Calendula is one of the most versatile and useful flowers in my opinion. It is also a cheerful pop of color for your garden or planted in a container. It is a hardy annual that I find blooms almost year round. It has been used since ancient times as a food source, plant dye and cosmetic. It is soothing, antiseptic and an excellent skin healer, especially for dry, cracked skin and chapped lips. I like to add petals to creams and baths. Fresh petals are best. You can also

Lavender is such a useful and beautiful flower. It can be used for body, mind and spirit as it has tranquil and pure properties that are useful in calming and cleaning both your body and your home. Fresh flowers make a wonderful skin cleansing toners, creams, cleansers and baths. Dried flowers are also useful in the bath and in herb pillows and ratchets. The essential oil is an essential home beauty ingredient. Lavender also is a good insect repellent and will keep your l

I have some super exciting news. The second edition of my popular DIY Beauty Book "Natural Beauty from the Garden" is fresh off the printing press and available for purchase online! I have a new publisher Ogden Publications - they have those great magazines full of super helpful lifestyle info: Mother Earth Living, Mother Earth News and Heirloom Gardener which I love reading!! What is new and different in this edition is there are more DIY recipes and also more Garden Tips