Lots of beautiful flowering herbs in the park again today. My camera kept taking over exposed photos so here are the passable ones…

Mallow (Malva sp.), full of slippery soothing mucilage and goodness. This is a nourishing and useful herb to grow. I tried it several years ago in one of my Permapots and although the plant faded away during a harsh winter, the seeds pop up every year and provide me with some tasty leaves. There are perennial varieties, I need to identify the one in this photo properly but all are useful and edible. There are masses of these plants along side some roads at the moment. The flowers look quite striking as they are much larger than those of most wild herbs.

St John’s / St Joan’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), with it’s sunshine filled flowers and leaves which can be turned into a mood lifting tincture and muscle soothing oil. I use the infused oil as a very effective sun protection lotion. I have very fair skin and it always works. It also helps to sooth sunburn when that does arise. Susun Weed pioneered this use of the herb, I am very grateful as I really dislike lots of the chemicals in commercial sun lotions.

I’ve had my eye out for this herb little beauty for a long while and finally I found it in flower today – Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris). A herb with lots of history and a multitude of uses.

Lastly today, Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria). Panacea of the ancients, now used mainly as a remedy for the pain of stomach acid indigestion and gall stones.