Chives are one of my favourite herbs – not only has it been easy to grow but also it is so useful.  It is a hardy perennial. The bulbs grow very close together in dense tufts or clusters, and the vegetative parts die down in the winter. The slender leaves appear early in spring and are long, cylindrical and hollow, tapering to a point and about the thickness of a field rush and  they grow from 12 to 15 inches high. Though you are supposed to nip off the flowering stem I rarely do, and then a small purple clover-like flower appears. In my garden the chives do not often mature their seeds.

Chives: Companion Planting in the garden
Planted near roses will repel APHIDS
Grow near apple trees to prevent SCAB
Has a fungicide effect which protects against BLACK SPOT and MILDEW

Special Note: Allow chives to flower then cut and lay them on the ground between strawberry plants to deter fungi. Chives are bene ...

This is a recipe for making about half a pint/300 ml of infused Rosemary oil.

Use can use either 2-3oz/50-75g dried or 3-4oz/75-100g fresh herb and half a pint/300ml unblended vegetable oil. Chop the rosemary, put half the Rosemary and all the oil into a container with a tight lid (tin glass or ceramic). Put this in a pan containing water so it comes up to within 1 inch of the top. Heat this water bath to simmering and simmer slowly for two hours. You can hest more than one tin/jar at a time. After two hours allow to cool. This strength can be used as a bath oil, but it is only half way through the process. Strain and throw away the herbs into the compost and refill the canister with the second lot of Rosemary. Replace the lid and make up the level of water. Don’t burn the oil or you will have to throw it away. When the oil has cooled, pour through a sieve or muslin. If you ...

To make an infused oil, herbs and spices are heated in a fat or oil base. Traditionally this would have been olive oil, clarified butter, pork fat, goose grease or suet. Today a light vegetable oil is often used. The recipe is the same for all fats or oils. When heated the oil or fat takes on the therapeutic properties of the herb, and it can be used as a massage oil, rub, skin oil or as a base for an ointment. You can use either fresh or dried ingredients.

Making Rose Oil by the slow sun method

Fill a large bottle or jar (one that has a stopper or lid is essential) with a good vegetable oil – cold pressed olive oil or sunflower oil is good – add fragrant rose petals until they are covered with oil but not tightly packed. Cover with an airtight lid and put in direct sunshine. When the petals brown, rem ...

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), a member of the mint family is a herb used since the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, improve appetite, and ease pain and discomfort associated with digestion (including flatulence and bloating as well as colic). It is also now suggested as a variety of other uses – for example, herpes. I have a big clump in my garden and it always overwinters well and leaves are available all year – used for companion planting Lemon Balm can protect other plants from insects. The leaves are very deeply wrinkled and range from dark green to yellowish green in colour (mine are quite yellow), depending on the soil and climate. If you rub your fingers on them, your fingers will smell tart and sweet, like lemons.
Several studies have found that lemon balm combined with other calming herbs (such as valerian) helps reduce anxiety and promote sleep. Few studies have investigated the safety and effectiveness of oral lemon balm alone, however. Herpes - Some st ...

Herbal products and supplements may have other effects that aren’t listed in Warnings 1 and 2 below. A few examples include the following:

Also, you shouldn’t take more than the recommended dose of any herbal health product or supplement. The problems that these products can cause are much more likely to occur if you take too much or take them for too long.

Herbal health products or supplements can affect the way the body processes drugs. When this happens, the medicine may not work the way it should. For example, St. John’s Wort reduces the amount of certain drugs absorbed by the body. This may mean the drugs aren’t absorbed at high enough levels to help the conditions for which they are prescribed. This can cause serious problems.

You should be especially cautious about using herbal health products or supplements if you take a drug in one of the following categories:

If you take any of these drugs, talk to your doctor before taking any type of her ...