News

Step aside, spruces, Christmas cactuses and Poinsettias, and take cinnamon, clementines and cloves with you. There's a new Christmas King in town - with an exotic-sounding name, Biblistic background and thousands of years of experience. Meet Hyssop.

A photo posted by Gerri K. Williams (@williager7) on Sep 30, 2015 at 4:59am PDT

Each plant has its “thing”, just like people. We all know that you eat licorice to relieve cough, snack on stevia to substitute sugar and get in better shape, and make a brew of coffee beans to get more energy. But there's also many plants that you don't necessarily have to eat to benefit from their “thing”. It can be enough to just smell them - yes, they're that powerful. Considering that we're craving a Big Mac more than herbs and greens when having a headache, this sounds like pretty good news to us. So to have these great-smelling hacks all in one place, here's a list of 5 herbs that will solve 5 problems you may have. They're dope.

 Click & Grow Dwarf Basil for Smart Herb Garden plant test

The Experimental Refill for Smart Herb Garden is definitely the most utilized one in our HQ. Basically, 70% of plants growing there are something new, that're not out there yet. And it seems to be one of the most popular ones amongst the Click & Growers all over the world as well!

via GIPHY

Internet is a glorious place - one can find anything here. You can learn it all from kissing and finding your TV remote to unlocking your cat's heart to emotion in no time. While a tutorial on how to make up a joke fast is no surprise to us (we all have at least one moment we could have used this), a promise on changing your cat's attitude from “I don't give a shit” to “You're the best human slave” sounds almost unbelievable. But there is, in fact, a very simple way - Catnip cookies (originally called “Kitty Kisses”). Here's what you do:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. But why is that? Of course, if you throw it hard enough, it will keep anyone away. However, scientists are actually convinced that the flavonoid components in the apple skin are responsible for our good health.

Fall/winter season has never been famous for its fresh produce, even though these are the times we need vitamins the most. For supporting our immune system, for thinning out the “winter coats” gifted by the so-generously-consumed comfort foods and for adding a little sensation of spring & summer to our long and cold nights. Here are the TOP 6 edibles that will make this year's fall/winter season truly stand out! Get them in your local supermarket or even easier- grow them on your own windowsill with zero effort in the Smart Herb Garden!

Parsley is one of the world's most popular herbs. It has been cultivated for 2,000 years, and was used medicinally long before that. Highly nutritious, it is a great addition to our Smart Herb Garden refill selection.

Parsley has many health benefits and has been used as a cure for many ailments. It contains more vitamin C than any other standard culinary vegetable, approximately three times as much as oranges and about the same as blackcurrants, making it the ultimate vitamin bomb.

Gif: Hrushikesh

We have already touched the topic of plant communication briefly before. While it might seem that each tree and flower is enjoying peace and solitude throughout its lifetime, it’s not entirely true. They're actually letting other plants and living creatures as far as miles away know of what's happening around by releasing specific chemicals, by transmitting electric signals, by releasing specific vibrations, by using their roots etc. The plants have actually gone as far as developing a “plant internet” that lets them communicate with each other. But the most noticeable tool of communication of plants is their movement. And we actually tend to use it for our own entertainment! Think of mimosa and you'll understand what we're talking about.

A lot of people don't consider plants to be the most exciting thing in the world, as they don't move, talk or interact with you. But hey, there is one that does those things. If you followed us on Instagram in early spring, you might already know that we're talking about nothing other than the Mimosa Pudica.

We have a new superstar among our refills - the Dwarf Basil. It's basically the regular basil after the extreme makeover. The same capabilities and good qualities in a lot more compact and better looking form. It has a slightly more peppery flavor that's amazing for spicing up savory dishes. But that's not it. The great looks make it a lot better for herb cocktails - it gives up a lot more flavor and it makes the cocktail look more decorative. Here's our 3 favorite recipes!

Basil is by far the most popular herb being grown in the Smart Herb Garden. And for a reason! It's looks sexy, it smells delicious and it's incredibly versatile. The heck, you can even make beer out of it! And as all good things, we want it to last longer, produce more and keep looking handsome. The key is in pruning. How to prune basil? We're glad you asked.

We usually avoid playing favorites, but Thyme is one of our favourite herbs out there - no wonder we've praised it to be the plant of the most wonderful month of the year. If you're not as big of a fan of Thyme yet as we are, be prepared - here are 6 facts about Thyme that will make you reconsider.