Thank you for the questions you submitted, we sat down with Jekka and a cup of our citrus trilogy herbal infusion and answered them for you. The questions we had submitted were:
- What is your favourite Herb?
- Has the wet spring and the very wet autumn had any detrimental effect on Jekka’s Herb Garden and your Herb plants in pots?
- What Herbs can be sown at this time of year?
- How do you look after ornamental Oreganos in winter months?
- What is your favourite Herb for smell?
- Is this a good time to divide Mint?
- What Herbs are good for biodiversity in autumn/winter?
1. What is your favourite Herb?
I don't have one Herb that is my favourite. It depends on the season, as we are in autumn my favourite herbs are Rosemary, Sage and Thyme, they are great in soups, stews and with roast vegetables.
I also love Myrtle, which I use like one would use Bay leaves, it has a spicy flavour, lovely in tomato soup. Myrtle is a beautiful evergreen Herb and, at this time of year, its foliage and berries provide our garden structure, plus being a source of food for our birds.
Want to know more? Read Jekka’s Blog All About Herbs: Myrtle (Myrtus) & Luma (Luma)
2. Has the wet spring and the very wet autumn had any detrimental effect on Jekka’s Herb Garden and your Herb plants in pots?
The amount of rain we have experienced this year has really impacted Jekka’s Herb Garden. It was really wet in the spring and some plants thrived and, in some instants, grew out of control, especially the weeds! Now it is autumn, when the herbs have started to go into hibernation, and the rain is affecting their root systems.
Plants in pots can bring moisture up through their root system from the bottom of the pot and we are seeing noticeable signs of pooling in the roots. One trick that is very easy to do is raising the pot plants slightly from the ground. You can lay bamboo sticks or bricks to achieve this at home. Another tip is to bring your pot herbs close to the wall of your home as this will cut down around 25% of the rainfall.
You might have also noticed that quite a few of your plants, especially the shrubs, for example Rosemary, Myrtle and Lavender, have leaves that have started to turn yellow. This could be because they are lacking nutrients or magnesium. This is caused by the rain washing the nutrients out of the soil. If this is the case, it's a really good idea, especially in the spring, to give a good top dressing with some horticultural Epsom salts (available to buy online). And after you've had a very tiring day in the garden, you can use the Epsom salts in your bath. It will turn you green but it's wonderful for aching muscles!
On a positive note, the herbs in our gravel garden have been growing really well, especially the Thymes. The gravel protects the crown of the thyme from rotting as it disperses the rainfall.
Want to know more? See Jekka’s Herb Garden time-line to see how it has changed through the year.
3. What Herbs can be sown at this time of year?
Wildflower seeds are ideal to sow at this time of year. My best advice, when sowing seeds, is to always follow nature. Consider when the plant would naturally drops its seeds, as that would be the ideal time to sow. Sow wildflowers like Primroses, Field Poppy’s, Cowslips and Self-heal at this time of year because they need the winter to germinate. You can sow the seed directly into a seed tray, then pop the seed tray outside covered with glass, so that the seedlings cannot be eaten by mice!
Other herbs that you can sow at this time of year are; Angelica (Angelica archangelica) and Giant Fennel ( Ferula communis). With your Angelica seeds, sow these into large modules and keep them in a cold greenhouse until they germinate. They do not require any extra heat. With the Ferulas, they naturally die down in summer so as, you can now see that they are reappearing in the garden, this is the time you can sow your seeds directly into the ground.
Take the time to watch your herbs as they are the best teachers in guiding you when to start sowing.
Want to know more? Read Jekka’s guide to growing herbs in autumn or watch Jekka’s video on how to sow seeds.
Giant Fennel, Ferula communis
4. How do you look after ornamental Oreganos in winter months?
The best way to look after the ornamental Oreganos such as Jekka's Beauty Oregano (Origanum 'Jekka's Beauty'), Kent Beauty (Oregano Origanum 'Kent Beauty') and Cretan Oregano (Origanum Dictamnus) or any of the herbs that have the hairy leaves is to really cut back on the watering to virtually nil. Don't let the compost totally dry out, but really make sure that it is not damp.
So if you have planted them in your garden it is best to lift them at this time of year and repot your plant. Then place the potted plant in a cool place so that they can dry out and they do not have to fight to survive in our winter weather. In the spring, either replant in the garden or pot up a size, ensure that they get a good feed and slowly introduce water, start once or twice a week and build up to every day depending on the weather.
Another important tip for herb plants with hairy leaves is to avoid getting the leaves wet when watering. Use a small watering can and circle around the edge of the pot rather then dousing the plant from above.
Want to know more? Read Jekka’s Guide to Oregano
Kent Beauty, Oregano Origanum 'Kent Beauty'
5. What is your favourite Herb for smell?
Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is my favourite scented leafed herb out of all the herbs I grow. I really love rubbing the leaves, the scent is of lemon sherbet. It is also one I would preserve for use in winter as the tea really lifts the spirits. It is very easy to dry the leaves in the summer; simply, pick the leaves, spread them out on tray, put the leaves into a dry light room, leave until they are crispy and dry and keep in an airtight container.
One recipe I do like to make with the leaves (either dry or fresh) is Lemon Verbena Drizzle Cake. Place the leaves at the bottom of your cake tin and then pour on a normal sponge mixture. The flavour from the leaves will infuse through the cake. On removal from the tin just peel the leaves away and pour on your lemon drizzle mixture, voila it’s a perfect warming autumn cake to make you feel like its summer.
Want to know more? Read Jekka's blog All About Lemon Verbena
Lemon Verbena, Aloysia citrodora
6. Is this a good time to divide Mint?
This is an excellent time of year to divide Mint, especially after the wet autumn that we have had. If you are growing mint in pots, please tip them out of the pot, saw them in half and put the beautiful white rooted rhizome into the middle of the pot and pot fresh compost around it, and then in the spring it will grow from the middle and out again. Keep your freshly potted mint in a cold greenhouse, or place the container against a wall, this will help cut down the rain fall by 25%. If growing under cover water sparingly, but do not let it totally dry out.
We have made several videos about how to divide mint which you can watch on our Mint blog:
Want to know more? Read Jekka's Guide to Mint
7. What Herbs are good for biodiversity in autumn/winter?
My favourite autumn flowering herb is Aloysia virgata which is known as the Sweet Almond Verbena because the flowers smell of almonds (and we will have plants available to buy next spring at our open days). It has been surprisingly mild this week and the shrub has proved very attractive to all forms of pollinators especially our bumble and honeybees.
Like its cousin Lemon Verbena it is a deciduous shrub, native to Argentina it grows from central Argentina up to Brazil. It is a large shrub bush with delicate flowers that grow in clusters forming spike like inflorescence.
It is reputedly a tender shrub however, I planted ours in the front garden which is solid clay, as you are all aware it has been a very wet year and it has survived and still looking gorgeous.
Sweet Almond Verbena, Aloysia virgata
Want to know more?
You can find more about herbs in Jekka’s blog, our past newsletters and videos as well as Jekka's new book '100 Herbs to Grow' and Jekka's existing books, namely 'A Pocketful of Herbs' or Jekka's Complete Herb Book, and also by browsing Jekkapedia and exploring our herb based recipes.
Alternatively, come and visit the herb farm in South Gloucestershire at one of our Open Days, Master Classes or Herb Experiences such as last year’s Jekka’s HerbFest (see the highlights).
For advice on growing and maintaining herbs, check out ‘Jekka’s Seasonal Tips’ blog series, which includes what to do in your herb garden in early spring, late spring, summer and autumn & winter. Together they form the basis of Jekka’s guide on how to grow herbs.
Please also see Jekka's herbs of the month blogs: Bay (January), Rosemary (February), Salad Burnet (March), French Tarragon (April), Angelica (May), Alliums (June), Lavender (July), Basil (August), Mint (September), Szechuan Pepper (October), Thyme (November) and Curry Tree (December)
Herb plants are available and you can organise a collection from our herb farm in South Gloucestershire or at one of our Open Days. Please see our 'Looking Good List' for availability and use our webform or email your list directly to us (sales@jekkas.com). We no longer offer a general mail order service for our plants but we do offer an occasional limited selection of Jekka's Culinary Herb Boxes.
Jekka's Herb Garden, October 2024