Fennel and bay can last for years

Fennel and bay grow quite tall and demand space, but both can last for years once established. However, the lemon verbena (alloysia) and French tarragon we grow to flavour chicken dishes are not totally hardy, so take stem cuttings as backup.

Annual herbs can be sown now in cell trays and warmth under cover, or later outdoors.

Sow borage (Borago officinalis) in the garden just once and enjoy the company of this excellent herb for years to come.

It is the mother of all for selfseeding, popping up each year without fail, but good luck if you try to move and transplant the seedlings which form a main taproot.

The leaves, once rubbed, smell of cucumber, and small blue flowers with black stamens are a constant bee attraction. These blooms can be found on Mediaeval tapestries, and they were allegedly floated on a stirrup cup taken by knights departing for the crusades.

Borage for courage, I guess! Nowadays they’re imbibed in summer drinks.

Parsley, the curled leaf type, is a mainstay of the herb garden that’s easily grown once past the germination stage. Legend has it that once sown in drills, it spends five weeks with the devil, emerging in seedling form on the sixth.

Speed this up by soaking the seeds overnight in an egg cup of water, sow them in compost next day and offer them a 20 Celsius environment. Two weeks later they should emerge.

Basil. A packet of seeds costs £2 but demands heat for germination and later for steady growth outside. Compare this time-consuming commitment with a mature one litre potted specimen costing £1.20 at the local supermarket.

It will stand on the kitchen windowsill and despite constant cutting to enhance sauces and soups, responds with new growth, and lasts all year.