"Using Garden Wild Flowers"

Garden wild flowers that come up in regular garden spaces are perfect to use for all sorts of things. If they don't have a known medical, cosmetic or culinary use, you could always enjoy the sight and smell of them!

Lawn daisies are said to releive stress and A few daisy flowers infused with your favourite herbal tea will take the edge off stress and tension and will help you relax and maybe even get a good night's sleep. :-)

Dandelions not only make a wonderful jam, see below for recipe idea, but every other part of the plant can be used as well...

*The young leaves can be used in salads or cooked as spinach
*The milky sap found in the stem will help get rid of warts and verucas.
*The root can be roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. No good if you're after the caffeine hit but much healthier!

Plenty of wildflowers will arrive in your garden if you have a little wild space available for them:

* Wild Violets
* Wild rose
* and even wild strawberries turn up occasionally!

Look out for wildflowers on woodland walks. Be careful not to pick them in conservation areas though.

Thompson and Morgan have a range of seeds to start you off with garden wild flowers around your home....

North American Mix Papaver.

Both these collections and many more are available for UK and US deliveries. Thompson and Morgan are a global seed supplier; To find your country and available supplies go to their homepage and choose your home flag!

Garden Wild Flowers at Thompson and Morgan UK

Garden Wild Flowers at Thompson and Morgan US

Thompson and Morgan Homepage

Some garden wild flowers have healing properties, others are wonderful to cook with!

Here are a couple of garden wild flower 'recipes' to try...

Dandelion Jam

A traditional french wild flower jam recipe is made every year on the first day you see miles of dandelions on the fields! The idea is you collect 365 only - no there doesn't seem to be a logical reason for this, but it works!

And then use your dandelions as you would a fruit in a favourite jam recipe. Very delicious and very good for you!

A good combination uses

365 dandelion flower heads
1 kilo preserving sugar
2 oranges
2 lemons
Water to cover

Simmer in a preserving pan until the mixture reaches setting point. Strain and pour into sterilized jars. Label and store - if you can!


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Wild Flower Bath Tonic

Collect some or all of these regular garden wild flowers, in any combination, for a super tonic to relax in the bath with.

· lawn daisies ( flowers )
· dandelions ( flowers and leaves )
· nettles ( young leaves )
· blackberry / bramble ( leaves )

Crush your flowers and leaves together and place in a 20cm. square of muslin. Bring up the edges to form a bag and tie securely. Add a loop of string to hang over the hot water tap/fawcett. Let the hot water run through the herb bag. Lie back and enjoy!

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With specially designed seeds you can create your own wildflower meadow or just let a few wild flowers pop up here and there. If you have a patch in your garden that doesn't get cultivated to within an inch of its life, the wildflowers will have a better chance!

Use young nettle leaves in soups or cook as spinach. It's just as high in nutrients, and definitely cheaper.

Wild violets can be crystalized and used as cake decorations, but are absolutely beautiful when they come up in little bunches early in the year. If you have enough, collect a few with the children and make posies, or press them.

May wildflowers get mown down just as they are coming up, so we never get a chance to enjoy them. Create a wildflower garden and become an expert! For an indepth study you'll need a good book on the subject.

There are lots available, a few on Amazon are listed below.

Happy Gardening!

More "Garden wildflower" Reading

www.flower-and-garden-tips.com/gardenwildflowers.html