´m a bad driver in August, I admit, so perhaps I´m lucky to still be here in September. The problem with August is that we go away on holiday then; one eye is on the road and one is roaming through everyone’s gardens. After all, it´s new turf and you have to see what´s growing there. This year we went to the beautiful Cantabrian coastline where the weather can be – and was – very changeable, often with strong salt-laden winds. Plantings were fairly predictable and there were four absolute stalwarts of coastal gardens – Pittosporum, Hortensia, Tamariscus and Artemisia. The first three fairly shout at you but Artemisia is a little more sneaky; not always instantly seen but almost always there.
If I call them wormwood or southernwood you´ll probably know better what I´m talking about for they are very common. One of our best loved culinary herbs – tarragon – is also an Artemisia though with a much better taste than other family members. “Bitter as wormwood” stems from the extreme bitterness of all parts of the plants. Nevertheless it is found in most gardens, waysides, tracts of wasteland and large areas of the plains in the US are covered with it. Useless as a forage plants, even very few wild animals will feed on it, so it is left to run wild. It is amazingly tough, growing in extremes of heat, cold, wind, salt, drought – in general, all the inhospitable places.
Artemis is Apollo´s sister and Queen of the witches. She is the Goddess of the moon, a midwife and the wisest herbalist. She is an untamed wild woman who runs with the wolves and is the Mother of all Creatures. In country areas, if you see Artemisia growing by a cottage door, or the ancient plant symbol painted on the door, you are at the home of a herbalist or midwife.
The plants named after her are equally powerful, extremely aromatic, decorative and with a plethora of medicinal properties. Most are perennial and can be easily propagated from cuttings. Pruning is generally carried out in autumn though in cold areas it may be safer to leave them until early spring. In any case, a yearly trim is beneficial to stop them falling apart.
Artemisia absinthium, wormwood, is perhaps the best known member of the genus; it is also the strongest and most dangerous. It is the main ingredient of the liqueur absinthe and if you´ve ever got drunk on that, you´ll respect its power. It stimulates brain activity and creativity but repeated use disturbs the central nervous system and can cause seizures and fits. The drink of the Green Goddess drove many artists to excellence and excess – think of Vincent Van Gogh, Gaugin, Degas, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec – and that famous quote from Oscar Wilde, “After the first glass of absinthe you see things as you wish they were”. With an extremely bitter taste, the plant, when used with knowledge, is useful to ease indigestion and improve liver function. As its name implies, as far back as 1600 BC it was used to dispel intestinal worms. For organic gardeners, it is also a great insect repellent. Make moth bags from the dried leaves and twigs and scatter trimmings from the plant to repel ants. A weak wormwood tea sprayed on mature plants is a great slug and snail deterrent – don´t use on seedlings or soft young plants, nor on edible crops. (200 g wormwood leaves to 2 litres of water with a few drops of washing-up liquid)
Artemisia arborescens Powis Castle has fine lacy branches that shimmer and glow. Extremely decorative, it makes a great silver contrast plant. Although usually situated in full sun, it will happily settle into quite shady areas too and is the one most commonly seen in mild maritime climates.
Artemisia arbrotanum, or southernwood, can be used as a low growing and very aromatic hedge – similar to lavender. Try it around a chicken coop – the chickens won´t touch it but it will keep them clear of lice and fleas. It has a delightful fruity camphor fragrance and lush feathery green leaves.
Plant and admire Artemis´s plants under her piercing moonlight when she will make them glow softly, so they appear to be lightly dusted with silvery frost.
P.S. Because I´ve been so struck by the devastation caused by the fire we´ve decided at the Garden Centre to help you all we can. So, for those of you who suffered with the recent Cómpeta/ Torrox fire, we are offering through September, October and November 2014, a 20% reduction on all trees, shrubs and plants to help you re-stock your gardens.
Just on planting time and just when you need it most!
We will pack away bikinis and be back in action on 2nd. September.
Lorraine Cavanagh owns the specialist garden centre Viveros Florena, Competa, Malaga (garden centre, designers & landscapers) and is author of the best-selling Mediterranean Garden Plants and Citrus, The Zest of Life.
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(closed for the month of August)
Tel: 689928201
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