Herbs!

Herbs

Some of the herbs I have in my garden:

Hyssop – this is a very underrated plant! It looks a bit like rosemary, smells a bit like mint, and the bees absolutely love its little blue flowers. Like rosemary, it likes dry conditions so is fabulous as a ‘shove in and forget it’ type of plant. Because the leaves can bit a bit spiky, I wouldn’t use it directly in food, although young leaves can go in a salad,  but a sprig put into a stew help to give a nice depth of flavour, as long as you remember to take it out before serving. Hyssop syrup is good for coughs, and is easily made by infusing hyssop leaves (either dry or fresh) in honey. Apparently it’s used to make absinthe, but don’t tell them I told you…

Valerian – notoriously used as a sedative. The flowers are fabulous and very pretty, especially as a backdrop for roses, as valerian can get to about six feet tall and, with its deeply-toothed leaves, is wonderfully dramatic. The leaves can be eaten in salads and the roots, dried and made into a tea are frequently used as a sleep aid, although they are a system depressant and should be handled carefully. This is another plant that bees love, although the smell can be… interesting and you might not want to plant it too close to a doorway.

Lemon balm – this is fabulous in any garden. It gives off a wonderful smell of lemons as you brush past it, the bees love its tiny flowers so much that any garden wanting to attract more bees should plant it. Tea made from lemon balm is supposedly good for the digestion, and a few handfuls thrown into bathwater are good for the skin. An infusion of the fresh leaves can be used to flavour custards and tarts as it gives a hint of lemon without the bitterness. In medieval times, the leaves were mixed with the rushes strewn on floors because of the scent. It’s great planted near a seating area, because there’s nothing nicer than picking some of the leaves and dropping them straight into a nice glass of something chilled as you sit out in the garden in the evening.

Mint – there are so many varieties of mint it seems almost cruel to lump it all under one heading. Mint makes a great, reliable garden plant, but, whatever you do, plant it in a container rather than straight into garden soil as it is a thug and will mug and overcome all other plants in an attempt to take over. Mint leaves are ubiquitous, used to flavour foods from new potatoes to toothpaste, and a tea made from fresh mint leaves is good for the digestion. It’s also good for nausea and bloating. It’s another plant, teamed with lemon balm, that is great to have planted out where you sit in the garden, and if you brush the plant to release the scent, it might even keep small flying insects at bay (although the reliability of this can be variable).