"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."
-- Aristotle
-- Aristotle
NC Unit, Herb Society of America, Inc.
2024 - 2025 Program Schedule
September 19, 2026: The Peace Garden with Carroll Larkin
October 17, 2024: The Fall and Winter Garden with Meg Shelton of Shelton Farms
November 21, 2024: Habitat Gardening with Native Species with Dale Batchelor
December 19, 2024: Holiday Celebration
January 16, 2025: Tea Gardens with Christine Parks
February 20, 2025: Skunk Cabbage? Really?? with Carol Ann McCormick (with NC Botanical Garden)
March 20, 2025: The Forest Garden with Katie Loovis
April 17, 2025: Herbal Dyes with Barbara Harris
May 15, 2025: Annual Meeting & Picnic
All meetings begin at 10:00 am, lunch following the meeting.
If you are not a member and would like to attend a meeting, please use the contact form below so we can give you location details.
October 17, 2024: The Fall and Winter Garden with Meg Shelton of Shelton Farms
November 21, 2024: Habitat Gardening with Native Species with Dale Batchelor
December 19, 2024: Holiday Celebration
January 16, 2025: Tea Gardens with Christine Parks
February 20, 2025: Skunk Cabbage? Really?? with Carol Ann McCormick (with NC Botanical Garden)
March 20, 2025: The Forest Garden with Katie Loovis
April 17, 2025: Herbal Dyes with Barbara Harris
May 15, 2025: Annual Meeting & Picnic
All meetings begin at 10:00 am, lunch following the meeting.
If you are not a member and would like to attend a meeting, please use the contact form below so we can give you location details.
Garden Visitors
Male Tiger Swallowtail by
Elaine C.
Female Tiger Swallowtail - notice blue along bottom edges
by Kathy S.
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Tiger Swallowtail butterflies
Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly milkweed, is native in the US from Maine to Florida and west to the Rocky Mountains. It has a long history of usefulness to Indigenous Peoples across the country, including its value for making cords, ropes, and cloth. Its history for medicinal uses by Indigenous People included Cherokee, Delaware, Iroquois, Menominee, Mohegan, Navajo, Omaha, Ponca, and Rappahannock. Uses included for treating pain, as an antidiarrheal, and an expectorant. It was also determined helpful as a gynecological, pulmonary and dermatological aid. We now know that milkweed species contain cardiac glycosides that are poisonous both to humans and to livestock. Symptoms of poisoning by the cardiac glycosides include weakness, bloating, inability to stand or walk, high body temperature, rapid and weak pulse, difficulty breathing, dilated pupils, spasms, and coma. It is a beautiful plant in our gardens and useful for attracting pollinators. It does well in sun full or part-shade and withstands dry spells. Information from: Butterfly Milkweed Plant Guide, USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_astu.pdf Male Tiger Swallowtail on Butterfly milkweed by Elaine C. Female Tiger Swallowtail on Butterfly milkweed by Kathy S. |
Tea Herbs for Autumn
Monarda didyma.
Rose hips (Rosa rugosa)
Ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving
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There are still many herbs in your garden that are lovely as tea, and easy to make. Among them are:
Chamomile German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is favored by many for tea, as it has a slightly sweeter taste. Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is bolder with a hint of apple flavor. It is generally the flowers that are harvested and easily dried for use through Fall and Winter. Mints Most mints are good for tea, but especially if you are blending it with another herb, peppermint works well (Mentha x piperita). Lemongrass Harvest Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) with care as the edges of the strap-like leaves can cut into your hand. The most flavorful part is the lower end of the stalk, which is whitish. Cut that up and steep a cup of tea, or dry and keep for winter. 
When you have finished with garden tasks, plan a visit to a forest to soak in the tranquility and beauty of the season. Carry a thermos of tea with you!
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Lemon verbena
This is one of the best of the lemon scented herbs (Aloysia citriodora). It is shrub-like in appearance with leaves that require no guessing to determine what it is. Harvest the leaves and use fresh or dried. There are no worries with tea, but if you use in other dishes, chop the leaves FINELY, as they are similar in strength to bay leaves, and can cut a tongue if too large. Bee balm (Monarda didyma) Known as Liberty Tea after the events at Boston Harbor many years ago as Tea was no longer readily available. This plant was one of the substitutions, often mixed with a variety of other plants. You can use a few dried flowers and leaves, which have a minty-citrusy flavor. For the adventurers, consider: Thyme (Thymus, select a species by fragrance) Sage (Salvia species) Basil (Ocimum species) Rose hips (unsprayed) Rosemary Pine (steep the needles) Winter savory (Satureja montana) 
5 sheep in an Autumn field
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