• About
    • Testimonials
  • Why Elemental Organic
    • Principles of Elemental Organic gardening
  • Blog
  • Services
    • Alien Invasive Species – Certified Practioner
    • Gardening Services
    • Organics
  • Disclaimer

aristonorganic

~ "The Best of the Best"

aristonorganic

Category Archives: Perennials

Lemongrass

09 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Gardens, Green tips, Growing, Health, Herbs, Honey Bee, Organic, Perennials

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bee, food, garden, green tips, health, honey bee, Insects, Intercropping, Lemongrass, medicinal herb, organic, tea, Whitefly


IMG_20160609_110518_edit

Sweet Pickled Lemongrass

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus) , are commonly cultivated as culinary and medicinal herbs because of their scent, resembling that of lemons.

Lemongrass is usually planted in home gardens to ward off insects such as whitefly adults. Its cultivation enables growing some vegetables (e.g. tomatoes and broccoli) without applying pesticides. Intercropping should include physical barriers, for citronella roots can take over the field.

Lemongrass is widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisine and also as medicinal herb in India. It has a subtle citrus flavor and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries. It is also suitable for use with poultry, fish, beef, and seafood. It is often used as a tea in African countries such as Togo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Latin American countries such as Mexico. Lemongrass oil is used as a pesticide and a preservative. Research shows that lemongrass oil has antifungal properties. Despite its ability to repel some insects, such as mosquitoes, its oil is commonly used as a “lure” to attract honey bees. “Lemongrass works conveniently as well as the pheromone created by the honeybee’s Nasonov gland, also known as attractant pheromones. Because of this, lemongrass oil can be used as a lure when trapping swarms or attempting to draw the attention of hived bees.

Health Benefits of Lemongrass Essential Oil

Analgesic, Antidepressant, Antimicrobial and Antibacterial, Anti-pyretic, Antiseptic, Astringent, Carminative, Deodorant, Diuretic, Febrifuge, Fungicidal, Galactogogue, Insecticidaland Nervine.

A Few Words of Caution: It is likely to irritate the skin and produce other types of irritations too. Hence it should be avoided during pregnancy, and kept away from the eyes.

 

Waterblommetjies

17 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Cape Town, Flowers, Perennials, South African Endemic

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Aponogeton distachyos, Cape Town, Flowers, food, nature, organic, South African endemic plant, Waterblommetjie


Aponogeton distachyos - Waterblommetjie

Aponogeton distachyos – Waterblommetjie

edible flower

It is widely cultivated in South Africa for its edible buds and flowers, used in the recipe Waterblommetjiebredie.

 It grows in ponds and vleis which dry up in summer, becoming dormant in the dry summer and growing again when the pools fill with autumn rain

It grows in ponds and vleis which dry up in summer, becoming dormant in the dry summer and growing again when the pools fill with autumn rain

 

 

Gallery

July in Ariston

14 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Flowers, Gardens, Herbs, Organic, Perennials, South African Endemic

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cape Town, environment, Flowers, food, garden, health, herbs, home grown, organic, South African endemic plant

This gallery contains 13 photos.


Winter Solstice in the garden

23 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Birds, Cape Town, Colours, Flowers, Gardens, Perennials

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

aloe, broad beans, Cape Bulbul, Cape Honeysuckle, Cape Robin, Cape Town, Cape Turtle Dove, environment, Flowers, garden, Lemon, nature, organic, plants, South African endemic plant, Tecoma capensis, Viola


Lemon tree oh so pretty

Lemon tree oh so pretty

Broad Beans in flower

Broad Beans in flower

Viola Black Velvet

Viola Black Velvet

First Day Lily

First Day Lily

Tecoma Capensis - Cape Honeysuckle

Tecoma Capensis – Cape Honeysuckle

Climbing Aloe

Climbing Aloe

Cape Bulbul

Cape Bulbul

Cape Robin

Cape Robin

Cape Turtle Doves with White Eye in the background

Cape Turtle Doves

Wordless Wednesday

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Cape Town, Perennials, South African Endemic

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cape Town, environment, Leucospermum, nature, pincushion protea, plants, South African endemic plant


Leucospermum

Leucospermum

Image

Faery Friday – Watsonia

30 Friday May 2014

Tags

art gift, art print, deviantart, Faery Friday, nature, photography, plants, South African endemic plant, Watsonia borbonica, Watsonia Bulb


Watsonia Bulb

Watsonia Bulb (Watsonia borbonica)

Posted by Brigid Jackson | Filed under Art Gift, Bulbs, Perennials, Photography, South African Endemic

≈ 2 Comments

Cape Honeysuckle

27 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Colours, Flowers, Perennials, South African Endemic

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Cape Honeysuckle, Flowers, garden, plants, quick solution, Salmon Pink, South African endemic plant, Tecoma capensis


Cape Honeysuckle has to be one of the most rewarding shrubs when a quick solution is needed. It is a fast growing sprawling shrub that can grow up to 2m by 2m. It flowers all year around.  The flowers are red, deep orange, Salmon Pink and Yellow.

The honey laden flowers attract Honeybee, butterflies and nectar feeding birds such as the Sunbird family.

Tecoma capensis is very easy to propagate. It can be propagated from cuttings or by removing rooted suckers during the active growth phase. It is mostly used for screening.

 

Cape Honeysuckle  Tecoma Capensis

Cape Honeysuckle
Tecoma Capensis

Black Eyed Susan

23 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Colours, Flowers, gardening tips, Gardens, Growing, Honey Bee, insects, Perennials, South African Endemic

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Bee, Black Eyed Susan, butterfly, environment, Flowers, garden, honeybee, plants, South African endemic plant


 

Thunbergia alata or “Black Eyed Susan”  is a happy fast growing and long flowering vine. It is a favourite here in South Africa, as it is not fussy about the soil and needs only moderate water. It is mostly evergreen and covers ugly places fast.

Ecology
Black-eyed susan is probably pollinated by bees. An insect visiting the flower will touch the stigma first, with its back, and then the anthers, getting a load of pollen that is then carried to another stigma. The flowers reflect ultra violet light in a pattern that is visible to insects but not to humans. This helps insects find the centre of the flower. Seeds are perhaps ejected mechanically when the fruit splits open. A butterfly, Junonia ovithya, or the eyed pansy, and moths also visit these plants to lay eggs, for the larvae eat the leaves. Hence this creeper, being attractive to insects, helps bring birds into a garden. Birds also often nest in the thickly tangled stems.

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. Luther Burbank

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
Luther Burbank

My Mpumalanga Plant – Snotappel

17 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Perennials, South African Endemic

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Azanza, Flowers, Mpumalanga Province, quotes, South African endemic plant


Azanza

Azanza

Close up of the flowers

Close up of the flower

About a year ago, one of my neighbours presented me with a cutting from a plant which both of us have battled to cross- reference. She told me she had found the plant in Mpumalanga Province in South  Africa

It rooted fast and now has it’s own spot in my garden.

The little information I have been able to reference on this plant. Azanza garkeana known as Snotappel.

Shrub or tree 10m, found in the Northern parts of the Kruger National Park.

The flowers are Hibiscus like, yellow with dark centers. Flowering from December to May

The fruit is a round woody capsule. Chewed fruit produces a glutinous slime.

 

Lemongrass

04 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Brigid Jackson in Herbs, Honey Bee, Organic, Perennials

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

athletes foot, brinjals, companion plant, Cymbopogon citratus, fleas, food, gardening, herbs, home grown, insect repellant, lemon grass, marinade, Mosquitoes, organic, plants, skin ailments, stirfries, sweet potatoes, Thai cooking, ticks, tomato


Lemongrass - Cymbopogon citratus

Lemongrass – Cymbopogon citratus

Lemon grass originates from Southern India and Sri Lanka. It has long been characteristic of Far Eastern Cuisines. It has found it’s place in Gourmet dishes as well as fragrant toiletries around the world. Apart from culinary and cosmetic uses, Lemon grass has an array of medicinal properties.

To increase your stock of Lemon grass, divide it by pulling apart sections. Potted Lemon grass should be divided every two years. It makes a good companion plant with sweet potatoes, peppers, brinjals and tomatoes. Lemon grass requires full sun.

Uses :

Culinary :

  • Delicious as a tea.
  • The chopped base of the leaf cluster is used in Thai cooking.
  • Delicious with cheese, egg and fish dishes
  • Flavouring for marinades, oils, sauces and stir fries.

Medicinal:

  • Lemon grass stimulates cell regeneration.
  • Soothes intestinal infections
  • A strong infusion can be used as a deodorant.
  • Soothes fever, colitis, digestive upset, muscular pain,poor circulation,skin ailments and stress related conditions.

Cosmetic :

  • Useful for treating most skin ailments.’
  • Athlete’s foot
  • foot bath and massage.
  • Essential Oil diluted in carried oil, will deter mosquitoes, ticks, fleas.

Gardening : 

  • Lemon grass insect repelling spray can be used on insect infected plants.
  • Watered over beds where seeds will be sown, to protect them from predators.
  • Soak pea and bean seed in  Lemon grass tea to have bumper crops.
  • Rub the inside of your hive when baiting bees.

 

 

 

← Older posts

CONTACT :

Ariston Elemental Organic Garden
Murdoch Valley South Simon's Town Western Cape South Africa
aristonorganic@gmail.com
By appointment

Credit Cards Accepted

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 688 other subscribers
Follow aristonorganic on WordPress.com

Recent posts

  • Tamarillo – The tree Tomato
  • Essential Oils in the Garden
  • The Bees Knees – Far South
  • Prepare for the #FIRE SEASON – Become an #ECO-WARRIOR
  • Moutain Herb Estate

Archives

Categories

Ariston Elemental Organic Garden

Ariston Elemental Organic Garden

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Instagram

No Instagram images were found.

JACKPOT – AFRICA’S OVEN

Jackpot - Africa's Oven

Inspiratrix Mosaic

Blogs I Follow

  • Living Better
  • ifitscool
  • ultimatemindsettoday
  • Cooking with a Wallflower
  • Get Paid To Blog Fun Stuff!
  • Round & About
  • The Average South African
  • trevorino
  • My Adventures in Beekeeping
  • GARDEN OF EADY
  • Small Town Soul, Big City Brain
  • Fox in the Stars
  • Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus
  • The Jackson Diner
  • A Leaf in Springtime
  • All Nudist
Map
Flag Counter

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Blog Stats

  • 163,259 hits
  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments
proudly-south-african

“The Best of the Best” Organic Handcream

Ariston Organic “The Best of the Best” Hand Cream is made only from the finest ingredients.

Natural Lavender Hydro-sol

Lavender “Hydro-lat is Mum’s greatest helper”

Lavender Wands

Hand made wands made from fresh Lavender growing in our garden. Available in your choice of color ribbon.

Ariston’s Elemental Organic Gardener’s hand scrub

Ingredients : Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, sugar, Rosemary, Mint, Lemon peel, Fresh Lavender.

Wheat Grass

Order seed or live trays

Sunflower Greens and Seeds

A mere 35 grams of sprouted seeds contains a whopping 22.78 grams of protein!

Red Wrigglers

As long ago as 1881 Charles Darwin wrote:” It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures”

The A to Z of Vegetable Gardening in South Africa

Edible and Medicinal Flowers

Guide to the Aloes of South Africa

People’s Plants

Jane’s Delicious Garden

Cooking and Gardening Projects for Kids

Remarkable Gardens of South Africa

Guide to Succulents of South Africa

Margaret Roberts A to Z of Herbs

Cape Town Green Map

Cape Town Invasive Species

GMO awareness

Bulbs South Africa

SEED

Your Food Heros

ACB

Veld and Flora

Blog at WordPress.com.

Living Better

Towards a more ethical lifestyle

ifitscool

Just keep looking

ultimatemindsettoday

A great WordPress.com site

Cooking with a Wallflower

Get Paid To Blog Fun Stuff!

Want A Profitable Blog In 21 Days?

Round & About

The Average South African

Food // Travel // Lifestyle

trevorino

just another wonderfull day...

My Adventures in Beekeeping

On bees, queens, and stings!

GARDEN OF EADY

Bring new life to your garden!

Small Town Soul, Big City Brain

Realistic Sustainable Living

Fox in the Stars

Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective

The Jackson Diner

A Story of Broccoli

A Leaf in Springtime

"Be a dew to the soil of the human heart."

All Nudist

Everything about the Nudist/Naturist lifestyle

  • Follow Following
    • aristonorganic
    • Join 90 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • aristonorganic
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...