Turn your pot marigolds into tea. How to make calendula tea.

Calendula tea recipe

I came across this recipe similar to this on a visit to the Geelong botanic gardens. At the time they had a tea garden which featured amongst other plants, calendula. I thought I would write up my quick variation of this recipe to compliment my other post on dandelion coffee. According to info from the gardens drinking calendula tea has been used to treat gastric ulcers and infections of the mouth and throat. It improves digestion, relieves menstrual cramps and helps to relieve liver disease. I have no idea if any of that is actually true but you can believe it if you want :). This tea tastes very mild not bitter and is quite refreshing.

Lots if text I've read states it is important to only use Calendula officianalis (common name pot marigold) and not the other varieties of marigolds (Tagetes) because they may not be edible. Some text I've read states otherwise. Based on my current level of knowledge on the matter I wouldn't risk it at the present time.

Equipment;

A coffee plunger, colander and a grater.

Ingredients;

• 1/4 cup of fresh calendula petals
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• Sprinkling of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest
• 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
• Boiling water

 

 

Method;

Steep calendula petals in 1 cup of  boiling water for  5 minutes with the grated orange zest. Add the honey and orange juice. Stir and strain into a cup then sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Annual bed in Parkville reloaded

 

 

Finally the front annual garden bed in Parkville is reborn. Outgoing plants are Tulips, Cinerarias, Mizuna and Primulas. The new annuals are Marigolds and Zinnias. The weather has been incredibly hot here lately as we are at the peak of Summer. It has also been very dry and we have had to diligently water this bed to keep it alive and thriving.

 

 

 

Below are gold old Marigolds. They had a bit of a rough start as we didn't plant them out for some time after we bought them. The mushroom compost they are planted in combined with regular watering bought them back with a vengeance.

 

 

We originally didn't plan for these Zinnias to be planted in the front garden bed. First off I planted some Celosias here but they failed to thrive so we planted Zinnias instead. Their vivid colours make them really stand out. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last of all is the Morning Glory cultivar called 'heavenly blue'. Finally we have utilized the wires that were installed on the back wall. This particular flower is a bit withered as it was 30+ Celsius the day I took these pictures. The Morning Glory was added as an afterthought. The whole design of the annual bed this time has really been a bit of a fluke. Certain plants failed and we made do with what we had on hand. I think it's figured out just fine, really colourfull and packed with different shapes and forms.

 

 

 

Parkville garden last post for 2012

Last entry for the Parkville garden 2012. It's now the height of summer and we have often been watering different areas in an attempt to keep them green. I planted new annuals in the front bed then 2 days later we had a day where the temperature reached 36C. The seedlings suffered but survived and with luck they should be looking good in a months time. At the moment they are a bit shrivelled. The garden is dotted with Jacaranda trees. I didn't know what these looked like in flower and was surprised to see their masses of purple flowers. Driving home after work I can see patches of Jacaranda tree purple in the Strathmore hills and it makes me wish I could grow them at home but I suspect it may be too cold for them to thrive.

One of our Jacarandas (the largest one)



The sorry looking annuals. There are 4 rows of Marigolds and 2 rows of Celosias at the back. About 1 fifth of the Celosias died in the heat. We also finally put in some climbers which will be trained up the wall on the cables.

The Sunflower bed is looking fantastic. I've been putting lots of love into this particular section. I've mulched them with mushroom compost and have watered them regularly. It seems to be paying off with nearly all surviving and thriving. The only casualties were due to slug damage (but I took care of them with some snail bait). I also transplanted 4 tomato plants amongst the sunflowers (2 in the wooden cages and 2 against the wall). 

Last of all for 2012 is this Begonia flower. When I first started working at Parkville I didn't care for them but I have taken a real shining to these plants. I progagated several from the plants in Parkville and have them at home in Macedon now. They have such a wonderfully varied range of foliage between the different species.

What's in the Macedon garden December 2012?

Summer update on my garden in Macedon. The lawn has lost its green lustre and is now a shade of straw which although unsightly means I don't have to mow as often, thank god! I planted lots of annuals and had mixed success with them. Lots were taken out by my own chickens when they were seedlings. I really did the annuals on the cheap and they were all the bargain basement seedlings from the local nursery (not that the nursery has a basement). The pansies however, were all from seed. I refer to them as my Grandma annuals because they are the old fashion favorite annuals and quite common. I bought half a metre of mushroom compost and dug it through some really poor soil to rejuvenate it and spread the rest as a mulch. The plants have really responded to it so I will definitely do it again next year.

The Marigolds took quite a hammering from the chickens and only a few survived.

The Snapdragons were untouched by both chicken and snail and all survived and thrived as the one below.

Below is the giant Ullswater blue pansy

Blackjack pansies.

My pride and joy this year giant Hollyhocks. I've been on a mission to grow these for a couple of years and have failed until this year. Even this lot has come close to being lost. First they contracted celery mosaic virus and had to be nursed back to health so they adapted and managed to overcome the symptoms of the virus. Secondly they came under attack from cabbage butterfly caterpillars (which I had to spray to clear). Thirdly they were smashed by really strong winds one night and a couple were on the ground the next day. I had to stake the wind damaged ones but they are looking good now. They haven't flowered yet but look ready to pop. I'll get some more photos when they bloom.

Awww a small Hollyhock bud.

This perennial is a Kniphofia (unsure of the species though). Its now much to look at now but it has a wonderful flower head in winter. It goes by the common name of 'red hot poker'. I propagated this by division last autumn and it looks ready to flower next winter.

Hydrangea macrophylla is an old fashioned favorite. These existed on the property when we bought it. They are an extremely common plant here in Victoria but i can't bring myself to get rid of them. I must have the acidic (low PH) soil here as the flowers are always blue.

My daughter planted these Impatiens and as with all the things she plants they have somehow thrived even with minimal intervention.

Below are some blueberries from my only blueberry bush. There seem to be lots on the bush this year so if the birds don't get to them I should harvest enough for a couple of punnets.

The ever reliable chives

The broadbeans have been really successful. They are nearing the end now but I've harvest heaps. Almost every day I pick some and eat them raw.

One of six sunflower seedlings. Fingers crossed some will grow to maturity. The bloody snails love these things.