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Sweet Marjoram is a rich, sweet tasting herb, that is used interchangeably with oregano. It has tender leaves and stems, grows well just about anywhere, and is a great kitchen windowsill garden choice. A tender plant. Consider your marjoram to be an annual.

Cut back juicy stems and leaves as they grow. Sweet marjoram will provide you with multiple cuttings in one season. Cut the soft stems and leaves and add at the end of the cooking time. Use a small amount to begin with. Marjoram boasts a more powerful flavor than the same amount of oregano.

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aka Mint Common

There are several forms of Garden Mint, the true variety being of bold, upright growth, with fairly large and broad leaves, pointed and sharply serrated (or toothed) at the edges and of a rich, bright, green colour.

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A hardy perennial that is the Basil you have when you don’t have any Basil. Spreads easily so container planting may be a good option.

Add late in the cooking as the mint aroma fades quickly. Finely chop leaves and use them in salad dressings, marinades and sauces. Add to salads and vegetables for an exotic flavour. Tastes a lot like Sweet Basil so partners well with similar strong flavoured herbs.

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Best grown in rich, moist soils in full sun to part shade. Adapts to a wide range of soils except dry ones. Large plantings may be sheared after bloom to remove flower spikes and stimulate new vegetative growth. Soil barriers may be used to restrain spread if plants are grown in borders or other areas where spread is unwanted.

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Japanese emperor mint is a wonderful culinary herb, with a delicate flavour that goes particularly well in salads. It has a strong flavour and is very hardy, happily surviving frosts.

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Also known as Vietnamese coriander, Cambodian mint and laksa Leaf this has to be my favourite Asian herb. Native to peninsular South-East Asia this is a perennial herb, which has striking pointed leaves, lime green in colour with dark inner markings. With purple stems the whole plant evokes a wonderfully strong citrus aroma with a taste to match.

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Mentha arvensis is a species of mint with a circumboreal distribution. It is native to the temperate regions of Europe and western and central Asia, east to the Himalaya and eastern Siberia, and North America.

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aka Curry Leaf Tree

The famed Curry Leaf plant, native to India and Ceylon, lends its pungent scent as a main ingredient in delicious curries. The many segmented foliage is borne on a compact bush convenient for harvesting.

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aka Chilean Guava Syn Ugni Molinae

AKA as Chilean Guava or NZ Cranberry. A reliable little shrub with tight small leaves in an attractive bronze green shade. Little white flowers in spring are followed by fragrant edible berries. Easy to grow, clips well so can be used for topiary or hedging. Evergreen.

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aka Catmint

A useful and attractive perennial with grey/green foliage and pretty sprays of mauve blue flowers that appear from spring right through to autumn. Useful as an edging for flower beds. Loves a sunny position and a good haircut every now and then. Hardy, evergreen and yes cats love it!