​Is lemon verbena an effective herbal remedy or not?

​There are numerous claims about the effectiveness of lemon verbena as an herbal remedy for everything from stomach upset, anxiety, and muscle repair to weight loss and joint pain. While claims like these often turn out to be untrue or exaggerated, science is beginning to support at least some of them. The National Institutes of Health published a study concluding that lemon verbena has “promising antioxidant and anti-proliferation effects.” Until we know more about how lemon verbena can improve our health, we can happily grow it at home for other reasons.

How to grow lemon verbena

These plants are drought-tolerant. They grow best in fertile soil with excellent drainage and full sun. Plant seeds, seedlings, or tip cuttings 12-18” apart. In USDA Hardiness Zones 8a-10b, you can grow these plants as perennials. In cooler regions, it can be grown as an annual.

Common pests and diseases of lemon verbena

Aphids, slugs, and snails are the most common pests of lemon verbena. Leaf miners, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies may also cause problems. Yellow sticky sheets can significantly reduce populations of these pests. These plants also experience root rots, which can be avoided by allowing the soil to dry out between waterings. Other potential diseases of lemon verbena include gray mold, powdery mildew, spotted wilt, and Verticillium wilt. Again, monitor soil moisture levels and avoid overhead watering.

Add this lemony fresh herb to your landscape for years of delicious flavor and showy flowers.

Sugar maples (Acer saccharum) are related to soapberries and lychee. These deciduous hardwood trees create glorious fall foliage before winter sets in. As temperatures rise, trees convert the starches stored over the winter into sugary sap. That sap starts rising through the phloem to feed new growth. That’s where we step in.

Many years ago, in Stafford, Virginia, I opened a private K-12 school called Children’s Academy. We had a silver maple tree on the property, so we decided to try our hand at tapping it. Tapping trees refers to the way we get to the sap. Taps, also known as spiles or cask pegs, used to be hand-carved wooden tubes, but modern taps are metal. Taps are hammered into the tree to reach the phloem, just under the bark, where the sap flows.

Maple description

Most of us are familiar with hand-shaped, pointy maple leaves. These trees can get quite large, growing 80 feet tall or more. The bark is a lovely pale gray. The greenish-yellow flowers do not have petals. Instead, they grow in several panicles, clustered together, usually after 30-55 growing degree days. The fruit grows in winged pairs that most of us called ‘helicopters’ because they spin as they fall. Those fruits are called samaras, and they contain maple seeds.

Other maples

Sugar and black maples (Acer nigrum) are the primary sources of maple syrup, but our silver maple did well enough. Other maples, including our silver, have lower sugar levels and produce a cloudy (but still delicious) syrup. Norway maples are quickly taking over suburban streets because of their ability to withstand air pollution and weather fleck better than sugar maples. Unfortunately, they are not good sources of sap. One way to tell which maple tree you have is to look at the sap in a leaf petiole. Sugar maple sap is clear. Norway maple sap is white.

How maple trees grow

Maples love cold winters and are best suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 3-5. They take 30 years to reach seed-bearing age and live 200 years or more. These trees are very shade-tolerant. They are best planted as saplings in the spring or fall in well-draining soil. They prefer slightly acidic soil but can grow in soil pH levels of 5.0—7.0.

Have you ever heard of galangal? I saw it used on an episode of Chopped and had to learn more.

Imagine ginger crossed with horseradish, black pepper, and a little pine. To me, that sounds like a perfect addition to stir-fry. Even more intriguing, the fragrant flowers, glossy leaves, tender shoots, and cardamom-flavored berries are also edible.

Galangal is a rhizome that looks a lot like ginger but has more of a peppery bite. It is a popular ingredient in many Asian dishes and you can grow it at home. Not only does galangal make a tasty ingredient, but it is also an attractive grass plant.

Galangal is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae) and a close cousin of turmeric. Before you jump on the galangal bandwagon, you need to know that four different plants go by that name:

• Black galangal (Kaempferia galanga)
• Chinese ginger, fingerroot, or (another) lesser galangal (Boesenbergia rotunda)
• Greater galangal (Alpinia galangal)
• Lesser galangal (Alpinia officinarum)

All of them are edible, but we are only discussing the Alpinia galangals here. 

​Lesser galangal has a more bitter pine flavor, while great galangal has a more medicinal ginger flavor. Under ideal conditions, greater galangal can grow 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Lesser galangal is smaller.

Plant rhizomes when the soil is warm. Cover them with 3 or 4 inches of soil. Space plants 12-18 inches apart. They will need good drainage and partial or full sun exposure. If you have scorching summers, your galangal may need protection from the afternoon sun to prevent sunburn damage. Use a one-gallon or larger container for potted galangal.

​These plants need plenty of water in the early stages. Soaker hoses are an excellent tool for watering galangal. Mulching around your galangal will help the soil stay moist without becoming soggy. How you feed your galangal will depend on where it is being grown. An inexpensive lab-based soil test can tell you what you need to feed plants growing in the ground. Container-grown galangal will benefit from light monthly feedings of fish emulsion or other balanced fertilizer.

Galangal pests and diseases

When ginger stalks turn brown, they are dead. Cut them off and add them to the compost pile. When galangal stalks turn brown, it is often a symptom of too much or too little water. Chlorosis or dull leaves may indicate insufficient nutrients. 

The most common pests include aphids, root borers, grasshoppers, and spider mites. Beneficial insects and the judicious use of Bt can eliminate most of these pests. Severe infestations may require the use of spinosad. Prevent root rot and rust by avoiding overhead watering and ensuring good drainage.

​Harvest your galangal by digging up the entire plant, removing what you want, and replanting the rest. Instead of tamping down the soil, which damages valuable root hairs, “mud in” the replanted part. You will want to harvest before the rhizomes become tough. And be sure to save some for replanting.

As a bonus, research has shown that eating galangal increases alertness, improves focus, impedes caffeine crashes, and may provide anti-inflammatory protection. And hummingbirds love galangal.

How’s that for a stir-fry?