Bathtub Teas at Aberthau

On the way to Aberthau I saw this bumble bee in comfrey at the edge of the forest.

 Here's the set up for the bathtub tea workshop.

This is one of the easiest way to use herbs.

 I collected and dried rose petals, rosemary, lavender, hops and sage.

 I actually like using fresh rosemary, but I bought some rosemary essential oil, which eases aching muscles.

I had an accident and spilled some on the carpet, so the room is now perfumed with lavender and rosemary, which is kind of nice.

Hummingbird Nest Craft at the Roundhouse

 

 I was happy to celebrate Youth Arts Week at The Roundhouse by giving workshops on hummingbird nest baskets. Students from Elsie Roy made some awesome bird buntings and they were really good at weaving the wool around the weeping birch twigs.

 I've been gathering the weeping birch twigs for weeks, especially after the strong winds we've been having. The trees prune themselves by dropping their brittle twigs. My neighbor was delighted to find me collecting them and she showed me the traditional way to gather long bundles of twigs, and knot them to use for kindling. I wanted these twigs to be pliable, so I soaked them in warm water for about 40 minutes before we used them.

 As you weave and tighten the yars, the twigs naturally start to bend upwards.

 

Once you make a basket you can hand attached it to a twig and install it in your home or hang it outside in a tree and fill in with lichens, unprocessed cotton and seed fluff that hummingbirds can use to make their wee nests.

Garden Journals at Aberthau

 I love giving my garden journal workshop. My job: to provide you with all sorts of ideas, fabulous paper, tape, and rubber stamps. Your job: go crazy with it! As you can see, these woman are exceptionally talented collage artists. I was very inspired by their work.

Bathtub Teas

If you're like me and have been doing a lot of digging in the garden lately, it's time to soothe your sore, aching muscles with a bathtub tea. It's so simple. All you need is a piece of cotton with a loose weave--cotton muslin is ideal. You can also use bits of worn-out vintage cloth in cotton or linen. I use about a ten inch square.

Take a hand full of epsom salts and put it in the middle of the cloth, then add your herbs on top. You can use fresh herbs if you're using the tea the same day or within two days. Otherwise, use well-dried herbs. You can see here I've put in dried lavender, malvia petals and rose petals for a soothing, relaxing bath. These are better than bath bombs imo, because they don't leave bits of detritus floating in your bathtub or clogging the drain.

Gather up the corners and tie a piece pf string around the top of the herbs and voila! You've got a tea bag for your bathtub. You can put this in right as you're running the bath and leave it in while you soak. Just don't wash your hair in the water as salt's not great for your locks. You can re-use the cloth and don't forget to compost the herbs. In fact, you can just dump them right onto your garden soil. The lavender will repel cabbage moths and their ilk.

Here's a list of herbs you can choose from put in your bathtub tea:
 

lemon balm: relaxing

rosemary: soothes aching muscles, boosts immune systerm

lavender: relieve tension, relaxes, good for acne (women's herb)

roses: compassion and love

peppermint: increases circulation

spearmint: lifts the spirits

sage: good for colds and flues

lavender and rose: good for sleep

pansies: good for skin (women's herb)

lavender/rose for relaxation

calendula: good for your skin

I highly recommend this excellent resource: Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs by Tammi Hartung

 

Starting Seeds

I am at the Sunset Community Centre on Main Street today propagating seeds with Aimee Taylor. Please drop in if you are in the hood and also on April 16 when I'll be making seed balls.

Seed Starting Saturday, April 2 10:00am-12:00pm

Instructors: Aimee Taylor & Lori Weidenhammer
A free workshop-open to all! Learn how to create the
best starting environment for your seeds. Supplies will
be provided to start your vegetable and herb garden off in
the spring. Held in the lobby at Sunset Community Centre

Herbal Seed Balls for Pollinators Saturday April 16 10:00am-12:00pm

Lori Weidenhammer
Seed balls originate from an ancient form of agriculture
performed by creating balls of seeds, clay, and compost
and sowing them on the surface of the soil. The seeds
remain dormant until environmental conditions allow them
to germinate and flourish, creating nectar and pollen-rich
habitat for pollinators. In this workshop we will be creating
seed balls for spring planting. This workshop is suitable
for families. (Children under 5 must be accompanied by a
caregiver.) FREE! In the LOBBY at Sunset Community
Centre

Make a Personal Garden Journal

This year I will be giving a series of garden journal workshops, and the first one is coming soon!

Madame Beespeaker's Garden Journal Workshop: 2 and 1/2 hours

Using collage techniques, participants will create a garden journal out of envelopes which will hold their garden plans, secrets, dreams, recipes, and memories. Each person will receive local flower seeds saved by Madame Beespeaker as well as herbal tea recipes and tips on gardening for bees, butterflies, and song birds. Create a garden journal as a lovely gift for yourself or your favourite gardener. To personalize your journal you may bring copies of family garden photos on regular weight matt paper (5 inches by 5 inches or smaller would work best).

Extra journal kits will be available for purchase from Ruby Dog's.

Cost: $35 per person

Note: I've been asked to postpone the date of the workshop, so it is TBA.

RubyDog's Art House
(Near Fraser and Kingsway)
623 Kingsway
Vancouver, B.C. V5T 3K5

Phone:
604-873-2825

eMail:
rubydogart(at)shaw(dot)ca

Lori Weidenhammer is a Vancouver performance-based artist originally from Saskatchewan. For four years she has been appearing as the persona Madame Beespeaker on a regular basis. Her Artist Run Bee Garden at the MOP (2009) has inspired other Vancouver gardeners to create their own bee gardens and hold bee-related community celebrations. As a food security volunteer and activist Weidenhammer works with colleagues and students of all ages on identifying native plants, eating locally, gardening for pollinators, and guerilla gardening. She is passionate about art that that transforms the relationship between the artist and the viewer and creates community bonds.

This journal was made using photographs of my family altered in Photoshop. Your journal will be unique. It will be a place to tuck little pieces of ephemera related to your garden.

I have a couple of notes that my grandmother wrote in her handwriting that I treasure. It would be a good idea to keep some hand-written notes in your journal to pass down as an heirloom. You could tuck in a couple of messages to the bees to pass on the tradition of telling the bees.

You could also tuck in a wee piece of cloth with a hint of your favorite scent. My grandma's was Yardley Lavender and 4711.

Making the book is a meditative act. I enjoy anchoring images on the page and I am going to give the participants a series of bee-related quotes that they may use if they wish. This quote by William Blake reads: "The busy bee has no time for sorrow."