A tea garden is a delightful hobby that can complement the rest of an herb garden. A tea garden will provide you with the joy of fresh herbal teas, more properly known as herbal infusions or tisanes. You can drink a single herbal tea on its own, or you can try mixing together 2 or 3 different complementary herbal flavors. For a more flavorful caffeinated tea, try mixing 1 or 2 herbs from your garden in with your favorite loose-leaf black or green tea.

It depends on the plant; some grow from seed or can be propagated via cloning by clipping, while other plants, such as garlic, may grow from a bulb.

Herbal tea typically needs to steep for longer than black, green, or white tea. This will ensure that the flavors are released and the full benefits of the herb's or flower's qualities are available. Pour the boiling water over the herb leaves in a teapot, cover, and let it steep.

If desired, you can dry your herbs . Cut leaves off the bottom of the herb (from the first three or four inches). Then, hang them upside down until they dry. It can take a few days to a week.

Take each leaf between your thumb and index finger and lightly crush and roll the leaf around. These will provide flavor to the tea; non-bruised leaves will produce a much weaker herbal tea, even when steeped or several minutes.

The number of leaves, buds, or flowers that you pick will depend on how potent you want your herbal tea to be, and on how much tea you plan to make. 2 or 3 teaspoons of leaves will make a single cup, but you may need to pick 6-8 teaspoons for a full pot of tea.

Although it's typically used in savory dishes, rosemary also makes an excellent herbal tea. If the taste of rosemary by itself is too strong in a tea, add a few drops of honey and a squeeze of lemon juice.The plant prefers strong full sun but will tolerate light shade, and requires well-drained soil.

If you love the smell of violets, violet tea will probably be a new favorite. Violet is also an excellent source of vitamins A and C. Violets are considered to be soothing and refreshing and are a good tonic after winter. The dried leaves and flowers are suitable for steeping.

Thyme is considered to be a good tea for soothing stomach troubles and sore throats. It is tolerant of full sun and semi-shade and is an ideal container herb. Use the leaves for tea, but if flowers are present, you can add these to the tea as well. If you'd like to pair the herb with another in your tea, try combining it with mint.

Cilantro, also known as coriander, is used more frequently in cooking food than in making teas. However, coriander is suitable for herbal tea and makes a tea which tastes similarly to Lady Grey tea. This tea carries a spicy and acidic flavor with strong citrus undertones. The leaves are used for tea.

Chamomile is one of the more common herbs used in teas. It is a delightful apple-scented herb, which is traditionally used to induce calm and sleep. Chamomile tolerates full sun to semi-shade. Chamomile flowers are easily grown from seeds. The flowers are the preferred part for making the tea.

Bergamot is a popular choice for herbal teas because it carries a touch of orange flavor. The plant produces gorgeous bright red, violet, or pink flowers and grows best in full sun or semi-shade. The herb thrives in full sun to partial shade, and does best when left relatively dry. Bergamot also has mild health benefits: it acts as a digestive and diuretic, and can reduce a mild headache.

Rose hips are the seed cases that the rose flower grows out of. They are extremely high in vitamin C and consequently offer the health benefits that the vitamin provides. Rose hips will form once the rose bush goes to seed. The rose hips should be deep orange-red before harvesting.

As the name indicates, lemon verbena packs a refreshing and tangy lemony taste in its easy-to-grow leaves. It needs full sun and will not tolerate harsh winters, so keep it pot-bound and indoors if the region you live in has cold winters. The leaves are used for tea.

Lavender leaves are a delightful, softly fragrant tisane that are perfect for making a soothing cup of tea. Lavender grows well when placed in in full sun. Plant your lavender in well-drained soil. It prefers not to be over-watered, so only water the lavender when its soil is completely dry.

Peppermint tea is a perennial favorite for many people. Peppermint is generally easy to grow and enjoys semi-shaded spots. Keep mint out of full sun, though, or it may begin to wilt. The herb can quickly spread from one part of a garden to another, so unless you want it escaping across the herb garden, keep it pot-bound.

Quite a few herbs and flowers are suitable for making herbal teas. Your choice is dependent on what flavors you like the most and what will grow best for you. If space in your garden is limited, try planting complementary flavors in the same garden patch. Complementary herb flavors include:

Prepare the soil or pot as you would do normally for planting herbs or flowers. Most types of tea herb will thrive in fertile, well-drained soil. You can purchase fertilized soil at a garden supply center, or add your own compost to enrich the soil in your garden.

If you prefer to build your own garden box, you can make a rudimentary one by nailing 4 planks into a square shape. Most herbs grow best in full sun to partial shade, so position your garden box in an area that is mostly exposed and will receive sun throughout the growing season.

If you already have a small herb garden, or even a large planter in which you're growing herbs, set aside part of this as a tea garden. Pick any weeds out of the garden, and use a small shovel or spade to turn over the top several inches of soil.

Some plants like Lemon Verona and all varieties of mint are incredibly difficult to grow from seed, so it's best to transplant or obtain a seedling for those types of plants.

Do not use herbs or flowers that have pesticide residues. When growing, use natural pest reduction methods. If you obtain your leaves and flowers from elsewhere, ask the gardeners if pesticides were used before ingesting.

Lemon balm, (not to be confused with lemon verbena), and peppermint will take over the garden if given the opportunity. Keep them pot-bound if this is a concern for you.

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