Forget-me-not ground cover-Myosotis sylvatica

Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), this delicate, tiny and humble wildflower, spread over a large area, is an unforgettable sight.

Do you have a shady, part shady, wet spot in your garden where not much grows? A woodland garden, bog garden or ponds maybe, where you don't have much time to invest in plant care?
If yes, the Wood Forget-me-not is happy to enchant you with a sky-blue ground cover, growing on its own, without ever asking anything in exchange.

" There is a sweet, a lovely flower,
Tinged deep with faith’s unchanging hue,
Pure as the ether in its hour
Of loveliest and serenest blue.

The streamlet’s gentle side it seeks,
The silent fount, the shaded grot;
And sweetly to the heart it speaks
Forget-me-not, forget-me-not."

This little poem says it all. I was not able to find out the author's name to thank for the worlds.

Look at this picture, aren't they beautiful?

There is though one thing you can't do with this flower: you can't forget a Forget-me-not!
There are many species of forget-me-not, check out some of them.

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Pokeweed shrubs- Phytolacca Acinosa photos

Pokeweed shrubs- Phytolacca Acinosa are no-care perennials, grown as ornamental plants for their showy berries.
From the many species, Phytolacca Acinosa, Asian poke weed, or Indian poke is growing in our parts. It can reach 1.5 m (5ft) in height with the same spread.
Birds love these big, 4–12 mm diameter berries and spread them all over the large, green leaves of the bush.

Phytolacca Acinosa berries - pokeweed fruit panicles

Pokeweed starts flowering in early June with greenish-white to pink flowers produced in long racemes at the ends of the stems.
Inkberry bush fruits are globose berries on large panicles, green at first, ripening dark purple to black.
 

 

 Poke weed flowers- Phytolacca Acinosa

The dark red juice of the berries were used in older times as ink, paint and dye.
Though the plant is poisonous to humans, it is said that young leaves are cooked like spinach, in some parts of the world.

Phytolacca Acinosa -Indian poke fruits and foliage

In temperate climate, this shrub thrives in sunny places in any soil. I often see them near the sidewalk on the streets but in neglected gardens as well, growing on their own.

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Sweet Basil plant - Ocimum basilicum photos

Basil, or Sweet Basil, is a culinary herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). Its leaves have a sweet and pungent aroma.

From the many varieties of Basil, Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is most often used in cooking, especially in Italian cuisine.

Sweet Basil plant in flower

Basil grows between 30–100 cm tall, with light green leaves and spike of white flowers.

The green leaves of basil can be used both fresh and dry.
Harvest the top most leaves first, before the plant begins flowering. Pinch out any flowers as they appear to encourage more leaf growth and to preserve the plant's flavor.

Green leaves of Sweet Basil

To dry the plant, cut the stems at ground level and hang them up in a warm room. The dried herb loses most of its flavor, tastes and smells very different, similar to newly-mown hay.

Several other basils are grown in India and different tropical regions of Asia, where this aromatic plant comes from.

Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) or Tulsi is cultivated across South Asia as a medicinal plant and an herbal tea with many diverse healing properties.
Lemon Basil (Ocimum × citriodorum), used in Indonesia, has a mild lemon flavor, very different from those of other varieties.
Several varieties of Thai basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) are used in Thai cuisine.

Most basil species are frost tender annuals. They will thrive outdoors all summer, in sunnier climates, but will die out in late autumn at first frost. If allowed to go to seed, they will come back next year.
However, basil can be grow all year round indoors, in pots. In this case they need regular watering and much light, even fluorescent light will do.

Like oregano, basil contain large amounts of (E)-beta-caryophyllene, which seams to be useful in the treatment of arthritis and inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine.

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