The Sacred Hearth

Feverfew can be grown from seed, cuttings or by division. It is not picky about soil as long as isn't soggy and prefers full sun, but will also do well in partial shade. Feverfew is also a good container plant but should not be brought inside to overwinter but instead placed in a sheltered area so that it can have a dormant period. It'll die anyway if you bring it in.

It will reseed if seed heads are left on the plant at the end of the season. Due to the fact that it reseeds like crazy, this plant can be very invasive. Deadhead spent flowers to control its spread and save the seeds to plant them where you want them later.

It is said the bees do not like this plant. I can't vouch for the truth of this, but you may want to keep it in mind when placing it in your garden.

Jerusalem artichokes are very hardy, vigorous growers. Tubors, or chunks of tubors can be planted in spring or autumn in fertile soil in a sunny spot or dappled shade and they will grow like weeds. Mine are planted in a row with part of the row in mostly shade and the other in in part sun. The ones in the shade are considerably shorter than the ones in the sun, but they are all taller than I am and I have to stand on tiptoe to reach the flowers in the part sun plants.

Don't worry if they take awhile to sprout in the spring. They generally make their first appearance in late spring to early summer and look like little baby sunflowers. They should be heavily mulched every autumn. Lack of proper fertilization will result in loss of flavor. That being said, the plants themselves are not picky and will grow in just about any soil. They do not like to grow in places where there aren't significantly defined seasons, however.

Don't be afraid to harvest the first year as each plant produces about 75 tubers. Wait till after the first frost to begin harvesting. If you are going to grow sunchokes, make sure to harvest every year to prevent them from going crazy. Don't worry, it's almost impossible to dig up every tuber, even when you want to. Seeds ripen in November. Best not to let the plant reseed itself (although the birds and squirrels like them). It will spread just fine by tubers, you don't want it in the neighbor's yard too!

Sunchokes don't play nice with other plants. They aren't bothered by weeds and will smother out bedmates. This year I planted sunflowers with them and they seemed to do well as they were in full bloom before the sunchokes were even thinking about blooming and it was a nice affect. Then the squirrels mowed down the sunflowers and that was the end of that. (The Japanese Beetles like the sunchokes but not enough to cause any serious damage) Next year I am thinking of planting more sunflowers and maybe some beans with them so the beans can climb the Sunchokes and sunflowers, though I have been warned against this because all three are susceptable to the same Sclerotina or white mold disease.

Be careful! These plants can be highly invasive. In fact, it is listed as a noxious weed in Minnesota.

Baby sunchokes are susceptable to slug damage.

Plants can also be started from seeds but will be very delicate their first year. They take up to 17 days to sprout.

Angelica is a biennial herb that prefers rich, moist soil and partial shade, like one would find in a swampy area. If it gets too much sun, mulching will help. It grows best in northern regions where there is a cooler period during the winter and the summers aren’t so hot.

Angelica will self-seed. The seeds are only viable for a few months, so it’s best to let this happen, or reseed them yourself quickly. The plant produces a long taproot, so be sure to transplant seedlings while they are still quite small.

Angelica and dill are not good companions. Do not plant them near each other.

Cinnamon is a tropical tree that is not suited to propagation in most parts of North America and nor does it enjoy being grown in a pot. Best to buy it.