Among the Maples Herbals

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05/21/2025

I love plants—no surprise there.
I love to garden—also not a shocker.

So I’m starting a little series on what’s growing in my garden, beginning with what’s blooming right now. And because I’m a fan of curious, quirky facts (especially the plant kind), I’ve tossed a few of those in too.

Let’s dig into the magic.🪏

08/05/2024

This weekend, we ventured out to Devon to explore the Prospectors' Point path. It’s a fantastic hike with stunning views of the North Saskatchewan River and plenty of stairs to get the blood pumping! 💪

The forest is incredibly dense, filled with a great mix of plants and some older bear s**t, so be bear aware.

We were thrilled to identify Calystegia sepium (Hedge Bindweed) for the first time. One of the key identifiers is the 2 bracts on the base flowers which distinguishes it from field bindweed. Both of these plants are invasive in a garden so I don't recommend adding them.

The root of Calystegia has some possible medicinal value as a demulcent, diuretic, febrifuge, poultice and a strong purgative.

The trail is bursting with wild Saskatoon berries and raspberries. We even spotted swallow nests. After the hike, you can cool off by dipping your toes in the river, which was divine!

07/16/2024

Hey everyone! It's officially Mosquito season😬🦟

Check out my DIY Mosquito Repellent Kit! It's super simple to make and completely natural. Each kit comes with:

✨ Dried Herb Mix (created and blended by yours truly)
✨ Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil
✨ Vegetable Glycerin
✨ Spray Bottles & Labels
✨ Simple Instructions

Make your own fresh mosquito repellent every 7-10 days with no preservatives needed! Perfect for anyone who wants to keep bugs away without the chemicals. 🌍💚

Grab yours now and stay bite-free all season long! 🛒

05/22/2024

I recently saw this at the library and thought it was a pretty controversial title... I certainly had to read it.

I'm only part of the way through the book and I'm looking forward to seeing what other ideas he has to present. This book introduces the concept that nature is always in flux and introduced species might not be the evil we make them out to be. That idea is pretty controversial among some groups.

I have some mixed feelings about what's considered noxious and invasive. If you've ever grown Evening Primrose, which can be considered native to this area, you will know it is abundant in its growth and it spreads effectively particularly when it has low competition from other plants like in turf grass. For a short time, it had almost overtaken a great deal of my lawn. Thankfully between my efforts to manage it and my neighborhood hares, who seem to enjoy the young growth, we have remedied that problem.

And then we have a plant like Creeping Bellflower which was sold in greenhouses as an ornamental and then turns out it is incredibly invasive. (IFKYK 😬) If you spend as much time in wilder places as I do, you may notice Creeping Bellflower doesn't seem to favour natural landscapes, it seems to favor manufactured landscapes such as our yards and lawns.

I don't see this issue as a simple subject. I love to hear other people's opinions about this so if you have any feel free to share them!

05/21/2024

In July of 2012 quite a few neighborhoods in Mill Woods severely flooded - And nearly 4 years ago I moved into one of those neighborhoods knowing full well about this tragedy.

The City of Edmonton created an incredible plan for flood mitigation in Mill Woods, which was only fully completed in 2023.

One of those projects is what's called a living wall, which we often walk next to. It is a large sound barrier type structure full of what I believe to be wood chips/ plant material and has a variety of Willow (Salix) species growing from it.

This project not only helped solved a problem. It created an ecosystem rather than just a simple concrete sound barrier with so many different animals accessing this area. It had created a wonderful walking place in which I've never seen a single bit of graffiti and an incredibly low amount of human litter.

Willow has the ability to soak up a great deal of water. I often have branches of Willow in my waterbarrels growing happily and I believe it keeps the water cleaner.

Willow is one of those amazing plant friends that has been used by humans for many purposes. Willow bark, specifically White Willow but all Willows possess differing levels of salicin which has been shown to be a pain relieving compound. Ethically harvesting the bark is incredibly important as harvesting bark from any tree will most likely damage or kill the tree.

While harvesting from city parkland is not allowed, it has given me a chance to form a relationship with this plant friend - watching it grow and flourish throughout the seasons.

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Alberta

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