Must-have herbs in the garden

Last month we enjoyed trialling some heavenly herbals in the Permabee garden. These notes accompany that session.

These are my must-have herbs in the garden. Some are used as foods, dyes, to steep as a tea or as medicinals.

Basils

Annual

Sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum used in cooking, pestos etc. The problem with this basil is that if you look sideways at it and it dies. Temperamental to grow. Must find the right microclimate and water appropriately. It will tell you if it’s unhappy.

Perennials

• Pepper basil, Ocimum selloi, this basil prefers part shade. In Brazil this plant is used to treat stomachaches and as an anti-inflammatory. Don’t grow this in full sun or the leaves will turn leathery and inedible.
• Blue spice basil, Ocimum americanum, the most fragrant basil with a strong spicy flowery aroma with hints of vanilla; a delicious addition to any salad or dish. Drops a lot of seeds, so it’s very weedy. Often grown as an annual.
• Ocimum basilicum, ‘Cinnamon’, spicy cinnamon and mint flavours. Perennial but often grown as an annual.
• African blue basil, Hybrid of Ocimum kilimandscharicum (camphor basil) and Ocimum basilicum (dark opal). true perennial, will last for 5 or 6 years, will grow into a woody hedge. Very easy to take cuttings, and strike easily in water. Strong camphor undertones can be offputting in dishes. I make pesto with it, but I ensure I mix it with lots of other herbs. This one will not produce viable seed, so there’s no point saving seed. Will flower continuously all year around. Bees love it. Grows up to 45 cms x 45 cm. Cut back heavily and it will grow back beautifully bushy.

Lemon Verbena

Verbena, Aloysia citrodora is a small bush/tree that will grow up to a metre and a half native to South America. Grown in full sun, this herb is used in lots of facial products and moisturisers for its beautiful lemony scent, but it is by far best used as a tea. Every winter when it drops all its leaves we give it a very big haircut, up to half the plant, and it comes back in spring beautifully bushy and lush. Great for fish/poultry, potpouri and liqueurs. Lemon verbena may cause herb-drug interactions – be careful with sedatives. You can also get lime verbena.

Take cuttings in spring from soft new growth, or you can also take some in summer where there’s a hard woody end, and soft tips, remove 75% of the lower leaves and place in soil, and keep moist. They can also be rooted in water.

Salvias

• Your typical sage, Salvia officinalis, is often used in cooking and teas.
• Salvia dorisiana – fruit salad salvias come from Central America and has large, fragrant, soft-green leaves and magenta-pink flowers both of which can be eaten, and the leaves are made into a tea, fruit punch, cold drinks. Tea has a soothing effect. Flowers in my garden most of the year, takes very easily from cuttings.
• Salvia elegans – ‘Pineapple Sage’, native to Mexico and Guatemala has a pineapple flavour and beautiful red edible flowers. Used as a traditional medicine by Mexicans. Spring cuttings take root easily. Fruit salads, crushed leaves, ice teas, herb spreads. Not great in hot dishes as it can lose its flavour.

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Lavenders

• French lavender — Lavandula dentata — will flower much earlier than the English, and much more prolifically in my experience. French is flowering now in Sydney and has a pine-like scent. French flower may have a top knot, called a bract, look like butterflies. More ornamental, and used for essential oils.
• English lavender — Lavandula angustifolia — sometimes will take as long as mid-summer to flower. English lavenders produce the better oils. They do better in colder climates. English lavenders are good to cook with, aromatherapy, and ornamental. Used as calming effects and might relax certain muscles. It also seems to have antibacterial and antifungal effects.
• Giant lavender — Soft weeping flowers are tiny on my giant Allardi Lavandula × allardii, a cross between Lavandula dentata (French Lavender) and Lavandula latifolia (Portuguese Lavender) has the weepy flower heads, and the shorter flowering season. My Allardi has survived for years, while other lavenders have died out. Sweet, floral notes of French Lavender with the sharper, more camphor-like fragrance of Portuguese Lavender. Can make you sick if you steep it for too long. Soapy taste. Uses: potpourri, sachets, and sometimes in essential oil production.
• Spanish lavender — Lavandula stoechas — blooms better in warmer climates. Ornamental, potpouri. Has distinctive rabbit ears.

General Advice

If you’re not sure whether a particular lavender variety is edible, it’s best to stick to known culinary varieties like English Lavender. Always ensure that any lavender used in cooking is free from pesticides or other chemicals that may be harmful if ingested.

Lavender in “Four Thieves Vinegar”: One of the most famous uses of lavender during the plague was as an ingredient in “Four Thieves Vinegar,” a mixture of herbs and vinegar believed to protect against the plague. The legend says that a group of thieves used this concoction to avoid getting sick while robbing the homes of plague victims.

Herbs that deter mosquitoes

Here are some of the most effective ones:

• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
• Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• Citronella Grass (Cymbopogon nardus)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Herbs that deter mites

• Mint (Mentha spp.)
• Sage (Salvia officinalis)
• Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.)
• Neem (Azadirachta indica)

Disclaimer: I do not advise or recommend herbs for medicinal or health uses. This information is intended for educational purposes only and does not consitute medical advice. Please consult your health care provider before pursuing any herbal treatments.