spring-time spell and smell garden

Spring is officially here and I love this season with all the blooming flowers, fruit trees and green everywhere. It’s when our family gets our vegetable and herb garden all ready to go for yummy and fresh summer time backyard meals. This year is especially special for us since we have Laila to explore the feel, smell, shapes and colors of all the plants. We try our best to ensure that we grow our plants as best we can in our garden. And luckily, we have always had success with how they have turned out. Our friends have to use hydroponics to help with their plants as their soil never seems to want to help them to grow, but this method allows them to grow the plants of their choice without needing soil in the first place. It’s a win-win. I can’t wait to see what this season has to bring in terms of what we can grow and eat. I’ve been spending loads of time in the garden recently and I’m currently trying to think of ways that I can improve the appearance of it. A friend recommended Gresham landscape rock store to me as I’ve been talking about getting some landscaping boulders in our garden for a while now. I won’t be making any changes for a while yet but I’ve got lots of ideas of things that I can do!

Recently, I came upon this awesome idea for families who like planting. I was at my local botanical garden, (check out my tip on taking your little ones out into nature), and came across “the spell and smell garden.”

What a neat concept: it incorporates so many senses and learning points. From gardening and its benefits of tactile senses, of connecting to nature and appreciating the growth process, to the shapes and smells of the herbs, to the verbal name and letter each plant starts with, to the vivid colors of the garden, to then being able to incorporate organic living into your family’s meals… I just love this. The great part is, you can keep these herbs potted if you do not have a large area of land to plant them in.

Here are some ideas of easy to find and care for herbs/plants that I came up with for each letter of the alphabet to build your very own Spell and Smell Herb Garden:

A: Aloe

B: Basil

C: Cilantro

D: Dill

E: Elderberry

F: Fennel

G: Garlic

H: Hawthorn

I: Indian Bay Leaf

I: Juniper

K: Kaffir lime

L: Lavender

M: Marjoram

N: Nasturtium

O: Oregano

P: Peppermint

Q: Quite Tasty Tarragon

R: Rosemary

S: Sage

T: Thyme

U: Under the ground mini purplette onions/chives

V: Vanilla

W: Winter Savory

X: X-tra Fine, Flat Leaf Parsley

Y: Yellow Chamomile

Z: Green Zebra Tomato

Happy gardening! Anything special you are planting in your herb garden this year? Would love to hear below!

-Puja