Herbs

Seeds are used in cakes, bread, soup and stews as well as teas. Freshly chopped leaves are also appealing in salads, sauces, soups and stews.

A delightful lemon fragrance issues from leaves that are brushed and the leaves make a wonderful tea. Lemon Balm, which is a member of the mint family. The nectar-filled white flowers are a major attractant for bees.

This is no doubt the most important herb in flavouring tomato sauces and pesto. We recommend continually harvesting leaves to delay flower production, as flowers normally signal an end to vegetative growth.

Basil seeds grow into a plant that has a wonderful licorice aroma. Popular in Thai (Horapha) and Vietnamese (Hung Que) cuisine.

Borage seeds produce loads of pretty blue flowers that help to attract beneficial bees to your garden. Flowers are used as a garnish for salads or are candied, while the leaves are used to flavour claret punch.

Caraway seeds are used to flavour bread, pastry, cakes, confections, cheeses, sauces and soups.  Fresh leaves can be used as a garnish in vegetable dishes. Do not eat the seeds that come in the packet; these are for planting only.

Catnip seeds won't produce a plant that would win a beauty pageant, the greyish-green, heart-shaped leaves make a soothing tea. And of course cats go wild for it!

Chamomile seeds produce plants that can self-sow and may establish adventive stands. Aromatic daisy-like flowers are used for teas, perfumes and potpourris.

Garlic Chive seeds are easy to grow! Leaves, stalks and immature flower buds are used in salads, as a garnish, or as flavouring in stir-fry dishes. The taste is a succulent combination of the soft chive leaf and mild garlic flavour.

Cilantro Coriander seeds produce a leafy plant often referred to as cilantro but is also known as Arab Parsley, Yuen Sai or Chinese Parsley.

Florence Fennel seeds produce a plant with a swollen, bulbous base that has a pleasing anise-like flavour. It is absolutely superb when used raw in salads or cooked in chicken dishes.

As almost everyone knows, the flowers are dried and used in sachets and potpourris and the foliage, when disturbed, produces a wonderfully fragrant addition to any garden. The flowers provide a very important food source for bees.

he pods make a delicious addition to soup and stews - we suggest rolling pods in corn-meal batter, then frying. The 4-8 cm (2-3"") wide white-to-yellow coloured flowers resemble hibiscus and as such, they also make a nice low maintenance ornamenta

Long, stiff, upright growing stems hold the dark green, finely cut and beautifully curled leaves well above the soil. This variety has broader leaves and is more flavourful than plain leaved parsley.

The leaves of this parsley are flat, deeply cut and a vibrant glossy dark green. The rich flavour contained within the leaves makes them as excellent choice for seasoning. This variety is widely used in European cuisine.

Summer savory seeds are easy to grow. The herb plant has a delicious flavour. Slender, bronze-green leaves are suitable for fresh or dried use in dressings, salads, gravy and stews.

Sweet Marjoram produces leaves that are aromatic, mild, sweet and absolutely delicious in dressings, soups and salads. It is said that this herb is a must when cooking strong meats.