Four Plants that Give the Most: Thanksgiving
Today, I'm sharing a video from my "Way to Grow" series that I wrote about called "Plants That Give the Most" in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday!
If you have any of these four plants, give them a hug and thank them.
Bamboo, aloe vera, grapes and sunflowers contribute to our lives and well-being in countless ways.
Take a look!
Watch the short and entertaining video: Thanksgiving Gardening Special: Plants that Give the Most!
Bamboo
My clumping bamboo hedge is well behaved!
This beautiful, lush, green plant isn't only ideal as a privacy hedge in your zen garden, it can also be harvested for food.
You've probably tasted bamboo shoots in Chinese cuisine?
Same plant!
There isn't a stronger, more sustainable building material than bamboo.
Bamboo is also an unparalelled multi purpose plant used as construction material, in cookware, fabric for clothing, industrial applications, bio-fuel and flooring!
Growing at an astonishing, forty-inches per day, (depending on the species), bamboo is the ultimate renewable resource.
Because of it's aggressive growth rate, many bamboo species are invasive.
Make sure to plant a "clumping" variety of bamboo in your yard or you will be responsible for colonizing your neighborhood with this phenomenal plant!
Aloe Vera
'Blue Elf' aloe vera plant from Monrovia plants has narrow, upright blue-gray leaves and orange flowers.
This striking succulent doesn’t ask for much; it's not fussy about soil and
subsists on little water.
In return, aloe vera earns it's space in the garden by providing gel that can be used as tooth paste,
as a salve for burns and dried, cracked skin, as an ingredient in diabetes medicine, shampoo, and as a treatment for psoriasis.
Aloe vera is one emollient that comes with it's own fancy packaging!
Aloe Vera serves as a tonic to strengthen the immune system and is one of the few vegetarian sources of vitamin B-12.
Who knew that this unassuming, sculptural succulent could contribute such vast ingredients for our well-being!
Grapes
I love my grapevine. It provides edible shade!
Grapes, or "nectar of the Gods," is a plant that blesses humanity from the moment it enters our mouths, to the time it leaves our bodies.
We love the delicious fruit it provides, the juice, the confections we make with it, the wine, the sturdy twine we craft with.
But there's also less sexy, but important applications that grapes serve.
Grapes have anti-inflammatory properties used as an ingredient in hemorroid cremes.
Sweet relief, oh grapes, you are amazing!
Grapes are pressed for wine and essential oils extracted for use in medicine, cooking, cosmetics, cleansers, and moisturizers.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers add sunshine to the world!
More than just a pretty face, the sunflower is a significant contributor
to society.
Sunflowers are a special in that every part of the plant can be used.
Nothing goes to waste- it's so eco-friendly!
The sunflower's seeds, flowers, leaves, stem and root all have utility.
Sunflower seeds offer life-sustaining food for birds, animals and humans.
You can sprout the seeds and enjoy a nutritious meal.
Use sunflower oil in cooking, in aromatherapy, as a hair conditioner; pulverize the stems to make paper!
The sunflower is a very important plant in industry and is grown and traded as a commodity.
I love it because it's warm, yellow face makes me smile!
What other plants are you thankful for?
Share with your fellow Eden Makers!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Shirley
