[Artemisia] Growing artemisias

[LadyPDC at aol.com]

I do have the wormwood type artemisia in my yard and have had it for about  
10 years.  The last two years I have been too ill to tend it and it grew  quite 
leggy but it has survived well.  The best thing about it though was  when I 
was able to tend it.  Keep it short and bushy and you can do some of  the most 
marvelous topiaries with it.  I had it near a Winnie the Pooh  statue and 
mostly kept it shaped as a cartoon mushroom thought one year when we  had a lot of 
rain I did let it grow a bit taller and then shaped it as an  umbrella over 
Pooh's head.  It can be quite fun to play with and takes very  little care.
 
Of course we could also plant vervain and invite the rambunctious children  
to play in it.  They will soon want to take a nap.  It was also known  as 
witches weed because it is a bit narcotic and the wiccans would brew tea with  it 
and then imagine that they were flying.  I have to wear gloves when  trimming 
mine or I will find myself just drifting off and becoming quite  happy.
 
Rue, besides being a rather carefree bush, is also quite good in salads in  
small quantities.
 
Feverfew, so good for migraines that modern MD's are prescribing it now, is  
also good at curing almost any headache.  But it tastes nasty as can  be.  
However, if you substitute feverfew for the mint in sekanjabin or just  add it in 
with the mint, the flavor becomes tolerable and one teaspoon will not  only 
remove a headache but some younger friends of mine discovered that it will  
also get rid of a hangover.  It is amusing to give either a leaf of it or a  
teaspoon of the sekanjabin to someone with either problem and see the look of  
astonishment on their face when the problem disappears within about 5  minutes.  
Makes me very popular at times.   And feverfew, mint,  and lemon balm in 
sekanjabin makes a quite effective flu remedy.
 
Enough prattling for the evening - off to find a bed.  

Mistress Constance de la Rose, OL
Barony of Loch  Salann
Kingdom of Artemisia




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