A Garden of Used-to-Be
February 7th is Laura Ingalls Wilder birthday; the author of the beloved Little House books.
It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasure and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong --Laura Ingalls Wilder
A Garden of Used-to-Be
Laura Ingalls was born in Pepin, Wisconsin, in 1867 and spent her girlhood moving with her family, to Kansas, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Her mother, Caroline, like so many other pioneer women, had the task of making a home wherever the family happened to settle. Pioneer women always took seeds and "starts" (plant divisions) from one home to another, for they could not expect to have what they needed where they settled. Gardens were vital to survival, producing not only vegetables for the table but also the medicinal herbs that women used to treat the family's common ailments and sweeten their lives with fragrance and flowers.
Planting a pioneer garden, a "Garden of Used-to-Be," as Laura called it, can be especially fun for children and will help them to learn something about the great variety of uses for important herbs. It also makes an interesting theme in an established garden. If you'd like to include a pioneer corner in your garden consider these plants:
• Medicinal Herbs: thyme, lavender, yarrow (also called woundwort), horehound, feverfew, echinacea (a favorite Indian remedy for colds)
• Tea herbs: mint, beebalm, lemon balm, catnip
• Culinary herbs: sage, thyme, dill, horseradish, mustard, rosemary
• Housekeeping herbs: southernwood, santolina, and lavender (repel moths), tansy and pennyroyal (repel fleas) mint (repel mice), bay (keep weevils out of the flour and grains), soapwort (wash fabric), lemon balm (polish furniture), sorrel (polish copper)
• Insect repellent: catnip, pennyroyal, basil
• Horseradish: grated and pounded, makes a warming poultice. Eaten, it is a spur to digestion.
Read more about Laura's life:
Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder, by John E. Miller
Available at Amazon.com
Paperback: New $18.96 / Used $11.50
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The Little House Books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Available at Amazon.com
Paperback: New $6.99 / Used $1.49
