Thursday, 5 September 2019

Tansy

It grows wild in the hedgerows in the summer and attracts the bees, and I think it's such a lovely splash of sunshiney yellow.
Tansy is a perennial flowering plant in the aster family, native to Europe and Asia. but thrives in North America, probably introduced by the settlers arriving from Europe as long ago as the 1600s. In some places is considered a noxious weed. It's also known as Bitter Buttons, Golden Buttons or Cow Bitter.
It's had many medicinal uses including treating worms, digestive problems, fevers, rheumatism and measles. You can even use a solution of Tansy as a face wash, or bathe in it to ease joint pain.  It has been used as an insect repellent, and it was packed into coffins, wrapped in funeral winding sheets, and Tansy wreaths were laid on the dead.  It can also be used as a dye. A useful herb indeed.
Tradition says that if you plant it by your kitchen door, you will never be troubled by ants in the kitchen.

21 comments:

  1. It’s a pretty plant. I have never seen it here however.

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  2. What a cool plant! I love all the history and uses it has. I would definitely plant one outside my kitchen door if it would keep the ants away!

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    1. Well, if you ever get overrun with ants, you know what to do!

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  3. So many plants have had helpful medicinal uses for centuries. And our scientists increasingly find that those uses are not 'just old wives tales'.
    Tansy looks a delightful splash of colour too.

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    1. In the 1940s tansy oil was used as a mosquito repellant, and collectors were paid five cents per pound for tansy flowers. I wonder if it worked.

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  4. It is a pretty plant and so useful.

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    1. Tansy is considered an invasive weed, but I love the bright yellow flowers.

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  5. I keep some in my pocket so I'm not bothered by idiots on the street.

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    1. Definitely a wise decision. Too many idiots around these days. Especially on the street.

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  6. So not only a gorgeous colour but useful too.. would add a splash of colour in the garden, as long as kept under control 🌻 Attadale is on the south side of the Swan River and I live on the north side Shammi. When we visit my nieces who live over that way it takes anywhere up to an hour, depending on the traffic.

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    1. Keeping non-native plants under control is a problem everywhere.

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  7. That is interesting. I have kept a log for years and I use to list plants I saw daily with sketches. Now, in Maine, the ticks are so bad and lime disease so prevalent I try to avoid being in fields and wooded areas. Ticks never existed in Maine until sometime in the 1990's - climate change proof.
    the Ol'Buzzard

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    1. There are ticks here in Ontario too, my grandson had one behind his ear. They are sneaky things. He got checked out and was OK.

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  8. Its medicinal uses sound pretty beneficial.

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  9. A nice bit of knowledge ti try to retain.

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  10. "In some places is considered a noxious weed." I thought you were talking about me for a moment.

    Very pretty!

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    1. You could never be considered a noxious weed, Joey!!!!

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