Attractive to Bees

Members of the oregano family are an essential plant for a well-stocked, sunny herb garden. Fragrant and very decorative, Sweet Marjoram is an essential culinary herb, good with veal, beef, lamb, roast poultry and fish. The leaves are best used fresh, as their flavour is sweeter and milder.

Peppermint is a perennial favorite for many people, it has high menthol content and its refreshing taste is uplifting and cleansing. Popular for infusions and a favourite among herbal tea drinkers, it is one of the easiest herbs to grow yourself. Get creative and include in Schnapps, Mint Juleps or Mojitos!

Who can resist the smell of fresh mint in the garden? Mentha spicata is the best strain grown from seed. It is an exceptionally fragrant and ornamental plant in addition to having many culinary uses, it is also extremely attractive to butterflies and bees, making a wonderful addition to a wildlife garden.

Dating back to the time of the Pharaoh's, Egyptian Mint is characterised as refreshing, cooling and flavourful. Well rounded with no bitter aftertaste, Egyptian Mint has a stronger flavour similar to Apple Mint but, this is a much more robust plant with sturdy upright stems and large velvety green-grey leaves.

Monarda fistulosa, also known as Bergamot is famed for its medicinal qualities. While in the perennial border these lovely plants produce a mass of mauve-purple blooms (even in their first year from an early sowing) and have uniquely scented foliage. Highly attractive to bees and butterflies.

Veteran gardeners are probably already aware of nepeta’s versatility in the garden. From its popular partnering with roses to the softening effect it has on hard edges. Nepeta is an ideal perennial for new gardeners and, of course, cats adore it.

Nepeta grandiflora is one of the best garden plants in this family. 'Border Ballet' is a striking new catmint, lusher than true catnip, with dark green leaves. It flowers in shades of blue and pink in perfect harmony. This easy to sow and grow perennial flowers in the first year of sowing.

We have all heard of Nigella Lawson, the British cooking show goddess who advocates the importance of a well-stocked pantry. But the seeds had the name first. Nigella sativa have a spicy, nutty flavour with a crunchy texture, they may be used whole or ground, and develop their flavour best after short toasting.

The difference in taste between fresh oregano and the store-bought dried variety is like night and day. Its spicy yet refreshing flavour contributes to Italian, Greek, and Spanish cuisine. Fresh oregano adds a boost of flavour that just can't be beat. Easy to grow either in the garden or indoors.

Origanum syriacum, commonly called Syrian oregano or Zaatar, is a special oregano that is more aromatic than the European variant that blends hints of Oregano, Thyme and Marjoram. It is similar yet distinctive, and gives great fragrance to a roast or rub.

Pennyroyal is a cottage garden plant of old. This highly aromatic herb has a strong peppermint scent to its dark green leaves, even more so than other mints. With attractive whorls of lilac-blue flowers, it can be used to carpet a shady corner or make a 'lawn' smelling deliciously of peppermint.

This attractive plant will be equally at home in the flower border or keeping company with the sage and thyme in your herb garden. Delightfully aromatic, the floral-peppermint scent is subtly different from other mints. Mountain mint is a great nectar plant, its honey is much sought after.

Rosemary can be used for ornamental, culinary and medicinal purposes. The aromatic, evergreen shrub, native to the dry hills of southern Europe and North Africa, can be grown as a clipped hedge, along the edge of a retaining wall, pruned and shaped as topiaries and as a container patio plant.

Sweet Cicely is an attractive plant that is a striking component of herb gardens and hedgerows. Growing to around 90cm, umbels of tiny white flowers appear from spring to early summer. Formerly a widely cultivated culinary herb, the fern-like leaves are deeply divided and smell of aniseed when crushed.

Thymus vulgaris 'Winter Thyme' is one of the savory herbs, which are main course herbs used to flavour hardy meals, bone warming soups, and piquant sauces. They blend their essence with other savory herbs like Tarragon and Savory to create some memorable flavours.

Aromatic French Summer Thyme has more narrow, pointed leaves with a bit of a grey tint. The famed culinary thyme from France, it is higher in essential oil content than other varieties and reputedly the most flavoursome Thyme you can grow with a stronger and sweeter taste.

Orange Scented Thyme is a useful and versatile plant. The grey-green leaves are extremely fragrant with a with a delicious scent of balsam and oranges. An excellent herb and ideal added to a bouquet garni, they blend their essence with both savory and sweet dishes to create some memorable flavours.