Basil
How to Grow Basil in the UK Basil rewards frequent picking for the kitchen. In the UK, warmth is decisive: a bright windowsill, greenhouse or sheltered summer patio can work, while a chilly bed often disappoints. Sow several small batches and harvest the tips to build leafy plants. This guide focuses on sweet basil, Ocimum […]
Bay
How to Grow Bay in the UK Culinary bay, Laurus nobilis, supplies aromatic leaves year round and evergreen garden structure. It can become a substantial tree, but pruning keeps it manageable as a shrub or container plant. Provide shelter, drainage and root space. Buy a clearly labelled Laurus nobilis: other plants called laurel are not […]
Borage
How to Grow Borage in the UK Borage brings loose clusters of blue stars to a herb bed, vegetable patch or sunny border. This guide covers annual Borago officinalis, a self seeder that flowers in its first season. Give each plant room, sow where it will grow and leave plenty of flowers for visiting bees. […]
Catnip
How to Grow Catnip in the UK Catnip, Nepeta cataria, is a hardy perennial with aromatic leaves and pale flowers visited by bees. It suits sunny herb gardens, informal borders and pots. Check the botanical label because its common name can also appear on ornamental catmints. Hardy perennial Aromatic foliage Full sun Bee friendly Suitable […]
Chamomile
How to Grow Chamomile in the UK Chamomile can mean an airy annual with summer daisies or a low perennial with scented foliage. This guide centres on German chamomile, Matricaria chamomilla, grown for flowers. Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile, and its lawn forms have different habits and are compared below. German chamomile Spring sowing Summer flowers […]
Chives
How to Grow Chives in the UK A clump of chives near the kitchen gives you fresh onion flavoured leaves whenever a meal needs a little lift. This hardy perennial is useful in pots, herb beds and vegetable borders. Give it moisture, room to renew its leaves and an occasional division, and it can provide […]
Chives (Garlic)
How to Grow Garlic Chives in the UK Garlic chives provide flat, garlicky leaves and a late display of white flowers. They are a useful perennial for cooks who want small fresh harvests from a pot or herb bed. Start with a labelled plant or seed, let the clump establish, and manage the flower heads […]
Comfrey
How to Grow Comfrey in the UK Comfrey can turn a permanent corner of the garden into a useful supply of leaves for mulch, compost and plant feed. Its flowers also attract visiting insects. Choose the plant and its position carefully: a productive clump can live for many years, and pieces of root left after […]
African Wormwood
How to Grow African Wormwood in the UK African wormwood, Artemisia afra, brings finely divided foliage and a strong aromatic scent to a sunny garden. This African shrub needs room to develop and a considered approach to winter care in the UK. Grow it for its foliage in a sheltered border or a container you […]
Agastache
How to Grow Agastache in the UK Agastache brings upright flower spikes, aromatic leaves and a steady hum of bees to sunny borders. The secret to growing it in the UK is choosing the right plant for your winter conditions. A hardy selection such as ‘Blue Fortune’ is a different proposition from the more tender […]
