Labiatae. Annual to 18". An easily grown plant, it tolerates most soils and conditions. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Dislikes shade. Purple flowers at almost any time of the year. The seeds can even germinate in the winter if the weather is mild. In rich soils the plant can grow thick & lush, in poor soils it will only grow a few inches tall before flowering and spreading its seed. The plant is easily controlled so never really becomes a pest.

Companion: pollinated by Bees. Grows well with potatoes. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Plants seem to be immune to browsing rabbits.

Uses: Young leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb. Leaves are often available all year round.

Origin: Belgium, Britain

Lauraceae. Tender evergreen shrub/tree. Needs average, well-drained soil and good moisture levels until established. Full to part sun. To keep potted, use a good sterilized potting soil. Fertilize potted plants once monthly with 1/2 strength liquid fertilizer for vegetables, flush with fresh water at least twice monthly, to avoid build up of mineral salts.
Can be left to grow as it pleases or clipped into topiary. A great potted plant to have outside in summer and inside in winter, will not tolerate frost if it's in a pot. Watch for scale & laurel psyllid if planted outdoors. Can stand cool dry drafts indoors. Slow growth to 15+ feet outdoors. 5-6 feet indoors.
Dark green leaves are leathery, oval and aromatic. Clusters of small yellow flowers followed by black or dark purple berries.

Harvest in the morning, dry on screens in shade. Highly aromatic leaves can be used fresh or dried for soups, sauces, stews, stuffing, roast, game, chicken, in custards, bread pudding. Use fresh leaves as a pan-liner for cake.
Origin: Antiquity. Asia Minor Mediterranean.
Prized by the ancient Greeks.

Perennial to 3-4 feet. Full sun, average soil & water needs. Easy to grow herb with large leaves and pink- purple flowers in the Summer. Self seeds.

Companion: Bee & butterfly plant.

Uses: Traditionally used to calm the nervous system, in a tea or tincture and for calming physical stress due to anxiety. Used as a tonic, it is believed to strengthen the heart, promote menstruation, is sedative for relief of sour stomachs. Tea is an astringent skin wash.
Plant also produces a natural dye.

Origin: Europe

Tender Perennial to 3 feet. Full Sun & average soil. Flowering in early-to-mid-fall, the numerous whorls of large, fuzzy orange flowers present an outstanding array.

In South Africa, this is a commonly used native tea and smoke known as "Wild Dagga".

In Chinese medicine it has been used as a purgative, vermifuge and euphoriant.

New Zealand tea trees are 5- to 8-foot tender evergreen shrubs. They thrive in full sun in very well-drained acid soil, which should be allowed to become moderately dry in late summer. Prune with hand clippers after flowering. Wind and salt resistant. Has graceful drooping branches, lined with small leaves that are nearly hidden during flowering by masses of small blossoms. Can be sheared to make an airy formal hedge or left unpruned for a cottage garden effect, around foundations, as a topiary or bonsai specimen.

Though tea leaves come from Camellia sinensis, Leptospermum leaves have been used to make a different kind of beverage. During his first voyage to New Zealand and Australia in 1769, Captain Cook brewed the leaves of L. scoparium to prevent scurvy among his crew.
Traditional Maori remedy for kidney and bladder complaints and to combat cold symptoms.

Umbelliferae. Perennial to 4’. Full sun, moist soil. Leaves are large, dark green, shiny and strongly scented. Yellow flowers in umbels.
Divide every 3-4 years.

Harvest: Leaves: anytime. Allow at least one bloom to go to seed, then collect, as they're hard to find for culinary use.

Uses: Young stems can be crystallized and eaten with fruit and cheese for a light dessert. The leafstalks and bases are blanched like celery and eaten as a salad green. The leaves are used in salads, soups, sauces, stews, seafood. The seeds flavor candies, cakes, sweet breads, meat pies, roasts and salads. Pickle roots. Steep fresh leaves in brandy, add sugar and drink for upset stomach. Infuse seed and leaf to reduce water retention.

Warning: Do Not take internally if pregnant or if kidney problems are present.

Origin: Native to the Mediterranean, Italian Alps and France. An ancient herb. Used by the Greeks, Romans and grown by Benedictine monks at St. Gall in Switzerland.

Culinary, Medicinal, Ornamental

Verbenaceae. Tender Perennial to 8". Partial to Full sun. Fast-growing, attractive ground cover for areas with mild winters. Hardy to 30 degrees F. The leaves have a curious and amazingly sweet flavor.

Caution: Research into its use as a sugar substitute seems to indicate a tendency to cause thyroid cancer in laboratory rats.

Up to 53% of its essential oil is camphor. An attractive curiosity. Excellent in hanging baskets, the leaves turn red when temps drop below 50 degrees F.

Boraginaceae. Rare, hardy perennial to 3 feet. Full to part sun, prefers a moderately fertile, well-drained soil. Yellowish white flowers in Summer, seeds in early Fall. Will die back in cold winters and re-emerge in Spring. Good for hedgerow, woodland border, sunny edge, dappled shade. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Can be divided in the third year.
Seeds are viable- can germinate and become pests. Divide in the spring for medicinal roots.

Pollinators: Bees, flies

Uses: LEAVES- The leaves are used as a sedative & tea substitute. Similar to species used by Native Americans as a tea for spasms & irrational behavior; in China as an external emollient for eczema, abscesses & burns.
SEEDS- The mature seeds are diuretic, help remove stones from the kidney, bladder etc. and stimulates uterine contractions. Seeds ground into a powder and used in the treatment of bladder stones, arthritis and febrile conditions.
ROOTS: The root eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood. A syrup made from a decoction of the root and stems is used to treat smallpox, measles. A purple dye is obtained from the roots.

All parts of the plant inhibit the secretion of the pituitary gonadotrophic hormone. Extracts of the herb are contraceptive.

Cruciferae. Annual/Biennial. It is hardy to zone 6. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Prefers partial shade but also succeeds in full sun. Established plants tolerate drought. Often grown in the flower garden. Plants are fast-growing and usually self-sow freely. Showy purple or white flowers in spring, followed by papery silver dollar sized seedpods, hence the plants other common name, 'Money Plant'. The translucent dried pods are excellent for dried arrangements, the seeds ripen from June to August.

Companion: pollinated by Bees, Flies, Moths & Butterflies. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Rabbit Resistant .

Uses: Seed -A pungent flavor, they are used as a mustard substitute. The pungency of mustard develops when cold water is added to the ground-up seed - an enzyme (myrosin) acts on a glycoside (sinigrin) to produce a sulphur compound. The reaction takes 10 - 15 minutes. Mixing with hot water or vinegar, or adding salt inhibits the enzyme and produces a mild bitter mustard.
Root - raw. Used as a condiment before the plant produces flowers.

Great cut flower

Origin: Europe - Sweden

Solanaceae. Hardy Deciduous Shrub to 4'. Full to partial sun. Easily grown. Well-drained soil of moderate quality. Trim in spring. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can regrow from old wood. Flowers June-August. Plants produce suckers freely and can become invasive. Pinch out the shoot tips of the young plants in order to encourage bushy growth. Hardy to about -15°c.
Can be grown as an informal hedge. Plants have an extensive root system and can be planted to stabilize banks. Warning: Although no records of toxicity have been seen, some caution should be exercised with this species, particularly with regard to its edible leaves, since it belongs to a family that often contains toxins. The unripe fruit might also be suspect.

Harvest: The fruit is harvested when fully ripe and dried for later use. The bark is harvested in the winter and dried for later use.

Uses: Fruit - raw or cooked. The ripe fruit is a berry about 1/2" in diameter. A mild sweet licorice flavor. Only the fully ripe fruits should be eaten.
Young shoots used as a flavoring, can also be lightly cooked for 3 - 4 minutes and used as a vegetable, the taste is cress-like and somewhat minty.
Medicinal Uses: Fruit acts on the liver and kidneys. The fruit is taken internally in the treatment of high blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, diabetes, poor eyesight, verigo, lumbago, impotence and menopausal complaints.
The root bark is a bitter, cooling, antibacterial. Controls coughs, lowers fevers, blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. It is taken internally in the treatment of chronic fevers, internal hemorrages, nosebleeds, tuberculosis, coughs, asthma etc. It is applied externally to treat itching and rashes.

The fruit of many members of this genus is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially in vitamins A, C and E, flavanoids and other bioactive compounds. It is also a fairly good source of essential fatty acids.
Being researched as a treatment for halting or reversing the growth of cancers.

S.E. Europe to S.W. Asia.

Primulaceae. Hardy evergreen ground cover to 6". Grows well in any soil, keep watered until established, then very drought tolerant. Yellow flowers June to August,

Companions: pollinated by Bees and flies. The plant is self-fertile. Rabbit & Deer Proof.

Harvest: For drying, the herb is harvested in June.

Uses: A tea is made from the leaves and flowers. The whole herb, used fresh or dried, is mildly astringent, diuretic and used in healing or treating wounds. Creeping Jenny is a very good wound-herb, the fresh leaves being bruised and applied externally to the affected area. An infusion is used to treat internal bleeding and diarrhea.