Six Unusual Herbs to Sow in Your Garden
These six herbs are a good investment for flavour – whatever the weather throws at us .
Less-familiar herbs: from left to right, the distinctive seeds of sweet cicely and orange thyme Photo: Alamy
By Mark Diacono
I am an almost
tediously optimistic grower – I’ve planted orchards of pecans and
almonds, for heaven’s sake – but this long winter has tested my
positivity. Last March, for a week and a half, I dug the veg plot in
shorts while the sun burnt the back of my legs; a year and a fortnight
later and I’m shivering.
After 2012, I
feel that the weather owes us something, yet here we are: the light says
spring, while the temperature says winter. There was a moment this
week, though, when the wind dropped for a few delicious minutes, and I
wondered whether we should look back on this sluggish slide out of
winter with a little more gratitude.
Those days last
March that warmed the soil and coaxed blossom and leaves (as well as my
legs) out too early, reverted to winter all too soon, hitting
seedlings, nipping blossom and chilling the soil once more. It was this
reversal of the seasons that cost many of us fruit and wiped out those
spring sowings that had got ahead of themselves in the sun.
We gardeners
want an orderly procession of the seasons: crucially for spring to
follow winter without going back for a few weeks to collect the baton
properly. This spring may be starting late, but with every day that
passes the chances diminish of a repeat of that well-worn trick: warmth
arriving then reverting to serious cold.
So this cold
start may not be ideal, but it is a reminder to trust ourselves, rather
than the imaginary world of the seed packet or books. Let the air and
the soil tell us when to sow and when to plant. For most of us, this is
the start of spring this year. Aside from a few missed opportunities
such as tomatoes and chillies, pretty much all vegetables can still be
started off from seed, so why not get those seed catalogues out, get
online or down to the garden centre and get sowing.
This cold has
nudged me to shift even more of the garden over to perennials.
Established plants listen to the weather – they emerge when conditions
allow, and even if they get the odd shock, as they did last year,
they’ll recover to be productive again. Perennials also tend to be less
vulnerable than annuals to pests and diseases. And if you combine
perennial resilience with great flavours then at least one part of your
garden has a great chance of being deliciously productive whatever the
seasons throw at it. So here are a few of my favourite yet lesser-known
transforming flavours, all but one perennial, and all of which can be
planted out or sown now.
Sweet cicely
The fern-like
leaves of sweet cicely appear early in spring, giving frosty fingers
something to harvest. Flowers like mini elderflower heads quickly follow
and then beautiful long-ribbed seeds. All parts are deliciously, gently
aniseed. Don’t let this put you off if you aren’t immediately keen as
sweet cicely has two other fine qualities: it reduces the acidity of
other ingredients, giving the appearance of sweetening, which means that
when adding sweet cicely to rhubarb, gooseberries and cooking apples
you can use less sugar than usual. It also catalyses other herbs when
used in combination, bringing them out of themselves while remaining in
the background itself.
Sweet cicely
loves partial shade and will happily grow under trees, and in damp,
though not waterlogged, spots. Sow in autumn (the seed needs winter cold
to germinate) or grow from pots now. Sweet cicely is not one to grow
permanently in pots as it has a long root that likes to burrow down. It
is a prolific self-seeder, which is either a delightful bonus or a
nuisance depending on your situation and disposition – if the latter,
just pick off the large seeds as they form: they are superb chopped into
home-made fudge or crumble topping.
Lemon verbena
This may be my
desert island herb. Its leaves smell and taste like lemons, only better,
with a sherberty fizz to it. As with bay, the leaves are usually not
eaten (though it is safe to do so) but are used in such a way that the
flavour is imparted. It makes a fabulous syrup (see box) that brightens
up summer cocktails and ice cream, and is particularly good infused in
milk for puddings. Lemon verbena is perennial but hates winter cold so
grow it in a pot, keeping it under cover through the cold months and in a
sunny spot for the rest of the year.
Perilla
I have no idea
why perilla (aka shiso) remains comparatively unknown as it is
fabulously flavoured – imagine the earthy but bright child of mint and
cumin parents. It looks wonderful too, with soft crinkled leaves, in
deep purple and vivid green varieties. It is widely used in Japanese and
Chinese cooking – I use the leaves and flowers mostly in soups, in
partnership with aubergines and in salads. The leaves are also
particularly good tempura battered and deep fried, but the plant is
endlessly adaptable. Cook very briefly, if at all, adding it late or raw
to get the best of its flavour. Perilla is a sun-loving annual that
self-seeds if allowed – sow it now undercover, and/or from late spring
onwards outside. Pinch out the growing tips if you want the plant to
bush out, or let it grow high and flower.
Anise hyssop
Anise hyssop
has a minty aniseed flavour that’s both fresh and sweet. I use it most
in cocktails and Pimm’s, though it is equally fabulous with shellfish.
The leaves are
best finely shredded: try it with strawberries, where it brings out
their sweetness and aroma perfectly. It also happens to be particularly
beautiful, growing a couple of feet tall, with purple flowers that will
keep the bees happy through summer and into autumn.
Hardy and
perennial, anise hyssop can be grown from seed with undercover heat or
you can start with pot plants. It dies back in the cold, re-emerging in
spring. It can self seed if allowed to; snip off the flowers (also good
in cocktails and fruit salads) before they turn to seed if you’d rather
they didn’t.
Orange thyme
More often than
not, fruit-flavoured herbs smell perfectly enticing but disappoint in
flavour. Orange thyme (as well as lemon thyme) is fabulous, giving a
warm citrus flavour to accompany the wholesomeness of the thyme.
It is easiest
to start with plants or cuttings. Like common thyme, it likes the sun, a
well-drained position, and will produce all year round (albeit slowly
in winter). Excellent with duck, lamb and superb when used to infuse its
flavour in desserts such as crème brûlée.
Winter savory
This
under-appreciated evergreen herb has a gentle menthol freshness to go
with its mint, pepper and thyme flavour. More strongly flavoured than
summer savory, it works particularly well in hearty, winter meat and
bean recipes. Sow into compost but leave the seeds uncovered as they
need light to germinate. Once they are established, harden the seedlings
off before planting them out. You can also start with plants for a
quicker return, and/or take cuttings right now. Winter savory enjoys a
sunny, well-drained spot but doesn’t like to dry out.
