This week I started a small potted herb garden to see us through the summer. It's just a temporary one until we move, but it's definitely worth it. There's nothing like adding herbs from your own garden to a home-cooked meal - especially when it's to highlight the flavour of some freshly picked vegetables from the same garden :)

I've planted parsley, chives, thyme and oregano. I may also try to get some sage and coriander growing from a previous season's saved seeds.

In addition to these potted herbs, we're also growing basil hydroponically (along with tomatoes, etc. in the greenhouse). We have some very healthy rosemary plants in the front garden, and mint grows happily under the garden tap.

Rosemary with visiting bee

This summer's plantings certainly won't reach the glorious heights of my former herb garden, which I must admit I allowed to become overgrown and pot-bound (waiting to be planted out in the landscaped cottage garden that never happened). For several years I had the pleasure of growing lemon verbena, sage, tarragon, lemongrass, chocolate mint, lemon thyme, pineapple sage, tansy, lemon balm, coriander and catmint.

My absolute favourite herb is lemon verbena - the leaves smell like lemonade icypole when you rub them between your fingers :)

lemon verbena

Lemon verbena photo credit to daveleb (found on Flickr).