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CHAPTER 1
A vertical herb garden
Vertical gardens can bring beautiful greenery and fragrance to the smallest of gardens and homes. Ideal for fences or sunny walls – indoors or out – they can be as small as a single, mounted pot or as large as the wall or fence itself. Most proprietary vertical gardens provide the means of securing pots to the wall, or else they comprise fabric pouches. However, with a bit of DIY, you could create guttering or pallet gardens and more.
The best plants for a vertical garden depend to an extent on the type of planter. As a general rule, the less space there is for the roots the more drought-resistant the plants need to be. Small bushy plants such as thyme and camomile are ideal for planting in pouches (see opposite), while pots could support larger trailing or upright plants. Annuals such as marigolds (see here), chilli peppers, basil and nasturtiums would suit all pots well; perennials such as mint, lemon balm and lemongrass would also work well as smaller plants, but would need replacing or dividing as they grew older and larger.
When planting a vertical garden, consider the relative heights of the plants and their habits – are they bushy or trailing? – and plant accordingly. For example, in pouch systems, a lot of bushy plants that will grow together into a full 'green wall' is best. Consider also any finishing touches – an old picture frame around plants can be quite effective, and flat frames painted with blackboard paint can also serve as a means of labelling the plants.
Regular picking for use in the kitchen will help keep to vertical garden plants to size. Check the compost regularly to see if it needs watering. Water plants very carefully to avoid the water and compost spilling on to the wall and floor: always wait for the previous glug to sink in before adding any more water. Alternatively, for larger planted walls, consider installing a drip irrigation system. A little liquid feed once a month through spring and summer will help plants keep healthy.
HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
Garlic chives
Allium tuberosum aka Chinese chives
Garlic chives are easily distinguishable from common chives (A. schoenoprasum) by their flatter, more linear leaves. Their white flowers appear later in summer than common chives, too, extending the season of interest in the herb garden.
Family Alliaceae
Height 50cm/20in
Spread 40cm/16in
Hardiness Zone 5
HOW TO USE
Add leaves, flower buds and flowers to salads, cheese dishes, soups and stir-fries, but avoid overcooking. The seeds can be sprouted, or harvested unripe or ripe, when they can be pressed to produce oil.
HOW TO GROW
Garlic chives flourish in partial shade and wetter soil than many other herbs tolerate, but they also do well in a sunny, dry position. Cut back to the ground after the leaves have died back in autumn. Small potted divisions can be overwintered indoors, to extend the harvesting season. Divide large clumps in spring.
HOW TO HARVEST
Cut fresh leaves and flowers as needed, pick seeds when unripe or collect ripe by tying a bag over the ripening seed heads (see Harvesting seed heads and fennel pollen).
BIENNIAL
Wild garlic
Allium ursinum aka ramsoms, bear's garlic
Wild garlic is easily cultivated in a shady, damp spot in the garden, thriving where little else will grow, but it can become invasive if its spread is not controlled.
Family Alliaceae
Height 40cm/16in
Spread 30cm/12in
Hardiness Zone 7
HOW TO USE
Whole leaves, wilted or fresh, add a delicious flavour to egg, chicken, rice and pasta dishes. They can also be used to make pesto (see Hey pesto!).
HOW TO GROW
Plant as bulbs 'in the green', or sow seed, in dappled shade and rich, moist soil. Cut back dead leaves in early summer, and remove seed heads to prevent the plants spreading widely (the bulbs will multiply themselves below ground, too, but this spread is slower and more focused in the planting area).
HOW TO HARVEST
Pick the leaves as needed, ensuring some foliage remains on each plant to enable further growth.
SHRUB
Lemon verbena
Aloysia citriodora
This is the ultimate lemon-scented herb. The slightly rough, elongated leaves need only be brushed to release their intoxicating fragrance, and the delicate, white flowers make it an attractive specimen for a container or border.
Family Verbenaceae
Height 2.5m/8ft
Spread 2.5m/8ft
Hardiness Zone 3
HOW TO USE
Leaves are best enjoyed as an infusion rather than eaten: generally either as a tea, or in a sugar syrup that can then be included in desserts, baking and cocktails.
HOW TO GROW
Thrives in a hot, sunny site with well-drained soil, where it will overwinter happily (it is deciduous). In colder gardens you may need to grow it in a pot, placed in a sunny spot for summer and moved into a greenhouse or indoors in winter. Prune back to a framework of strong stems about 30cm/12in long in spring; regular picking will encourage fresh shoots and keep this shrub in shape. Plants grown under cover year-round can suffer from greenhouse pests.
HOW TO HARVEST
Pick fresh leaves as required. Dry leaves can also be harvested for tea.
ANNUAL
Dill
Anethum graveolens
Dill is a herb with a rich history, having been widely used by many ancient and modern cultures for a variety of ailments and problems, from whooping cough to witchcraft.
Family Apiaceae
Height 90cm/36in
Spread 20cm/8in
Hardiness Zone 4
HOW TO USE
Leaves can be chopped and a little added to egg, potato and fish dishes, or be included in mayonnaise as a flavouring. It can be pickled with cucumber, too. The lime-yellow flowers are a pretty addition to cut-flower posies, and seeds can be infused in water for medicinal purposes.
HOW TO GROW
Dill is most easily cultivated from seed. Plant it in a sunny position and a light soil with good drainage for quick flower and seed production, or delay flowering for a short while by placing in dappled shade. Successional sowing ensures a good supply of leaves through spring and summer. Remove dead plants in autumn. Support plants by growing them in groups through peasticks, or else stake individual plants.
HOW TO HARVEST
Cut the fresh leafy fronds and flowers as needed throughout spring and summer. Seed can be harvested in summer (see here).
HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
Angelica
Angelica archangelica aka archangel, holy ghost, St Michael's flower
A herb with connections to the heavens, angelica and its related species have long been prized as a medicinal tonic around the world and it was popular in medieval Europe as a plant that could ward off evil.
Potential skin irritant/allergen
Family Apiaceae
Height 2m/7ft
Spread 1m/39in
Hardiness Zone 6
HOW TO USE
The young, tender stems can be stewed or baked to add sweetness to fruit dishes, especially rhubarb, or be candied to decorate cakes or to eat as sweets. The huge umbels of lime-green flowers borne on tall stems make it just as useful as an ornamental plant as a herb.
HOW TO GROW
Providing the soil is moist and rich, angelica grows in light conditions ranging from full sun to full shade. It will not flower until its second year, and some specimens may die after flowering or are at least short-lived perennials, so it is best treated as a biennial with young plants kept in reserve.
HOW TO HARVEST
Cut the tender, young stems in late spring and early summer.
BIENNIAL
Chervil
Anthriscus cerefolium
Chervil deserves better recognition as a herb that is not only tasty in its own right, but also one which has the power to enhance the flavours of other herbs when used in combination. It is an ideal choice for a partially shaded herb garden.
Family Apiaceae
Height 60cm/24in
Spread 30cm/12in
Hardiness Zone 4
HOW TO USE
The leaves can be chopped and used fresh in any main dish that benefits from its aniseed-parsley flavour, either raw or added at the very end of cooking. Scatter the chopped leaves over freshly cooked vegetables.
HOW TO GROW
Grow from seed in spring, in rich, moist soil and partial shade. Excess sun or drought can cause chervil to run to seed. Sow successional rows to ensure a regular supply of leaves, although each plant will re-sprout several times after cutting. With protection from a cloche, it will crop well into winter. Remove plants and sow afresh each year.
HOW TO HARVEST
Pick fresh leaves as required.
BIENNIAL
Celery leaf
Apium graveolens var. dulce
Distinct from the vegetable celery grown for its crunchy stalks, leaf celery is taxonomically different only by cultivar name. Its stalks are shorter and, as only the leaves are eaten, it can be treated as a cut-and-come-again crop.
Family Apiaceae
Height 30cm/12in
Spread 30cm/12in
Hardiness Zone 4
HOW TO USE
This herb adds a mild celery flavour to salads and is especially good in those accompanying cheese boards. The stems are also edible and best cut when young and tender.
HOW TO GROW
Sow seed annually – the leaves are not as fresh-tasting in the plant's second year – in rich, moist soil in partial shade. Keep the soil moist. Remove any flower stems appearing in the first year (this is likely to be as a result of drought), and discard the plant in favour of fresh sowings in the following spring. Celery leaf can crop into winter if it is given protection from a cloche.
HOW TO HARVEST
Pick leaves and cut stems as required.
HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
Horseradish
Armoracia rusticana aka pepper root
Once established, horseradish is very difficult to eradicate completely from a garden, so it may be advisable to plant it in a deep pot to prevent its spread. Raise the pot on 'feet' or other supports so that any roots emerging from the base can be cut off, as they are liable to penetrate any ground or even paving beneath.
Family Brassicaceae
Height 1m/39in
Spread 1m/39in
Hardiness Zone 6
HOW TO USE
Although the young leaves can be eaten raw or – for a milder taste – wilted, it is for the pungent root that horseradish is generally grown. It can be preserved as horseradish sauce and chrain, and is particularly good with meat, fish and beetroot dishes.
HOW TO GROW
Moist soil in partial shade is horseradish's preferred habitat. Any leaves that die off in autumn can be pulled off and composted.
HOW TO HARVEST
Pick young leaves in spring and summer. Roots can be harvested at any time of year, but have their best flavour in autumn. Dig out the top 20–30cm/8–12in of root (or as much as can be extricated from the soil) and use promptly.
SUBSHRUB OR PERENNIAL
French tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus aka tarragon, biting dragon
Coming from the wormwood family, from which the alcohols absinthe and vermouth are made, some Artemisia species contain powerful compounds used variously to repel insects and to combat malaria and poisonous bites (hence this tarragon's alternative common name 'biting dragon'). French tarragon is the better culinary choice than the hardier, but more strident, Russian tarragon (A. dracunculus subsp. dracunculoides).
Family Asteraceae
Height 1.5m/5ft
Spread 60cm/24in
Hardiness Zone 6
HOW TO USE
Fresh chopped leaves can flavour mayonnaise or creamy sauces; it is perfect with chicken, too. Tarragon leaves can be made into a cordial known as tarhun.
HOW TO GROW
Plant in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Tarragon can be susceptible to cold winter wet, so is better planted in a pot that can be overwintered under cover. Cut back to the ground in late winter. Replace plants after two years for the freshest-tasting leaves.
HOW TO HARVEST
Pick leaves (or whole stems of leaves for stuffing chicken) as required.
HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
Orach
Atriplex hortensis aka mountain spinach
Orach can fast turn into a weed of cultivated soil if allowed to go to seed, but providing this is averted it is a far easier crop than spinach and other leafy greens.
Family Amaranthaceae
Height 1m/39in
Spread 50cm/20in
Hardiness Zone 2
HOW TO USE
Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads, while older leaves can be wilted and cooked in any recipe that calls for spinach.
HOW TO GROW
The best plants and leaves are produced on rich soil in full sun or dappled shade (especially for the red variety, which can scorch easily). Pinch out the growing tips (and eat), to encourage bushy plants; and pull up plants once they start flowering. Sow fresh seed for new plants the following spring.
HOW TO HARVEST
Pick leaves as required.
CHAPTER 2
Herb oils, vinegars, spirits and waters
A little herb goes a long way in the kitchen, and many different herbs can be preserved and introduced into oils, vinegars, spirits and waters. All these infusions are incredibly easy to make, and are delicious or fragrant.
HERB OILS
Fill a clean, sterilized bottle with good-quality olive oil, allowing some space at the top for the volume of herbs. Pack in the herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano or a mix of some or all of these); consider the look as well as the flavour when giving as a gift. The sealed bottles should be stored in a cool, dry place and consumed within six months.
CHILLI OIL
Select narrow or small chillies that will fit into the bottle when halved. The hotter the chilli, the stronger the oil. Halve the chillies lengthways and push into the bottle. Heat good-quality olive oil to around 40°C/104°F and pour over the chillies. Seal and leave to infuse for two weeks, then strain and re-bottle only the oil. A whole chilli can be added to the bottle as decoration. Store in a cool, dry place and use within six months, taking out the chilli once the bottle is opened (it may be necessary to decant it).
HERB VINEGARS
Fill a clean, sterilized bottle with good-quality cider or white wine vinegar, allowing some space at the top for the volume of herbs. Pack in the herbs (tarragon, fennel, thyme, chives, parsley, cloves, ginger or a mix of some or all of these; try herb flowers, too, such as thyme), shake gently and seal. Store in a cool, dark place for a month, then strain out the herbs and re-bottle only the vinegar. Store in a cool, dry place and consume within a year.
INFUSED ALCOHOLS
Herbs as well as the more traditional fruits such as raspberries and sloes can add flavours to spirits. Simply add sprigs of fresh herbs to a bottle of vodka, gin or rum and leave to infuse. Good herbs to source include thyme, rosemary, lemon verbena, mint, lavender, basil, lemongrass and dill. A few threads of saffron imbue a golden yellow colour, as well. To make chilli vodka, slice the chillies in half lengthways before infusing, and strain after two weeks. Whole chillies can be added to the strained vodka for decoration. See also Herbs for cocktails.
SCENTED WATERS
Steep a small handful of fresh or dried herbs – lavender, mint, lemony herbs and scented pelargoniums are especially effective – in 500ml/17 1/2 fl oz of just-off-boiled water for five minutes, then strain into a bottle. Use as a fabric spray when ironing, within one month.
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Excerpted from "The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Herbs"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Holly Farrell.
Excerpted by permission of The Quarto Group.
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