By Beatrice Hawkins
Some weeks ago I bought a honeysuckle plant and put it in a pot to grow on a trellis on my back fence. It’s doing well and will provide colour and perfume outside my bedroom.
I really enjoy gardening but I also enjoy quilting and saw a pattern for a “honeysuckle” quilt! It is a relatively simple quilt pattern and I think I have some fabric in my stash that may need using up. The most interesting thing about this find was the information given about the history of honeysuckle that came with the pattern.
Apparently its anti inflammatory properties have been commonly used in Chinese medicine for centuries. It is also used medicinally around the Mediterranean for stomach problems, cancer and skin irritations.
The Roman author Pliny recommended it as a treatment for depression and the Irish thought that if you planted it around a house it brought prosperity and kept away evil spirits!! The pleasant perfume apparently encouraged generosity in friends and neighbours. However its use was discouraged by the prim and proper Victorians, as its lovely perfume was thought to cause young ladies to dream passionate dreams!
Certainly the sight and perfume of the flowers are guaranteed to lift my spirits.
Further research has told me that it has untold uses as a treatment for a vast array of ailments. Seeds, leaves, flowers and the essential oil are all used in various ways.
I’ve also learnt that there are many varieties out there but that Japanese honeysuckle is the vigorous grower that becomes invasive and a problem while American honeysuckle is more easily controlled.
While reading about it I could almost be convinced it is a wonder plant and a natural cure all. However, it should never be used unless under medical supervision, as there doesn’t appear to be much definitive, substantiated research to back up the many claims.
I think I’ll just encourage it to grow and provide beauty and perfume on my back fence as my snail plant, that used to do just that, has succumbed to the drought and so far I’ve been unable to find a replacement to buy. I’ll certainly keep looking as it was a favourite for sentimental reasons as well as for the beautiful flowers and perfume.
The quilting web site is one I’ll keep in mind though, as it appears to have many “seedling” projects on it and each one has a wealth of information about the namesakes…e.g. feverfew, elderberry, caraway, peppermint, yarrow and the list goes on. I may not make many of the projects but it satisfies the gardener, quilter and reader in me… maybe I’ll have to buy the book!
At present I am aware that the council is asking for submissions from residents about our water restrictions and how they have affected us.
Have the restrictions changed your use of water? Are you gardening as much as you used to? How have the restrictions affected your mental or physical health?
I am very aware that the restrictions have had a serious affect on me both physically and mentally. I have been unable to grow a vegetable garden and my flower garden has certainly suffered despite my best efforts in recycling my shower and laundry water. However 80 or 120 litres per day for one person in a house is seriously a small amount of water. With only washing one load once a week there is not a lot of water to be recycled! My once green, healthy lawn is almost non existent and consequently I don’t get the physical exercise from mowing it. Now mowing is not my favourite pastime but it is good exercise and the resulting pleasure from seeing the finished product is a real mood booster! It is a well known and well researched medical fact that looking at green is really beneficial to humans as well as is being in the fresh air and sunshine… all these are accomplished by gardening.
Further I have had to have my car professionally washed and this is an added expense. I usually would have someone come wash my windows and due to water restrictions this has not happened so the flow on effect is less work for our cleaning companies. Water is a basic need for life and restrictions affect every aspect of our lives.
Please give this issue some serious thought and send a submission to the council. Water security at an affordable price is extremely important to our growing town.
*This is an old article that has been digitised so our readers have access to our full catalogue.
