Red Dead Nettle and the Play Shed

  Lamium Purpureum is a small  common plant of wasteland, disturbed ground and road verges. It isn't in the Urtica family and doesn't sting like some other nettles.

 A plant remembered from childhood. Growing up in a builders yard, for many years without a proper flower garden, these were the flowers that we picked for our play-shed  vase - always a small jar.

They are very useful for lots of different insects like the red mason bee and bumble bees and the caterpillars of several moths feed on the leaves. 

This is what I found about ways they were used in the past..............

The leaves and flowers can be used, either fresh or dry, “to make a decoction for checking any kind of haemorrhage.”

Mash the leaves so they’re bruised, and apply them to minor skin abrasions and wounds.

Make the dried leaves into a tea and sweeten with honey, to help promote perspiration and urination.

Cecily Mary Barker has a Red Dead Nettle Fairy

This is the only  photo I have of our play-shed, it was never called  a play house - always a shed. With Dad being a builder he would have made this easily out of rescued asbestos/concrete panels, which could be drawn on with chalks. Inside we had an old table that had the legs cut down, some stools and an old wooden 3 sided clothes horse with a plank across to make the 'kitchen', with an old washing up bowl. The dolls cot that someone made was out there and a dolls pram and the shed was well used.

Back Soon 

Sue