and has small but beautiful blue flowers. Borage can be applied externally as a poultice for inflammatory swellings, or taken internally as a diuretic, for fever or pulmonary issues, and to promote activity in the kidneys (Mrs. M. Grieve, A Modern Herbal: https://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/borage66.html).
downside: Borage is an annual, so it will only stick around for one growing season.
{image from http://honeylove.org/tag/borage/}
rosemary
Rosemary is great for culinary use. I love to use it on roasted root vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots) or even in a cocktail. Its sprigs can be used in flower arrangements as aromatic greenery. This herb also helps relieve indigestion, muscle pain and arthritis, and even sweetens the breath. It is a cold-hardy perennial, which makes it easy to grow and keep alive for multiple years of enjoyment.
downside: It's best to grow this one from cuttings. Seeds are slow to germinate.
lavender
Lavender flowers and leaves can be used for cooking. This Provencal-inspired recipe is delicious (I can personally attest!): http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Roasted-Potato-With-Lavender. While that potato recipe uses the leaves, this beautiful hot toddy utilizes the lavender flowers: http://www.decotartelette.com/lavender-orange-hot-toddy/.
The U.S. Lavender Growers Association states that bees love lavender in bloom, so if you keep bees or just want to bring these beneficial pollinators into your garden, lavender is a great way to do it! Lavender also calms & relaxes and is used in aromatherapy (by your masseuse & on your cold towel after hot yoga <so amazing>). It eases pain, and is an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.
downside: Lavender can be tricky to grow in the Southeast because it does not tolerate excessive soil moisture of humidity.
{image from decotartelette.com of the hot toddy recipe linked above}
There are so many more herbs that may be the perfect fit for your region of the country, your lifestyle (indoor, in containers, in the ground), and your desires (medicinal, culinary, aromatic). The Herb Society of America, founded in 1933, has an online Beginner's Guide that may help you get started: http://www.herbsociety.org/herbs/beginners-guide.html.
On your own...
Herbal tinctures have been used for generations to help with issues like digestion. They're very easy to make and half a long shelf life. I love this tutorial on how to make them by Wellness Mama: http://wellnessmama.com/8168/herbal-tinctures/
Links / Sources:
Dr. Julia Kornegay, North Carolina State University Department of Horticulture - lectures from HS 205 (Home Food Production)
http://www.healthline.com/health/importance-plants-home
http://honeylove.org
http://www.herbsociety.org
http://www.decotartelette.com
http://uslavender.org
http://wellnessmama.com/
http://botanical.com/
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