HOW ABOUT HERBS 



Promote 'Native ' Here are some 

 herbs — all native — that were be- 

 ing used in North America long be- 

 fore the first European colonists came 



lack in the Pulpit [krisaema tri- 

 phyllum], sometimes called Indian tur- 

 nip, is a woodland perennial wild- 

 flower and a fine shade garden herb 

 that was once used as a headache 

 treatment The root, which contains 

 the poison calcium oxalate, was 

 pounded with water into a pulp and 

 then allowed to dry, rendering it 

 harmless. In this state, it was used 

 as snuff and a medicinal tea About 

 two feet tall when mature, a clump 

 of 'lacks' is a fine accent plant 



Mountain Mint [Pycnanlhemum piio- 

 sum] has a pungent mint-like odor 

 and an interesting pinkish-white 

 cluster of flower heads that dry well 

 Unlike many mints, this one is 

 not rampantly invasive, but grows 

 steadily into a larger clump Native 

 to the eastern United States, it was 

 used by Native Americans It can 

 take shade or sun. moist or drier soil 



Bearberry or Upland Cranberry 

 {Arctoslaphyhs wva-urs/l, a member of 

 the heath family, was once used as 

 an "herbal tobacco" and the dried 

 leaves as an astringent tea consid- 

 ered soothing for indigestion It's a 

 fine herbal ground cover, a trailing 

 perennial shrub with deep green, 

 odorless, leathery foliage and bland 

 red berries that can be cooked and 

 mixed with other berries. They are 

 a favorite food of bears in spring 



Bergamont or Bee Balm {Monarda 

 didyma) is a well-known herb — and 

 it's a native The leaves, stems, and 

 blossoms of this vigorous herb 

 makes a tasty natural tea used (or 

 soothing sore throats and settling 

 upset stomachs The newer varieties 

 of Monarda are less prone to mildew 

 and will grow in a partially shaded 

 or sunny garden This herb also 

 combines well with regular tea Ac- 

 cording to legend, this was the tea 

 that was drunk in place of the tea 

 that was thrown into Boston Harbor 



at the beginning of the Revolution- 

 ary War 



Borage iBorago oflidnalis] is a com- 

 mon native herb, the leaves of which 

 make a tea rich in calcium and po- 

 tassium. Native Americans used bor- 

 age to promote healing and relieve 

 cold discomforts It's a rather sprawl- 

 ing herb, but the clear blue flowers 

 are delicate and lovely It grows 

 readily from seed 



Hepatica or Liverieaf {Hepalka 

 amerkana] is a small wildflower whose 

 leaves appear after its white, blue, 

 or pinkish flowers It makes a lovely 

 ground cover, growing about six 

 inches high. It does best in partial 

 shade and rich neutral soil and was 

 used medicinally for liver problems 



^ 



by Native Americans 



Finally. Filipendula ulmaria. a native 

 North American plant commonly 

 called Queen of the Meadow, is a 

 dramatic perennial for the sunny 

 moist herb garden I have seen it in 

 gardens in Ohio, but have not found 

 it in a nursery here It grows six feet 

 tall and has yellow flowers It's used 

 as a dye plant, making a greenish- 

 yellow dye. and is fragrant 



These are just a few of the native 

 plants that have herbal uses that 

 are not commonly seen within the 

 boundaries of area herb gardens, 

 although they certainly would be 

 attractive there 



Tanya ]ackson. a well-known area 

 herbalisl. can be reached at 603-6774. 



BOOK REVIEW 



The editor was recently given an 

 opportunity to review Grcwcr-laltis on 

 Retailing edited by |ohn Saxtan pub- 

 lished by Ball Publishing, containing l«2 

 pages of highlights from articles pub- 

 lished in GrowciTalfn magazine from Sep- 

 tember, IQ88 through |une IQO^ 



The book is divided into seven chap- 

 ter headings (Marketing. Customer Ser- 

 vice Employee Management etc I un- 

 der which are anywhere from eight to 2'^ 

 related selections These range in size 

 from a couple paragraphs to six or seven 

 pages Twenty-two black and white 

 photographs illustrate points made in 

 the text 



This book is basically about what has 

 been done — these are the solutions in- 

 terviewers observed when visiting retail 

 greenhouses and garden centers across 

 the continent Most aren't as surprising 

 as they are sensible strategies based on 

 the basics of service efficiency quality 

 Some variations on these themes were 

 clever — even funny i "Moose Bucks" was 

 one), and people were aware of the im- 

 portance of trends but when you read 

 this you realize the industry is run by 

 very praaical. no-nonsense people 



At first I wanted to know (ww these 

 people did these things Then, as I was 

 reading about a florist who grew tired of 

 the fake country facades on the busi- 

 nesses around her and decided to "go 

 Victorian" and was wondering just how 

 she went about creating this transforma- 

 tion, I began to see that maybe the 

 point of the piece was a message — "Be 

 Different than your Competition "" The 

 book is not a how-to-do manual but 

 more of an inspirational tract — a series 

 of small stories — most with an underly- 

 ing message which--if appropriate and 

 followed correctly — could lead to the 



readers self- improvement (i e more 

 profit I 



Rather than wonder how Bob 

 Madduxs "Delphi Way," an intriguing list 

 of 14 rules on which to base employer/ 

 employee relationships, came about 

 ( "Did these evolve"' Or all happen at 

 once in the midst of a crisis"'), you real- 

 ize that the article is giving you the mes- 

 sage "'Prevent high turnover by treating 

 employees well "" along with 14 guide- 

 posts to help you do just that 



It works — you'll get lots of ideas And 

 some will be genuinely helpful It's a 

 book in which to browse — but to maxi- 

 mize its usefulness you might begin by 

 reading two of the longer selections 

 ("Marketing — What It Is and How to Do 

 It "■ and "Practical Ways to Discover and 

 Serve Your Niche Market." both in the 

 middle of Chapter Sixl and use these as 

 a reference point from which to see both 

 your own business and the many ideas 

 offered 



The only mention of New Hampshire 

 I noticed is of a Vermont firm filling the 

 bedding plant contract with "the 

 Balsam's Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville 

 Notch, site of the first open poll in the 

 presidential primary" — which seems to 

 suggest that we may not be at 

 marketings cutting edge — which might 

 be another reason to read the book 



It's compact efficient — it's nice having 

 all these ideas (probably hundreds, both 

 stated and impliedl in one place And 

 its upbeat — it might feel good in late 

 lanuary to have something on your desk 

 thats filled with nothing but success 

 (BPl 



CrowciTaitti on Rclailing sells for $27 II can 

 he purchased froin Ball Puhlishiny PO Box Q. 

 Balavia. Illinois bOS 1 0-0000 phone 

 l-«00-4S6-'5?«0 



