Agrimony – Agrimonia eupatoria
A hardy perennial herb, dormant over Winter. Has rosettes of ferny leaves & tall stalks of apricot/yellow flowers, followed by bristly seeds. It self seeds readily, but is not a nuisance. The flowering tops have a number of traditional medicinal uses including treating asthma,diarrhoea, throat problems, & a wound herb. Most years we pick enough flowers to make a batch of Agrimony Wine, which we use to treat colds & sore throats.
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Alexanders- Smyrnium olusatrum (out of stock)
An old-fashioned pot herb, introduced into Britain by the Romans. Mostly replaced these days by Celery. It is biennial, flowering & seeding in it’s second year. Apparently ( we haven’t tried it) it is best grown , mounded up so that the edible shoots & stems are blanched, & less bitter to taste. An attractive plant, similar to Angelica to look at, with black seeds.
Aloe vera – (perryi)
Doesn’t really need an introduction, this is a first aid kit in a leaf. You can pick a leaf & apply the inner gel to minor burns, sunburn, rashes etc. The leaf will seal off like a tube of toothpaste & will keep for ages. Plants seem to grow best with cramped roots, in a heavy pot for instance, with sandy free-draining soil & modest watering. The leaves go pink if the plants are in too much sun. Frost tender
Alpine Strawberry, Yellow – Fragaria vesca sempervirens
A compact perennial, which does not have runners, but forms a clump. This needs dividing every 2 or 3 years to keep vigourous. The fruit are about the size of a thimble & pale yellow. They taste just like the wild strawberries I used to pick, as a child, in the hedgerows in England, tangy & sweet. The colour of the fruit means that the birds leave them alone.
Anemone pulsatilla or Pasque Flower (out of stock)
This is a hardy perennial, which can form quite a big clump (50cm or more) over several years. Dormant in Winter, it sends out lots of stiff, ferny leaves in the Spring & beautiful, purple single, anemone flowers. Although it has been used medicinally in the past, it is not recommended as it is a strong herb which can affect the heart. We have always had Pulsatilla in our Homeopathic first aid kit, where it is an effective remedy for some types of head cold, headaches, indigestion & many other ailments.It is a tough plant, with fibrous roots, we have grown it in full sun & it has thrived, so much so that we had to move it, because it started to grow over the path.
Anemone pulsatilla
Angelica, Edible – A.archangelica
There are several species of Angelica, the most well known is the dark green, shiny leafed type, however this is only used for ornamental purposes.
Angelica archangelica is a biennial, growing up to 2m. In it’s second year. The stems are candied to make decorations for cakes , the leaves can be added to tart fruit to sweeten it. The leaves & roots have medicinal properties, cooling fevers, digestive problems, soothing coughs etc.All parts have a sweet, perfumed fragrance. It’s a good idea to plant Angelica away from your house, as the flowers attract flies, & don’t smell delicious! Cut off most of the seed heads & leave just a couple to self seed to continue your crop.
Arnica – A. montana
A tough little perennial, quite dormant over Winter, forming a low mat in Spring & then producing 30-60cm stiff stems, of yellow, daisy flowers around January. Prefers moist, slightly acidic soils, & rapidly forms a mat of roots. It pays to split these up every 2 or 3 years to keep the plants healthy. Arnica is best known for it’s use homeopathically, it can also be made into tinctures & oils for external use to relieve bruises, sprains & strained muscles. It’s not recommended to be applied to broken skin.
Artichoke, Chinese – Stachys affinis
Perennial, up to 60cm. A busy plant, which needs a bit of control, or a raised bed to itself. The plant is dormant over Winter, then shoots away in Spring. Harvest the tubers in Autumn. They look like huhu grubs, & can be used in stir fries, they have a nice crunchy texture.
Artichoke, Green Globe – Cynara scolymus (out of stock)
Perennial. Height /width 1mx1m. Seed grown plants of a vigorous variety of Globe Artichoke. The plants grow fast, once planted in the ground, but it may pay to cut off the first buds, so that the plant can bulk up before it starts cropping. There are plenty of recipes to be found using artichoke buds, it’s best to pick them when about the size of a tennis ball, leaving some stalk on, which is edible too. The tips of the bud leaves can be spiky so handle with care.
Artichoke, Jerusalem – Helianthus tuberosus
A perennial, height up to 2m with lovely clusters of small sunflower-like flowers. Grow at the back of your garden or on a fenceline, & be aware that once planted they will keep on keeping on in that spot. Dormant over Winter, then making fast growth. Harvest in Autumn & select the smoothest tubers to re-plant, they don’t store well out of the ground, drying up, so it’s good to dig them as you need, or store in damp compost or sawdust. Artichokes (Fartichokes) don’t agree with everyone’s digestive system, apparently if they are eaten with a grain (i.e. toast) it will help counteract the fart factor The best ways we’ve found to eat them are in soups & with cheese sauce. Our Kunekune pigs loved them. The dead stalks are useful to put in the bottom of the compost heap to provide aeration.
Arugula, Wild Rocket – Diplotaxis tenuifolia (out of stock)
Perennial Height 30cm. These plants have much the same flavour as the Annual Roquette, but are much better behaved! They have small ferny leaves & slender stems of lemon yellow flowers. We regularly cut the flower stems off to encourage more leaf growth, & discourage self seeding. Great in green salads, on pizzas & in pesto type blends. Compared to an Iceberg Lettuce, weight for weight the Arugula provides far more calcium, vitamins A , C & K, and four times as much iron.
Avens/Herb Bennet – Geum urbanum
Perennial Ht.20-40cm. A medicinal plant since medieval times. The freshly dug roots exude a pleasant clove-like scent. It has attractive pinnate leaves, with toothed margins, & small, bright yellow, 5 petalled flowers. The roots can be chewed, or made into an infusion to treat chills, catarrh & diarrhoea. We grow Avens in one of our wilder patches of garden, where it happily self seeds, but cannot take up too much space. It’s one of those plants we have yet to explore it’s uses thoroughly.
Balm of Gilead – Cedronella canariensis
A perennial herb, growing up to 2m, it seems to do best in a little shade, & can be a bit slow to establish. The pinnate leaves have a lovely clean camphor smell, these can be crushed & sniffed to ease sinus congestion. We put it into a Winter herb tea mix for colds, & the leaves can also be used in steam baths. Has pretty pinky mauve flower heads over most of the Summer. Prune back in Autumn by about 1/3. Self seeds just a little.
Bergamot, Cambridge Scarlet – Monarda didyma
This is the medicinal Bergamot, with beautiful whorls of bright red flowers. Dies back in Winter, spreads into a low mat & then flowers. After a couple of years the centre of the plant can die off, & that’s the time to split it up & re-plant. Likes rich soil,a damp spot & full sun, maybe by the garden hose. Years ago we used to dry the flower heads to sell as teas for upset stomachs, nausea & vomiting, also as a sleep inducing drink.
Bistort – Polygonum bistorta
Perennial Ht.60cm. Originally we grew this as a marginal water plant, as it enjoys a moist position in the garden, it’s hardy & will grow in sun or semi shade. It has tough wiry, rootstock (bistorta= twice twisted) dormant in Winter, then pops up with attractive spear shaped leaves & spikes of small pink flowers. Reading up about it, I’ve learnt that it has many common names, all parts are edible, & the leaves were eaten as part of the Easter festivals& in herb puddings. It was used in tanning leather, & has a huge list of medicinal properties, being one of the strongest vegetable astringents known.Among it’s many uses, it helps to stem bleeding internal & external I’m afraid there’s far too much information for me to include it all here, so you’ll have to google it.I’ve always had a soft spot for Bistort & love to see it’s pink flower spikes & tidy leaves in the garden.
Borage, Pygmy – Borago pygmaea
Perennial, low sprawling habit. If you love Borage but find it too rambumptious for your garden, Pygmy Borage is a good alternative. It is well behaved, self seeding a little, but easy to control. It seems to survive in most places. The flowers are more ‘baby blue’ than the bright blue of Borage, they can be added to drinks, salads & frozen in icecubes. Young leaves can be added to salads.
Burdock – Arctium lappa (out of stock)
A biennial, growing huge rounded leaves the first year, you need to give it plenty of elbow room at least 60cm in each direction. Then forming tall flower stalks, over 1 m in height, with numerous thistle-like flowers, with their characteristic burrs, which catch on clothes & pets. These plants are grown from the edible cultivated variety Takinogawa. Stems, leaves & roots can be eaten, & the roots are used medicinally as a blood cleanser for skin problems, also used to treat arthritic & bronchial complaints. If you want a continuous supply, you need to plant each Spring, harvesting roots the following Autumn, & remove most of the seed heads before they ripen.
Cardoon-Cynara cardunculus (out of stock)
A stunning grey foliage plant, similar to Globe Artichoke but much more upstanding, with tall spikes of purple thistle like flowers. Perennial, up to 2m tall, & needs about 60-100cm space to grow in. Cut back after flowering to get a second flush of leaves, plant will die back in Winter. We have only ever grown this as an ornamental, but it used to be grown for it’s edible stems, most traditional herb books will tell you how to go about this.
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Catnip, Dwarf ‘Pukehou’ – Nepeta mussinii (out of stock)
Perennial Ht. 25cm. A lovely, hardy perennial, with masses of rich, purple flowers over the summer. Unlike the Giant Catnip, it is well behaved, making a pretty edging to gardens & attracting bees & other insects. It dies down over winter & benefits from a trim at this time. A traditional Cottage Garden plant, one of those easy plants that repays itself over & over. I wish we could claim it’s namesake, but it originated from Pukehou Nurseries near Levin.
Celandine (Greater) – Cheledonium major
Perennial, up to 50cm. A hardy plant with attractive glaucous, ferny leaves, grows happily in our garden in quite a dry, shady spot, & self seeds happily. This variety has double yellow flowers. The sap from broken stems is bright orange & can burn the skin. It is applied traditionally as a remedy for warts. Handle with care.
Chicory, Whitloof – Chicorium intybus (out of stock)
Perennial Ht. Up to 1.5m. This is the Chicory that provides Chicons in the Winter. It’s a fast growing plant, needing a good bit of space in the garden. You can leace it to flower if you like, it has lovely sky blue, dandelion like flowers over summer. In the Autumn the plant is cut down & then covered with a pot or container to keep the light out, (blanching). After some weeks the chicons appear & can be cut off & added to salads as a lovely, crisp, slightly bitter component. Don’t let them turn green in the light as they are then very bitter.
- Whitloof Chicory Flowers
Whitloof Chicons
Comfrey – Symphytum officinalis
Perennial, up to 75cm A renowned plant both medicinally & as a gardener’s friend. Fresh leaves & roots can be used to ease bruises, broken bones, cuts & eye injuries. Homeopathic Symphytum is a great remedy to speed healing of bone injuries. Comfrey was well used as an internal remedy for bleeding & digestive problems, but it’s use has come into question in recent years.
Cut leaves can be put into water & rotted down in a week or so. This makes an excellent feed for plants, being rich in Potassium, it can be added to the compost heap as an activator. Comfrey plants are very strong, & even the tiniest piece of root or stalk can regenerate into a plant, so it’s important to consider where you want to plant it, knowing that you won’t be able to dig it out again., the plus of that is, if you want more plants it is easy to propagate.
Coneflower, Purple – Echinacea purpurea (out of stock)
A perennial, with flower stems up to 1m, with stunning flowers with long, pinkish purple petals surrounding an exquisite conical centre. The plants are hardy & handle weeds, dry conditions etc well, it pays to mark where you plant them, so you don’t damage them by mistake, when they are dormant.
Usually the roots are harvested & used as an immune booster, blood purifier & to promote proper digestion. General recommendation is to take Echinacea for no more than 3 weeks at a time, as an immune support. We’ve made a tincture from the roots, (which incidentally take 2 or 3 years to be ready to harvest)it has a very distinctive metallic taste, personally I’d rather admire the plant in the garden & buy some capsules!
Coriander – Coriandrum sativum (out of stock)
Annual Ht.75cm. Planted in Autumn or Spring, before it gets too hot, you should get a good crop of leaves for cooking with. Once the weather warms up the plantsflower & go to seed. You can harvest & dry the seeds for cooking in curries etc, & it pays to sprinkle a few in the garden to ensure continuity. Fresh Coriander leaves aren’t to everyones taste, but we love them, finely chopped on top of stir fries & curries, even in salads as a bit of added zest.
Corn Salad – Valerianella locusta (out of stock)
An easy to grow annual, with soft leaves that make a great addition to Winter & Spring salads. It grows a bit like Chickweed, preferring cool, moist conditions. We always leave at least one plant to go to seed, & the seedlings pop up when the weather cools down, or you could save the seeds & re-sow. The leaves grow in opposite pairs, so you can pick little clumps from the tips,flowers as well, & this encourages new growth, they taste like a mild lettuce, & add a bit of visual interest too.
Corn Salad
Costmary – Chrysanthemum balsamita
Perennial, up to 1m in flower. Also known as Bible Leaf, because the Missionaries were reputed to use the dried leaves as bookmarks. It has long, oval leaves & rangy stems of small daisy-like flowers, the plants form dense mats & are very hardy, although it can spread, it is not hard to manage. The whole plant smells deliciously of spearmint, & the dried leaves can be added to Pot Pourri as a fixative. Some of the old herbals have recipes using Costmary, which has a bitter flavour.
Cowslip – Primula veris
A tenacious perennial, which survives being waterlogged & beset by drought in our gardens, & continues to thrive, ideally it likes semi shade & a slightly alkaline soil. The leaves are similar to the English Primrose, but the flowers are quite different. Each stem carries a bunch of yellow bells. Both leaves & flowers are edible, & Cowslip Wine was a popular drink in England until the plants became protected. Medicinally a rub can be made by steeping the flowers in a vegetable oil for some weeks. This is used to treat all manner of aches & pains.
Cowslip
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Curry Herb- Helichrysum angustifolium
A hardy perennial, growing up to 1m tall. A mass of silvery grey, fine needle shaped leaves, with a warm aromatic fragrance.It produces an abundance of dark yellow flower heads in Summer. It pays to trim the plant well after flowering to keep it compact.
Coming into the garden on a sunny day there is hint of curry in the air. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a curry flavour, but does complement egg dishes & other gentle foods. We used to sprinkle it, mixed with garlic chives on top of poached eggs, in a traditional egg poacher, to make ‘Green eggs & ham’ when our children were little. More recently we’ve become aware that it is used as an essential oil, with many healing properties.
Millstream Herbs 
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