Membership:

Our meetings are free to guests. Please join us at the next meeting and speak to the membership chairperson about joining. Membership for the OCHS is only $20 per person or $30 for two members at the same address annually. Membership includes a monthly newsletter, discount on our field trip, and access to the OCHS library. The OCHS does not prorate dues and memberships expire in May.
Click Here for a membership application.

Time and Location:

Directions to the Museum

Purpose:

The OCHS is a garden club that promotes an interest in the knowledge and use of herbs for educational purposes.

• Herbal Presentations
• Herbal Crafts
• Tea Parties
• Field Trips

Library:

The International Herb Association
pick for the Herb of the Year for 2013 is Elderberry.

Great Herbs to Plant this Spring:
Most herbs can be planted year round in Southern California..

• When Spring arrives so do the potted herbs at Nurseries and Garden shows. So this is a good time to plant and replace perennial herbs while there is a good supply. The following plants should be in good supply; catmint, catnip, chamomile, chervil, feverfew, lavender, lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon verbena, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, St. John's Wort, sweet woodruff, tansy, tarragon, thyme, and winter savory.
  
  
• Plant annual herbs, too. e.g. basil and summer savory.
  
  
• Herbs can also be planted by seed as early as March. Nasturtiums, garlic chives, mints, and basil grow well from seed.
  
  
• Give old woody herbs a good trim. New growth contains more essential oils and is preferred in cooking and potpourri.
  
  
• Cut chamomile, lemon balm, lemon grass, marjoram, mint, oregano, salad burnet, sorrel, St. Johns Wort, and water cress almost to the soil line.
  
  
• Cut chives to 3 inches above the ground after blooming.
  
  
• Cut thyme, sage, santolina, and southernwood by 1/3.
  
  
• Cut catmint, catnip, feverfew, lemon verbena, rosemary, rue, and tansy to half the plants original height.
  
  
• Prune lavender lightly and remove dead foliage by March or wait until July. Add mulch to the soil around lavender.
  
  
• Fertilize your herbs with an organic fertilizer.
  
  
• During the spring add compost or mulch to So. California soil, which is alkaline in pH. Compost and mulch will help to aerate the soil and lower the pH. Compost and mulch will also help the soil retain water. Do not add lime (Calcium Carbonate) to So. California soil because it will make the soil even more alkaline. Soils in the mid-west and mountain regions are acidic and need to be supplemented with lime to raise the pH.
  
  
• Keep new plants watered well. California doesn't always get April showers.
  
  
• Control snails and slugs, before they take over your herb garden.
  
  
• Eliminate weeds, roots and all, before they flower. Weed seeds can last for several years.
  
  
• At 12 noon on June 15th set your sundial for 12:00 to get an accurate time reading throughout the summer.
  
  
• Use Spring prunings to make potpourri.
  
  

Disclaimer:

*Information presented at Orange County Herb Society meetings and on this Web Site is for educational & historical purposes only. The Orange County Herb Society does not give personal advice on the medicinal uses of herbs. Always refer all health issues to your health care provider. Words like Natural or Organic do NOT mean Safe.