Herbs Ideas, Tips & Guides

Tested by Niki Jabbour, the award-winning author of Growing Under Cover and The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, who lives and gardens in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

During the holidays, families gather together. Many will prepare meals that fit their holiday and family traditions. While certain meals can hold a special place in our hearts, it’s important to think about how meals are prepared in a healthy way or not.

Blaine Moats

Using a grow light to start seeds or grow houseplants, microgreens, and herbs inside your home is an efficient way to promote healthy plant growth. LED grow lights have become the standard for indoor gardeners for their energy efficiency and long life. Yet with so many options available you might be wondering how to choose the best LED grow lights. Over the years I’ve used many LED light systems to grow all types of indoor plants. Below I share my top choices for LED spotlights, tabletop models, and multi-tier grow stands. Keep reading to learn more.

Growing rosemary as a tree is a rewarding gardening project. Not only does it bring aromatic rosemary to your space and give you an ample harvest for the kitchen, but it also adds a unique and decorative touch during the holiday season!

Joining with Cathy at Words and Herbs and her seasonal meme and looking back to the end of August, and Clematis ‘Gravetye Beauty’

This guide will give you a simple yet effective technique to cultivate a bountiful mint harvest in a small space like a windowsill!

Revisiting May for Cathy’s Week of Flowers at her Words and Herbs blog

Joining Cathy of Words and Herbs for the third day day oh her Week of Flowers meme

Linking to Cathy of Words and Herbs, who hosts this seasonal Week of Flowers

Day 2 of our “12 Days of Christmas” advent calendar gives you the chance to win a 26cm leaf green light garden, worth £125 from elho.

Linking with Cathy of Words and Herbs, for her annual Week of Flowers meme, brightening up the first week in December

The most magical Christmas gift wrap ideas incorporate natural elements, evoking the feel of an enchanted woodland.

Basil is a versatile annual herb used in pasta sauces, pizzas, salads and Thai curries. It is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family. Sweet basil plants tend to dominate the supermarket shelves, but there are many other exciting types to try when you grow your own.

Imagine having a constant supply of fresh, aromatic herbs at your fingertips, transforming your culinary creations with just a snip! Sounds tasty? Well, it is! Here are the most amazing Indoor Herbs to Grow from Cuttings for a fresher, more flavorful cooking!

With indoor air quality becoming a growing concern, it’s time to turn to nature’s air purifiers – plants! Do note that you must plant more than 1-2 plants to enhance the air quality. Making a spot where there are plenty of green specimens with a sitting space is what this is all about! Let’s dive into creative ways to set up an Air-Purifying Station with Indoor Plants in your home.

There are so many beautiful DIY winter wreath ideas that you can make using natural materials. Collect foliage, flowers, berries, fruits, and other interesting items from your garden – or forage for them on seasonal walks.

If you’ve been searching for a professional-looking DIY to take care of your holiday gifts this season, DIY cocktail candles might be the perfect option.

Suffolk belonged to the Angles in the 6th century, only becoming part of England in 918AD, and remains one of the more isolated parts of the country. A destination in itself, Suffolk has long attracted creative types. Sir Cedric Morris, the artist and gardener famed for his hybrid irises, founded the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Benton End. Composer Benjamin Britten also lived here, in Aldeburgh, where former fishermen’s cottages are painted in pretty pastel shades.

Learn how to grow basil indoors as a houseplant in this article to have this popular aromatic herb available year-round in your home. It’s quite wonderful if you don’t have any outdoor space available or you want to grow it in winter to enjoy the fresh basil sprigs instead of preserved ones.

We are all switching on to the healing power of plants and flowers. Many of the plants we grow have the potential to act as sources of healing, as well as being profound mood-boosters. Some of the simplest floral arrangements of posies (or nosegays) have transformative powers. And while these small fragrant arrangements seem innocent enough, they have hidden depths which date back centuries.

Tips for Growing Lemongrass Indoors

Cold frames are a great way to get a jump-start on or extend the gardening season. An easy way to get started with cold-frame growing is to put it to good use cultivating herbs through the winter months. Cold frames create a microclimate by utilizing the sun and insulation. This environment creates conditions so that plants grown inside are protected from frost and can take advantage of warmer soil. Though it takes a bit of effort to set up and maintain, it is well worth the reward of having fresh and flavorful herbs during the coldest months of the year. Even in a Midwest winter, you can grow fresh herbs that will tolerate this chilly but snug situation. Here are some tips and easy herbs to grow in a cold frame.

Discovering the Places to Keep a Peace Lily in the House can transform your interior into an oasis of tranquility! In this article, we’ll unveil the best locations to showcase your peace lily, ensuring it thrives and brings its soothing presence to your daily life.

Herbs with Shallow Roots are perfect for seasoned greenthumbs and budding enthusiasts. Discover how these easily cultivated plants can transform your gardening experience and elevate your home-cooked meals while thriving in an astonishingly compact space!

How to Care for a Rosemary Christmas Tree

From fragrant herbs promoting deep sleep to small, garden-inspired tokens that soothe the soul, explore how these items can elevate your nighttime routine to a blissful, botanical experience. Keep reading to know about the best Things to Keep Under Your Pillow.

Native to the Mediterranean, parsley (Petrosilenum crispum) is a rich source of vitamin C and iron, and is said to cure bad breath and cleanse the skin. Parsley is a biennial, meaning it lives for two years, growing leaves in the first year, then flowering in the second, before setting seed. For this reason parsley is treated as an annual and it’s best to sow seed each year.

I can’t deny that some of the winter-hardy plants are far more abundant grown under glass, so if you have a coldframe, greenhouse, polytunnel or even a series of glass or plastic cloches, do use them. We grow a mix of salads and hardy annual herbs in our glasshouse here, but certainly in Sussex this protection is not essential. The most cold-resistant of these greens, such as parsley, mizuna, mustard ‘Red Giant’ and American land cress, may falter under snow or after several successive days of frost, but even without a cover, they won’t die. They seem to hibernate, and then as soon as there’s a bit of sun or a general thaw they come back to life. 

From its historical association with love and protection to its role in kitchens, the  Magical Properties of Oregano goes beyond its culinary uses. Let’s learn how this humble herb can transform not only your dishes but also your garden’s energy and vitality.

Storing herbs is the best way to ensure they keep fresh for a long time to come. However, there are a few ones that you should avoid refrigerating. If you want to know about the Herbs You Should Never Keep in Fridge and Why, then read ahead!

Whether you’re a plant enthusiast or just starting your indoor garden, finding the Best Places to Keep a Snake Plant in the House can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll show you beautiful spots in your home where your snake plant can thrive without much fuss.

Some adventures in nature leave you feeling relaxed and peaceful. Think of a walk in a forest or gathering wildflowers for a bouquet. But did you know interaction with your own plants can also be calming and even improve your mental health?

Transforming a plain space into a lush, green oasis is more achievable than ever with these innovative Ways to Create a Vertical Garden Indoors!  This gardening trend brings a slice of nature into your home and maximizes limited space, making it a perfect solution for urban dwellers!

No prizes for guessing what some of the contents of today’s vase will be – blooms from my gifted rescue plant, Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’! With so many blooms and autumn closing in around the garden, it is not surprising I chose to grab them while I could. Having already taken some with me to the voluntary work I do, I added them to the remains of the previous posy I had taken there, stems of Chrysanthemum ‘Emperor of China’. They made a surprisingly pleasing combination, so I decided to replicate this at home, adding foliage of Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’ and stems of Cornus ‘Midwinter Fire’. My cornus, unlike those of Cathy at Words and Herbs in Bavaria, still retain their foliage, so I snipped all the leaves from the stems apart from the topmost pair.

I can’t deny that some of the winter-hardy plants are far more abundant grown under glass, so if you have a coldframe, greenhouse, polytunnel or even a series of glass or plastic cloches, do use them. We grow a mix of salads and hardy annual herbs in our glasshouse here, but certainly in Sussex this protection is not essential. The most cold-resistant of these greens, such as parsley, mizuna, mustard ‘Red Giant’ and American land cress, may falter under snow or after several successive days of frost, but even without a cover, they won’t die. They seem to hibernate, and then as soon as there’s a bit of sun or a general thaw they come back to life.