Corona Tip: Begin Gardening!
Cultivate to calm the mind, augment your home, and improve your cooking
I cannot think of a better time to cultivate your green thumb than now!
Gardening is a classic stress-relieving activity for a reason. Gardening allows you to channel your energy into nurturing new life. Spending more time at home allows you to slow down and bring beauty, aromatics, and even food into your home. As an added bonus, by bringing more plants into this world, you will contribute to oxygen production and carbon dioxide reduction. Gardening is also a wonderful activity to share with the rest of the family and can be used as a teaching tool for children of all ages.
Here are some ideal starter plants, which are not only easy to grow (indoors or out), but are beautiful, edible, and have medicinal properties (it is important to always double-check there are no prescription drug interactions when using the plants as natural teas and supplements).
Thyme – an ancient antiseptic and modern culinary staple, whose compact growth form is easy to incorporate in your home or landscape. Use the tiny leaves in bread, soups/broth, garnish, and marinades (add lemon for a fabulous flavor combo). Outside, the tiny flowers attract a variety of pollinators. Creeping thyme is also an excellent groundcover.
Basil – whether you choose the highly-flavored Italian (Genovese) varieties or milder Thai varieties, basil will provide you with more than enough deep-green foliage to cook with, use in flower arrangements, and combine in cocktails (try a basil gimlet or mojito!). To encourage a bushy, branched like growth form, pinch off flower buds as they begin to develop. If allowed to produce their petite white flowers, they will attract pollinators. Basil can also easily be grown from cuttings – just cut off a healthy stem, leaving a few leaves attached, place in water, and leave in a sunny window. Once roots start to develop, you can replant it in soil.
Rosemary – another culinary workhorse, whose lavender flowers are a butterfly and hummingbird favorite. Boiling the leaves for 5-10 minutes makes a tea that is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Welcome this aromatic herb into your household by purchasing the whole plant from a garden center or big box store (curbside pickup).
Nasturtiums – these gorgeous flowers are gently vining. If potted, they will provide a cascade of beautiful orange blooms and unique shield-like leaves. If grown in the ground, they will creep along and provide a non-invasive ground cover. The flowers are edible with a mild peppery flavor. They are showstoppers in a salad or as a garnish to a cake. They grow easily from seed.
Calendula – these well-sized marigold flowers are stunning for floral arrangements and equally good to eat. With a mildly spicy taste, they are a welcome addition to a salad or as a saffron spice alternative. Their blooms can also be sautéed in oil to release saffron tint/flavor and can be steeped into teas. Drink the tea or use it as a base for a myriad of calming, anti-inflammatory products. In the summer of hot climates, these are best left indoors, otherwise, they are easily grown by seed and are a perfect border flower. After their blooms fade, make sure to remove or “deadhead” them to encourage more flower production.
You really can’t go wrong trying to grow any of these beautiful, productive, multipurpose plants. Happy gardening!
Meet the Author
Jenise M. Snyder, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Biology
Ursuline College
