Herbs
Showing all 14 results
Basil – Italian Leaf (Genovese Basil)
This is a very popular Italian strain, prized for its excellent flavor and smell. Commonly used in pesto sauces, Italian Leaf Basil is great fresh or dried, although dried gives you a much milder flavor. This plant grows to be about 18 inches tall, and can become very bushy with many leaves if pruned and taken care of effectively.
6 Cell Pack
Basil – Red Rubin
For basil lovers, this is an absolute must-have in your garden! Winner of the AAS (All America Selections) in 1992, this basil is unique in that it has a deep purple leaf that holds its colour better than any other purple basil. It has a very intense and sweet aroma and taste. Red Rubin is an excellent multipurpose basil, in that in can be used to add colour and taste to salads, meat dishes, soups, pastas, or can be used ornamentally in your garden given that it produces lavender coloured flowers, and is very effective at attracting honey bees!
6 Cell Pack
Basil – Thai
Thai basil has its own unique flavor – very distinctively licorice. Traditionally used in Thai and Asian cooking, Thai basil keeps its strong taste better than regular sweet basil. This plant has burgundy flowers, and deep earthy green leaves that can grow to be about 2 inches long. This is a very easy variety of basil to grow, and it comes up very fast. It is slower to flower, however, but this just means that you get a longer harvesting period! It can be used fresh or dried, or even steeped into tea due to its sweet, strong taste.
6 Cell Pack
Calendula – Balls Orange
Although the leaves and flowers are edible and can be used in salads, soups, and stews, Calendula is best known for its use in products like creams, salves, tinctures, and teas. It is often used as an anti-viral and anti-inflammatory, and has a very delicate scent. It’s a great ingredient to add to things like natural baby creams, as it is mild and calming, and will make your baby smell oh-so good! At 2 feet tall when full grown, balls orange calendula produces stunning double flower heads in a deep orange, and will bloom all season long. They are also great as cut flowers, so that pop of colour can be enjoyed in your home too!
6 Cell Pack
Chamomile
This charming little flower looks much like a miniature daisy with a yellow center and thin white petals. Their welcoming appearance and sweet, earthy smell attract bees, butterflies, and birds, which is a great thing for any garden! Chamomile is mainly harvested to be used as a soothing, medicinal tea to aid digestion or restlessness, and is also beneficial to your immune system. Trust me when I say that freshly steeped chamomile tea from your own garden is a hundred times better than store bought tea bags! The flowers should be harvested before they are fully opened and can be used fresh, or can be dried and stored. It is also recommended to remove the deadheads on the plant to that the seeds don’t spread and take over – unless that’s what you’re going for!
6 Cell Pack
Chives
Chives are a very common herb, most often used in dishes such as salads, meat, soups, and potatoes. The mild onion taste is just enough flavor without being overwhelming, and the clover-like purple flowers can be eaten too, making a wonderful garnish. Chives are very easy to grow, and usually make it right through the winter without too much problem. The youngest growth is usually the best option to use, as it is a little bit sweeter, and definitely more tender than the bigger, darker stalks. They are also great to have in your garden, as the large flowers are great for attracting honeybees and other garden-friendly insects.
6 Cell Pack
Cilantro-Calypso
Cilantro is one of the oldest herbs, being used for thousands of years in several different cultures. Amazingly tasty in fresh salsas and salads , leaves can also be cooked into dishes, or a full stem of several leaves can be used as a garnish to spruce up a meal. Cilantro seeds can also be used as a spice, more commonly being called coriander. Calypso cilantro in particular, grows large uniform plants with bright green, citrusy flavoured leaves, and is slower to bolt than other varieties by at least two whole weeks!
6 Cell Pack
Creeping Thyme
Although creeping thyme can be used as an herb just like regular thyme with its sweet and spicy flavours, it seems to be most often used as a ground cover or between paving stones. Proving to be VERY hardy, it can basically be used as a much prettier, lower maintenance grass. At only 2-4 inches tall, this perennial can be walked on without any problems, emitting a lovely smell from the leaves and its little purple flowers. These flowers are amazing for attracting bees and butterflies to your garden – and expect lots of them; during the summer months, creeping thyme has so many blooms, it is almost impossible to see the foliage underneath!
6 Cell Pack
Dill-Hera
Hera is one of the most popular varieties of dill, with a sensational scent and flavor. With flowers that are very slow to bloom, this is one of the slowest bolting varieties, making for a long harvest season. Hera dill plants grow up to 2 feet tall, and produce full, feathery stalks of deep blue/green leaves. It can be used fresh, as seeds, or dried, most commonly for dishes such as potatoes, seafood, and for pickling.
6 Cell Pack
Greek Oregano
As you may have expected, this is a Mediterranean herb, originally from the mountains of Greece. People often describe this herb as giving their garden a ‘wild mountain aroma’, due to its fresh, spicy, and warm qualities. Greek oregano grows small white flowers, which are very good at attracting bees, and its scent and flavors are stronger and more intense than other varieties. The leaves are excellent for cooking fresh, yet they are just as good, and more intense after being dried. Also a well- known medicinal herb, oregano can be steeped into a tea to help aid abdominal discomfort, and its oil is often used in chasing away colds and viruses.
6 Cell Pack
Italian Parsley
Italian parsley almost resembles a cilantro plant more than other varieties of parsley. Instead of having frilly, curled foliage, this variety is flat, with deeply cut leaves. With a stronger and slightly sweet flavor, Italian parsley is most often used as a seasoning in soups, fish, or rice dishes. Under cooking conditions it retains its flavor better than most other curly leaf varieties, making it a very popular type. It is also the choice type for drying purposes.
6 Cell Pack
Sage
Like most other flowering herbs, sage is a great tool to bring bees, butterflies and other friendly insects to your garden, thanks to its tall, spiky mauve flowers. Its grey/green leaves have a velvety feel to them, which I often find very soothing to run my fingers over while strolling through our garden. Sage dries very well, and can also be used fresh in stuffing, meats, salads, soft cheeses, soups, or even frozen into ice cubes as a refreshing and slightly flavoured addition to summer drinks! Overwintering is usually no problem in most areas for this herb, as it is very hardy and low maintenance.
6 Cell Pack
Stevia
Hailing all sweet-tooths! (sweet-teeth?) You’ve found it; your new favourite thing. Stevia! Said to be 300x sweeter than sugar, stevia is all natural, healthy, and calorie free! It can be used fresh, or dried and ground into a fine powder to be used in place of sugar for anything from your morning coffee, to your next batch of baking. We throw a leaf or two into the teapot while steeping the tea to give a natural gentle sweetness. Originally from Brazil and Paraguay, stevia does not overwinter in Canada. Stevia plants grow to be 1-2 feet tall with compact foliage, and have tiny white flowers at the tip of every stem – great for your herb garden or your flower garden!
6 Cell Pack
Summer Thyme
Summer thyme has the most wonderful flavor out of almost any thyme variety; a little bit sweet, and little bit spicy, and very pungent. Its narrowly pointed leaves have a muted grey tint to them, and are excellent in soups, stews, and meat dishes, either fresh or dried. It is also a great plant to keep in the garden, as the pink flowers are very attractive to bees and garden-friendly insects. Summer thyme, however, does not overwinter as well as other types, so plan accordingly if you plan on having this around as a perennial.
6 Cell Pack