| Easy Green Gifts from the Herb Garden |
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| Eco News |
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Sometimes the best gifts are homemade, especially when they are created with love and healing herbs.Simplify your gift list with these DIY herbal goodies.Why not try a few and see what you think?
Herb Pot Small herb plants such as thyme, basil, and rosemary Sandwich bag full of small stones Potting soil Trowel or large spoon Homemade labels for herbs (we made them by gluing craft foam onto wooden skewers) Gardening gloves Large flower pot to display all the items Cover the bottom of the flowerpot with stones for drainage. Fill the pot partway with soil. Carefully remove plants from their containers and position them in the larger pot, leaving some space between each plant. Water until the soil is damp, then place the flowerpot in a sunny spot. Water the herbs when the soil dries out—about once a week. Then watch your garden grow. Herb Mini Gardens These small gardens are very useful in the kitchen so a few extra for friends are an idea. First you need a few clay pots, short, wide pots are best. Use a good quality organic potting mix to give them a good start. Now you need some fresh herbs, obtain five to six different kinds for variety. All you need to do is to plant the herbs so they look great and water them in. Lavender Sprays These make nice gifts, especially for the elder members of the family. Collect the lavender just before the flowers are entirely opened, make sure you cut a long stem on each of them. Tie a ribbon around a small bunch just under the neck of the flowers. Now comes the tricky part, you must gently bend back the stalks over the flowers themselves, one at a time. When all the stalks are over the flowers tie a ribbon around to secure them. These are unusual gifts and will last for ages. Place the sprays in a dark cupboard for four weeks or until they are totally dry. You might like to add a few drops of pure essential lavender oil to enhance the aroma. Herb Sachets Herb sachets are useful little pillows filled with an assortment of herbs. They are ideal for the linen press and they can make anywhere smell fresh and different. Pick some fresh herbs and dry them well. Any herb that appeals to you can be used. Simply make a little pillow and decorate them how you like. Handpainted ones would be lovely. Crumble the dried herbs and place them into the pillows, a little orris root powder will help retain the smell longer. Sew the ends and you have a nice gift.
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