Thyme is a lovely aromatic culinary herb that is well known for its showy ornamental beauty and medicinal qualities. This beautiful plant is prized not only for its wonderful flavour and outstanding fragrance, but also for the way it neatly frames garden beds as a border plant and spills gracefully over low walls and containers. […]
Herb Gardening 101: Growing Cilantro
Cilantro is a very popular culinary herb that offers international appeal. The flat parsley-like leaves add a wonderful, distinctive flavour to guacamole, salsa and other Mexican recipes, while its seeds – aka coriander seeds – can be ground into a powder or used whole in many popular Indian dishes. Growing tips and facts Cilantro is […]
Herb Gardening 101: Growing Chives
Chives are a versatile herb grown for their leaves and the beautiful, edible purple flowers they yield each spring. Both the leaves and flowers impart a delicate oniony flavor to recipes. Garlic chives have white flowers and impart a garlicky flavour to recipes. Chives are hardy perennials that prefer full sun, but they can tolerate partial shade as well. As with most herbs, it […]
Herb Gardening 101: Growing Parsley
Parsley is easy to dismiss as little more than culinary eye candy. Sure, it’s pretty to look at, but it’s not very exciting. Sadly, parsley has become a bit of a dinner plate punch line because it gets tossed mindlessly next to boring baked potatoes or uninspired hunks of meat in so many middle-of-the-road eating […]
Herb Gardening 101: Growing Echinacea
Echinacea has long been treasured for its medicinal qualities*. Archeologists believe that Native Americans used echinacea to treat illnesses for hundreds of years before the arrival of European settlers. Today, echinacea is used to improve immune function and to reduce the severity of many ailments, including the common cold, flu and upper respiratory infections. Growing tips and facts In addition to its medicinal applications, […]
Herb Gardening 101: Growing Sage
Sage has a long and varied history as a culinary herb and medicinal plant. Native to the Mediterranean region, it was revered by Ancient Romans for its healing qualities. Later, the French grew large amounts of sage for tea. Today, sage is considered a classic ingredient in holiday stuffing and other rich dishes. Growing tips […]