The Herbal Tea Garden

The Tea Garden

Many people grow herbs only for the flavorful, fragrant tea some herbs provide. Imagine yourself at the end of long tiring day, you come home, change. but instead of jumping right into supper making and laundry you pick up a pair of scissors and wander out into the garden. You cut a slip of lemon verbena, a slip of your favorite mint and maybe a few leaves of Bee Balm. Back in your kitchen you boil some water and pour it in to a lovely tea pot with the herbs. While it brews you get down one of your best cups put everything on a tray and go back out to your patio or balcony. The lovely pale liquid pours into the cup and before you taste it, you take a deep breath. . . the day fades away and you revel in a relaxing and peace-making 20 minutes or so of pure quiet pleasure.

Tea gardens can be simple – one or two of your favorit herbs, or fairly involved, depending on how much space you have. A very lovely and varied tea garden can be made from a small area and 10 – 12 plants – most of them perenial. Tea gardens can also have healthful benefits if you choose your plants with the idea that some of your teas will be blended to help ease simple every day health complaints. The following is a list of my favourite tea herbs many with the added benefit of curing minor illness or discomfort.

My Favourite Tea Herbs

Applemint: Like all mints this will spread -buy only one plant and put it in the middle of your tea garden space. This is a fairly tall mint with large leaves and a wonderful fragrance. It drys very well and is somewhat sweet. On its own it is a good digestive, soothing tea. It can be mixed with other herbs for a cold tea. All mints sooth the stomach, get rid of gas, and are peripheral vasodilators which means they make you sweat, relieving pressure on your kidneys and resolve fevers. If the plant gets out of control, just yank it out by the roots – no worries about it getting mad and dying. Perennial

Lemon Balm: Also a member of the mint family, it has a lovely lemon fragrance and mildly lemon flavour. It mixes well with most other herbs and is generally added when the medicine tastes bad. Lemon Balm, “melissa” is strongly anti-viral and is especially effective for herpes virus coldsores. It is also calming and will help relieve anxiety and is condusive to sleep. It also drys well, and will grow to about 2 ½ feet high – plant mid to back garden. Perennial

Lemon Verbena: This is a fantastic herb – it makes you happy just to smell it. It makes a terrific tea on its own and mixes well with everything. It is natually sweet and dryes well. Is absolutely wonderful on fish also. Will grow to 3 feet. Annual here – perennial indoors.

Orange Spice Thyme: This tiny plant really does smell, and taste like oranges and cinnamon. It is a wonderful tea on its own and can be combined with other herbs for chronic bacterial and fungal infections, especially of the lungs – buy two or three and they will spread through out your tea garden patch. The leaves are very small – I dry sprigs on paper towels or bag and freeze it for the winter. It also makes a nice digestive tea- especially with one of the lemon herbs. Perennial

Wood Betony: This is a tonic tea with an affinity for the liver. Its flavour is somewhat like black tea and can be used in its place. Betony is also good for mild headache caused by stress and is very good with Lemon Balm for same. This is a fairly small plant which should be place in the front of your garden. The leaves are long, vertical and tapered, so it will dry best by placing the individual leaves on a screen or paper towel to dry. Perennial

Monarda: AKA BeeBalm or Bergamot. This is what flavours Earl Gray tea. The plant is tall – up to 4 feet. The stems, leaves and flowers are all dried for tea. The flowers are pinks to very dark red. This is lovely on its own, but mixes with almost anything. Medicinally it is good for stomach complaints, colds of the respitory type (expectorant) and cramps. Grow in the back of you garden and cut for drying when in flower. Perennial

Pineapple Sage: This is a tall , fast growing, many branched sage. It has a lovely fragrance and a soft sweet taste. It mixes with anything and is a good addition to any herb tea. It has beautiful scarlet spikey flowers which can also be dried for tea. It will grow to 3 feet – so towards the back of the garden area. - Annual – but you can bring it in or take slips.

Chamomile: Everyone has heard chamomile tea for tummy trouble – even Peter Rabbits mother! I prefer German Chamomile because it grows tall and many flowered and is much easier to dry by hanging. This tea on its own is great for cramps and indigestion. It is also a mild nervine and combined with catnip and lemon balm make a very good before bed tea to help ease you into a good night's sleep. Front to mid garden. - Perenial

Catnip Catnip is yet another member of the mint family that is incredibly useful. It is taken for colds, especially those involving inflammed or congested kidneys; it is mildly sedative and will help you sleep. It is also good for stomach cramps and stress headache. It has a mild peppery mint flavour. Fairly tall – mid to back of garden. Perennial

Rose: Pick a rose, especially a pink or red rose that bears rosehips. Rosehips are one of the highest natural sources of vitamen C and are also rich in vitamens A, B, E and K. Rosehips are removed from the rose at the end of flowering and dried on a paper towel. Rose petals can be seperated from the blossom and dried on a screen. They will add a mild sweetness and gorgeous aroma to your tea. Pink and red petals will also give your tea a delicate colouring. Roses can be short like a minature “Parade” rose or a tree or a shrub or a climber – plant the best rose for space available. Roses are beautiful but can be somewhat whiney if they don't get enough sun, water, cultivation, extra feeding or pruning.

All of the above herbs can be hung to dry or placed on paper towels or screens. All herbs can be used fresh – instead of a teaspoon of dried tea to a cup of water – use a tablespoon of crushed fresh herbs. Don't be afraid to use these herbs in something other than tea. Use balms, verbenas, sage and thyme on fish,chicken or port. Add a little to boiling rice - experiment.

Tomorrow, using these herbs, I will list some tea recipes for various mild health complaints - enjoy!