Guides / Herbs
Herbs
Culinary and aromatic plants for pots and kitchen gardens.
A
African Basil
Ocimum gratissimum
How to grow African basil, Ocimum gratissimum. The clove-scented woody basil of West African cooking, keeping it as a perennial under glass, and taking cuttings.
Ajwain
Trachyspermum ammi
How to grow ajwain, Trachyspermum ammi. The carom seed that tastes of thyme, why it needs a greenhouse here, and its place in Indian cooking and home remedies.
American Basil
Ocimum americanum
How to grow hoary basil, Ocimum americanum. The lime and lemon-scented basil of Africa and Asia, why its name is misleading, and growing it under glass.
American Ginseng
Panax quinquefolius
How to grow Panax quinquefolius in a woodland bed. Why wild digging emptied the Appalachian woods, what CITES listing means for a grower, and the eighteen-month seed.
American Spikenard
Aralia racemosa
How to grow Aralia racemosa in a shaded border. A herbaceous perennial the size of a shrub, dark purple berry clusters, and a root that smells of liquorice.
Amur Cork Tree
Phellodendron amurense
How to grow Phellodendron amurense, a hardy tree with corky bark and aromatic leaves. Male trees, huang bai bark and invasive risks.
Angelica
Angelica archangelica
How to grow angelica, Angelica archangelica. The two-metre biennial for candied stems, sowing the seed fresh, and stopping it flowering to keep the plant another year.
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
How to grow anise, Pimpinella anisum. Why the seed needs a long hot summer to ripen, sowing it direct in May, and the aniseed flavour it shares with three unrelated plants.
Arnica
Arnica montana
How to grow arnica, Arnica montana. The acid-soil mountain daisy, why it fails in ordinary garden ground, and the reason it is never taken by mouth.
Aromatic Ginger
Kaempferia galanga
How to grow aromatic ginger, Kaempferia galanga. The flat-leaved kencur of Indonesian cooking, its camphorous rhizome, and growing it as a pot plant under glass.
Ashwagandha
Withania somnifera
How to grow Withania somnifera, the nightshade behind ashwagandha. Raising it as an annual where frost comes, lifting the root in its first autumn, and why the berry is not food.
Asian Ginseng
Panax ginseng
How to grow Panax ginseng, the ginseng of Korea and north-east China. The six-year wait for a root, why the seed takes eighteen months to germinate, and how deep the shade has to be.
B
Bael
Aegle marmelos
How to grow bael, Aegle marmelos. The Indian fruit with a shell you break with a hammer, its place in Shiva worship, the sherbet made from it, and the thorns on every branch.
Baikal Skullcap
Scutellaria baicalensis
How to grow Scutellaria baicalensis, the huang qin of Chinese medicine. A hardy dry-slope perennial with blue hooded flowers, and the yellow root behind the name baicalin.
Barrenwort
Epimedium grandiflorum
How to grow Epimedium grandiflorum, a reliable ground cover for dry shade. When to cut the old leaves off, the spurred flowers in April, and where horny goat weed came from.
Bay laurel
Laurus nobilis
How to grow bay, Laurus nobilis. Clipping a standard, overwintering it in a pot, treating bay sucker and scale, and telling true bay from poisonous cherry laurel.
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
How to grow bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi. The evergreen acid-soil carpeter, its red berries and glossy leaves, and where it grows wild on Scottish moorland.
Black Cardamom
Amomum subulatum
How to grow black cardamom, Amomum subulatum. The smoke-dried Himalayan pod, why it is not a substitute for green cardamom, and growing it under glass.
Black Cumin
Nigella sativa
How to grow nigella, Nigella sativa. The black seed of kalonji, sowing it direct in spring, and how it differs from the love-in-a-mist in a flower border.
Black Pepper
Piper nigrum
How to grow black pepper, Piper nigrum. Why black, white and green pepper all come from the same berry, growing the vine under glass, and what it needs to fruit.
Blessed Thistle
Cnicus benedictus
How to grow blessed thistle, Cnicus benedictus. The bitter annual of medieval physic gardens, sowing it direct in spring, and the plague reputation that gave it its name.
Blue Cohosh
Caulophyllum thalictroides
How to grow Caulophyllum thalictroides in a shaded bed. Blue-grey spring foliage, deep blue seeds that are not berries, and why the historic use is not repeated here.
Boneset
Eupatorium perfoliatum
How to grow Eupatorium perfoliatum in a damp border. The joined leaves that name it, the fever it was named for, and telling it from the white snakeroot that poisoned milk.
Brahmi
Bacopa monnieri
How to grow Bacopa monnieri, the creeping marsh herb sold as brahmi. Growing it in an aquarium or a wet pot indoors, and the two different plants that share the name.
C
Cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum
How to grow cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum. The third most expensive spice in the world, why it is picked by hand, and growing the plant under glass outside the tropics.
Chaste Tree
Vitex agnus-castus
How to grow chaste tree, Vitex agnus-castus. The late-flowering blue spikes for a hot wall, pruning it hard each spring, and the monastery reputation behind its name.
Chinaberry
Melia azedarach
How to recognise Melia azedarach, and why its berries are the problem. A lilac-flowered tree with yellow fruit that has killed children and livestock, and where it is invasive.
Chinese Cinnamon
Cinnamomum cassia
How to grow Chinese cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia. The thick-barked cinnamon most of the world buys, the coumarin question, and the cassia buds used as a spice.
Chinese Ephedra
Ephedra sinica
How to recognise Ephedra sinica, the gymnosperm behind ephedrine. Jointed green stems and no real leaves, the regulatory position in Britain, and why the supplements were banned.
Chinese Rhubarb
Rheum palmatum
How to grow Rheum palmatum, the ornamental rhubarb behind da huang. A two-metre flower spike, leaves the size of a table, and why the leaf blades are not food.
Chinese Yam
Dioscorea polystachya
How to grow Dioscorea polystachya, the hardy yam that crops in a cool climate. Digging a tuber a metre long, growing it in a pipe instead, and keeping the bulbils under control.
Citronella Grass
Cymbopogon nardus
How to grow citronella grass, Cymbopogon nardus. The source of citronella oil, how it differs from lemongrass, and why the citronella plant in a garden centre is usually something else.
Clary Sage
Salvia sclarea
How to grow clary sage, Salvia sclarea. The biennial with two-metre flower spikes, the perfume crop behind it, and the seed once used to wash grit out of an eye.
Clove
Syzygium aromaticum
How to grow clove, Syzygium aromaticum. The unopened flower bud that becomes the spice, the Dutch monopoly on the Moluccas, and the real danger of clove oil.
Common Mallow
Malva sylvestris
How to grow common mallow, Malva sylvestris. The veined purple flowers, the round seed cases children call cheeses, and the mallow rust that disfigures it every year.
Common Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
How to grow common thyme, Thymus vulgaris. Drainage, the trim that stops it going woody, harvesting when the oils peak, and why it belongs in gravel rather than good soil.
Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
How to grow coriander, Coriandrum sativum. Why it bolts, why you must sow it direct rather than transplant, succession sowing for a steady supply, and harvesting the seed.
Culantro
Eryngium foetidum
How to grow culantro, Eryngium foetidum. The long spiny-edged leaf that tastes of coriander turned up, why it needs shade to stop it bolting, and how to use it.
Curly Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
How to grow Petroselinum crispum. Why the seed takes a month to appear, why year two is a write-off, the difference between curly and flat-leaf, and the rash it can give you.
Curry Leaf
Murraya koenigii
How to grow curry leaf, Murraya koenigii. The tree behind the fresh leaves in south Indian cooking, keeping it alive over a cool winter, and why dried curry leaves are worthless.
D
Deadly nightshade
Atropa belladonna
How to recognise Atropa belladonna, telling its berries from the harmless lookalikes, what to do if a child eats one, and why it is still grown as a crop.
Dill
Anethum graveolens
How to grow dill, Anethum graveolens. Sowing direct because it hates transplanting, succession sowing against bolting, harvesting the seed, and keeping it away from fennel.
Dong Quai
Angelica sinensis
Practical guidance for growing dong quai, Angelica sinensis, including cool-climate needs, biennial flowering, root harvest, phototoxic sap, deep soil, and slug damage.
F
Fenugreek
Trigonella foenum-graecum
How to grow fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum. Methi leaves in six weeks, ripening the seed in a cool summer, and the compound that makes it smell of maple syrup.
Field Mint
Mentha arvensis
How to identify and grow field mint, Mentha arvensis. The whorls of flower in the leaf axils, the plant that most menthol is distilled from, and where it grows wild.
Five Flavour Berry
Schisandra chinensis
How to grow Schisandra chinensis, the five flavour berry. Getting fruit from a plant that needs a male and a female, the shade it wants at the root, and the scent in May.
Fo-Ti
Reynoutria multiflora
How to recognise Reynoutria multiflora, the knotweed behind he shou wu. Telling it from Japanese knotweed, the liver injury record, and why not to plant it out.
Forskolin
Plectranthus barbatus
How to grow Plectranthus barbatus, the tuberous coleus behind forskolin. An easy tender perennial for a windowsill, blue flower spikes in autumn, and three names for one plant.
G
Galangal
Alpinia galanga
How to grow galangal, Alpinia galanga. The hard peppery rhizome of Thai curry paste, why it is not a substitute for ginger, and starting it from a supermarket root.
German Chamomile
Matricaria chamomilla
How to grow German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla. The annual behind chamomile tea, picking and drying the flowers, and the hollow flower centre that identifies it.
Goldenseal
Hydrastis canadensis
How to grow Hydrastis canadensis in a shaded bed. The yellow rhizome that named it, why wild digging put it on CITES Appendix II, and dividing rather than sowing.
Gotu Kola
Centella asiatica
How to grow Centella asiatica, the pennywort eaten in Sri Lanka and used across Asia. Keeping it wet and frost-free outside the tropics, and telling it from marsh pennywort.
Green Chiretta
Andrographis paniculata
How to grow Andrographis paniculata, the king of bitters. A fast summer annual for a greenhouse, the most bitter leaf in this collection, and how to save seed.
Guduchi
Tinospora cordifolia
How to grow Tinospora cordifolia under glass. The vine that drops aerial roots like strings, why Sanskrit calls it the nectar of immortality, and the 2021 hepatitis cluster.
Gymnema
Gymnema sylvestre
How to grow Gymnema sylvestre under glass. The leaf that switches off sweet taste for half an hour, why it needs a heated greenhouse, and what gurmar means.
H
Hardy Rubber Tree
Eucommia ulmoides
How to grow Eucommia ulmoides, the only species in its family. Tearing a leaf to see the rubber strands, why it is extinct in the wild, and how tough it is in a garden.
Henbane
Hyoscyamus niger
How to recognise Hyoscyamus niger, a native British poison. The veined cream flowers and the smell, what the tropane alkaloids do, and what to do if a child eats the seed.
Holy Basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum
How to grow holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum. The clove-scented tulsi of Hindu courtyards, keeping it alive over a cool winter, and how it differs from sweet basil.
Houpo Magnolia
Magnolia officinalis
How to grow Magnolia officinalis, a large-leaved deciduous magnolia. Leaves to forty centimetres, cream flowers in May, and a tree extinct in the wild in China.
Hyssop
Hyssopus officinalis
How to grow hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis. The blue-flowered bee herb for a dry sunny bed, its bitter culinary use, and the biblical plant it is probably not.
I
Indian Gooseberry
Phyllanthus emblica
How to grow Indian gooseberry, Phyllanthus emblica. The intensely sour amla behind chyawanprash and triphala, the leaves that look like a fern and are not, and the cold it will take.
Indian Hemp
Apocynum cannabinum
How to recognise Apocynum cannabinum, the hemp dogbane. Milky sap and cardiac glycosides, the bast fibre that made cordage for millennia, and why it is not cannabis.
J
Jimsonweed
Datura stramonium
How to recognise Datura stramonium, the jimsonweed. Spiny capsules, trumpet flowers, warm-season growth and serious poisoning risk.
Jujube
Ziziphus jujuba
How to grow jujube, Ziziphus jujuba. A thorny tree that fruits like a small apple and dries like a date, needing more summer heat than most cool temperate gardens give.
L
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
How to grow lemon balm, Melissa officinalis. Cutting it back before it seeds, why it takes over a bed, and drying the leaves for tea.
Lemon Basil
Ocimum citriodorum
How to grow lemon basil, Ocimum citriodorum. The citrus-scented hybrid for Thai and Indonesian cooking, sowing it in warmth, and picking it before it flowers.
Lemongrass
Cymbopogon citratus
How to grow lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus. Rooting a supermarket stalk in water, overwintering the clump indoors, and harvesting the stem bases.
Lesser Galangal
Alpinia officinarum
How to grow lesser galangal, Alpinia officinarum. The smaller, hotter galangal of Chinese cooking, how it differs from the greater, and growing the rhizome under glass.
Liquorice
Glycyrrhiza glabra
How to grow liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra. The three years before you can lift the root, containing its wandering runners, and the Pontefract trade.
Long Pepper
Piper longum
How to grow long pepper, Piper longum. The whole spike used as a spice, the Roman trade that valued it above black pepper, and why chilli displaced it.
Lovage
Levisticum officinale
How to grow lovage, Levisticum officinale. The two-metre celery-flavoured perennial, cutting it back for a second flush of leaf, and how little of it a recipe needs.
M
Marsh Mallow
Althaea officinalis
How to grow marsh mallow, Althaea officinalis. The velvety grey perennial of salt marshes, the root behind the original sweet, and why it wants ground most herbs would rot in.
Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
How to grow Podophyllum peltatum as woodland ground cover. Umbrella leaves over a hidden flower, the one edible part of a poisonous plant, and the cancer drug it produced.
Milk Thistle
Silybum marianum
How to grow milk thistle, Silybum marianum. The white-marbled leaves, the seed used for silymarin, and why it poisons cattle on rich ground.
Milk Vetch
Astragalus membranaceus
How to grow Astragalus membranaceus, the huang qi of Chinese medicine. A hardy pea-family perennial for a sunny border, the four-year root, and the locoweeds it is not.
Moringa
Moringa oleifera
How to grow moringa, Moringa oleifera. One of the fastest-growing trees there is, the seed that clears muddy water, and why the leaves and the root bark are treated so differently.
Motherwort
Leonurus cardiaca
How to grow motherwort, Leonurus cardiaca. The spiny-calyxed perennial for a wild corner, its long history in childbirth and heart complaints, and why it seeds itself everywhere.
N
Neem
Azadirachta indica
How to grow Azadirachta indica indoors outside the tropics. A conservatory tree that needs constant warmth, why it cannot legally be sold as a pesticide in Britain, and the infant poisoning record.
New Jersey Tea
Ceanothus americanus
Practical guidance for growing New Jersey tea, Ceanothus americanus, including drought tolerance, nitrogen-fixing roots, dried-leaf tea, poor soil, hard pruning, and cold hardiness.
Notoginseng
Panax notoginseng
Practical guidance for growing notoginseng, Panax notoginseng, including deep shade, root rot prevention, slow root maturity, mild climate needs, and its use as a dried herbal root.
Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans
How to grow nutmeg, Myristica fragrans. The two spices that come off one seed, the island trade that swapped Run for Manhattan, and why large doses of nutmeg are dangerous.
O
Oregano
Origanum vulgare
How to grow oregano, Origanum vulgare. Why poor dry soil gives better flavour, cutting back for a second flush, and the difference between oregano and marjoram.
Oregon Grape
Mahonia aquifolium
How to grow Oregon grape, Mahonia aquifolium. The shade-tolerant evergreen with holly leaves, its yellow spring flowers and blue berries, and the berberine in its root.
P
Pandan
Pandanus amaryllifolius
How to grow pandan, Pandanus amaryllifolius. The fragrant screwpine leaf of south-east Asian cooking, growing it from a sucker, and keeping it warm through a cool winter.
Pennyroyal
Mentha pulegium
How to recognise Mentha pulegium, the mint that kills. Why it looks and smells like a culinary herb, what pulegone does to the liver, and its status as a rare British native.
Peppermint
Mentha x piperita
How to grow peppermint, Mentha x piperita. Containing the runners, cutting back for clean growth, why it cannot be grown from seed, and the mint that is dangerous.
Pot Marjoram
Origanum onites
How to grow pot marjoram, Origanum onites. The hardy marjoram that survives a cold winter, how it differs from sweet marjoram and oregano, and why most Greek oregano sold as dried herb is this plant.
Psyllium
Plantago psyllium
How to grow Plantago psyllium, the plantain grown for its seed. A hardy annual sown in April, the mucilage that swells in water, and the three species sold under one name.
R
Red Sage
Salvia miltiorrhiza
How to grow Salvia miltiorrhiza, the red sage of Chinese medicine. A hardy border salvia with brick-red roots, and why it interacts with warfarin.
Roman Chamomile
Chamaemelum nobile
How to grow Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile. The perennial mat for a chamomile lawn, the non-flowering Treneague form, and how it differs from the German chamomile in a tea bag.
Rue
Ruta graveolens
How to grow rue, Ruta graveolens. The blue-green herb of grace, the blistering rash its sap causes in sunlight, and why it is no longer a kitchen plant.
S
Shatavari
Asparagus racemosus
How to grow Asparagus racemosus under glass. A thorny climbing asparagus with a hundred roots, scented white flowers, and the berries to keep away from pets.
Siberian Ginseng
Eleutherococcus senticosus
How to grow Eleutherococcus senticosus, a hardy prickly shrub from the Russian Far East. Why it is not a ginseng, where the name came from, and how easy it is in a temperate garden.
Spearmint
Mentha spicata
How to grow spearmint, Mentha spicata. Containing the runners, telling it from peppermint, mint rust, and cutting back for a second flush of clean leaf.
Summer Savory
Satureja hortensis
How to grow summer savory, Satureja hortensis. The bean herb, sowing it direct in May, and how it differs from the woody winter savory.
Sweet Basil
Ocimum basilicum
How to grow sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum. Warmth, morning watering, pinching to delay flowering, and how to rescue a supermarket pot.
Sweet Clover
Melilotus officinalis
How to grow sweet clover, Melilotus officinalis. The hay-scented biennial legume, its value to bees, and the mouldy hay that led to the discovery of warfarin.
Sweet Marjoram
Origanum majorana
How to grow sweet marjoram, Origanum majorana. Why it is a tender annual wherever frost comes, telling it from oregano, and the knotted flower buds that give it its other name.
Sweet Wormwood
Artemisia annua
How to grow sweet wormwood, Artemisia annua. The tall feathery annual behind artemisinin, sowing it in spring, and why the plant should not be used as a home malaria treatment.
T
Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
How to grow tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus. Why French tarragon must be bought as a plant, telling it from Russian, and overwintering it in a wet climate.
True Cinnamon
Cinnamomum verum
How to grow true cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum. How the bark becomes a quill, why Ceylon cinnamon is not cassia, and the coumarin difference between them.
W
White Horehound
Marrubium vulgare
How to grow white horehound, Marrubium vulgare. The cough-sweet herb, its woolly grey rosettes, and where it survives in the wild in Britain.
White Jute
Corchorus capsularis
How to grow white jute, Corchorus capsularis. The fibre that built Dundee and Bengal, how retting turns a stem into thread, and the round pod that names the species.
White Turmeric
Curcuma zedoaria
How to grow zedoary, Curcuma zedoaria. The bitter white turmeric of Indonesian and Thai cooking, its purple-veined leaves, and growing the rhizome under glass.
Wild garlic
Allium ursinum
How to grow wild garlic, Allium ursinum. Planting it in the green, keeping it in bounds, when to pick, and the deadly lookalikes that catch foragers every spring.
Wild Ginger
Asarum canadense
How to grow Asarum canadense as woodland ground cover. The maroon flower hidden at soil level, the rhizome that smells of ginger, and why it is not a culinary substitute.
Wild Thyme
Thymus serpyllum
How to grow wild thyme, Thymus serpyllum. The creeping thyme for paving and banks, using it as a lawn, and where it grows on British downland.
Winter Savory
Satureja montana
How to grow winter savory, Satureja montana. The evergreen savory for winter picking, pruning it without killing it, and why it needs sharper drainage than almost anything else in the herb bed.
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
How to grow wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens. A creeping evergreen for acid shade, with red berries all winter and leaves that smell of liniment.
Woad
Isatis tinctoria
How to grow woad, Isatis tinctoria. Sowing, harvesting first-year leaves, making blue dye and the history of painted Britons.
Woolly Foxglove
Digitalis lanata
How to recognise Digitalis lanata, the foxglove behind digoxin. Cream flowers with a big white lip, why this species supplies the drug, and the same danger as every foxglove.
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