What herbs do you have in your garden?

[coreopsis]

Why does no one grow Bergamot? It is the be all and end all of herbs I think. Wonderful tasty aromatic leaves and the prettiest spider pink flowers in the garden. It spreads like mad and I will be transplanting plantlets this year to brighten up dark corners.

Snadger,I'm going to grow bergamot this year and so is Sweepster.I made a post about them in Flower Mill but I was asking about Monarda(this is the same)

[Sweepster]

Yay for bergamot! Wonder if I'll get enough to make my own earl grey tea

[rogesse]

The stuff I'm growing as 'beebalm' is Monarda didyma aka Oswego tea and also called Bergamot because it is supposed to smell like true Bergamot orange - the Beebalm is the same stuff in Snadger's picture

[Sweepster]

The stuff I'm growing as 'beebalm' is Monarda didyma aka Oswego tea and also called Bergamot because it is supposed to smell like true Bergamot orange - the Beebalm is the same stuff in Snadger's picture

Ah, so is it the bergamot orange that is used to flavour earl grey? Or is Oswego tea the same as earl grey? Or... no, I'll stop now...

[Snadger]

Ah, so is it the bergamot orange that is used to flavour earl grey? Or is Oswego tea the same as earl grey? Or... no, I'll stop now...

It IS the bergamot orange used for Earl grey but I have tried some leaves of my bergamot plant in with a tea bag and to me the taste is indistinguishable! The aroma from the foliage is gorgeous and the flowers are spectacular and long lasting.

An allotment friend of mine won't grow it though because he is slightly arachnophobic and he says the flowers remind him of spiders!

[Gryfon]

Where do you get bergamot from then?

[Snadger]

Didn't realise there were three different colours also....whoopee.......must keep a look out for these!

Google Image Result for http://www.crazyfortea.com/images/bergamont.jpg

[Sweepster]

Where do you get bergamot from then?

Here's some:

The Organic Gardening Catalogue

[Gryfon]

Ah ha! Great thanks Now to decide how much to spend

[rogesse]

A quick google comes up with oswego tea being made from the leaves of monarda by the N. American Indians and being used as a tea by the American settlers due to shortage after the Boston tea party. You can eat the flowers in salad too - a multi talented herb!

I'm a bit confused as to where to put my new baby - the label says full sun but Snadger and my RHS herb book says partial shade, also I'm wondering if it should go in a big pot .........being related to mint.

[colser]

Rosemary
Thyme
Golden thyme
Lemon thyme + 2 other varieties that i'm not sure of the name
2 types of Sage
Chives
Mint
Garlic
Comfrey
Oregano
Lavender
Basil
Tarragon (although probably won't survive the night due to a slug attack)

+ also seeding
Parsley
Corriander
Dill
Fennel
Chamomile
Lemon Balm

[Snadger]

I new I had a couple of piccies of my own bergamot from last year. The three plants you see in the first piccie in one of my herb wheel 'triangles' have now totally carpeted the triangle! You can just se them peeping out at the back of the second piccie!

[Gryfon]

Oooo pretty! I need to get me some of that

Wanted to order some more things but wanted to look them up in my herb book first and it's gone missing Only had it this morning, then had to sort small girl out and I have no idea where I've put it!

[Sweepster]

Snadger, what's the other plant in the picture - the purple one?

[Gryfon]

Looks like marjoram or similar.