"The Healing Garden"

"There are no weeds", my teacher proclaimed as we walked through the meadow that was the original encampment of the Menominee people. The beauty of this moment was only matched by the gentle reverence in his voice as he continued "Everything has its purpose, the Creator placed these gifts for us to use." He smiled as he continued... "It was the Europeans that named them weeds. To us, (The Menominee) they are medicine. One just needs to know how to use them." He took his pocket knife out and cut off a slice from the stem of a Staghorn Sumac and gave it to me. "Put this in your mouth, and park it like a cough drop. It is an excellent remedy for a sore throat". Everywhere I looked I was instructed how these gifts from the Great Spirit were placed here to help us, either as food or as medicine.

My teacher was a man named Marvin "Steve" Askinette. A tribal elder, my friend and a wonderful story teller. Standing there in that prairie some fourteen years ago, my eyes were opened to generations of rich information. It is amazing just how much we don't see. Maybe it is a result of our need to have everything neat and clean, maybe it is our controlling nature, but the answers to many of our problems are as near as the backyard.

I wrote recently about "weed" control. The thing that comes to my mind is the war we have waged against the Dandelion. This "menace" to our perfect lawns turns out to be one very potent healer. From Native America, to Appalachia, to the Great Wall of China, tonics, teas and tinctures made from this plant are known to support digestion, work as a blood purifier, relieve constipation, joint pain, inflammatory skin conditions, and is a powerful remedy for liver problems, including conditions such as hepatitis and jaundice. This is only the beginning of our journey into the over-looked and misconceived. Did you know that the much-hated Stinging Nettle is a medicinal food packed with micro nutrients and minerals? The list goes on, beyond the ugly and disdained to the beauties that inhabit our flower gardens. Much loved specimens such as Monarda, Echinacea, Liatris, Balloon Flower, and, Snake Root are often used in landscape designs for their perennial interest. However they also provide a valuable array of healing properties that are mostly unknown to their owners. The immune system builder Goldenseal is in such demand that it is being over harvested, making it one of the most expensive herbs on the market. The good news is you can "grow your own" right here in your shade garden. I found an incredible resource for medicinals where I counted over 120 varieties of healing plants that grow in USDA climate zones 3 and 4. Visit Crimson Sage Medicinal plant nursery (www.CrimsonSage.com) or call them at 530.627.3457.

Yes, everything has its purpose. And maybe if we are open to information, whether it is ancient or new, we will ultimately fulfill ours. "Posoh" Steve.

James "Motor" Merritt - Creative Director

Living Color Landscapes - 715-849-9600

www.livingcolorlandscapes.net