Throughout history, herbs have played a major role in the health and well being of mankind. Every society on the planet, past or present, has discovered the value of herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes. Especially now in the 21 st century of "designer" pharmaceutical preservatives and artificial flavor enhancements, we see a strong trend toward the natural flavoring and medicinal purposes of herbs. No matter how small or large your gardening space, you have room for an herb garden. Start with a sunny spot in the ground; add a good organic soil amendment like Dr, Earth Planting Mix —or plant in pots, using a good potting mix such as MN Gardener's Gold.

Be sure to provide adequate water, and fertilize as necessary. Now comes the fun part. Start with a good selection of culinary herbs such as basil, thyme, mint, rosemary, oregano, sage, dill, coriander, fennel, marjoram and parsley. Use your culinary herbs to flavor fish, meat, chicken, soups and salads.

Your medicinal collection should include chamomile, lavender, aloe, echinacea and lemon balm. Medicinal herbs are great in teas to help ease headaches, toothaches, tension and stomach pain. Always check with your doctor first to be sure herbal remedies are all right for you.

Herbs also provide a great way to scent and decorate your home in dried arrangements, potpourris and sachets. Some great herbs for this are: sweet basil, lemon verbena, sweet marjoram, lemon balm, scented geranium, rosemary, thyme and mint. For use in sachets and potpourri, dry the herbs first, by tying sprigs together with a string and hanging in a warm, dry place. Place the dried herbs in a fabric bag, tie with a string or ribbon, and hang them in your closet or tuck them in a drawer.

And there's nothing like an herbal bath with fresh herbs. Lavender is traditionally for relaxation, and rosemary to soothe aching muscles and joints; try mint or a mixture of oregano, sage, and thyme to boost your energy. Simply put about a half of a cup of fresh herbs in a muslin bag (pantyhose will also work), tie tightly, and hang it directly under the faucet as you are running the bath. You can also use the bag as a 'scrub bag' to scent your skin.

In your garden, herbs can be planted in beautiful patterns of color, texture and size, or combine them in containers with roses, fruit trees and perennials. Come in and we'll show you how. The world of herbs opens up a world of possibilities...discover them today!

Herbal Recipe – Pesto Genovese

Here is an excellent sauce for potatoes, rice or pasta:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino cheese
• 1 tsp. fresh marjoram
• 1 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. fresh parsley
• 1 cup pignoli or other nuts (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves

Blend to a smooth paste. Yield: ~1-1/2 cups

Well-designed and properly planted shade gardens are the most refreshing parts of any landscape, but you can't plant them properly unless you understand the characteristics of shade. Many homeowners start out with mostly full sun, but then either plant too many trees or let volunteers grow wherever they plant themselves. After a few years on this course a sunny garden can become a shady or even gloomy one.

It takes real courage to cut down mature trees, but sometimes this is the only way to reclaim the sun. In many cases you can lace trees out to let adequate light through. The best shade is that which you create yourself, either by building a shade structure or by planting an appropriate number of well-chosen trees in the right places. The most difficult shade is that which you can't control — solid shadows of buildings or walls, sometimes alternating with an hour or two of burning hot sun.

Shadows don't stand still; every day they move from west to east as the sun moves across the sky from east to west. They also lengthen northward as the sun moves south during fall and winter, and then they gradually shorten again as the sun moves north in winter and spring. These factors make gardening in the shade a lot trickier than gardening in full sun. So if you're interested in shade gardening, begin by observing and understanding the shadows in your own garden; notice where they occur, how dense they are, and their duration.

Not all semi-shade or even dense shade is alike. It differs widely according to what causes it and its exposure (the direction it faces). It's important to learn how to distinguish among these various degrees and exposures of shade and to learn which plants are most likely to succeed in each of them. Shade plants vary greatly in shade tolerance. Most shade plants, particularly flowering ones, need semi-shade, which, by definition, means partial sun. Only a small number of plants will grow with no sun at all, but many gardeners have created beautiful gardens even in dense shade.

Our favorite warm season annuals for the shade are impatiens, begonias, mimulus, torenia, and coleus. When these plants are given homes in the appropriate environment, they thrive and are beautiful additions to any shade garden.

Arbor Day was the idea of one Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a Nebraska journalist and politician. Morton thought Nebraska's landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees. He set an example himself by planting orchards, shade trees and wind breaks on his own farm, and he urged his neighbors to follow suit. When he became a member of Nebraska's State Board of Agriculture, he proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees.

Arbor Day was officially proclaimed by Gov. Robert W. Furnas of Nebraska on March 12, 1874, and the day was observed April 10, 1874. Nebraska's first Arbor Day was an amazing success. It was estimated that more than one million trees were planted. In 1885, Arbor Day was named a legal holiday in Nebraska and April 22, Morton's birthday, was selected as the date for its permanent observance. Morton first worked to improve agriculture in Nebraska. He then did the same for the whole United States when he served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture. But his most important legacy is Arbor Day.

In the years following that first Arbor Day, Morton's idea spread beyond Nebraska to other states. Today all 50 states celebrate state Arbor Days with dates that vary in keeping with the local climate — from Hawaii's first Friday in November to Alaska's third Monday in May. The National Arbor Day of the last Friday in April was chosen because many of the states celebrate theirs on that date.

Arbor Day is also now celebrated in many other countries, although they have different names and often weeks instead of days. For instance, it is called 'Greening Week' in Japan and 'The Tree-loving Week' in Korea. Planting a tree is a good idea anywhere in the world!

For the homeowner, National Arbor Day is a great day to look over the trees on the property and plan for the future. Check your trees for damage, disease and pests. Think about planting a new tree as a windbreak, for shade, or just for looks. If you are a parent, National Arbor Day is a great opportunity to share some family activity, by choosing a tree and planting it with your child (or children). If you have no space to plant a tree, consider a small, slow-growing tree in a pot — or give a tree as a gift to someone who needs some trees on their property.

Bonnie's mother and grandmother always had gardens when she was growing. As a child, Bonnie loved to pick the flowers and arrange them in a vase or her hair. As a grownup she enjoys all aspects of gardening - weeding and planting - but still likes to pick the flowers.

During her life, Bonnie has had a career in the hotel industry and owned a fabric shop here in Yucaipa for several years. She recently purchased a new computerized sewing machine that also does embroidery!

She and husband Jim have raised 4 children, and have 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.