5 Must Have Herbs You Might Forget
Saffron Crocus - Add this one in late summer. Yes, this is the Saffron you pay a fortune for at the store. Start with around 10 bulbs. In three years, you'll have enough for yourself and a little stash to give away.
Soapwort - Your delicate washables don't need chemicals, they need some TLC from the granddaddy of gentle, natural (lathering) cleansers.
Stevia - If you use Truvia, this is the plant all the (not so artificial) sweetness comes from. If you grow Stevia in your garden, you can avoid the chemical processing and go natural.
Lemon Balm - For indigestion, relaxation and divine fragrance, nothing beats lemon balm. You can make it into a tea, use it in salads and baking, or keep it by your back door for a blast of wonderful aroma every time you brush past. Lemon balm, a member of the mint family, is a fast grower that's easy to keep and propagate.
Sweet Woodruff - Now used primarily as a groundcover, sweet woodruff grows in perky whorls that smell like a cross between cinnamon and fresh mown hay. It'll grow in shady, barren spots. It's also a key ingredient in May wine.
Make your herb garden uniquely functional by including a few new varieties every year.
I love the ideas! Do any of them do well in pots? I have an apartment.
ReplyDeleteCauldron Keeper,
ReplyDeleteLemon balm and stevia will grow well indoors if you can provide five to six hours of adequate light (or supplement with grow lights). Some other good choices are: ginger, rosemary and the tea camellia.
Good luck,
Sara
I've always wanted to grow saffron crocus -- just never been all that successful finding it in Germany.
ReplyDeleteStevia can be finicky -- always try to get seedlings instead of seeds because starting from seeds is highly unsuccessful and you may end up with unsweet one. And the plants will usually produce for 2-3 years before they lose sweetness...take cuttings after 2 years to keep it going.