While many herbs can be used to make delicious herbal tea and tea blends, there are some that I consider essential in any tea garden. Those six are: Anise Hyssop, Bee Balm, Chamomile, Lemon Verbena, Black peppermint and Pineapple Mint.
Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum). Known to some as licorice mint, anise hyssop is related to mints and hyssop. It delivers a hint of delicious licorice flavor to tea-a tea once enjoyed as a traditional beverage by the Native Americans of the northern plains. Its tall spikes of purple-blue flowers reach 3 to 4 feet high, and the plant is much loved by bees. Anise hyssop is a perennial hardy in Zones 4 to 9 and grows best in full sun with a rich soil. Easily started from seed, it happily reseeds itself but is by no means invasive. Both leaves and flowers can be harvested for tea. It attracts bees in great numbers, especially bumble and honey bees.
Bee balm (Monarda didyma). This hummingbird attracting flower with amazing trumpet -shaped petals comes in shades of pink, red, lavender, scarlet, and mahogany has become one of my favorites in both the garden and in tea. Bee balm-also...
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bee balm, chamomile, gardening, herb tea, hyssop, lemon verbena, peppermint, pineapple mint
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Three more unusual lemon herbs for you today. These are lovely and worth the experimentation to grow them in your own garden.
Mexican Giant Hyssop (Agastache mexicana) is hardy in zones 7 to 11, so must be grown as an annual in colder climates and started indoors. It can still grow rather tall in just one season. The foliage is lemon-scented and the flowers are edible. The flowers are a reddish purple color and appear on long spikes in mid to late summer. The seeds for this plant are available from Richter's.
Lemon Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citiodora) is a tropical plant that can actually grow into a tree. It can be grown in a tub like a houseplant and brought in for winter. The lance-shaped leaves of this tree smell of lemon. I like it in potpourri. Sandy Mush Herb Nursery carries this hard-to-find plant.
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa or Rumex scutantus) has several other names including garden sorrel or French sorrel. Of the 200 varieties of sorrel in existence, these two are the ones most edible. All sorrels have Oxalic acid giving them a sour taste, but these two varieties...
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eucalyptus, gardening, hyssop, lemon, sorrel
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