One of the easiest ways to use and enjoy herbs is to make herbal teas (also known as herbal infusions and sometimes referred to as "tisane" because the term "tea" used to be reserved for beverages made from a specific plant, Camellia sinensis.) A tea garden is a delightful hobby that can stand alone or serve as a complement to the rest of your herb garden and will provide you with the joy of fresh herbal teas, at a moment's notice. You don't need a designated herbal tea garden, to grow herbs for making tea. Most tea gardens are places to enjoy a cup of tea, not grow one. You can grow and harvest herbs for tea from a container or any of your existing gardens. Fennel grown in the vegetable garden will brew just as flavorful as fennel grown in a pot on the front steps. However if you do decide to create a garden space devoted to tea herbs, be sure to leave space for a small table and chairs, so you have a spot to relax and enjoy your tea. Creating a tea garden in a container can also make a unique gift to be enjoyed year round. Tea can be made from the leaves, flowers, seeds or even the roots of herbs, whether freshly picked or dried and stored for the off-season. Whatever herb you choose, the process is simple: pour boiling water over crushed herb and let steep.

 

Making Fresh Herbal Tea

Pick the leaves or flowers. The best time of day for this is just after the dew has dried but before the heat of the sun begins to draw the oils out of the plant.

 

Prepare the leaves. Leaves should be bruised to release their essential oils. Do this by rubbing them together.

 

Make the tea. Add the herbs to a teapot or directly to a mug or cup. For each cup of tea, add approximately 2 to 3 teaspoons of fresh leaves and/or flowers. Slice rose hips in half before adding. If using dry herbs use one teaspoon. Try not to tear or crush the herbs until you are ready to use them. You don't want to waste any of the essential oils.

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Allow to steep for 5 minutes. This will ensure that the flavors are released and the full benefits of the herb's or flower's qualities are available.

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There are quite a few herbs and flowers that are suitable for making herbal teas. Your choice is dependent on what flavors you like the most and what will grow best for you. The following is a mere selection of good possibilities:

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• Chamomile Matricaria recutita Heals indigestion, anxiety and skin inflammations. Use the flower heads for infusions. A cup of fragrant, apple-like chamomile is good for digestion and is a wonderful way to relax after a stressful day. Also used by Europeans for hundreds of years for insomnia, neuralgia, back pain and rheumatism.

• Peppermint Mentha piperita this is a perennial favorite for many people. Its refreshing taste is uplifting and cleansing, as well as wonderful for stomach troubles of all kinds. Peppermint is generally very easy to grow and enjoys sunny and semi-shaded spots. Grows very, very easily and unless you want it escaping across the garden, keep it pot-bound. The leaves are the part used for making tea. This is a wonderful tasting herb and a very beneficial one too. Peppermint is used for indigestion, relaxing stomach muscles, for heartburn, stomachache, nausea, vomiting, headaches, general calming effects and to help soothe a nagging cough.

• Spearmint Mentha spicata A more subtle mint than peppermint, spearmint is refreshing and tasty and has many of the same benefits as peppermint. Its light, refreshing taste makes it a perfect ingredient in tea and herbal blends.

• Lavender Lavender grows well in full sun, well-drained soil. Lavender buds are the part of the plant used for tea. As a tea, lavender has been used as a remedy for relieving anxiety and depression and is also beneficial in relieving headaches that are associated with stress.

• Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis  A relative of mint, lemon balm is a versatile medicinal herb. Used in folk remedies for depression, nervous tension, fevers and for digestive problems. This herb has a pleasant, lemony scent.

• Lemon Verbena  Aloysia triphylla a refreshing and tangy lemony taste comes packed in these simple but easy-to-grow leaves. It needs full sun and will not tolerate harsh winters, so keep it pot-bound if that's a danger in your area. Lemon verbena leaves are used to make herbal teas and to add a lemony flavor to fish and poultry dishes, vegetable marinades, salad dressings, jams, puddings, and beverages. Enjoy alone or in combination with other herbs, especially mints.

• Rose Hips Rose hips are the seed cases for roses. Rose hips will form once the rose bush goes to seed. The rose hips should be deep orange-red before harvesting. Clean the rose hips gently before steeping. (Rosa canina) Fruity and pleasant tasting, rosehips are known for their high concentrations of vitamins A,B,E,K & especially C (a cup of rosehips contains approximately 1700 mg of Vitamin C).

• Bergamot Bergamot carries a touch of orange flavor. The plant produces gorgeous bright red, purple, or pink flowers and is happy in full sun or semi-shade. The leaves and flowers are suitable for steeping.

• Marjoram This herb has a fruity, citrus flavor and an undertone of mint. It grows well in full sun to semi-shade. Leaves and flowers are suitable for steeping.

• Chamomile Chamaemelum nobile (Roman) A delightful apple scented herb, this one is traditionally used to induce calm and sleep. It makes a gorgeous but delicate lawn feature with small daisy-like flowers. It tolerates full sun to semi-shade. The flowers are the preferred part for making the tea.

• Hibiscus Flowers are used primarily in herbal tea recipes and are also used to make jams, syrups and cocktails. Hibiscus, or Roselle as it is also known, has many medicinal uses, together with the most appealing flavor as an herbal tea. It has a well-balanced, tart and astringent flavor with a deep red color in the cup.

• Jasmine - With a fragrance reminiscent of summer time, jasmine provides a delicate and enticing flavor. Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac) is commonly used for jasmine tea. Arabian jasmine has many different types as well. The three types I have are Belle of India, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Maid of Orleans; Grand Duke of Tuscany has the most beautiful flower, Maid of Orleans flowers the most and is the most common, Belle of India is somewhere between the two (double-petaled flower+flowering more than Grand Duke). It grows in full sun to semi-shade and although it can form a part of your tea garden, it needs a trellis or wall at the back of the garden to really thrive. It is not suitable for cold winter climates, so you will need a potting arrangement that can be moved indoors. Jasmine flowers brew to a light golden cup with a light, earthy taste. Jasmine has been used for centuries for stress relief, to calm the nerves, depression, exhaustion and more. It is also known as a woman's plant medicine and for both these reasons it is often used during childbirth, to bring relief from labour pains. Jasmine flowers when drunk as tea acts as an anti-oxidant, and is thought to lower cholesterol, have an anti-septic action, and it is uplifting and calming and naturally sweet.

• Coriander Coriandrum sativum (aka cilantro) - used more frequently in cooking, coriander is also suitable for herbal tea and has a flavor similar to Lady Grey tea. With strong citrus undertones, this tea carries a spicy and acidic flavor. Accepts full sun to semi-shade and is an ideal container herb. The leaves are used for tea.

• Thyme T. vulgars thyme is considered to be a good tea for soothing stomach troubles and sore throats. It is spicy and may be an acquired taste - try it first before cutting too much herb! It is tolerant of full sun and semi-shade and is an ideal container herb. Use the leaves for tea - if flowers are present, these can also be added.

• Violets If you love the smell of violets, violet tea will probably be a favorite with you. Violets prefer shady growing areas and are easy potted plants if desired. An excellent source of vitamins A and C. Violets are considered to be soothing and refreshing and are a good tonic after winter. The dried leaves and flowers are suitable for steeping (fresh flowers can be used for effect - see photo).

• Rosemary Rosmarinus officinale Rosemary has long been used in infusions for easing emotional depression and blood circulation issues. This plant prefers strong full sun but will tolerate light shade, and requires well-drained soil. Rosemary has a very old reputation for improving memory.

• Lemon Grass Cymbopogon citratus (West Indian Lemongrass) is widely used to alleviate certain respiratory conditions including laryngitis and sore throats. Also called feverfew, lemongrass has earned a reputation for its anti-pyretic property which reduces high fevers. Lemongrass is also used  treat digestive issues. As an antioxidant lemongrass, contributes to liver and pancreatic health by helping the body to more quickly remove toxins. It has also being linked to lowered or normalized cholesterol levels. A delightful lemony "tea", fantastic on its own or when mixed with other herbs.

• Stevia Stevia rebaudiana Reported to be up to two hundred (200) times sweeter than sugar, stevia is used in teas and in cooking but contains no calories. Stevia is a safe and natural herbal sweetener, used in place of sugar in an herbal infusion and safe for diabetics to use. Stevia does not handle colder weather well at all and should therefore be a potted herb that is brought indoors during cold snaps and wintertime. The leaves are naturally sweet and can be sprinkled into other teas to sweeten them.

 

Follow the growing instructions for each plant. Keep the tea garden weed-free and use a compost tea or other natural source of nutrients to nourish it.

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Tips

• Write a small card detailing the properties of the tea garden. List the herbs and flowers, their growing needs, their health benefits and how to make fresh tea. Attach this to the container.

• Most herbs are at their peak just before they bloom.

• If desired, you can dry your herbs. When using dried herbs, reduce the quantity of herbs by half to three-quarters of the amount of fresh herb you would use.

• Add sugar to mint tea for a truly refreshing taste in the style of Moroccan tea.

• Experiment with iced tea versions - bergamot, peppermint and rose hips can make good iced herbal teas.

• Rugosa roses form excellent rose hips.

• If desired, add a pinch of ground coriander spice to the top of a coriander infusion for added spiciness. [Note: in American English the leaves are typically known as "cilantro" while the seed pods are the more familiar coriander spice; in British English both are known as coriander.]

• Most herbs are at their peak just before they bloom.

• Try not to tear or crush the herbs until you are ready to use them. You don't want to waste any of the essential oils.

• Harvest all your herbs at the end of the season, once a frost is forecast. You can dry the herbs whole and store for winter teas or for use as seasonings.

 

*Unless the beverage made uses the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, it is technically not a tea but an "herbal infusion."