It grows to almost 180 cm with a spread of 60-80 cm The seed strikes quickly in a shadehouse and transplants well into the garden during late winter, spring to summer. Nutritionally it is high in folic acid and oxalic acid, just like spinach and helps to get elimination happening in the bowels, stimulates milk flow in nursing mothers and generally makes life a little more tolerable during menstruation.

Dill is an aromatic annual with blue-green, feathery foliage often mistaken for fennel. You can buy the dried seed at the supermarket, but until you have tried the immature green seed, directly from the plant you do not know what you have missed. The Dill seeds do aid digestion and settle flatulence and are a great addition if your diet is necessarily 'salt free'.

This variety of Fennel is eminently suited to the dinner table. Grown as an annual, it has a very large, bulb like base on the stem that has become so popular as a culinery necessity. It is similar to celery and can be used raw or cooked, without losing it's vitality. The bulb does take months to grow to it's full size, but you can use it at anystage of it's growth. It can get a little 'stringy' as it passes it's prime though.

Lemongrass is a well known, clumping grass with the unmistakeable aroma. This herb is easy to grow and keep and so convenient to use. Mainly used as a culinary herb, the leaves and stems of the lemongrass are beneficial to the stomach, and as an antiseptic. The essential oil within the plant is useful for improving circulation and muscle tone.

These little guys usually last for a year or so in the garden but because they self seed you are able to enjoy them perennially. Sweet Marjoram have a sweeter and deeper taste than Oregano which some people prefer. There are a thousand uses for Sweet Marjoram in the kitchen, but taken as a tea it does relieve flatulence and aids digestion as well as providing a calming nerve tonic to the stressed mind and emotions.

With the almost infinite variety of mints on the market today, it is a bit difficult to know where to start if you are looking for a medicinal mint. We prefer Spearmint as it is not hybridised. Used predominantly as a flavouring agent Spearmint's uses are no surprise and open to your imagination.

Apart from the long held and undeniable reputation that Peppermint has as a food flavouring and colouring, it is useful aromatically and while it may not actually affect the respiratory system as it seems to, how can you deny the way it makes you feel? It strikes well and quite quickly from seed and will reseed itself with regular abandon.

Rocket is an essential annual for the vegy garden. Can't do without it! Rocket leaf shape varies enormously on the plant from lance shaped to round, but the young leaves add an unmistakable tang to salads. As Rocket gets older the tang turns into a more mature 'bite'. Rocket produces a huge quantity of flowers which have much the same qualities as the young leaves.

This herb, of immense reputation as a culinary herb, is surprisingly easy to grow from seed. Germination is quite fast at around two weeks. It does get a little slower after that but if you want to plant a hedge or a traditional Cottage or Herb Garden, then seed is the way to go. It is dense, perennial, evergreen, aromatic and the bees love it when it is in flower.

Commonly known and referred to as a culinary herb, Sage is much more than that. Sage is excellent as a general tonic as either Sage Tea or Sage Wine. The tea can be used as a mouthwash or for mild cases of constipation or even as an additive to herbal tobacco. The seed strikes well and reasonably fast and once established, as a perennial, it requires regular pruning which happens automatically as you harvest the leaves and stems.

While only an annual, it is possible to dry and keep Savoury all through winter. You can be fairly sure that it will self seed next winter (late) to supply you for yet another Spring to Autumn. The taste is slightly peppery and it adds much to pulse dishes or even meats. Savoury seems to stimulate the production of enzymes, therefore aiding sluggish digestion. Seed germination is quick and easy, especially in Winter.

This Tarragon has narrow, pale green leaves and from a culinary point of view it lacks the aniseed undertones of both the Mexican and French. The leaves contain iodine, mineral salts and vitamins A and C. Essentially, Russian Tarragon can be described as a tonic, with all of the impressions that the term implies. As a digestive tonic, Russian Tarragon stimulates the appetite and some gardeners love the taste of the leaves.

Mexican Tarragon is a consistent perennial, this pretty herb sits comfortably amongst others. Growing here to a height of 80cm, it's vertical nature makes a stately low centrepiece to small herb garden. Well drained soil and full sun keep it happy and it's habit of leaving the showy business of flowering until very late summer and autumn means that it is in full bloom when most others have long gone to seed.