Your Herb Garden. Barbara Segall
TO DRY ON WIRE RACK:
Chive flowers
Helichrysum flowers
Bay
BAY
(Laurus nobilis – Lauraceae)
Bay, a shrubby tree, offers evergreen and aromatic foliage that can be clipped into decorative topiary shapes to provide year-round ornament in the garden.
| type | Evergreen shrub or tree |
| flowers | Small, creamy white, early summer (in hot climates only) |
| leaves | Oval-shaped, smooth green leaves |
| height | Depending on situation and climate, in time up to 12m (40ft). Slow-growing and suits containers. Can be clipped as a cone or standard to 1–1.2m (3–4ft). |
| spread | Up to 9m (30ft) |
| planting | Plant in autumn or spring |
| position | Sunny and sheltered |
| soil | Any, but best in light, well-drained soil. Container-grown bay needs a well-aerated, loam compost |
| care | In cold areas and in the first year of growth, protect with hessian windbreaks. Overwinter container-grown bay in frost-free conditions. From midwinter onwards check branches and undersurfaces of leaves for scale insects |
| propagation | Heel cuttings in late summer |
| species and varieties | Laurus nobilis ‘Aurea’ has yellowy-gold leaves and L.n. angustifolia, or willow-leaf bay, has narrow leaves. These varieties are best used ornamentally |
| harvest | Pick leaves throughout the year, but at their peak for drying in spring and early summer |
| herbal value | Leaves are used to flavour soups, fish stock, stews, marinades and in pickling |
CHIVES
(Allium schoenoprasum – Liliaceae)
Offering onion flavour without the tears, chives’ grassy leaves and mauve flowers provide bold clumps of colour and are ideal as edging.
| type | Hardy perennial with onion-like bulbs |
| flowers | Densely packed heads of pink-to-mauve flowers, early to mid summer |
| leaves | Hollow, long, upright |
| height | 30cm (12in) |
| spread | 20–30cm (8–12in) |
| planting | Plant in spring or autumn, sow seed in spring and pot up a clump or two for kitchen use over winter |
| position | Sun or partial shade |
| soil | Any, but grows best in moist, rich, loamy soil |
| care | Cut back in autumn. Lift and divide large clumps in autumn or spring. Water during dry spells and nip out some flower stems to keep leaf flavour strong |
| propagation | Divide in autumn or spring. Plant, into enriched soil and cut leafy shoots to ground level. Sow seeds outdoors in spring or into trays in the greenhouse in winter |
| species and varieties | Chinese or garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) has flat, strappy leaves with a garlic flavour and delicately scented, star-like white flowers |
| harvest | Use leaves fresh all year. Can be frozen, chopped into ice cube trays or whole. Dry in a cool oven |
| herbal value | Florets can be used whole or broken into individual flowers in salads and to flavour and colour vinegar. Add chopped leaves to salads, dressings, omelettes, soft cheese dips and herb butters |
FRENCH TARRAGON
(Artemisia dracunculus – Compositae)
French tarragon’s narrow leaves hold its delicately bittersweet, aniseed flavour, prized in cooking. In the garden it makes a shapely block of feathery foliage.
| type | Herbaceous perennial, tender in cold areas |
| flowers | Insignificant, and do not set seed. Best to encourage leaf production by clipping back flowering shoots |
| leaves | Long and strappy, pale green |
| height | 60cm (24in) |
| spread | 30cm (12in) |
| planting | Plant in spring and autumn to grow outdoors. To grow indoors in winter, pot up roots in autumn, expose plants to cool conditions (below 4°C/40°F) for three weeks, then grow on a sunny windowsill or in the greenhouse |
| position |