FOR MEDICINE AND ORNAMENT

Growing alongside the culinary herbs are ones with medicinal uses and those with ornamental value. “Some have obscure, ancient medicinal properties, which are only now being rediscovered,” says Peter. For example, the leaves of Cardamine pratensis, or lady’s smock, were once used as a substitute for pepper. The African bulbine, Bulbine frutescens, is a succulent relative of aloe vera that has the same medicinal properties. “It can be used to treat light burns, but it is also highly ornamental, flowering almost constantly, with small orange flowers,” he says. It is also smaller than aloe vera, easily ensconced on a kitchen windowsill. Vitex agnus-castus is a Mediterranean shrub, with spikes of blue flowers. Research has shown it to have an effect on hormone levels and alleviate premenstrual syndrome, though its mechanism is not fully understood. It is often known as the chaste tree. “We stick to the old favourites for cooking, and use peppermint and camomile for tea, but Peter’s mum knows how to use the medicinal herbs. She has had formal training, as the preparation is often very technical. One lovely use is simply to cut the fragrant flowers and foliage for indoor arrangements,” says Christine. Borage, with its luminescent blue flowers among its hairy leaves and stems, is used as a base oil for perfumes. Peter and Christine also recommend using the flowers as an ingredient in Pimm’s and summer salads. Among the ornamental plants is the Jekyll and Hyde plant, Phytolacca americana. This is a medicinal herb, also known as pokeweed, but is poisonous if not prepared in the correct way, hence its name. However, it has beautifully architectural foliage and red stems. “It’s very showy, and a talking point,” says Christine. “We once supplied it for medical research, which was very exciting.”