***Lemon Verbena***
(Aloysia Triphylla)
* Full Sun, Pot Suitable, Use as a Tea, Culinary Uses, and Essential Oil.
* Ideal Soil: Light, Well-drained.
* Parts Used: Leaves, oil.
* Medical: Colds, flatulence, stomach cramps, and indigestion.
* Culinary: Salads, teas, and stuffing.
Grown for its strong Lemon aroma and flavor, this herb is well worth the extra care required. It is often used in teas and cosmetics.
Lemon verbena will train as a mop-headed standard.
Lemon-scented verbena leaves are used in herbal teas and also dried for use in potpourri.
Growing Guidelines:
In cold areas, place pots outdoors in summer and indoors in winter. Feed with compost tea regularly. Pinch tips to encourage bushy growth. Prune in fall.
* Growth Habit: Perennial; height 5-10 feet (1.5-3 m).
* Flowers: Late summer; tiny white to lavender blossoms.
Harvesting and Storing:
Snip leaves or cut foliage back by half in summer and fall. Dry in a cool, shady spot.
***GALANGAL***
(Alpinia galanga)
• Full Sun, Use as Tea, Culinary Uses, and Essential Oil.
• Ideal Soil: Well-drained and humusy.
• Parts Used: Rhizomes and oil.
• Pests/diseases: Red spider mites.
• Medicinal: Gum or skin infections.
• Culinary: Rhizomes for ginger-like flavor. Oil in liqueurs and soft drinks.
The Galangal are members of the same family as ginger, with which they have much in common both in form and flavor, the tropical Galangals are a popular ingredient in Asian dishes.
In some countries, Galangal root is worn by children as a charm to protect them from evil spirits.
A drink from sliced Galangal and lime juice is taken as a tonic in Southeast Asia.
Dried Galangal root is used in Indonesian, Thai, and Malaysian cuisine for its ginger-like flavor.
GROWING GUIDELINES:
Propagate by Rhizomes division as new growth appears.
• Growth Habit: Perennial; height to 6 feet. [1.8m]
• Flowers: Year round; small white blossoms.
HARVESTING AND STORING:
Roots of plants 3-6 years old are lifted and used raw, dried, or distilled for oils. Store fresh root in an airtight container.
