After the warm welcome to your umbrella, Mark, this herbal introduction is a great way to start. I can feel a trip to Norfolk Herbs coming on and that's just on your first recommendation!
Our singular patch of mint is right by the back door and held (relatively) in check by a complimentary rose. The mint was one of the many plants that we managed to bring with us when we moved home. I'm not sure what variety it is, as it was given to us by our neighbour, one of two sisters who lived on either side of us.
Both Joan and 'Bill', now sadly departed, were still digging for England but Joan was the real collector of the two. I still regret not taking a clump of her giant chives that used to be a regular in our kitchen -alongside all sorts of treasures that would suddenly appear on our back step.
Hello Ken, thank you for your kind words. It's interesting how many people have a story or connection with the mint in their garden - perhaps it's that mint tends to live a long life. Giant chives sound fascinating - I love the flowers in the kitchen even more than the leaves. I hope Norfolk herbs come up trumps for you
:o) One of the key things about mint is that there are so many varieties that are truly horrible to eat, so, when you find a good one, it's treasured all the more.
When the mint season starts, I use it in all sorts of dishes and, yes, it's a truly hardy herb - a plucky devil indeed!
If memory serves me correctly, Joan brought the giant chive back from one of her many holidays spent with her friend in France.
I, too, like to use herb flowers like chives, thyme and savory. They certainly pack a punch!
Agreed! So many smell delightful but I only use half a dozen varieties regularly, with a couple of very occasionals (eg Kentucky Colonel for the odd mint julep, for which it is perfect). And yes, herb flowers are hugely under appreciated
Got both of them thanks to you and your herb book in fact I’ve now 7 or 8 different mints all in pots though! May I suggest that a long stem of mint is a different touch in a bouquet of flowers too? As I’ve offered a friend to do wedding flowers this October ( never done this before!!) I’m all about what I can place in a vase or hand tied bouquets or even a bit of mint in a buttonhole would be very nice for a Highland wedding!
What a great idea! I sometimes use a few stems with whatever else from the garden in a vase, and a few sprigs in a jug of water is really good, but I've not used it in anything too considered like a bouquet or buttonhole
My cat goes absolutely insane for this and killed one by rolling over it so much until there was nothing left of the poor thing, I have to grow it in a pot out of her reach now
Agastache foeniculum is one of my fav plants! Such a useplants that the pollinators adore - so striking. I have grown the golden form too, for the contrast between the yellowy leaves and the deep violet flowers.
One thing to be aware of, the new leaves in the spring can look a bit like nettle. So if you have a garden where nettle tends to invade areas where it should not, take care. I mark my dotted plants so that I do not have any lovey scented casualties dueing spring clearances.
Ha, I found them first at an end of season sale at Wilko for 10p! But seeds for “Golden Jubilee” is available from others and I saw plants at Beth Chato.
I think it could work a treat - it's such a Farrow and Ball shade of green that it will compliment many roses I'm sure. Between the roses and the anise hyssop, that bed would house all the bees in the postcode
I get very confused between this and Korean mint. I have Korean mint (thanks to your advice and bought, OF COURSE, from Otter Farm!) and it looks exactly like this. So, what's the difference and, if I have and already love KM, should I also get Anise hyssop? (Btw, yesterday I made your herb shortbread with KM sugar. It's supposed to be for a dinner party on Saturday but I'm not sure it will make it that far...)
They look very very similar! Korean mint (despite the name, an agastache (like anise hyssop) rather than a mint) can be a little more upright and the flavour is more mint than anise, whereas anise hyssop is the reverse. I've tried to make my life easier by growing a white flowering Korean mint and a purple flowered anise hyssop. And so glad you liked the herb shortbread - thank you for trying it. You might have to make more by the sound of it...
Hello. I leave it to its own devices and while it dies back and it looks like it might have been done for by the cold, it pops back up every spring. I've had it down to -10C or so here in Devon and it's bounced back really happily
After the warm welcome to your umbrella, Mark, this herbal introduction is a great way to start. I can feel a trip to Norfolk Herbs coming on and that's just on your first recommendation!
Our singular patch of mint is right by the back door and held (relatively) in check by a complimentary rose. The mint was one of the many plants that we managed to bring with us when we moved home. I'm not sure what variety it is, as it was given to us by our neighbour, one of two sisters who lived on either side of us.
Both Joan and 'Bill', now sadly departed, were still digging for England but Joan was the real collector of the two. I still regret not taking a clump of her giant chives that used to be a regular in our kitchen -alongside all sorts of treasures that would suddenly appear on our back step.
Hello Ken, thank you for your kind words. It's interesting how many people have a story or connection with the mint in their garden - perhaps it's that mint tends to live a long life. Giant chives sound fascinating - I love the flowers in the kitchen even more than the leaves. I hope Norfolk herbs come up trumps for you
:o) One of the key things about mint is that there are so many varieties that are truly horrible to eat, so, when you find a good one, it's treasured all the more.
When the mint season starts, I use it in all sorts of dishes and, yes, it's a truly hardy herb - a plucky devil indeed!
If memory serves me correctly, Joan brought the giant chive back from one of her many holidays spent with her friend in France.
I, too, like to use herb flowers like chives, thyme and savory. They certainly pack a punch!
Agreed! So many smell delightful but I only use half a dozen varieties regularly, with a couple of very occasionals (eg Kentucky Colonel for the odd mint julep, for which it is perfect). And yes, herb flowers are hugely under appreciated
Well we will see if it’s a good idea when the wedding comes , who knows a new trend maybe set ?
Trademark it!
If it doesn’t work we can always have mojitos! 🥂
Perfect!
Got both of them thanks to you and your herb book in fact I’ve now 7 or 8 different mints all in pots though! May I suggest that a long stem of mint is a different touch in a bouquet of flowers too? As I’ve offered a friend to do wedding flowers this October ( never done this before!!) I’m all about what I can place in a vase or hand tied bouquets or even a bit of mint in a buttonhole would be very nice for a Highland wedding!
What a great idea! I sometimes use a few stems with whatever else from the garden in a vase, and a few sprigs in a jug of water is really good, but I've not used it in anything too considered like a bouquet or buttonhole
My cat goes absolutely insane for this and killed one by rolling over it so much until there was nothing left of the poor thing, I have to grow it in a pot out of her reach now
How interesting! As you can see, my dog is semi interested in the plant at best
Hello!
Agastache foeniculum is one of my fav plants! Such a useplants that the pollinators adore - so striking. I have grown the golden form too, for the contrast between the yellowy leaves and the deep violet flowers.
One thing to be aware of, the new leaves in the spring can look a bit like nettle. So if you have a garden where nettle tends to invade areas where it should not, take care. I mark my dotted plants so that I do not have any lovey scented casualties dueing spring clearances.
I wasn’t aware of the golden leaf form until these comments...I shall go in search. And thank you, great idea about marking plants to avoid casualties
Ha, I found them first at an end of season sale at Wilko for 10p! But seeds for “Golden Jubilee” is available from others and I saw plants at Beth Chato.
Thank you!
Thank you for such a tempting introduction to this plant . Could I put this in a herbaceous bed as a companion for roses ?
I think it could work a treat - it's such a Farrow and Ball shade of green that it will compliment many roses I'm sure. Between the roses and the anise hyssop, that bed would house all the bees in the postcode
Ok that is therefore a A Must
I get very confused between this and Korean mint. I have Korean mint (thanks to your advice and bought, OF COURSE, from Otter Farm!) and it looks exactly like this. So, what's the difference and, if I have and already love KM, should I also get Anise hyssop? (Btw, yesterday I made your herb shortbread with KM sugar. It's supposed to be for a dinner party on Saturday but I'm not sure it will make it that far...)
They look very very similar! Korean mint (despite the name, an agastache (like anise hyssop) rather than a mint) can be a little more upright and the flavour is more mint than anise, whereas anise hyssop is the reverse. I've tried to make my life easier by growing a white flowering Korean mint and a purple flowered anise hyssop. And so glad you liked the herb shortbread - thank you for trying it. You might have to make more by the sound of it...
Is it hardy or do you protect in winter?
Hello. I leave it to its own devices and while it dies back and it looks like it might have been done for by the cold, it pops back up every spring. I've had it down to -10C or so here in Devon and it's bounced back really happily