Author Archives: The Holistic Gardener

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About The Holistic Gardener

author of wellness books, columnist, keynote speaker.

quick thyme first aid

Abrasions, light scrapes and grazes are perhaps the most common injuries from which gardeners suffer; they include those surface layer wounds that often you don’t notice at the point of occurrence but may smart or sting later in the day – … Continue reading

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Naked solstice after sun remedies

Bheannacht ar an lá – blessings of the day. Today, the solstice, when more than the earths axis tilts towards the sun. Maybe you are naked in a dance to manifest abundance or maybe you are just catching the few … Continue reading

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gardener’s first aid for allergic contact dermatitis

Allergic contact dermatitis is an allergic reaction to a substance, material or plant that you have come into contact with; it generally manifests post contact as a region of itchy inflamed skin situated where contact had taken place. In severe … Continue reading

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The saturday night show discusses holistic gardening

see for your self http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10153449/

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The edible edible invasive

So good I named it twice… Carpobrotus edulis or Cape fig, originally from the cape territories of South Africa was introduced to many territories around the world as an ornamental garden plant, beautiful and useful (fire-retardant, erosion control, medicinal and … Continue reading

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Dye Invader Dye!!

How about we harvest out the invasive species for their craft and industry potential. Some have good woods for turning but many yield dyes to get fashion-minded heads turning. A rose-tinted dye is reputedly obtained from the bark of those … Continue reading

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Alien attack… Invasive plant species and how to deal with them. Part 3

Previously I blogged about gunnera spreading along canals and streams… well another riverbank monster is Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera)… But while the trend is to bash it, it has some good edible applications; The peppery seeds are wonderful in salads … Continue reading

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Alien attack… Invasive plant species and how to deal with them. Part 2

So we are under attack, what is our response? Well if you are enlisting then the first rule of war is to know your enemy and I will equip you (within the posts on invasives) with all you need to … Continue reading

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Alien attack… Invasive plant species and how to deal with them. part 1.

What is an alien species? You may well ask. It is not something that has crash-landed here from outer space or even from 1950’s Hollywood, although in some respects one could find similarities (and I have used that analogy in … Continue reading

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Rhod rides roughshod over Biodiversity

Rhododendron ponticum  invades three habitats that are considered internationally important under the Habitats Directive: upland oak woods, bogs and heath. An individual Rhododendron ponticum  casts  such deep shade that it light-starves out existing native plant colonies at its base.  Insult … Continue reading

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