A Herbal Tea Garden, Grow these easy plants.

Growing your own tea garden is so simple whether you have lots of space or only a small patio or windowsill there are tea plants for you. Lets take a look at a few of them here and get some ideas.

Tea Garden Herbs

Mint:

Large plant family with so many varieties to choose from from peppermint, Moroccan mint, chocolate mint and pineapple mint to name a few. They are all very easy to grow with very little care needed. Just make sure they have a bright sunny spot with shelter from any hot afternoon sun.

Be warned it will take over any space so either plant it separately or sink a pot into the ground to keep in contained.

• Fresh
• Menthol

Lemon Balm:

Grows very much like mint because it is part of the same family so use caution when planting because it spreads and self seeds.

• Cirtrusy
• Light

Chamomile:

A beautiful feathery looking plant with pretty daisy like flowers. Another easy plant to grow. Most plants will die back in the winter but they will usually self seed and come back the following year.

• Subtle
• Floral

Fennel:

This can be grown for it’s bulb but if you are only wanting it for tea then the leaves are lovely in the summer or you can harvest the seeds from the flowers in the autumn. IT is another beautiful feathery looking herb.

• Liquorish/ aniseed

The Shrubs

Rose:

This plant will require a little more space and care but the rewards are worth it. Choose from a large selection of tea roses, with so many beautiful colours, sizes and levels of aroma you will find one for you.

For tea harvest you just need to harvest the smaller rose buds. Leave the bigger blooms to enjoy.

• Floral

Lavender:

Lavender has to be a favourite for most gardeners out there. Whether it is grown in pots or in the ground it is a beautiful shrub that smells amazing.

Check out my post on growing English lavender to learn more.

• Floral

Other Cool Tea Garden Plants

Violets:

An easy perennial plant that will do well in a shady spot. Grow the sweet violet variety for your tea garden, harvesting the pretty purple flowers.

• Floral

Blue butterfly peas:

Want to impress your friends and family then this is the plant to grow. The flowers from this pea will turn your tea a beautiful shade of blue. Add some lemon and the acid turns the blue to a pink.

• Earthy

Ginger:

A little more advanced this plant will need more care than the others. It is the rhizome that is used for tea. If you are wanting a more tropical looking tea garden then you will want to try growing ginger. The plant will need lots of warmth, humidity and sun to grow successfully.

• Spicy

Lemongrass:

A great plant to add for height a lovely citrussy grass. Harvest the stalks as and when you need them, a little goes a long way with lemongrass.

• Citrus
• Fresh

Also check out hibiscus, lemon, echinacea, calendula, rosemary, stevia, raspberry.

Foraging for weeds

Not quite tea garden worthy but they are definitely worth mentioning here. They taste amazing as tea and are packed full of wonderful health benefits.

Nettle:

Most of use stay clear of this stinging plant but when heated the sting disappears and creates beautiful tea. Obviously use care when harvesting this plant use thick gloves.

• Earthy
• Sweet

Dandelion:

Probably one of the most hated weeds we find in our gardens. Think twice before throwing this plant into the bin. The leaves can be used in salads while the leaves and roots can be used for tea.

For best flavour harvest the flowers in spring and the roots in autumn/fall.

• Earthy
• Sweet

Fresh or Dried

Tea doesn’t need to be dried you can use any of the plants in their fresh form.

For most of these plants they may only flower or grow at certain times of the year. If that is the case then harvesting fresh while you can is beneficial and I would take full advantage of this.

Some of these periods may be very short so this is when dried comes in. It is a great way to preserve our teas and enjoy them year round.

Drying is easy to do you just harvest what you need and the either lay them onto mesh trays to dry or hang them up.

Store the dried teas in airtight containers and keep dry. Do not use them if they start to get moldy and stale.

Tea Garden Combinations

• Floral tea:
  • Rose
  • Hibiscus
  • Violet
  • Blue Butterfly pea

• Fresh citrusy:
  • Lemongrass
  • Chamomile
  • Mint
  • Thyme

• Sleepy time:
  • Chamomile
  • Lavender
  • Echinacea
  • Fennel

• Calming:
  • Lavender
  • Lemon balm
  • Mint

• Digestive:
  • Ginger
  • Violet
  • Nettle
  • Dandelion