Variegated Box is a small evergreen shrub often used for ornamental hedging in parks and gardens. Although primarily for beauty, the flowers provide a useful source of nectar and pollen for bees when little else is available.
The scientific name is Buxus sempervirens Elegantissima - a bit of a mouthful!
This plant can be trained as a topiary form and the flowers can be infused and used as herbal tea.
The height can be from 60 to 100 cm, is considered hardy, and likes half sun and half shade. It can grow in any soil but loves alkaline best. Flower color is white and the flowering period is March and April. This is an easy growing evergreen and does well in most soils and aspects, even in deep shade. In the full sun, it needs a heavier soil as the roots need to be kept moist. Box is slow growing but its versatility makes up for that! Box can be grown as a short hedge for borders or paths and even a tall hedge if you can wait a few years and then sculpt into a topiary or just grown as a stand-alone piece in the garden or tubs.
Marsh Mallow whose scientific name is Althaea officinalis is a tall growing perennial with white or pale pink flowers with a long history of medicinal uses. The powdered root is used as a soothing paste and later to make confectionary.
This herb attracts bees and is easy to grow; it is great for wildflower gardens with the flower being edible! The name is well known as a confectionary and the precursor to Marshmallow which was “pate de guimauve,” a mixture of sugar, egg white and root extract which was kind of a meringue left to harden. Often, additional flavors were added such as Rosewater, and the Romans considered it a delicious vegetable. The young spring leaves can be added to salads. This tall growing herb is a great addition to a wildflower garden and its height can get up to 150 cm. It is considered “hardy” but needs mostly sun. The soil can be any type, but it really prefers alkaline with the flower color being white mostly (can be pink, too) with the blooming period being that of July and August.
Marshmallow does like the heavier soil and no less than half a day of sun. Since it is a tall herb, it needs some space to be planted in the ground as it may also need to be staked eventually. This herb will also grow well in containers and can be potted/repotted as it gets larger each year. It dies down each winter and sprouts again in the spring.
Egyptian, Greek and Arabic physicians used Marshmallow Root leaf and the flower medicinally, for centuries. The soothing, moistening and cooling properties act on heated, irritated and aggravated conditions of the body. The tea can be made both with hot and cold water and sipped to soothe digestive complaints, dry coughs and urinary tract infections. The mucilaginous root can be combined to make medicinal lounges for coughs.
Next week I will interrupt the herbs to do a spot on the Alpha-gal disease generated by ticks, that causes us to be allergic to mammalian products! This is hitting epidemic proportions!
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