Since I cut down dramatically on coffee (from about 6-7 or more a day to just one!) I have become obsessed with teas and tisanes as a way to keep hydrated through the day and have something tasty to sip. I love the ritual of making tea – it is an escape, a moment to relax in the rumble of the kettle, the swirl of leaves and clink of a teaspoon – even the ceremony of dunking and dipping of a teabag while waiting for it to infuse is enjoyable.
I drink mostly herbal or green tea, but every now and again need the pep-up from a black tea such as Lady Grey or a Darjeeling with a squeeze or slice of lemon to keep me going. At work my desk drawers are filled with boxes of teapigs, bags of japanese sencha green tea and tins of matcha and lately a new discovery of a brand called teatonics, which is simply delish!
I also love the health boost from drinking some Citron Pressé, either hot or cold – a ‘Four Seasons’ Lemon tree is going to be one of the first things I get for the greenhouse when it’s finally installed!
Alongside the lemon tree, I am also fuelling my tea obsession by planting a tea garden! I have (so far) some moroccan mint and chocolate mint in pots (as mint can be very invasive in the garden) and lots of lemon verbena plants. However, as I want the tea garden to fit the rest of the garden, I have also got some flowering plants that make delicious tea, such as my new favourite find, pelargoniums.
I bought a ‘tea collection’ from Sarah Raven (now sadly sold out, as I would be tempted to buy more plants as they are so pretty!) as they look very small at the moment and I am tempted to pack more plants in, as I am impatient about getting them established! I cannot wait until all the plants get big enough so I can happily snip away for a cuppa! The one in the photo is Cy’s Sunburst – it’s particularly spectacular, don’t you think?
On Friday evening I sprinkled some wild chamomile seeds into a little patch too, so hopefully some of these will get more colour and flowers into this patch of the garden. Lavender and bergamot are on my wish-list for this patch of the garden too, along with some camellia sinensis so I can have a go at growing my own green tea! All of this patch in the garden will be tender and need protection or lifting and taking into the greenhouse in the winter, but I love the thought of going out to snip my own tea!
Grow the Glow 