The real St. John's wort is rarely found in the hobby garden.
The medicinal plant is very useful and beautiful to look at.
More about it - here.
The real St. John's wort is a well-known plant against depressive moods and scores with mostly good tolerance.
But the herb is not entirely without it.
If you want to
plant
it
in the garden
, you should know the application and mode of action in addition to the appropriate site conditions.
St. John's wort in the garden: medicinal plant and insect magnet
Yellow, star-shaped flowers adorn St. John's wort in summer.
The genus St. John's wort (
Hypericum
) includes over 500 species around the world, and appropriately they all belong to the St. John's wort family.
In Germany, St. John's wort (
Hypericum perforatum
)
is particularly
valued and known.
Not only does the plant have some great effects, the story is also impressive.
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St. John's Wort in the Garden: The Story of the Name
This is how St. John's wort was named after John the Baptist; it is also popularly known as the Lord's Blood. The flowering of the plant usually coincides roughly with St. John's Day, June 24th. As the Plantura Magazin reports, the blood of John the Baptist is said to have gotten onto the flowers after he was beheaded. In addition, when the petals are rubbed, reddish sap emerges. The plant was even named after the saint in English and Spanish.
By the way, June 24th falls on numerous other important things, it is a
memorable date
for the gardening year
.
Because
traditionally rhubarb and asparagus are
only
harvested until June 24th
.
According to other sources, St. John's wort was harvested earlier on the summer solstice on June 21, and women wore wreaths from it.
The herb was also considered a symbol of light.
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?
St. John's wort in the garden: the most beautiful ornamental plants
In the following we limit ourselves to the real St. John's wort, as it is a well-known medicinal plant.
According to kraut & rüben, St. John's wort is also used as an ornament in the garden, and the following are beautiful varieties:
St. John's wort, Hypericum calycinum "Hidcote"
St. John's wort, Hypericum moserianum
Man's blood or St. John's wort, Hypericum androsaemum
Canadian St. John's Wort, Hypericum kalmianum "Gemo"
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.
St. John's wort in the garden: location and care
Admittedly: compared to the small shrubs, real St. John's wort may not have the highest ornamental value, but it should not be missing in the apothecary garden or cottage garden.
So you have the medicine cabinet in front of the door and can access it at any time.
St. John's wort is also popular with insects.
The real St. John's wort is not that picky when it comes to location.
It occurs in the forest as well as on paths, on fallow land or embankments, but the location in the garden should still be right.
Real St. John's wort in the garden:
Location
: Sunny to partially shaded, also conditionally suitable for buckets.
Soil
: loose and well drained, rather sandy.
Compacted soil must first be loosened.
Planting time
: at best in spring
Height
: about 60 centimeters on average
Distance to neighboring plants
: around 40 centimeters
Care
: pruning possible in spring or autumn, compost should be used once a year.
On very hot days, additional watering should be used.
If cut in autumn, the herb needs light winter protection.
Propagation
: Propagates itself via seeds or root shoots.
It is also possible to cut cuttings.
Risk of confusion
: ragwort (poisonous!)
Other names
: Perforated St. John's wort, spotted St. John's wort, spotted hard hay, Herrgottsblut and more
Use
: Medicinal plant, dye plant, formerly also used as jewelry at festivals
The perennial shrub is therefore quite easy to care for.
Winter protection is not absolutely necessary, but it is advisable if it is pruned beforehand.
In any case, however, potted plants should be protected, in which case the autumn pruning with subsequent
covering with brushwood or leaves is recommended
.
Gardening advisor
You can find more exciting gardening topics at 24garten.de *.
St. John's wort in the garden: the healing properties
Real St. John's wort is harvested while it is in bloom; the flowers as well as the stems and leaves can be used as required.
Drying is recommended for the flowers.
They are then suitable for oil or tea, for example.
Ideally, you should harvest the flowers around St. John's Day, the drying itself works like herbs.
Basically, St. John's wort
is supposed to help
with nervousness and mild depression or depressive moods
, it is supposed to have a strengthening effect on the nerves and is often part of herbal preparations.
It also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Mostly it is used because of this mood-enhancing effect.
A strong warning at the end:
Never
use St. John's wort
without consulting your doctor
, as its active ingredients can override or influence the effects of other medications.
In addition, St. John's wort makes you sensitive to light, so long stays in the sun should be avoided.
Especially women who use oral contraceptives should usually not take St. John's wort.
The use of St. John's wort can, for example, reduce the effectiveness of the pill *.
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If you pay attention to all of this and know whether and how the herb is tolerated, you can of course harvest and use it yourself. Regardless of this, St. John's wort plants are generally pretty ornamental plants, whether it's St. John's wort or one of the many others.
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