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You Made It! We’re guessing you may have landed at our website because you are looking to create more attention in your marketplace. Right? You know your business, we know how to maximize your exposure in the marketplace. Let us design the right web site, sign, or any other promotional tool for the growth of your business. From the big idea through execution, The Apple One Media Group creatively builds for you, our client, imaginative design solutions that solve real world business problems and increases sales. Not just for small to medium size businesses in Belleville or in Kansas, but companies on a national and international level.

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How to Make Your First Ant Farm

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An ant farm in a jar is an easy summer science project for younger children. This simple ant jar uses materials you'll have at home and will provide hours of interesting fun for the kids.

Do you have a future entomologist in your family? An entomologist is a scientist who specializes in insects. Ants fascinate kids and a small ant colony is easily made and maintained by young children. This project is ideal for kindergarteners and early primary grade students. With parental help, a four year old will be able to manage this as well.

An ant jar is a good home schooling science project. Students will learn about ants environmental requirements, food needs and of course, will be able to observe the colony behavior in a controlled way. Simple as is may be, this ant jar provides training in observation that helps develop a questioning mind.

Making the Ant Jar

You will need:
1 quart or larger clear glass jar
1 8 – 10 inch pie plate
1 2 inch deep pan, larger than the pie pan, to hold water
Soil
Pencil
String
Water
Ants

Directions: Fill the both the jar and the pie plate about two-thirds full with soil. Set the jar into the bowl of soil. Settle the jar into the soil so that it is level and stable. Place the pie plate into the larger pan and add at least 1 inch of water to the pan. The water acts as a moat to keep your ants from escaping. If you use a quart jar, you can substitute a soup bowl for the pie plate and a 10 inch pie plate for the water pan.

Don’t cover the jar. Ants are curious and active creatures who will appreciate being able to wander over the top of the jar and into the surrounding dirt. They may crawl over the edge of the pie plate, but when they hit the moat, they will turn back to the soil mound. Ants won’t cross water, so you don’t have to be concerned about an ant invasion in your kitchen! Your child will probably enjoy watching the ants test the water with their antennae, rather like how we dip a toe into the pool to test the water temperature.

Finding Ants

You need about 100 ants for your ant jar. You’ll probably find all the ants you need in your own back yard. Use a pencil to collect the ants. They will easily climb onto the tip of the pencil and you can transfer them to your new ant jar. Unless you are able to find a small, active ant mound where you can collect an ant queen, your ant jar will last from four to six weeks, the average life span of worker ants.

A word of caution about collecting your ants; ants are territorial and if you collect ants from 2 different colonies they will fight and kill each other. Stay in one part of your yard once you begin collecting your ants.

If you do find an active ant mound, you can collect it. Collecting an ant colony is easiest after a rain shower, when the soil is moistened. To collect a small ant colony, use a garden trowel to cut a circle around the mound approximately the same diameter of the jar you are going to use.

Fold a section of newspaper into a cone shape and fold up the bottom of the cone. Dig out a cylinder of dirt and carefully move it into the newspaper cone. Transfer the soil and the ants into the jar.

When you collect an ant mound, you may also collect the queen. You will recognize her by her significantly larger size, large abdomen, and the additional three eyes between the normal two eyes on her head. If you are fortunate enough to have a queen, your ant jar colony will have a much longer life span.

Once the ants are in their new home, you should begin to see tunneling activity within 2 or 3 days. Look close to the bottom of the jar for the first tunnels to appear. The soil will be dampest there.

Feeding the Ants

Make a simple feeding chart to help your child keep track of when to give the ants water and new food. Be careful not to overfeed or water. It is best to water on one day and then feed 2 days later.

Ants like variety in their diet. Tie the string to the pencil and attach food for the ants onto the string. Lay the pencil across the top of the jar to suspend the food just at soil level.

Good food choices for ants are slices of soft fruit such as apple or banana that have been dipped in honey or sugar water. They also eat bits of meat, cheese, bread, and candy. Feed the ants once a week.

Ants also need water. Add a teaspoonful of water to the soil jar every third day. Be careful not to make the soil too wet.

Ants, Ant, Ants

A magnifying glass makes it easy to observe the ants. Be careful about using the magnifying glass in direct sunlight or you may have fried ants! Ants prefer darkness so you’ll want to keep the jar in a shaded location. Ants are sensitive to vibrations, so once you create their new home, don’t move it around. Too much movement stresses ants and they will die sooner.

Have your child observe one ant closely for several minutes and record what he sees. An ant’s body is divided into 3 segments, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The head is connected to the thorax by a very skinny neck. The thorax is connected to the abdomen at the waist. Ants don’t have skeletons; instead, they have rigid outer shells that protect their inner organs.

Using the magnifying glass, your child will be able to see the ants mouth and watch how it’s jaws work. Ants use their jaws the way humans use their hands, for carrying, digging, and tearing off bits of food. The eyes will be easily identifiable. Most ants have 2 eyes; some have 5 and some ants have no eyes at all.

Blind ants use their antennae to feel their way around their world. All ants will continually wave their antennae. Ants use their antennae to discover information about the world and the objects they encounter. Using their antennae, they can detect the size of objects and determine whether they can climb over it or if they will have to go around it.

The abdomens of some ants contain stingers. Ant stings can burn and will become slightly raised red bumps at the site of the sting. An ant sting will itch for a few say and it may become infected, but it is rarely a health threat. If you do get stung, wash the area with soap and water as soon as you can. Apply a past of baking soda and water or calamine lotion to the sting. There are over the counter anti-itch creams that may be applied as needed.

Growing a Shakespearean Herb Garden

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William Shakespeare must have loved gardening as his works include many mentions of common herbs in Elizabethan England. A Shakespearean herb garden is a creative theme garden that even a beginner can manage. This article dicusses the planning and cultivation of the herb garden and lists several of the herbs most referenced in his works.

Herbs have been prized through the centuries for their many uses from medicinal to culinary. Tribal peoples and healers learned of their medicinal uses and passed their secrets on generation to generation. Even today, many modern medicines have an herbal basis. Today, herbs remain popular for use in aromatherapy, natural cosmetics and remedies as well as for cooking. The most popular use of herbs remains in the kitchen, where they are valued for their aromatic and flavorful contributions to cooking. A kitchen herb garden is essential for many culinary aficionados. Growing herbs is an ideal project for someone with limited space and time to devote to gardening.

An herb garden based on plants and flowers mentioned in William Shakespeare’s works is an interesting way to experience the aromas and flavors that were a part of Elizabethan England. The plants selected for this garden are a combination of herbs that were popular during his life and provide a mix of medicinal, culinary, and aromatic herbs. Keep in mind that all of the medicinal qualities of the herbs are from historical sources and that you should check with your physician before ingesting any herb as a medical treatment. All of the plants rare readily available and can be successfully grown by the average gardener.

Herbs are wonderful in that they can be grown in many different ways. Grown as a container garden on your patio they provide you with lovely color, texture, and aromas. Planted in the ground, they can form the basis of a traditional kitchen garden. You can even grow them in pots on your windowsill.

Planning Your Herb Garden

Herbs require very well drained, alkaline soil and full to partial sun. If you are unsure of your soil conditions, you can purchase a soil Ph test kit at the garden center or call your county’s Extension service office for information. If you are growing your herbs in containers, start with an excellent grade potting soil. Good drainage is vital to growing herbs. How can you tell if you have good drainage? Observe your selected garden spot after the next rainfall. Does it absorb the rain at a reasonable rate or do you notice that the rain is running off almost immediately? If the rainwater is running off quickly, you have poor drainage and the roots of the herbs will not take in the water and nutrients they need. If your soil needs amended to alter either the Ph or the drainage, either the garden center or the Extension Agent will be able to help with your soil preparation.

The Elizabethans created gardens in symmetrical rectangular or square patterns. Formality was the watchword of the era and plants were going to conform too! Walkways or paths were incorporated into the design layouts so that the garden could be enjoyed by all. Strolling in the garden was a popular past time and their gardens were designed with this in mind. If your herb garden is going to be near a patio or other socializing area, think about adding some of your own strolling paths.

As you plan your garden, you will want to consider the individual herb’s growing habits. Some grow as low compact plants. Others are two feet tall and bushy. Many herbs are perennials, meaning that they continue to grow year after year. Annual herbs will need to be replanted each growing season; you will want to locate them in easily accessible portions of the garden. Be sure to allow ample spacing between plants, herbs are slow growing and you may be tempted to underestimate the amount of room they will need. Proper spacing will allow for good air circulation, ensuring that your plants do not become susceptible to mold. The garden may look a bit sparse at first, but you will be rewarded with healthier, more abundant garden that will produce for years. You’ll be able to enjoy the herbs in your garden the first year, but it will take about three years for it to become a fully mature clipping garden. Planning is important in herb gardening as once they are established in a garden herbs do not like to be moved around.

Planting the Garden

Although you can start many herbs from seeds, starting your garden with small plants will increase the likelihood of your success. If you start your garden with seeds, be sure to follow the instruction on the seed packet. The seed packet will tell you how to prepare the seed, how deep to plant it and how to best care for the seedling. Plan ahead if you want to grow from seed, as the seedling may need several months growth before it is ready to go into the outdoor garden.

If you decide to use starter plants, purchase healthy plants from a reputable grower. When your plants are established, you will be able to propagate more plants by either taking cuttings or harvesting seeds at the end of the season. If you start your garden with small starter plants, you’ll be harvesting your herbs much sooner. Tap the plant out of its pot and gently use your fingers to loosen the soil around the roots. You don’t want to damage the root structure, just loosen the soil before you plant in the garden. Place the plant in the garden or a previously prepared container; cover the root ball with soil, pressing it firmly into place. You will want to thoroughly water your newly planted garden and not allow the soil to dry out until the plants are established. Don’t be alarmed if the plant droops for the next several days. Keep it evenly watered, and it will perk up soon. When the plants are firmly established, allow the garden to be relatively dry between watering.

You can encourage fuller growth by pinching out the new leaf and stem growth, just as you would with a houseplant. Start slowly until you are very familiar with each herb’s growth patterns. If you are a new gardener, consider keeping a garden journal to keep track of the growing habits of each plant. As you get to know your herb plants, you will be able to tell when they need attention.

Caring for Your Garden

Herbs have evolved over the centuries into naturally hardy plants that are easy to care for. They do well with moderate watering and minimal attention. Whether you grow your herbs in containers or in the ground you will want to mulch around your plants to help hold the moisture in the soil and to ensure clean leaves for harvesting. If your plants are not thriving and you have made sure that the growing conditions are adequate you may fertilize with compost or other natural fertilizers. You will eventually be eating the herbs, so be sure to pay attention to the toxicity of any fertilizing or pest control applications. Pests will probably not be an issue as herbs are natural insect repellants. If you do see a few insects, you can hand pick them off the plant. A larger insect attack will require treatment and you should use a nontoxic garden spray. Companion planting, the practice of planting specific types of plants in combination for the benefit of both plants, lends itself well to herb gardening. Calendula or marigolds are a natural insect repellant, along with garlic; consider mixing either into your garden. Many of the Shakespearean herbs are traditional companion plants.

Harvesting and Storing Your Herbs

You can begin to harvest the herbs for use as soon as there are several sets of leaves on the plant. For the fullest flavor, the best time to harvest is just before the plants begin to bloom, when the aromatic oils are most concentrated in the leaves. Pick them in the mid morning, after the dew has dried but before the full sun of the day has parched the plant. Herb leaves may be used fresh right out of the garden. Unless it is quite woody and stringy, the stems of many herbs are edible as well. Mince or chop them into salads for additional fiber and taste.

Herbs may be stored for future use by drying or freezing. Herbs leaves can take up to a full week to completely air dry. You can speed this along by using your microwave to dry them! Place the herb leaves between two paper towels and microwave for 2 minutes at 50% power. Remember microwaves vary greatly, so your times may vary. Stored in an airtight, dry cool place, you can expect your dried herbs to last from 6 months to a year.

Freezing herbs is the way to go if you want to retain the color of the herb. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Arrange the chopped herbs or individual leaves in a single layer on the waxed paper. Place in the freezer for up to 2 hours. Remove from the freezer and quickly package the herbs for long-term storage. Frozen herbs retain their quality for 12 to 18 months. Some herbs, such as mint leaves and lemon balm, can be frozen into ice cubes for a convenient way to use them later.

The Shakespearean Herbs

Bay, Laurus nobilisBay is a bushy perennial that has culinary and medicinal uses it is temperature sensitive, so grow this one in a big tub that you can bring indoors if you live in the colder climates. Bay needs full sun. Pick the leaves when they are from 1 ½ to 2 inches long. Dry them for long-term use. The leaves only are used in cooking. Bay leaves are a repellant for fleas, moths, ants and many other bugs. Traditionally, Bay leaf oil was mixed with honey to create an acne relieving cream. Other apothecary uses for Bay include treating urinary problems, flatulence, ear pain, bee and wasp stings.

Box, BuxusBox was widely used as a planting for bordering the Shakespearean era garden. We know it today as the evergreen Boxwood shrub. It is a dense bush with small leaves. Box is a perennial and grows best in full sun. Attains a height of about 2 ft. The leaves were used in Shakespeare’s time as a strewing herb, one that was scattered around a room to help with controlling odors.

Broom, Cytisus scopariusBroom, also known as Scotch Broom, is an evergreen perennial that grows best in full sun. It attains a height of 10 feet if it is not trimmed regularly. Box thrives in poor soil with little water. The leaves are best harvested just before blooming for their medicinal and aromatic uses. This is another of the strewing herbs. Broom oils have medicinal value as astringents.

Calendula, Calendula officinalisCalendula is often referred to as a marigold. It is an annual and prefers full sun. There are many varieties to choose from and heights range from 6 inches to 2 feet. Dry or freeze for future use. In the garden, it repels several common garden pests. Calendula has both medicinal and culinary uses. The flowers and leaves may added to salads and soups for a salty taste. Teas brewed from Calendula were used for reducing fevers. Ointments or poultices made from its leaves and flowers were used for removing warts, relieving pain of a bee sting, and to reduce the swelling of a sprained ankle.

Chamomile, Anthemis nibilisChamomile was often known as Roman Chamomile in Shakespeare’s day. It is a low growing perennial, averaging about 9 inches in height. The leaves as well as the flowers have a very strong scent. Dry or freeze for future use. Chamomile has many uses and has been referred to as the “physician’s plant.” Useful as a strewing herb it also has culinary and medicinal uses. Chamomile flowers may be brewed into a relaxing tea. The tea is also useful as a rinse for blonde hair, an insect repellent, nightmare preventative, and gentle diuretic. Its leaves and flowers were used in poultices to reduce inflammations and swellings. As a companion garden plant, Chamomile is known to improve the flavor of onions, cabbages and lettuce.

Chives, Allium schoenoprasumChives are a perennial, sun loving plant. They grow in small clumps that average 6 inches high. Harvest the slender green shoots when they are young. Older shoots become bitter. Chives have a light onion flavor. Dry or freeze for future use. Chives are a companion to carrots.

Heartsease, Viola tricolorWe know Heartsease as Johnny Jump Up, the early spring wild pansy. It is an annual, growing easily in moderate to full sun. Heartsease is a compact plant, rarely reaching more than 6 inches. Heartsease does well drying or freezing for long-term storage. The leaves and flowers may be added to salads or used for decoration. A tea brewed from the flower was thought to ease various heart conditions. The nectar from a Heartsease flower was considered a magical essence and could allow one to see fairies.

Hyssop, Hyssopus officinalisHyssop is another of the “physician’s herbs” as it has many uses. It is a perennial that grows to a height of 10 – 12 inches. Hyssop needs full sun and prefers to be in somewhat poor soil. Dry or freeze the leaves for future use. The leaves have a strong slightly bitter minty flavor. Pick them when they are young to reduce the bitterness. The leaves may also be brewed into a tea which has many historic medicinal uses including loosening the phlegm of a chest cold, curing toothaches, worming, curing breathing problems, as a laxative and to reduce the swelling and discoloration of bruises. Hyssop is a companion to grapes, and cabbage but is toxic to radishes.

Lavender, Lavandula veraLavender is a shrubby perennial that will grow happily in poor soil as long as it has full sun. If not trimmed, Lavender will grow 3 – 4 feet tall. The leaves and flowers of lavender are used as aromatic strewing herbs, as culinary additions and medicinally. Lavender does not respond well to freezing, dry it for future use. If you are going to preserve the flowers, they must be harvested before they are fully open. They loose their aromatic properties quickly upon opening. The leaves and flowers are used to flavor oils and vinegars, used in salads and brewed into a tea. The tea has traditionally been used for calming coughs, soothing sore joints and toothaches and as an antiseptic. The scent of lavender is thought to repel mosquitoes, flies and moths. Lavender is best known today for its calming, soothing aroma.

Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalisLemon Balm is a perennial that averages 3 to 4 feet high if left untrimmed. It may be dried or frozen for future use. Harvest the leaves when they are 1 – 3 inches long. Its light lemony minty aroma and flavor made it a favored strewing herb in Shakespeare’s times. Use the leaves in teas, salads and for flavoring wines and vinegars. Medicinally, Lemon Balm’s uses included reducing fevers, curing gout, cleansing dog bites, repelling scorpions, to encourage longevity and to increase a nursing mother’s milk flow.

Parsley, Petroselimum crispumParsley is an annual that grows to approximately 12 inches in full sun. It may be dried or frozen for future use. The leaves should be harvested while they are still young to prevent bitterness. Parsley is used in salads and as a garnish. Chewing Parsley is thought to cleanse the breath. Tea made from parsley has been used as a diuretic, to ease the pain of arthritis, and as a stimulant.

Peppermint, Mentha piperita Peppermint is a hardy perennial that will grow just about anywhere. It has a voracious habit of spreading, so plan to plant it where it has lots of room! You may even want to grow it in its own bed to prevent it from crowding out your other herbs. Peppermint will grow from 12 to 24 inches. Drying is most effective for preserving the leaves. Harvest the stalks and leaves when they are young. The most popular uses of peppermint are as a culinary flavor ingredient but it has many medicinal uses. Among them were brewing a tea to be use for indigestion, relieving cramps, sore throats, and as a stimulant. Peppermint is a companion to cabbages.

Rosemary, Rosemarinus officinalisRosemary is a bushy, hardy perennial that is another of the multiuse “physician’s plants.” Rosemary prefers full sun and grows to a height of 3 feet if not trimmed. Harvest the small leaves on the stem when they are about 1 – 2 inches long. Rosemary is best dried for future use. Rosemary has a pungent aroma and is used as a flavorful culinary ingredient. Use Rosemary directly in salads, herbal blends, to season meat or infused in vinegars and oils. Rosemary teas have been used for improving memory, a mouthwash, hair rinse, and to reduce the pain of arthritis.

Rue, Ruta graveolensRue is an evergreen perennial with a bitter taste. Rue needs moderate to full sun and grows to a height of about 18 inches. Harvest its leaves before the seed head forms or it will be too bitter to use. Rue may be frozen or dried for future use. Its leaves are used fresh salads and food ornamentation. Rue has a long history as a strewing herb and a medicinal herb. Rue has been used as protection against contagious diseases, insect repellant, relief of sciatica and as a sedative.

Salad Burnet, Sanguisorba minorSalad Burnet is an evergreen perennial that will grow in moderate to full sun. Average height is 12 – 24 inches. Its leaves have a light cucumber flavor and are a nice addition to a salad. Leaves may be dried for future use. Salad Burnet was a staple in a Shakespearean garden. In addition to its use as a salad green, it was used as a flavoring for wine and cordials. The leaves were steeped in water to produce a tea sweetened with honey that was used to cure gout and rheumatism. A paste of honey and salad burnet was used as an astringent and to ease the pain of body sores.

Summer Savory, Satureia hortensisSummer Savory is an annual herb, which grows to a height of 1 – 2 feet. It prefers full sun. The leaves have a delicate peppery taste and should be harvested on the stem. Savory is best preserved by drying. Savory is used for flavoring meats, egg dishes, stews and soups. It is often used in herbal blends that are used to flavor oils and vinegars. Savory was traditionally a companion plant to any flower garden near beehives, as its addition to the pollen mix made for better honey. Savory is a companion to green beans and onion. Shakespeare might have used it as a tea for relieving indigestion and gas. It was also thought that Savory could cure earaches.

Tansy, Tanacetum vulgreWe know Tansy today as the garden flower, Bachelor’s Buttons. Tansy is a hardy perennial that will grow to about 24 inches. It prefers full sun. Harvest the leaves at full maturity but before they turn yellow. Preserve Tansy by drying or freezing. At one time, Tansy was one of the most prized culinary herbs. Tansy has a peppery taste and is nice added to salad dressings or salads. Try infusing it in vinegar or oils and as a flavoring for meats. Tansy also has strongly aromatic leaves that repel flies, fleas and other insects. Tansy tea was beneficial as an astringent, insect repellent, fever reducer and as a tonic for many general digestive disorders. Tansy is a companion to roses and fruits, deterring many beetles and flying insects.

Thyme, Thymus vulgarisThyme is a bushy perennial that grows from 12 – 24 inches tall. Its small leaves are best harvested on the stalk and then dried. Harvest the leaves before the flower opens. Thyme is a universal herb and will complement any food. It was commonly thought that the best honey was blended with Thyme. Thyme was used as a strewing herb in addition to its culinary and medicinal uses. Thyme tea was used as a deodorant, disinfectant, and meat preservative, diuretic and to relieve sore throats. Thyme is a companion to cabbages and repels moths.

Themes Add New Dimension to Your Gardening

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Sooner or later, all gardeners long to try something new, to experiment with new plants. A theme garden is the ideal way to expand your gardening horizons. The possibilites are endless and once you get started, you may find it hard to stop.

Experienced gardeners and beginners alike love theme gardens. For the experienced gardener they are a chance to experiment with harder to grow or exotic plants. A theme garden is a great way to add a spot of pizazz to a mature landscape. If you’ve grown tired of gardening because you always seem to be planting the same things a theme garden is the perfect solution to rekindle your love of gardening.

Theme gardens lend themselves to smaller places or even containers, allowing the novice gardener a way to ease into the hobby without feeling intimidated. Because theme gardens are narrowly focused, it makes plant selection much easier. Small theme gardens are wonderful projects for assisted living community groups and churches where people of many different abilities and lifestyles can come together over the tending of a garden.

Kids Theme Gardens

Take advantage of your kid’s natural affinity for playing in the dirt by introducing them to the joys of gardening. Kids really enjoy theme gardens, especially if you let them help come up with the theme and plant selection. Theme gardening can take the child back in time to experience the foods, flowers and lifestyles of specific historical eras. Gardening is a good way for a home schooling family to have fun and get in a summer living history lesson.

Alphabet
It isn’t difficult to find colorful and easy to grow plants for each of the letters of the alphabet, starting with alyssum and ending with zinnias. Before you get the kids started searching for the plants on the Internet, be sure you have a large enough place to grow 26 plants.

Animals
Kids have fun being silly and what could be sillier than plants named as animals? Encourage their creativeness with dandelion, tiger lily, monkey grass, cowslips, elephant ears, foxglove, catmint and the succulent hen and chicks.

Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes
Children’s literature is a rich source for the detective minded child. Challenge them to find the clues to various plants in their favorite stories and nursery rhymes. Here a few titles and the associated plants to get your child thinking:

• Jack in the Bean Stalk: beans (especially the giant varieties) are fun for kids to grow and they grow really fast
• Cinderella: pumpkins and gourds, especially the giant varieties
• Lavender Blue: herbs lavender and dill
• Mary, Mary Quite Contrary: silver bells (Canterbury bells)
• Peter Piper: peppers
• Peter, the pumpkin eater: pumpkins

Specific characters can be found in the garden too. Thumbelina, the Thumbelina variety zinnia and Tom Thumb, whose name has been given to both a miniature tomato and a popcorn variety.

Rainbows
Plant this one in an arch shape of 7 rows. Each row is devoted to a specific color of the rainbow. In order, the rainbow colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Colonial kitchen
A garden of herbs and vegetables common in our country’s first years is an opportunity to learn about food and history while having fun. A little research will provide you will lots to choose from like carrots, onion, garlic, corn, and beans. Flavorings of the era include the herbs sage, rosemary, parsley, and mint. The kitchen garden of the Colonial era was also the main source of the family’s dye for coloring their wool and their medicines, so don’t overlook the herbs of yarrow, calendula, nettle and flax.

Kids All Time Favorite Garden - Pizza Garden
Your child’s hands down favorite garden is likely to be the Pizza Garden. For additional fun, plant this one in a pizza wedge shape or round like a whole pie. With one exception, all of the basic pizza ingredients are easily grown at home. Wheat, for the dough, is the one plant that will be more of a challenge. It’s worth adding it to the garden plan just to give your child the complete sense of where his food comes from. If you are ambitious, you can pulverize some of the grains in a food processor or spice grinder to show how wheat becomes flour. You probably won’t have enough to actually make pizza dough but the kids will think it is cool to make a bit of flour! Everything else for a pizza is easy for kids to help plant and tend. The vegetables are onion, garlic, peppers, and tomato. Herbs include oregano, basil, and rosemary.

Popular Garden Themes for Anyone

Butterfly and hummingbird gardens are the most popular theme gardens; you probably already know many of the plants that attract the butterflies and hummingbirds. Both are attracted to brightly colored flowers, especially those that have a tubular flower shapes and sweet scented nectar like salvia and snapdragons. Other good choices are moss rose, petunia, honeysuckle, and the aptly named butterfly bush.

Kitchen Gardens
Kitchen gardens are essential to many gourmet chefs and food aficionados. Your first thought of a kitchen garden may be of herbs, but don’t overlook salad greens and vegetables.

French
A French culinary garden would include the components of traditional fines herbs: thyme, summer savory, marjoram, sage, and basil. Other French flavors include tarragon, dill, chives, watercress, and leeks.

Mediterranean
Italian and Greek flavors in a lichen garden include include vegetables such as tomato, onion, garlic, peppers and broccoli. The herb flavors you’ll need are parsley, basil, oregano, lemon balm, rosemary, marjoram, and fennel.

Salsa
With a few minor changes, the Mediterranean style garden becomes a Salsa garden. Skip the fennel and lemon balm, adding chili peppers, coriander, cumin, and cilantro.

Soup and Stew
The Soup garden can provide the basis for many wonderful fall seasonal soups and stews. Vegetables for this garden include onions, carrots, peppers, parsnips, rutabagas, beans, potatoes, and corn. For flavoring, bay, garlic, rosemary, summer savory, thyme, parsley, sage, cilantro and chives.

Native American
Another natural theme for a kitchen garden that has historical overtones is the Native American garden. Many of the plants will be the same as a Colonial garden and are also valued for their medicinal values. Commonly called the “ Three Sisters” corn, beans and squash are the foundation of this garden. Additional plants would include chives, wild lettuce, wild strawberries, sunflowers, echinacea, hyssop, sage, yarrow, and all varieties of mint.

Creative Idea Starters

Here are some additional theme ideas to jump-start your creativity and get you started on your own theme garden adventure. Most of the plants mentioned are readily available in a well-stocked garden center. You’ll find plants for the more challenging themes in specialty garden catalogs or by searching the Internet. There are many plant growers that specialize in theme gardening and older varieties or heritage plants.

Apothecary
Try your hand at growing the family’s medicine chest. You’ll find an enormous selection of herbs with medicinal values. Look for those whose Latin name ends with officinalis, which indicates its apothecary value. Don’t overlook the other valuable herbs that don’t have that designation. Among those are peppermint, chamomile, lavender, and mallow. The medicinal properties of herbs are well documented, but you do need to be aware of possible interactions with your prescription medicines. Consult your physician before ingesting herbs and prescriptions. Be cautious of information you find regarding herbs as medicines while surfing the Internet; unless the source of the information is scholarly or from a known authority, you may getting poor advice. Find information about processing herbs and dosages at your local library. Books from Rodale Press and by author Euell Gibbons are very reliable.

Celebrity or Names
Many varieties of roses, peony, day lilies, and iris are named after celebrities. Sarah Bernhardt peony is one that most gardeners know. Other flowering plants have more ordinary names such as johnny-jump-up and sweet William. You might also like to focus on the names of royalty, as in Queen Anne's lace.

Edible Flowers
Kids will love to eat flowers, but this one is really an adult project. Young children have trouble distinguishing between the edible flowers in Mom’s garden and all the other flowers in the world. Use your common sense with edible flowers and don’t eat ones that have mud on them or were sprayed with pesticides. Don’t pick flowers by the roadside to eat. They have been exposed to automobile exhaust and there are too many unknowns to make them safe to eat. Only eat the petals, not the stamens or pistils. Most importantly, do not eat any flower that you think is safe; only eat the ones you know for sure are okay to ingest. Among the edible flowers, the most common are garlic blossoms, chive blossoms, bachelor button, bee balm, burnet, calendula, carnation, chamomile, chrysanthemum, dandelion, day lily, geranium, honeysuckle, pansy, nasturtium, petunia, rose, snapdragon, sunflower and violets.

Native Species
Select only those plants indigenous to your region. Include your state flower. This type of garden often needs less tending because the plants have adapted themselves to your growing conditions.

Succulents
The entire range of succulents provide an amazing variety in stem shapes,colors and flowers. They are easy to grow indoors if you live in a colder climate. Succulents are often thought of as green only plants but many of them have colorful blooms. Good succulents to try are kalanchoe, aloe, mother of pearl, living rocks, and the delicate burrow’s tail.

Twilight
The perfect garden for a working family, the Twilight garden is designed to be enjoyed in the evening hours. Some flowers are even more fragrant in the evening. Think of silvery or white flowers that can reflect the moonlight such as moon flower, evening primrose, four o’clocks, dusty miller, and tuber rose. There are many varieties of night blooming day lilies.

Literary Gardens

Shakespearean
A classic is the Shakespearean garden. Shakespeare mentions more than 100 plants in his works, covering the entire spectrum from trees to flowers and herbs.

Biblical
Biblical gardens are another popular theme. There are vegetable, herbs, fruits, trees and all manner of plants mentioned in the Bible. You could focus on a particular book and grow only those plants or grow the common vegetables and fruits and then host a biblical feast.

Mythological
Mythology and folklore lends itself to a challenging theme garden. There are plants mentioned throughout classic myth and folklore, as well as all the names of gods and goddess to consider. Your challenge is in spotting the references and then hunting them down in the garden center.

Really Unusual Themes

Carnivorous and Poisonous
This is a specialty garden that you won’t find just everywhere. Many of the carnivorous plants are tropical and need the controlled growing conditions of an indoor garden. Many varieties of poisonous plant have interesting growing habits and that makes this an intriguing idea for a theme garden. Be sure to plant this garden away from the little ones and where family pets are not apt to discover it.

Natural Dyes
Many of the same plants from the Colonial garden are included in the natural dye garden. Virtually all the basic colors may be obtained from vegetation. The colors derived from plants have the softer look that is reflected in paintings of the era. Plants include beets, onion, carrots and many herbs.

Predator Insects
Experienced gardeners are always on the lookout for natural methods of pest control. This themed garden helps you out by inviting in the good bugs to feast on the bad bugs! Flowering plants with compact umbrella shape heads are a good to start with.

Postage Stamps
A natural if you have a stamp collector in the family is to use only those flowers that have appeared on postage stamps.

These are some of my favorite themes. Before you know it, you’ll be dreaming of themes that have special meaning to your family. Your kids will have a blast thinking of new gardens. No corner of your yard or empty windowsill will be safe! Happy Gardening.