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Garden Gate:  Sweet Annie  |
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Nikkilee_B
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Nichole
Melrose
Wisconsin
USA
7 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 14 2009 : 5:29:22 PM
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Hi!
Does anyone here grow sweet annie? I tried to get some going last year and nothing came of it.....I have heard it grows like a weed (apparently not with me!) so any tips would be wonderful!
Thanks!
Nikki
"A person is a person, no matter how small." - Dr. Suess |
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LynnMarie
True Blue Farmgirl
612 Posts
Lynn
Staunton
IL
USA
612 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2009 : 05:17:47 AM
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Hi Nikki,
Sweet Annie does grow like a weed! It spreads like crazy but if it grows in your lawn, when you cut grass it gives off a wonderful fragrance. It looks like a delicate plant when it is green. When it dries in the fall, it will look like a weed with hundreds of tiny seeds. It is wonderful to use in fall or Christmas arrangements because of the aroma. Do you want some seeds?
Bringing the Past Back to Life
www.freewebs.com/decampsettlement
"You may never know what results come from your action. But, if you do nothing, there will be no results" -Gandhi |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2009 : 6:55:19 PM
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I have a small patch of it...started with a small plant from a farmgirl far away from me a couple years ago. I adore it! I had tried to start it with seeds once and no luck...but don't give up!! I would take Lynn up on her offer of seeds!! Good luck Nikki!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2009 : 7:12:19 PM
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I would love to have Sweet Annie for a weed!
Lynn,
If you have extra seeds (after Nikki) could I purchase some from you?
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory |
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LynnMarie
True Blue Farmgirl
612 Posts
Lynn
Staunton
IL
USA
612 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2009 : 7:27:53 PM
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Sharon, email me your address. I'll send you some seeds.
LynnMarie
Bringing the Past Back to Life
www.freewebs.com/decampsettlement
"You may never know what results come from your action. But, if you do nothing, there will be no results" -Gandhi |
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DeepsouthMamma
True Blue Farmgirl
1454 Posts
Autumn
Southwest Louisiana
USA
1454 Posts |
Posted - Mar 15 2009 : 8:04:17 PM
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How far south will Sweet Annie grow? We have very humid hot weather-tropical almost.
It sounds like a wonderful weed!!!
Blessings,
Autumn
Farmgirl #49
http://simplytoday-autumn.blogspot.com/
Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. |
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LynnMarie
True Blue Farmgirl
612 Posts
Lynn
Staunton
IL
USA
612 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2009 : 06:06:41 AM
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Autumn,
I think it will do very well in hot humid weather. I found this information at - http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-sweet-annie.htm
LynnMarie
Sweet Annie, also known as Sweet Wormwood, is a bushy herb that originated in Asia and Europe and now grows throughout the world. It is not commonly seen in gardens and is often considered a weed, as it is very hardy and easily spreads. Sweet Annie is not a very attractive plant, but it is sometimes grown for its pleasant, heady scent. It has also been used for a number of medicinal applications since ancient times.
Sweet Annie has green, fern-like leaves and small yellow flowers. It has a single stem, and plants average 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) in height. Sweet Annie is sometimes dried for use in floral arrangements, in which it makes a good filler plant, or in wreaths. Sweet Annie holds its green color and pleasant fragrance well when dried and makes a nice addition to sachets. It is sometimes dyed to provide a colorful accent to dried floral arrangements.
Some people choose to grow Sweet Annie in their gardens, and it is quite easy to grow from seed if it is planted after any chance of a frost. It is an annual and will reappear every year without much effort on the part of the gardener. More effort is required to keep Sweet Annie in check than to make sure it flourishes. Some people can develop a rash from handling Sweet Annie plants, but spraying the plant with hairspray before harvesting can help.
The use of Sweet Annie in medicine dates back to ancient China, where it was used to treat fever. In 1970, a 4th century CE text on medicinal plants discovered in a Chinese tomb led to the rediscovery of Sweet Annie's pharmaceutical properties. A drug developed from the plant was used to treat malaria in Chinese soldiers stationed in Vietnam. Artemisinin, the anti-malarial present in Sweet Annie, was first extracted in 1972 and is still used throughout the world, though usually in combination with other anti-malarials.
Sweet Annie is also sometimes administered in tea form, though the efficacy of this method is debatable. In addition to treating malaria, Sweet Annie has recently shown promise against certain types of cancer, notably breast cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia.
In China, particularly Hubei Province, Sweet Annie is also marinated in rice vinegar and eaten as a salad-like delicacy. It is very prized and often costs more than meat.
Bringing the Past Back to Life
www.freewebs.com/decampsettlement
"You may never know what results come from your action. But, if you do nothing, there will be no results" -Gandhi |
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LauriP
True Blue Farmgirl
239 Posts
Laurianne
Hertford
North Carolina
USA
239 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2009 : 1:39:01 PM
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Ohhh Boy!! Does this Ever Evah grow like a weed!!
We had a big, big plant of it up in the city, and when winter hit and I forgot to go outside and cut down all those tall branches...well, it was a total fight to the very end.
The seeds spread themselves like crazy, and some ended up in our neighbors garden the following year. "Your plant ended up over here!!!" she yells at me...sheeesh. Did I feel like a heel...
Take care in the summer to keep it somewhat trimmed up. Itdoesn't seemd to hurt it one bit. I'm not planting it Evah Evah again...and as it is, I went outside the other day, and discovered some seedlings from that original plant, coming up in some of my flower pots out on the deck...an' it's been 3 years!! , since I planted the original bush!!
We live along the Albemarle Sound in N.C., so yes, we have hot humid weather. Somebody once told me that the humidity is what makes it grow so fast..not sure on That, but it is something to Really Watch!!
Laurianne |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2009 : 9:41:46 PM
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Very dry here....so it stays put in the small bed I started mine in....but it is good about coming back each year (self seeded..the plants don't overwinter here in the middle of Utah at elevation 5,500)and I love it.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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Farmers Daughter
True Blue Farmgirl
90 Posts
DiAnn
90 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2009 : 05:35:06 AM
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I had tried to get sweet annie to grow for a few years and never had any luck. All I ever heard is you don't want it, it will take over everything.
Well a friend gave me a tip and yes now I have it every where. She gave me a few pieces of her plant in the fall. Told me to rake up a spot lay the pieces on the ground and cover with a board and put a few bricks on top. Then next spring uncover. Sure enough it worked. I had a nice little spot of sweet annie. Even moved some of the little plants and placed then by the mail box. Used it for wreaths and hung bundles in the house in the fall. Well the next year oh boy. I had sweet annie plants every where. Even growing down the ditch by the mail box. Guess the water took the seed down.
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Nikkilee_B
Farmgirl at Heart
7 Posts
Nichole
Melrose
Wisconsin
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2009 : 06:52:50 AM
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Lynn - Thanks for the seed offer, but I have some that I got on ebay that I am gonna try again. I ordered from there last time and they didn't work so hopefully these will!! I was thinking of growing it in an old whiskey barrel that my husband found me!!! Would I be smart to start the seeds inside in an egg carton or should I just sprinkle them in the dirt in the planter? I am trying to be more like my mother these days......gardening this summer.........hopefully canning soon too! My mom does all that stuff and I want to be able to pass it on to my kids someday so I am trying to learn now. I want them to grow up watching me do neat things just like I watched my mother do. Thanks again for all the help!!!
nikki
"A person is a person, no matter how small." - Dr. Suess |
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Garden Gate: Sweet Annie |
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Sweet Annie
