Have you ever thought about growing your own herbal tea ingredients? Many gardeners haven’t, but it can be a fun and rewarding endeavour.
If you are thinking about getting started with a herbal tea garden, here are 12 great plants you should try and grow.
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1. Lemon Balm
We couldn’t have a herbal tea list without the classic lemon balm. This vigorous herb also goes by the name “Melissa” and can be rampant when left unchecked.
So if you want something prolific that will give your herbal teas a lemony boost, this could be the herb to grow.
I would advise growing it in a pot and not in the border unless you want your garden to turn into a lemon balm farm. This thing can really spread quickly!
2. Pelargonium “Attar of Roses”
This is a delightfully scented flower that smells just like Turkish delight.
Best mixed with other flowers and herbs as the flavour can be a little strong, but it brings a delightful scent to any herbal tea.
This variety is a bushy perennial that is fairly straightforward to grow.
The one thing you need to remember is that it will not survive a UK winter, so it will need to be brought inside over the winter months.
3. Chamomile
One of the most popular flowers for herbal teas, so it had to find a place on our list.
Chamomile tea is made by drying the flowers and often is a single-ingredient tea, although it can also be added to other blends.
The tea is also reportedly good for upset stomachs and reducing stress, although I’m not sure about the science behind any of these claims.
It also has the added benefit of being easy to grow, so it is definitely one worth giving a go.
4. Jasmine
Jasmine is an incredibly popular ingredient in herbal teas. Fresh jasmine blooms can be used to infuse a delicious scent onto your tea.
Alternatively, the blooms are sometimes dried and blended straight into the tea mix.
Jasmine is grown as an evergreen climber, usually with a white flower, although other colours do exist.
They can be grown in pots and love well-draining soil. The only thing they like more than well-draining soil is a very sunny spot!
While they can tolerate a little shade, they are much happier when in full sun and soaking up those rays!
5. Rose
A plant we are all very familiar with, and in fact, one many of you will already have growing in your gardens.
But did you know that roses make a fine addition to herbal tea?
Rose petals are commonly blended with regular black teas and other herbal ingredients to make heavenly floral teas.
Rosehips can also be harvested and used for herbal tea making. The hips are said to be packed to the brim with vitamin C.