8 Must Have Herbal Tea Garden Plants
Photo of daisy-like Chamomile flowers by Pixabay from Pexels
Updated 2024.07.22
Wondering what you can grow in a Tea Garden? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
A Tea Garden is a garden filled with restful, refreshing and relaxing herbs you can brew in a cup of tea.
The plants you put in a Tea Garden can be either container grown or planted right in the ground, depending on how much space you have and whether or not you own the land.
Tea Garden plants typically grown have a medicinal value, either scientifically noted or noted via local folklore, and are easy to harvest and dry.
Some herbs call for using the root in your tea, which requires digging up the plant, and because Tea Gardens are all about ease and relaxation, with that in mind, all of the Tea Garden herbs below can be grown for their leaves, flowers and shoots.
Below are a few of the best plants for a Tea Garden. They are easy to grow, easy to harvest and all will make a great cup of tea.
Photo of bee pollinating Anise Hyssop by Robert Bottman on Unsplash
1 - Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
This is a tall, clumping plant with lovely blue flowers late summer to fall. Like all plants in the mint family known as Lamiaceae, it will spread both underground and self seed.
The leaves and flowers have an anise flavor and fragrance, so if you like that, it can be grown for tea. Otherwise, it makes a beautiful bedding plant with its striking blue flower spikes in the summer and fall and best of all, it’s hardy from Zones 4 to 8.
2 - Apple Mint (Mentha suaveolens)
Apple Mint, also called Pineapple Mint, is an attractive plant when young that’s also part of the mint family.
When you brush against the leaves, it’s scent is thought to be similar to both spearmint and apples, both of these are relaxing, uplifting fragrances perfect for steeping in tea.
It has a nice mint flavor with a hint of apple, but might be best suited for growing in a container Tea Garden. It can be very weedy looking as the season progresses and it is a vigorous grower, taking over a planting bed in one season.
3 - Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
Catnip is not just for cats!
It is a relaxing and calming herb that is a must for any Tea Garden. Catnip and lemon balm are in a class of plants called Nervines that work on the central nervous system.
Catnip may make cats crazy, but it doesn't have that effect on people. A nice tea blend for sleep can be made with catnip, lemon balm and chamomile.
4 - German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
German chamomile is the most commonly available form of chamomile. It is an annual, but self seeds, if some of the crop is left in the ground when the flowers mature. The flowers are small, so you would need a good sized bed to produce enough for a cup of tea, but it’s worth it because those little daisy-like flowers and the lacy foliage make a happy addition to any garden.
5 - Chocolate Mint (Mentha x piperita 'Chocolate')
Chocolate mint makes a nice tea. Chocolate mint is a low growing mint that spreads above ground as well as underground. It has a nice light chocolate mint flavor. Chocolate mint is also a nice addition to other teas.
It can be added to a nettle tea, to take away from the 'grassy' taste of the nettle, making it more palatable.
6 - Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Everyone should have lemon balm in their garden.
As mentioned above, it is in a group of plants called Nervines, which act on the central nervous system to be relaxing.
Lemon Balm provides a light lemony flavor and can be used in tea and baked goods. It is also in the mint family and will spread, so if this is a concern, plant in container.
7 - Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)
Peppermint can be used a little to add a light flavor or it can be used as a digestive herb.
If you have never tried Peppermint to promote digestive wellness, you would have to experiment with it as a natural digestive aid. In some people it makes their indigestion worse, in others it promotes digestion.
Digestion aside, Peppermint has many health benefits, and can be made as a late afternoon tea to wake up the mind, in lieu of caffeine. It deserves a place in any Tea Garden.
8 - Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)
To sweeten the tea, Stevia, is the 'Sweet Herb' and can be used to naturally sweeten your tea blend. This member of the Asteraceae family is so sweet, Stevia is sometimes called Candyleaf or Sugarleaf.
A little goes a long way and you will only need a leaf or two to sweeten a cup of tea. It is an easy to grow, relatively compact plant.
There are over 200 species of Stevia that have different leaf and growth forms, but Stevia rebaudiana is the one you will find in most edible and culinary uses.
You could make a lovely tea with these eight plants, and most of them will be readily available at any quality garden center.
A note on the mints above:
Photo of peppermint plants by Al Buettner from Pixabay
You have to be mindful of mints, as six of the herbs mentioned above are.
If you let them flower, they can cross pollinate and the flavors will muddle in the plants grown from that seed. If you have bees, this is a likely scenario.
If this cross-pollination concerns you, it will be easier to grow your Tea Garden in pots, and replace them every year after the last date of frost risk.
How do you start a tea garden?
Photo of daisy-like Chamomile flowers by Pixabay from Pexels with text overlay 8 Must Have Herbal Tea Garden Plants
To begin, designate a small area of land or gardening space in a sunny to partly sunny area. You can do planters on a patio or plant your Tea Garden in the ground.
For example, even just a few porch planters for your Tea Garden is fine, but so is the space surrounding the mailing box or right outside your kitchen window.
Once you have reached the last frost date in your area, head to your local garden center and grab at least three herbal tea plants above that you feel excited about.
Plant these in your designated Tea Garden area per the tag directions on each pot, and water them every 7-10 days if there has been no rain.
As for soil, you can use organic soil blends from the store, or you can use soil from your yard. Many herbal plants are very hardy and will adapt to native conditions.
When your tea plants come to maturity - for most plants, with the exception of Chamomile because you use the flower, this is right when they start forming flower buds, but haven’t flowered yet - cut back the shoot part of the plant by about ⅓ of the plant’s total volume.
Cut right above the last leaf you want to save, avoiding leaving a bare stem without a leaf, which will rot.
Take your cuttings inside or to an outdoor place safe from wind and moisture. Set aside the shoots, leaves and flower heads (if using Anise or Chamomile) you cut for drying. Leave the rest of the plant to continue to produce.
How to prepare herbs from your tea garden for tea
Vertical photo of glass tea mug with strainer on wooden surface by Tina Witherspoon on Unsplash
Place out your cut herbs to dry on a paper towel in a protected sun spot for 24 hours.
Or hang the cut herbs loosely in bundles in a warm, dry sunny area.
You can also put some cut bundles loosely in a paper lunch bag, poke a few holes in and put it in the ledge of the window in the back of the car on a warm sunny day.
Label your cuttings with a tag or magic marker, as some herbs look very similar once dried.
Dry them for a day or two in the spring and summer heat.
Once you have dried the herbs, save them in glass jars out of the direct sunlight, and grab 1-2 tablespoons of your selected herb to use in your next tea.
Simply place up to 2 tablespoons of your herb selection in a mug, and boil water. Take the water off boiling, pour over your herbs, and let it stand, covered for 5-10 minutes. Strain and enjoy!
For more content like this, please follow Useful Roots on Instagram ~
Other Articles You May Enjoy:
