06/03/2026
🌿Plant of the Week
From the garden of Mandi Cook, Senior SIU Clinical Investigator
Zora Neale Hurston said, "Trees and plants always look like the people they live with, somehow."
If that's true, then my garden says I am a fan of organized chaos. It is not perfectly manicured. Fighting against the inevitable w**d is like swimming upstream. I prefer to work with nature by filling all of the empty space with flowers that attract pollinators, lettuces that appreciate the shade, radishes whose roots aerate the soil, and herbs that repel pests. As a result, my only "w**d" is white clover, which I allow because it fixes nitrogen into the soil for my leafy greens. Plus, less empty space means less water evaporation. My garden prioritizes functionality over sterile perfection. It's pretty, but not artificially so.
I'm on the cusp of zone 6b/7a. This means the usual summer show-stoppers like tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are not much to look at this time of the year. Instead, I'm featuring some of my favorite herbs:
🌾German Chamomile: This annual is a prolific self-seeder. One plant from last spring produced 5-6 volunteers this year. The leaves and flowers smell like apple Jolly Ranchers. Harvest flowers in the morning for optimal flavor. Dry them out for a few weeks, and have yourself a nice cup of evening tea to help you wind down for bed. I blend mine with mint or lavender from the tea garden.
🌻Yarrow: This is a native perennial named after Achilles (Achillea) because he supposedly used it to stop bleeding on the battlefield. When taken as a tea, it is said to reduce fevers and inflammation, and aids in digestion. Its high value nectar attracts pollinators.
🌱Chives: This perennial is not only tasty on eggs and potatoes, it also deters garden pests like aphids and Japanese beetles. Chive blossoms are also edible (and more subtly flavored); they can be used to make compound butter, infused vinegar, and finishing salt.
🌺Borage: This hardworking annual is as functional as it is pretty. It attracts nectar loving critters which help pollinate strawberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers while repelling the dreaded tomato hornworm. Its long taproot mines minerals (particularly potassium) deep from the soil, making its leaves perfect for mulching tomatoes. And best of all, the flowers and leaves taste just like cucumbers.
