Cottage Garden

Cottage Garden

5/16/2015   tropicalcottage,

The cottage garden is a distinct style of garden that uses an informal design, traditional materials, dense plantings, and a mixture of ornamental and edible plants. English in origin, the cottage garden depends on grace and charm rather than grandeur and formal structure.  more on Wikipedia

Cottage gardens don't look designed. In fact, they're usually exuberant, free-flowering, and sometimes even unrestrained. To get the informal look, avoid planting in straight lines or defined patterns. Let plants cascade over paths and weave through each other. It adds to their charm. And grow self-seeding plants that pop up in unexpected places. from Elements of Cottage Garden Design Continue Reading

Permaculture

Permaculture

5/16/2015   tropicalcottage,

Combining the best of natural landscaping and edible landscaping, permaculture aims for a site that sustains itself and the gardener. The ultimate purpose of permaculture is to develop a site until it meets all the needs of its inhabitants, including food, shelter, fuel, and entertainment. (The wordpermaculture was coined in the mid-1970s by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren.)

While it’s the rare home gardener who can follow permaculture principles to the ultimate degree, most can borrow ideas from permaculture to create a new way of landscaping based on production and usefulness. 

from: An Introduction to Permaculture. How to put the practices of permaculture to use in your own back yard.

In this particular garden - plants are also used for ikebana arrangements, homemade ointments as well as food. The garden also houses a dining area.

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Mexican Tarragon

Mexican Tarragon

5/16/2015   edibleherb, plantlistTCG, tropicalcottage,

Tagetes Lucida is a perennial plant native to Mexico and Central America. It is used as a medicinal plant and as a culinary herb. The leaves have a tarragon-like flavor, with hints of anise, Common names include yerbaniz, Mexican marigold, pericón, Mexican mint marigold, Mexican tarragon, Spanish tarragon, Cempaxóchitl, Sweet Mace and Texas tarragon.


Uses
Fresh or dried leaves are used as a tarragon substitute for flavoring soups, sauces etc.

A pleasant anise-flavored tea is brewed using the dried leaves and flowering tops. This is primarily used medicinally in Mexico and Central America. [4]

A yellow dye can be obtained from the flowers.

The dried plant is burnt as an incense and to repel insects.[3]

from Wikipedia

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