ENLISH MACE Achillea ageratum Height MEDIUM
This reliable perennial produces tufts of divided foliage which smells of nutmeg and may be used as a flavouring. Flowers, in flat white heads, seem to attract hoverflies.
YARROW Achillea millefolium Height MEDIUM
This unassuming native is used throughout the world for a range of well-proven medicinal properties. Its old name Soldier's Woundwort hints at one of them, and Achilles himself, after whom the plant gets its Latin name, is said to have administered it to injured troops after Troy. Not surprisingly, it is also awarded a place in magic and folklore.
PINK YARROW Achillea Pink hybrid Height PRETTY TALL
Long flowering, stately and attractive with ferny foliage for Yarrow Tea and large, pink-tinged blooms
BLACKCURRANT YARROW Achillea millefolium 'Cassis' Height Pretty Tall
Deep, blackcurrant-red, salviform flowers and feathery foliage with all the attributes of Yarrow. A striking border perennial with purpose!
ALPINE BASIL THYME Acinos alpinos Height FAIRLY LOW
Vigorous alpine with aromatic foliage good for salads and flavourings, and masses of lovely mauve flowers all summer
VARIEGATED HERB GERARD, GOUTWEED etc. Aegopodium podagraria Variegata Height MEDIUM
What can I say? Deliciously edible foliage, a tonic tea, a remedy for gout and similar complaints, this Roman introduction bears pretty white lacy flowers and is EXCELLENT ground cover..All right. Yes, it IS a form of Ground Elder. But with beautiful foliage and slightly less vigorous than the wild form. Worthy of the purposeful garden. KOREAN MINT Agastache anisata (rugosa) Height MEDIUM
Aromatic foliage and long lasting spires of mauve flowers; a superb bee plant that's easy to grow, with culinary uses too.
GOLDEN KOREAN MINT Agastache 'Golden Anniversary' Height MEDIUM Outstanding form of Agastache with luminous golden foliage to contrast with the abundant mauve flowers.
GIANT HYSSOP Agastache nepetoides Height TALL
A large, shrubby agastache bearing clouds of small yellow flowers attractive to bees, and aromatic foliage. Unusual!
Agastache aurantiaca 'Orange Sprite'
The tubular orange flowers just go on and on in this grey-leaved, highly aromatic perennial; very attractive to bees and butterflies. AGRIMONY, COCKLEBURR, STICKLEWORT Agrimonia eupatoria Height MEDIUM
Pretty native herb with arching sprays of bright yellow flowers. Used medicinally for digestive complaints, and makes a sweet, delicious tisane.
BUGLE Ajuga reptans Burgundy Glow Very small or creeping
With painkilling and astringent properties, this glossy, purple-leaved plant with spikes of rich blue flowers like exclamation marks is excellent for ground cover and very attractive to bees.
Ajuga reptans 'Rainbow'
Habit and properties as above, but the foliage is an eye-catching rainbow of colours - green, bronze, purple and cream.
LADIES MANTLE Alchemilla xanthoclora Height FAIRLY LOW
Alchemilla means "little magic one" and as the common name implies has medicinal properties associated with female disorders. Excellent for scent, and flower arranging too.
BABINGTON LEEK Allium babingtonii Dramatically tall
Once established, produces tall flower stems with unusual heads consisting partly of purple flowers, partly of bulbils - which often produce mini-flower heads of their own. Leaves of this rare native allium make great flavouring.
ROSE-LEEK Allium canadense Height MEDIUM
Bright green, almost evergreen foliage and very pretty flowers in summer. Rarely seen. TREE ONION Allium cepa aggragata
A perennial onion which produces flowerheads consisting of small, strong-tasting little onion bulbs - a real talking point, and a snacking point if you have the stomach for them!
WELSH ONION Allium fistulosum Height MEDIUM
Bumblebees adore the spherical white flowers of this useful bunching onion. Leaves lovely in salads, bulbs are the "scallions" of Chinese cookery. A red-leaved form is also available now.
CHIVES Allium schoenoprasum Height FAIRLY LOW
Well-known mild onion flavour, great in salads. Purple flowers borne in abundance attract bees and are also edible . Regular cutting back can give new growth all season.
WHITE CHIVES Allium schoenoprasum album Height FAIRLY LOW
Beautiful white flowered form, with all the same uses as the pink chives. SERPENT-GARLIC, SAND-LEEK, ROCAMBOLE Allium scorodoprasum Height MEDIUM
The stems of the serpent garlic wander and twist like a snake, and the leaves have a mild onion flavour. Another rare native, seldom seen for sale.
THREE-CORNERED LEEK Allium triquetrum Height MEDIUM
Another pretty native onion, with mauve flower umbels and edible leaves, triangular in section
GARLIC CHIVES Allium tuberosum Height FAIRLY LOW
More flavoursome - and slower growing - than Chives, with strap-like leaves and delicate white flowers.
RAMSONS, WILD GARLIC Allium ursinum Height FAIRLY LOW
What can I say about our native Ramsons, often called wild garlic? If you have ever walked in a wood in spring, when the delicate garlic smell is all around, tasted Ramsons sandwiches, or exclaimed over the exquisite heads of starry white flowers, you'll know this is one ground-covering native well worth having. Thanks due to a woodland peace camp somewhere in Scotland for providing the stock!
TRUE ALOE Aloe vera
So valuable medicinally and in cosmetics that to list its uses would require a book. But for starters, keep this house plant in the kitchen where it is on hand to treat burns and scalds instantly with its healing sap.
LEMON VERBENA Alloysia triphylla Height MEDIUM
The acme of lemon-scented plants - just brushing it releases the lovely scent. Use fresh or dried in teas, desserts, salads and a variety of dishes,.Said to repel biting insects. Frost tender - ideal patio pot to be given winter shelter.
MARSHMALLOW Althaea officinalis Dramatically tall
Lovely pink cottage garden perennial whose sweet leaves and roots are used medicinally for infections and inflammation. Roots were original marshmallow sweets - now, of course, made of E numbers, so much healthier.
LAWN CHAMOMILE Anthemis nobilis Very small or creeping
This variety is reluctant to flower and will withstand treading and cutting; used for lawns, seats and between paving slabs, where it releases a delightful summery scent when crushed.
DYERS CHAMOMILE Anthemis tinctoria Height MEDIUM
Sunny yellow flowers on this dye plant are borne in abundance from midsummer to midwinter, hard frosts permitting and if dead-headed regularly. Tremendous colour value for cottage gardens.
ST. JOHNS CHAMOMILE Anthemis sancta-johanna Height MEDIUM
The flowers are orange-gold, and long lasting. Plant away from A. tinctoria, because they tend to hybridise.
CHERVIL Anthriscus cerefolium
Cool, fresh and flavoursome - this salad herb with mild anise taste is preferred by many trendy chefs (but don't let that put you off) and has medicinal value too.
HORSERADISH Armoracia rusticana
Large strappy leaves for foliage effect, but its the roots we're interested in. Once established, lift sections of root to grate for fresh horseradish sauce - incomparable with meat or to add a zing to dressings and mrinades; medicinal too. This vigorous plant should be given plenty of space and used well - why go to the supermarket?
SOUTHERNWOOD, LADS LOVE, APPLERINGY, OLD MAN, MAIDENS RUIN, GARDE-ROBE Artemisia abrotanum Height MEDIUM but pruned to size annually
If you grow no other herb, grow this one, not because you can eat it (it's bitter), nor for its undoubted value as an insect repellent, nor yet for its many medicinal properties, but because it exudes magic and the scent will stay with you all your life. Everyone who smells it smiles in remembrance of someone - a parent, a granny, an old and loved friend. Pass it on to your children's children . There is no herb to compare with it, and it is always selling out.
ABSINTHE, WORMWEOOD, CERNOBYL Artemisia absinthium Height PRETTY TALL
Distilled into the infamous liqueur Absinthe, this one should carry a health warning. As a beautiful garden plant, useful insect deterrent in companion planting, cure for worms and parasites, it will give pleasure and no hangover / side effects!
FRENCH TARRAGON Artemisia dracunculus Height FAIRLY LOW, MAINLY BECAUSE YOU KEEP EATING IT
Famous culinary herb, used to flavour many dishes but memorably a simple risotto of Tuscany. I call it Dragon Herb because that's what the name means, and anyway I like dragons. Keep it frost-safe over winter
CHAMOMILE-LEAVED WORMWOOD Artemisia chamaemelifolia
Feathery green foliage and a compact habit. A pretty, aromatic plant.
Artemisia lactiflora Guizhou Height PRETTY TALL
Noted for the purple-red flush to the stems and foliage. An unusual and attractive plant.
WESTERN MUGWORT, SAGE BUSH Artemisia ludoviciana Silver Queen Height MEDIUM
Tall and stately, with soft, silver aromatic foliage, this is the sacred sage bush of native Americans. A brilliant centre feature for any herb bed. Insect deterrent, magical when burned, apparently.
SEA WORMWOOD Artemisia maritima NEW! Height FAIRLY LOW
I first met this plant growing on the sea wall of an Essex estuary, and it was the start of my love affair with Artemisias. There's something unaccountably special about this rare, silvery native.
YOMOGI Artemisia princeps Height MEDIUM
This Japanese culinary herb is used mainly in the preparation of a sweet dish, but I have tried it as a substitute for tarragon and find its flavour acceptable if not as delicate. Unlike tarragon, though, it grows fast!
DWARF ARTEMISIA Artemisia schmidtiana nana Very small or creeping
Exquisite dwarf Artemisia with feathery, silver foliage. This plant is ideal for the rock garden, or container. |
