If you’re already growing the usual suspects like rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and mint, then here are a few ideas for you to expand your herb garden.
Lemon Balm
Lemon Balm is a great addition to the herb garden if you love your herbal teas. A few leaves steeped in hot water and you have yourself a deliciously refreshing tea to enjoy.
It grows in much the same way as garden mint, so you’ll probably want to grow it in a container to stop it from spreading. It’s a perennial that will die back in winter and re-appear in spring the following year. It’ll grow well in sun or partial shade.
Chervil
Chervil is often forgotten in the herb garden, but it is such a great addition! Add a few chervil leaves with their aniseed-like flavour to mixed salads or chop up to enjoy with chicken and white fish too. Eggs and Potatoes go well with chervil too. It’s a surprisingly versatile herb!
Chervil is easy to grow as an annual, and is best suited to light shade making it a good option for those with a shady herb patch. Cut back when it flowers to prevent it from self seeding to easily.
Vietnamese Coriander
We really love the strong, punchy flavour of this herb. It’s different to normal coriander, but equally good to use in curries, tagines and other spiced dishes.
It will grow well in sun and light shade, forming a small bush that will survive several seasons if conditions don’t get too chilly over winter. Keep it well trimmed and it makes a very decorative addition to the garden too. Definitely one to try!
Garlic Chives
If you don’t have a woody patch near you where you can forage wild garlic, then these garlic chives are the next best thing! They have a mild garlic flavour, perfect for adding uncooked to a potato salad or thrown into a risotto or pasta dish at the last minute for a little garlicky kick.
The leaves look like flat chives (in fact they are often referred to as flat chives) and the plants grow in much the same way as normal chives, thriving in sunny and partially shady spots. They are a perennial so will come back year after year.
Chocolate Mint
This is a fun alternative to traditional garden mint, and it really does have a mint choc chip kind of flavour and scent. It’s an attractive herb too especially when it flowers. Grow it as you would normal garden mint, keeping it in a pot to stop it from spreading.
This mint is a great option for those with a weakness for chocolate puddings…such a good addition to any chocolatey concoction. You could even add a couple of leaves to a hot chocolate for a little twist.