Grow an Aromatherapy Garden!
The scents we’ve missed all winter long are beginning to waft through the spring air – mowed grass, grilled steaks, after-the-rain and fragrant flowers. Psychologists say that aromas are powerful, evocative triggers for fond memories and a mild sense of euphoria.
You can enjoy a future of good moods by planting an aromatherapy garden in your yard, and revel in the coming scentsational bliss! Here’s how.
Essential Aromatic Flowers
Blogger Jade at The School for Aromatic Studies offers up five favorites for therapeutic smells. Among them are German chamomile and the perennial herb Melissa, both of which make an amazing cup of tea. Jade says harvesting the fresh chamomile blooms is a worthy form of meditation in itself, and that the Melissa leaves also makes a great tincture.
Lavender is an essential addition to any aromatherapy garden, Jade adds. The plant can be effective in reducing anxiety and even headache pain. There are several species of lavender, so visit the Urban Garden on North 96th Street in Louisville just 10 miles from Erie, and ask the experts about the best one for your garden spot.
Mother Earth Living recommends planting some of the low-growing herbs on a footpath so you can enjoy their aromas whenever you step on the path. Some of the best picks include pennyroyal, Roman chamomile and caraway thyme.
Seed Kits for Aromatic Gardens
Underwood Gardens, an online seed store, offers seed kits for aromatherapy gardens. One collection has anise, lemon balm, German chamomile, English thyme, Romanesco fennel and true Greek oregano, with between 50 and 200 seeds per pack! Also available through Underwood is an Aromatherapy Garden Chard with illustrations and descriptions of 22 herbs and flowers, detailing plant characteristics and tips for growing.
Bringing the Outside In
Window boxes are an option for planting an aromatherapy container garden which allow the fragrance of flowers and herbs to drift into your living space through open windows. Some of the best, according to Dreaming Earth, include not just lavender but also basil, rosemary, dianthus, scented geraniums, sweet alyssum, jasmine, and mint.
And to bring more floral and herbal scents inside, try one of these how-to’s:
• Pick a few leaves from a rose geranium or petals from a rose bush and add them to an evening soak in the tub. For a relaxing herbal bath, place leaves of rosemary and lemongrass and flowers of lavender in a small cloth bag to hang on the faucet or float in the water.
• Stuff eucalyptus leaves and lavender flowers into a bottle of almond oil. After a few weeks, the oil will have picked up the herbal fragrances and become a great massage oil to use on aching muscles and joints.
• Fill a small pillow with calming herbs such as hops, lavender, and/or chamomile. Slip it inside the pillowcase of your regular pillow, then relax as the weight of your head releases the fragrant oils.
The Summer Scents of Colliers Hill!
Budding spring gardens are blooming all around us filling the air around the master-planned community of Colliers Hill with the pleasing scents of spring. When you’re driving by the Colliers Hill neighborhood, come explore the designs available from Meritage Homes, Shea Homes and Richmond American Homes, three of Colorado’s top home builders. Just stop by the sales offices to tour 10 spectacular models in ranch or two-story designs, priced from the upper $300s to the $600s.
