Happy healing herbs life.
Turn your windowsill into a herb garden and you’ll have an instant fix for everything from insomnia to anxiety, says Cinead McTernan
SPRING is just around the corner and with each emerging bud, the promise of hope and new beginnings.
We could all use a boost to lift our spirits in these challenging times, and simple herbs could be the answer.
Now is the perfect time to start growing your own and transforming them into healing herbal teas. Fresh or dried, these natural teas can be just the tonic, whether it’s a much-needed pick-me-up, a beverage to calm your nerves or something to help you sleep.
Most herbs will thrive in a pot on a sunny kitchen windowsill without too much fuss. Depending on your budget, you can start from seeds or invest a little more to buy plants.
Seeds will give you more variety, but if you don’t have time or space for sowing, herbs such as basil, mint, rosemary and parsley are widely available as young plants (visit jekkas.com for a great selection).
Now follow these simple steps and you’ll soon be feeling the benefits from your homemade brew.
Basil… for headaches
GROW: Fill a seed tray or 7.5cm pot with soil, firming down to remove any air pockets. Gently water so the soil is moist, sprinkle over a thin layer of seeds and cover with a fine layer of soil. Use a clear freezer bag to make a loose lid for the pot or seed tray, and secure in place with an elastic band. Once seeds have germinated, remove the cover. Place in a warm, sunny spot and make sure the soil doesn’t dry out. Sow every few weeks if you want an ongoing supply. USE: Pick and chop enough leaves for two tablespoons. Place in a cup of boiling water. Cover with a saucer and leave for five to six minutes before drinking.
Rosemary… to lift your spirits
GROW: This is best grown from cuttings rather than seed. Perhaps you have a friend or neighbour who already grows it and will give you a stem or two to plant. If not, pick up a young plant and replant in a bigger pot (about 15cm diameter) with plenty of room for its roots. Rosemary prefers its roots to be dry and its foliage to be moist, so add a few pebbles at the bottom of the pot to help with drainage and regularly mist leaves with water. USE: Harvest all year round. As with all herbs, the more you pick, the happier it is. All you need to do is steep one 2-3cm piece of freshly picked stem in a cup of boiling water for five minutes.
Mint… to calm you down
GROW: There is lots of choice when it comes to mint. It’s a matter of taste, so experiment with the different types. Choose a nice sunny spot and water regularly. Mint grows vigorously, so use the biggest pot you can and pick leaves regularly to keep it under control. Once the plant fills the pot, lift out and divide it into two or three new plants. If you don’t have room for more mint, give new plants to your friends. USE: Steep a handful of fresh leaves in a cup of boiling water for two to three minutes before straining.
Lemon balm… for anxiety GROW:
This can be raised from seed, though it requires a bit of heat to germinate, so you might prefer to buy a young plant instead. Keep wellwatered and cut back after flowering to help encourage a second flush of leaves. USE: Lemon balm tea is said to help with restoring memory, and can help relieve the symptoms of stress. Crush eight leaves between your fingers before adding to a cup of boiling water. Leave for five to 10 minutes before drinking.
Lavender… for insomnia
GROW: Best grown in a window box because it needs plenty of sunshine to thrive. Make sure you choose the English angustifolia types, as they are edible, while the French Stoechas is not. Mix some horticultural grit in with the soil to help with drainage as lavender doesn’t like to sit in soggy soil. After flowering, cut the stems back by about a third in September so the new shoots that appear at the base of the plant will have time to harden off before winter sets in.
Lavender buds, rather than the leaves, are used to make tea. Steep about four teaspoons in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes, strain and serve.
Grow Your Own Botanicals (£18.99, Hatchette) by Cinead McTernan is out now
DISCO INFERNO
If you thought sequins were just for Christmas, think again because it is going to be a sparkling spring and summer.
From suits to sweaters, and of course, dresses, this is your time to shine, so don’t go saving your sequins for a special occasion.
After the year we’ve had, every day should be special.
MAXIMUM IMPACT
Super-long, super-loose and super-forgiving ....
Floaty, floor-skimming dresses in light-as-air fabrics, covered in delicate floral prints or made from pastel chiffon, popped up on the runways at Michael Kors, Giambattista Valli, Alberta Feretti and Valentino, to name a few.
They will be perfect if we ever get our summer getaways. Failing that, you’ll find me wafting around the garden in mine.
IN THE TRENCHES
Who doesn’t love a trench coat? Practical and stylish, they date all the way back to the 19th century and reappear every season with good reason. Every woman should have one.
Nina Ricci, Loewe, Victoria Beckham, Louis Vuitton and Max Mara all had a mac attack on the runway.
If you are feeling bold, try a blue or green one, or stick to the classic trench coat palette of stone, taupe and khaki.
SHOW SOM FLARE
Joggers be gone, because jeans are back in a big way.
From the Seventies-style cut shown by Paco Rabanne at Paris Fashion Week to the super-wide strides from Balenciaga, you will be desperate for denim when you see the new shapes hitting the high street.
Team with animal print, or try an oversized white shirt like Victoria Beckham, and get ready to fall back in love with your jeans.
MINI MARVELS
Brace yourselves, ladies, because this year hemlines are going up... up... up. Versace, Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana and Alberta Ferretti all showed thighskimmers on the runways, teamed with everything from racer vests to bralettes and puff-sleeved blouses. Looks like it’s time to get the self-tan out.
PINK HIGHS
Think pink’s passe? Think again. The colour popped up in one collection after another and the high street is awash with it, in shades from blush to bubblegum. At Chanel, the colour looked prim and pretty on the fashion house’s iconic boucle jackets, while Jason Wu showed a summer maxi in shocking pink. Start your spring wardrobe transition by swapping that grey hoodie you’ve been wearing all winter for a rosy cardigan or loose jacket.
MAKE IT MONOCHROME
Black and white is the classic combo, and at the spring/summer shows it offered a cool alternative to the paintbox brights and punchy prints.
Prada showed white tunics with black trousers and white kitten heels, with its logo picked out in black; while Balmain had models in sleek black suits finished with white collars.
Chanel and monochrome go together like pancakes and maple syrup, and as well as the house’s signature suits, creative director Virginie Viard showed a beaded white sweater vest against black chiffon.
FRESH PRINTS
Nothing brings life to your wardrobe like a punchy print or two, and they certainly brought the runways to life, courtesy of the likes of Dolce & Gabanna, Loewe, Rodarte and Erdem.
Etro’s Milan show was inspired by a trip that designer Veronica Etro took to Ischia, Capri, Naples and Positano, which led her to make the collection all about Italy.
The nautical-themed prints on midi dresses, bralettes and shorts, will put you in mind of holidays.
THE BOLD SHOULDER
Power-puff sleeves and bold shoulders have been with us for a couple of seasons now and are not going anywhere. If your day is a whirl of video calls, a show-off sleeve is sure to pull focus. Olivier Rousteing has made supersized shoulders a signature of his work at Balmain and his Paris show was no exception, with him taking the silhouette to extremes on cropped sequin tops and suit jackets. Expect to see a slew of high street versions of Balmain’s denim jacket.
DO THE BRIGHT THING
Bright colours have been scientifically proven to boost your mood, so it’s hardly surprising that there was plenty of colour therapy on the runways. We need it after a long hard winter.
Versace, Molly Goddard and Miu Miu all raided the paintbox to give us dresses and separates in rainbow shades, while Mark Fast’s London Fashion Week show took us back to the Eighties featuring bandage-style minis, bodycon dresses and sportswear in neon brights, alongside the designer’s signature knits.
Dear Coleen
I’VE been having an on/off affair with a married man for several years. The thing is, our arrangement suited me in the past because I was very focused on my job, I knew I didn’t want children and I was very independent.
In fact, I actually told him not to leave his wife for me, even though at one point that’s what he wanted and it was all he talked about.
He’s still with his wife but recently, after much thinking in lockdown, I began to realise that I now want more from him.
I suggested to him that it might be the right time to leave his marriage, so we could be together properly, but I wasn’t prepared for his response.
He said he and his wife were closer than they’d ever been and he wasn’t going to leave her.
He said he thought it was too late for us to make a proper go of things and that we’d “missed our window”.
I’m not sure where that leaves me. I’m nearly 40 now and suddenly feel like I may have messed things up badly. Can you help?
Should I try to convince him that his future is with me, or call it quits and walk away?
Coleen says
UNFORTUNATELY, it’s a consequence of getting involved in an affair. You’ve finally discovered you can’t call the shots in this situation; that you’re in a relationship with a man who has a wife and another life.
Lockdown has given you another perspective – maybe you’ve been bored or just had a lot of time to think. But it sounds like it’s had an effect on this man, too, and how he feels about his marriage – he’s realised he loves this woman he married and wants to make it work.
You can’t just have something because it suits you now – you have to accept that it doesn’t suit him.
You clearly now want more from a relationship than to be someone’s mistress, so the best advice I can give you is to move on from this affair and learn from it.
You’ve already wasted several years with someone who’s taken. Use your time now to plan positively for the future – it’s never too late to meet someone else and be happy, so give yourself the opportunity to do it.
While this guy is still on the scene, it’ll be hard to move forward.
He said we’d ‘missed our window’ to make a go of it