This past week has been full of go with the flow situations. I spent every day of spring break at home and loved it! The weather started off beautiful and I harvested everyday up till Saturday when the cloud seeding rain and snow poured down flooding the neighborhood again.
In this post I share about the benefits of growing wild flowers in your garden, how to make a relaxing, soothing, healing body oil using California Poppies and Bachelor Button flowers and I had to share the easiest semi-homemade Birthday Vegan Banana Pudding I made for my hubby’s b-day so subscribe and read on. Thank you for your support!



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Garden Talk!
I was looking back on social media memories from March of 2022. We had just created our garden and it still looked as though it was just dirt. The desert wind and lack of ground cover had been filling our pool up with about an inch of dirt daily, not kidding. The cheapest fastest solution were rocks. The rocks drastically improved our dirt problem in the pool and made the garden look so much neater but lacked character and soul. I planted wild flowers in one 6x3 box in the center of my very large garden. I quickly realized that would need to be increased.
By Spring of 2023 I had spread about twenty pounds of spring and fall wild flower mix around the backyard garden and in Ravens Corner (the north west corner of our farm thats dedicated to feeding the wildlife). Mesquite Garden was shouting for character and asking to be full of wildflowers. I had read that sometimes these wild flower bags may have a mass of one type of wild flower versus an equal mix so I was prepared and hoped for the best.
Much to my joy the 20 pounds of wildflower mix was worth it as my garden has been booming in the fullest, ever so thriving, Bachelor Blue Buttons and Stunning California Poppies! I have a decent variety of other wild flowers also but if I had to choose which wild flower variety to come in masses these two would be it!
Growing California poppy and Bachelor's button in your garden provide several benefits:
Attract Pollinators: Both California poppy and Bachelor's button produce vibrant flowers that attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. By planting these flowers in your garden, you can support local pollinator populations and promote biodiversity. I joke and say all the Bees in the high desert have found there way to our farm. There were busy all winter in my garden.
Low Maintenance: California poppy and Bachelor's button are easy-to-grow annual flowers that require minimal maintenance. They are drought-tolerant and can thrive in a variety of soil types, making them ideal for busy gardeners or those with limited gardening experience.
Long Blooming Season: Both flowers have a long blooming season, with California poppy typically flowering from spring to early summer and Bachelor's button blooming throughout the summer months. Their continuous blooms provide color and visual interest to your garden throughout the growing season.
Naturalizing: California poppy and Bachelor's button readily self-seed, allowing them to naturalize and spread in your garden. This self-sowing characteristic means that once established, these flowers will often return year after year without the need for replanting.
Edible and Medicinal: Both California poppy and Bachelor's Button can be enjoyed in salads, garnishes, used as natural food coloring, and they both have well known medicinal properties I’ll be going deeper into next.
Overall, growing California poppy and Bachelor's button in your garden can enhance its beauty, attract pollinators, and provide long-lasting blooms with minimal effort. Whether planted in borders, containers, or wildflower meadows, these charming flowers add color and charm to any landscape.
Medicinal Wildflowers
California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
Medicinal History:
The California poppy has a long history of traditional use by Native American tribes indigenous to the western United States and Mexico.
Various tribes, including the Cahuilla, Costanoan, and Pomo, used different parts of the plant for medicinal purposes.
The Native Americans brewed teas or made poultices from the leaves, stems, and roots of the California poppy to treat various ailments, including insomnia, anxiety, toothaches, and headaches.
Medicinal Properties:
California poppy contains bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponins, which contribute to its medicinal properties.
The plant is known for its mild sedative, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), analgesic (pain-relieving), and antispasmodic properties.
California poppy is often used to promote relaxation, alleviate tension, and support restful sleep. It may be beneficial for individuals experiencing mild insomnia, nervousness, or restlessness.
Additionally, California poppy may help ease mild pain and discomfort associated with headaches, toothaches, or menstrual cramps.
The plant's calming effects make it suitable for managing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and nervousness.
Modern Uses:
Today, California poppy is primarily used as a gentle herbal remedy for promoting relaxation, reducing anxiety, and supporting sleep.
It is available in various forms, including tinctures, capsules, teas, infusions and herbal extracts.
California poppy is often used alone or in combination with other supporting herbs to achieve enhanced effects.
While California poppy is generally considered safe for most individuals when used as directed, it's essential to consult with a healthcare professional before using herbal remedies, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
Bachelor's button (Centaurea Cyanus)
Medicinal History:
Bachelor's button has a long history of traditional use in herbal medicine, particularly in European folk medicine.
Historically, various parts of the Bachelor's button plant, including the flowers, leaves, and seeds, were used to prepare herbal remedies for a wide range of ailments.
The plant was believed to have medicinal properties and was used internally and externally to treat conditions such as eye infections, digestive disorders, inflammation, and skin irritations.
Medicinal Properties:
Bachelor's button contains bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, and anthocyanins, which contribute to its medicinal properties.
The flowers were traditionally used to prepare infusions or teas, which were consumed for their purported anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and digestive-stimulating effects.
Bachelor's button was also used topically in the form of poultices or compresses to soothe skin irritations, reduce inflammation, and promote wound healing.
Modern Uses:
While Bachelor's button is less commonly used in modern herbal medicine compared to other plants, it is still occasionally used for its purported medicinal benefits.
The flowers are sometimes infused in hot water to prepare herbal teas or tinctures, which are believed to have mild diuretic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Bachelor's button preparations may be used internally to support urinary tract health, reduce inflammation, and promote digestion, although scientific evidence supporting these uses is limited.
Externally, Bachelor's button infused oil, poultices or compresses may be applied to the skin to soothe minor skin irritations, reduce swelling, and promote wound healing.
Precautions:
While Bachelor's button is generally considered safe when used in moderation, it's essential to exercise caution and consult with a healthcare professional before using it medicinally, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
Some individuals may experience allergic reactions or skin sensitivities to Bachelor's button preparations, particularly if they have allergies to plants in the Asteraceae family.
I Need this Medicine!
Every day I’m pulling out my phone to take a photo of these wildflowers. I am so positively stimulated by simply looking at them every day. They make me so happy I threw down another 5 pounds of wildflower seeds this past week and have 10 more pounds to spread. As I was standing over taking photo number 176 of the California Poppy it hit me! I need this medicine now! These beautiful wildflowers are packed full of medicine and the more I harvest the more it produces.
Spring time means work time and my body is feeling all the aches and pains of spring time garden work. I’ll admit, planting 50 trees is not the typical spring time garden work but these flowers are here offering all the medicine I need at the end of a hards day of work.
So I made a beautiful fully therapeutic body oil to lather up with every night! Pssst. Get your lover to massage you with it, we look forward to it! You can order Spring Bloom Body Oil now and enjoy it while you wait a few weeks till yours is ready.
Spring Body Oil
Ingredients
Clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid
Dried California Poppy Flowers about 1/4 cup
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