The Home Garden

If you are interested in cooking and gardening, then growing herbs should be just the right home garden for you. Herbs are best when it comes to cooking. A great way for the gardener to cater for the cook is to grow herbs. Planting up a collection of herbs to suit your tastes and interests should not be too difficult, besides herbs make great gifts.

A Garnishing Herb Home Garden

Plant some herbs to add as garnish to your salads, both winter and summer salads. If garnishing is your forte then you should grow the following herbs in your home garden.

• Borage – is a hardy annual that is capable of growing up to a meter in height. The rough large hairy leaves and the blue flowers that seem to be drooping is simply a brilliant feature. Borage tastes somewhat like cucumbers and can be used to garnish salads and drinks. Borage will do well in both sun and semi-shade. Do not forget to water the herbs.
• Pansies – ever popular amongst most gardeners, pansies does not only look great in the home garden providing color, it is also edible. Pansies prefer full sun during winter and partial shade in summer when it is hot. Well-drained soil is the best medium in which to plant Pansies. Do add compost and the correct type of fertilizers if necessary. It is important to deadhead the pansies on a regular basis. Add the edible flowers to your salads, garnishing cake, deserts such as sorbets, etc.
• Nasturtiums – Nasturtiums not only make great ground covers, they are also very easy to grow and will even tolerate poor soil and full sun. The bright yellow and orange Nasturtium flowers look wonderful in salads and the leaves lends a wonderful peppery flavor. Apart from being an edible flower, the Nasturtium is also reputed to have medicinal properties. When experiencing the first symptoms of a sore throat, chew a Nasturtium leaf. (Do consult a medical practitioner in case you are allergic.)