Most of our plants and herbs have managed to survive the winter - some in good shape, some vey much the worse for wear. Most of the damage was done by the sheer weight of the snow, but, as alays, the resilience of nature is amazing. Our beautiful myrtle bush (on the right) suffered badly 2 winters ago, but came back and flowered by the end of the summer . This last winter though has really taken its toll of our poor myrtle and we pruned it very heavily around 6 weeks ago. Today, we can see signs of growth which is wonderful given what a beautiful and heavenly-scented shrub it is.
We've started to re-plant one area of the garden to make a 'herb tea garden'. This is an area where our b&b guests will be able to pick their own herb teas. It will be well-labelled so that everyone knows which herbs can be used and which can't. There is lemon balm, lemon verbena, lavender, sage, thyme, wormwood, bergamot, vervain, catmint, alecost, peppermint.... Chamomile is starting to grow now as are the marigolds (Calendula). All these are used to make a leaf or flower tea - we've left out those that use roots or berries - and it is so easy to make your own herb tea, just as long as you know the right proportions and right parts of the plant to use.
