It's a beautiful time of year on the herb farm: December 1st
brought the first frost; pink skies and winter sunshine make a welcome change from recent downpours!
Frosted Achillea filipendulina 'Gold Plate' AGM
The frost has been so late coming this year, we were more than ready, and it was all hands to the horticultural fleece to protect our tender herbs. As the day warms up, don't forget to remove the horticultural fleece so that your herbs get a breath of fresh air and a chance to dry out.
It's a very busy time of year for Jill, our herb farm propagator, as she's been sowing herb seed that requires a good period of stratification (a period of moisture and cold before it will germinate).
Herb seed that requires stratification includes Sweet Woodruff, Poppy, Soapwort (right), Sweet Cicely and Sweet Violet (below). They have to be sown in trays, covered with glass and then left outside in a coldframe (or place them in a corner of the garden where they can't get damaged).
Saponaria officinalis, Soapwort -
the seed needs stratifying before
it will germinate
Viola odorata, Sweet Violet - the seed needs to stratify before it will germinate
2010 is officially the International Year of Biodiversity, to raise awareness and take steps to rectify the very real threat to our natural resources. Biodiversity in the garden encourages beneficial insects and wildlife, which will, in turn, increase your yield.
Growing organically, and growing native herbs, particularly ones that encourage beneficial insects, is of particular importance to encouraging and increasing biodiversity. You can do it in your own back garden, in your herb garden, even in containers. And you will reap the rewards as bees, birds and butterflies achieve a high level of pollination and increased yields.
Native herbs are naturally acclimatised to our native weather, and help to provide a natural environment for beneficial insects and wildlife. All native herbs are indicated on our website by the symbol , and you can use our Search function to find them all (click on the 'Uses' drop down list).
Biodiversity herbs - those which specifically encourage bees, butterflies and beneficial insects - are indicated on our website by the butterfly symbol .
We're gearing up to send out our brand new 2010 'taster catalogue' in January, which lists our top 100 herbs in inspiring chapters such as 'Butterfly & Bee Herbs', and 'Herbs for Home Remedies'...
We'll be mailing out the catalogue in January, and it will also be available to download from the website.
It's specially designed by Jekka to help you choose amongst our 600 + herb varieties. For example, if you're looking for great herbs to cook with, there's a chapter called 'Herbs for a Cook's Garden'.
The cover is being designed, as usual, by Jekka's illustrator daughter, Hannah McVicar - we know we're really lucky to have Hannah do this, because we receive so much great feedback about her stunning designs!
If you still prefer to see our whole 600+ varieties in catalogue form (not forgetting that they're all plain to see here on our website), you can order our Complete Herb List by sending in £2.50 in coins attached to a piece of card, together with your address.
Jekka and husband Mac spent the latter part of October in Malaysia, as a guest of Tourism Malaysia, following a chance meeting at the Chelsea Flower Show this year...
Jekka, with her garden designer hat on, was invited for comment on the development of Malaysia's many beautiful and bountiful gardens which are helping to boost the Malaysian tourist industry.
Since her return from Malaysia , Jekka's been busy designing bespoke herb gardens for many of our customers who are looking forward to planting their brand new herb gardens in spring...
Jekka's been designing award winning herb gardens for many years, and her Herb Garden Design service is ever popular amongst clients both private and public, particularly at this time of year when we're all looking forward to spring!
If you're planning a new spring herb garden, you need to decide which herbs best suit your needs. Do you want them to cook with, or to use medicinally? Will your soil type tolerate mediterranean herbs, and is the aspect sunny or shady?
Which herbs make the best companion plants, or which will compliment your garden with edible flowers and appealing scents as you brush against them? Do you want to attract beneficial bees and butterflies, by planting a sustainable, native herb garden?
Jekka creates bespoke planting plans which can then be used to create your own sustainable, organic herb garden yielding just the herbs you want for years to come. Find out more..
Achillea millefolium,Yarrow: do you want to use herbs medicinally...
Mentha longifolia, Buddleia Mint:. and/or to attract beneficial bees and butterflies
With the arrival of frost here on the farm, it's officially winter, and many hardy perennial herbs are now dormant and resting, gathering strength before they burst back into life next spring.
Don't forget to feed the birds - they'll reward you in the warmer months...
..protect Sage from frost to use in your Christmas stuffing!
It's time to put your herb garden to bed for the winter, so that it has protection and rest during the cold months.
Dig up older herbs which are past their best and no longer producing leaves full of flavour. Place the old plant on the compost heap, dig over the bare soil and add in some well rotted manure. By the time spring arrives, the ground will be well prepared for planting young herbs in the same place, which will then grow well in their first season.
Don't forget the birds! By providing nuts and seeds for them to eat when food supplies are low, they will remain in your garden throughout winter, and you'll be rewarded by their presence in the warmer months when they help to pollinate and increase your yields.
Choose a few herbs to shelter from the cold weather so that you can continue to have fresh herbs for cooking throughout winter, such as thyme, sage and rosemary. Either cover them with a cloche, or pot them up and bring into the greenhouse, conservatory, or a cool area in the kitchen. You'll need these to complete your Christmas feast!
Choose herb seeds for spring sowing
If it's just too cold to be working outside in the herb garden, then brew up a fresh pot of rosemary tea (revives and restores, and is also antiseptic so good for colds and sore throats), relax, sit back, and select your herb seeds for spring sowing.
Don't forget to view Jekka's Herb of the Month, Mint:
After a hard day's slog, pick a bunch of Eau de Cologne mint, tie it up with string, and hang it under the hot water tap when running a bath. It scents not only your bath, but the whole house; it's very uplifting...read on...
P.S. We've recently dragged our herby selves into the 21st century by getting interactive on the social networking bandwagon. You can follow our progress by becoming a Fan on Facebook, and/or following our herby tweets on Twitter - hope to see you there!
, and you can use our 
.
