These nine earn their space: easy to grow, useful, and mostly perennial so they come back each year. The notes below are what each is traditionally used for - traditional use is not the same as proven, and that distinction matters.
| Plant | Traditionally used for | Spacing | Perennial? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chamomile | Sleep, digestion | 20cm | Self-seeds |
| Calendula | Skin, as an oil or salve | 30cm | Self-seeds |
| Echinacea | Colds | 45-60cm | Yes (slow) |
| Lemon balm | Anxiety, sleep | 45cm | Yes (spreads) |
| Thyme | Coughs, sore throats | 25-30cm | Yes |
| Sage | Sore throats, as a gargle | 60cm | Yes |
| Peppermint | Digestion, blocked nose | 45cm | Yes (spreads) |
| Feverfew | Headaches | 20cm | Self-seeds |
| Marshmallow | Dry coughs, irritated throat | 60cm | Yes (tall) |
It reaches 1.5m and does not like being moved. Give it a spot at the back you will not want to dig up. The root is the part used, and it takes two years to be worth harvesting.
Year one it looks like nothing is happening. Year two it flowers. Do not give up on it in July of the first year - that is normal.
All three spread by runners or seed. Sink them in pots up to the rim, or accept that they will colonise the bed. Mint in open ground is a permanent decision.
If it dies over winter, the cause is usually drainage, not temperature. Add grit to the planting hole and do not mulch right up to the stem.
For the drying temperatures and how to tell when each is properly dry, see how to dry herbs at home.
About a 2m x 3m bed, or roughly twelve medium pots for the smaller species. The layout notes - sun, grouping, leaving room to dry - are in medicinal garden layout.
Chamomile, calendula, echinacea, lemon balm, thyme, sage, peppermint, feverfew and marshmallow.
Lemon balm, peppermint and feverfew - sink the pots to the rim or give them their own bed.
About a 2m x 3m bed, or roughly twelve medium pots.
Echinacea, lavender, lemon balm, marshmallow, yarrow, sage and thyme. Chamomile, calendula and feverfew self-seed instead.
If you want the seed and a planting-and-use guide in one: the Medicinal Garden Kit.
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