[Douglas]

I will look for my list from a couple of years ago when I identified 54 medicinal species in our yard and/or the woods around our house (there are 20 acres of northern mixed-species forest with several wet spots, and we abut a marsh/wetland). Then I will edit this and list the species.
This is a great idea Katerina!

[Katerina]

look forward to your share, Douglas!

[Douglas]

I will have to come back to this as the formatting went totally haywire.

• This reply was modified 6 days, 6 hours ago by  Douglas.

[Douglas]

Trying again…

This is a list of plants in our yard, also in our vegetable garden or medicinal herb gardens (cultivated plants are indicated with an asterisk *). We have 20 acres, including 18 wooded acres and we are abutted by a marsh/wetland. All plants listed are within a 10 minute walk of the house. I have arranged them in a not-very-aesthetic alphabetic list and included Latin binomials and sometimes multiple common names.

I am still having crazy formatting issues, but I’ll be back…

• This reply was modified 6 days, 4 hours ago by  Douglas.

[Douglas]

Trying again…

This is a list of plants in our yard, also in our vegetable garden or medicinal herb gardens (cultivated plants are indicated with an asterisk *). We have 20 acres, including 18 wooded acres and we are abutted by a marsh/wetland. All plants listed are within a 10 minute walk of the house. I know I have left some out but they have eluded my recall. I have arranged them in a not-very-aesthetic alphabetic list and included Latin binomials and sometimes multiple common names.

Agrimony (Agrimonia spp)*
Angelica (A. archangelica & A. atropurpurea)*
Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) for the leaf*
Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)
Bayberry (Myrica cerifera)*
Black Birch, Sweet Birch (Betula lenta)
Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Borage (Borago officinalis)*
Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Calamus (Acorus calamus, var americanus)
Calendula (Calendula officinalis)*
California Poppy (Eschsholzia californica)*
Catnip (Nepeta cataria)*
Cayenne (Capsicum spp)*
Celandine (Chelidonium majus)
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)
Chamomile, German (Matricaria chamomilla)*
Chamomile, Roman (Chamaemelum nobile)*
Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
Comffrey (Symphytum officinale) [probably a garden escape]
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus)
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Echinacea (E. angustafolia, e. atropurpurea, & E. pallida)*
Elder (Sambucus nigra)*
Elecampane (Inula helenium)*
Ephedra (Ephedra spp.)*
Epimedium, Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium spp.)*
Erigeron, Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annus)
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)*
Garlic (Allium sativa)*
Ghost Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)*
Gold Thread (Coptis trifolia)
Goldenseal (Hydrastus canadensis)*
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
Ground Ivy, Gill-over-the-ground (Glechoma hederacea, Nepeta hederacea, etc.)
Heal-all, Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)
Hop (Humulus lupulus)*
Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)*
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)*
Houttuynia (Houttuynia cordata)*
Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)*
Joe-Pye-Weed, Gravel Root (Eutrochium purpureum)* [planted from wild seed]
Kinnikinnick, Uva-ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)*
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)*
Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus)*
Lobelia (Lobelia inflata)
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens)
Peony (Paeonia lactiflora)*
Pippsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata)
Pleurisy Root (Asclepias tuberosa)*
Poke Weed (Phytolacca americana)
Poppy (Papaver somniferam)*
Pulsatilla, Anemone (Anemone pulsatilla, Pulsatilla vulgaris)*
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Reishi (Ganoderma tsugae)
Sage (Salvia officinalis)*
Schisandra (Schisandra chinensis)*
Shepard’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
Skullcap (Scutellaria laterafolia)*
Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum Biflora)
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)
Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Vinca, Periwinkle (Vinca major, Vinca minor)
Violet (Viola spp.)
White Pine (Pinus strobus)
Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Wintergreen, Checkerberry (Gaultheria procumbens)
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)*
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

[Katerina]

What a blessing to have all this so close to home! oh and you have some of my favorites evening primrose and ground Ivy- hard to find!! This was so much fun, 😍thank you for going through all the trouble to post it today. May they serve you, your family, and community for many, many years to come.

[Audrey]

Wow! That is a beautiful garden! I agree, what a blessing to have such an abundant space. Your garden sounds like a dream, and it touches me that so much can be given by nature.

[Madeline]

I love how you broke this down! My husband and I have moved 5 times in the 6 years we have been married and one thing I have done to ground myself after each move is to identify some of the plants around me in out new home!

We moved from southern Louisiana last fall and there one of my favorite finds was the Mimosa tree. Now in Virginia I was able to identify Turkey Tail mushroom before it became cold and the snow started falling! I am looking forward to spring and getting out and exploring all the wild plants!

I also love how you organized your plants! What a blessing to have so many close by! I am going to start my own list! Thank you for the inspiration!

[Katerina]

I completely agree with you, there’s probably no stronger connection to the sense of home than that of the environment/land surrounding our daily lives. It’s like family in many ways…providing more than a sense of security, trust, and belonging. I’ve never been to Virginia but hear its beautiful! Cant wait to see your list. 😍

[Audrey]

I relate to the moving part! It feels very good and grounding to connect to the surrounding nature. I do the same 🙂

[Brynn]

I live in sort of the border between urban/suburban/county side of Portland Oregon, USA. Lots of forested area ribboned from the Cascade mountains through the city and out to the temperate rain forest and mountains of the pacific coast. In general, this is mixed Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, and Sitka and Hemlock in the forests, with a few others sprinkled in, and stands of Alder, Ash, and Poplar in the river bottom areas. Ferns, Mosses, Lichens, Horestail, and Mushrooms grow in abundance in all areas as well, and of course many understory plants, too lengthy to even start here!

In my particular neighborhood, we have Western Red Cedar, Sequoia, Redwood, Dawn Redwood, Douglas Fir, White Spruce, Blue Spruce, Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Poplar, Ash, Alder, Hawthorn, Magnolia, (several species) Maple, (many species), Pin Oak ( not native but planted in abundance 100 years ago) White Oak (native), Madrone, Manzanita, Rhodedendron, Azalea, and Lilac, and Witch Hazel, Cherry, Apple and Pear…and many more varieties of shrubs and small trees folks have put in their gardens. Perennials herbs grow large here and survive the winter and so you’ll see shrubbery borders made from lavender and rosemary are pretty common.

Growing in my garden in no particular order:

Arnica, Chamomile, Calendula, Self Heal( Prunella), Echinacea, Skullcap, Elecampane, Blue vervain, Showy Milkweed, Boneset, Yarrow, Wood Betony, Nicotania, Pleurisy Root, Thyme, Lemon Thyme, Marjoram, Parsley, Marshmallow, Oregon Grape, Meadowsweet, Sage, Rosemary, Lavender, Lemon balm, St John’s Wort, Lady’s mantle, Red Clover, Motherwort, Nettle, Hops, Horehound, Bergamot, Comfrey, Raspberry, Wintergreen, Blueberry, Wild Ginger, Wild Rose (Nookta sp) Chives, Peppermint, Spearmint, Lemon Balm, Mugwort, Sweet Annie (Artemisia Annua), Black Elder, Angelica, Loosestrife, Day Lily, Honeysuckle, Dandelion, Chickweed (Stellaria) Cleavers, Mullein, Goldenrod, Horse Radish, Salvia, Angelica, Valerian, California Poppy, Catnip, Catmint, Nigella, Borage, and probably some more I’m forgetting as I stare out the window looking out in the dark, thinking of who is all out there waiting out the winter!

( This garden is 15 years old so I have been adding medicinals each season…some I brought with me from my last move and have lasted the 15 years such as Comfrey and Arnica, and others only joined me the last year or two)

Thank you for the conversation and journal entry Katerina! So cool to see what grows in your area on the opposite side of the country from me, both North to South and East to West! Douglas I love your beautiful list, we have a lot of the same plants!…its too late for me to do all the latin names at the moment, but I’d love to actually make a spreadsheet with all that. Madeline, happy growing this coming season!

[Katerina]

Sounds absolutely breathtaking. Wonderful to hear of such majestic landscapes; it must be a place of great beauty and tranquility. 🍃🍄‍🪵 Thank you too for adding to the discussion, always good to see you, Brynn!

• This reply was modified 5 days, 7 hours ago by  Katerina.

[Audrey]

I recently moved to Denmark to live with my husband, and our first place is a small apartment in a basement where there is almost no light, and since it’s in the middle of the city we have very little garden space (only a raised bed that I bought that fit on the terrace), so I’m finding it hard to cultivate a garden – and to find what herbs and plants I want to prioritize in my raised bed. However, I’ve been really excited to be able to explore the wild plants that are in Danish forests because a lot of them I didn’t have before. So it’s not technically in my garden, but it’s what is available in my environment.
So far I’ve been foraging stinging nettles, chamomile, dandelion, rose petals and rose hips, elderflower, st-John’s wort, and yarrow. I’m looking forward to exploring more and discovering what grows naturally here.

[Katerina]

Happy gathering and picking, Audrey! May your search be bountiful and rewarding.🌿

[Sandy]

Good morning, Katerina. My family and I sold everything we owned but our vehicles and a few pieces of furniture and moved across the country a few years ago. My husband and I, my daughter and her family along with my mom and stepdad. We built cabins and all live on the same property in the Cabinet Mountain range in Montana. There are more plants than I can list. And more I haven’t found yet.

My most used plants are:

Mullein, St. John’s Wort, Oregon Grape, Chamomile, Self Heal, Meadowsweet, Prickly lettuce, Mallow, Golden rod, Yarrow, red and white Clover, Rose hips, Plantain, Pine pitch, Arnica and Usnea. Still on the hunt for Lung wort and many others. Huckleberries, wild blueberries and wild tiny strawberries are yummy to find. I made Oregan Grape berry and lemon curd last summer. It was a huge hit. I cooked bull thistle and even pickled some. Wild Lamb’s quarters are better than spinach in our opinion. Along with learning the medicinal parts, I’ve also learned what’s edible and how to cook them. I’m just as focused on that part. Since we live several mountain ranges from town and it’s not always possible to get off the mountain.

Every day is a new discovery. I have wetlands and different elevations just around the corner. I live 5 min from the lake at 4,000 plus elevation. I only recently began my herbal journey so I’m still discovering. I found fleabane last summer, but I was already overwhelmed with my harvest of the day. It is on my list to harvest this year. In reading the monograph, I didn’t see what parts are used. Don’t know about you but spring fever is setting in! Enjoyed the post. Hope you have a terrific day! 🌻

[Katerina]

Thank you! Wishing you a wonderful day as well. Your move across country sounds like an epic adventure. May this and every season bring you many blooming opportunities, joyful encounters, and endless possibilities.✨

[Douglas]

Katerina, I think you had an excellent idea.

[Carol]

Hi fellow Floridian! Im in St Johns County, on the East Coast, presently, and have loved seeing all the natives and cultivated that were already on our tiny lot! Some favorites are Lyre Leaf Sage, Frog Fruit, Spiderwort and Florida Betony. But there are lots more! Swamp Bay, Winged Sumac, Elderberry, Passion vine, Pines, a huge Live Oak in my back yard. Great idea!

[Katerina]

Hello Carol, thank you! This is great, I’ve met several other Floridians here as well…Lakeland, Orlando, Miami and I’m sure others too but I can’t remember at the moment. St. Johns County is lovely, we recently drove through the area on our way to St. Augustine. The east coast is quite different than from the Gulf, much larger waves and strong currents! My boys really enjoyed their visit and are planning on a summer trip. 🌴 thanks again for sharing, and please keep in touch!