Plant a Tea Garden for Relaxation and Health

Planting a Tea Garden

For thousands of years, people have been gathering herbs to brew into a tea. Familiar black, green and white teas come from the tropical tea plant, Camellia sinensis, that originated in China and was first used as a medicine. But, you'd be surprised at how many other plants you can grow to brew into herbal teas, and these attractive plants also provide antioxidants, vitamins and other health benefits.

A steaming, hot cup of tea comforts your body and soul. Have you got a window box or a small sunny spot in your yard? If you want a professional gardening help, use our directory to find many gardening and landscaping companies in Dubai. You can add new flavors to your teapot by growing herbs and flowers. Choose some of these plants to add flavor, color and good health to your life. Sometimes two different plants have the same common name, but the Latin name is always exact.

Also, as with any herbal remedy, check with your healthcare provider in Dubai before using herbs to make sure that they fit with your health plan. When growing a tea garden, make sure to only use non-toxic materials.

Treat your tea plants as you would a vegetable garden, and don't use chemical sprays. Remember, you will be consuming these herbs!

Bergamot

The scarlet flower of the bergamot plant (Monarda didyma) looks stunning in a garden and attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.

Make your own Earl Grey tea by mixing dried bergamot leaves and flowers with your favorite black tea. You can start bergamot plants from seeds in the spring in a partly shady spot. Consider planting them in a large pot outdoors, because when bergamot gets started, it tends to fill the flower bed.

Bergamot plants will grow to three feet tall. Clip the leaves and flowers; you can use them fresh to make tea, or dry them for later use. Bergamot is rich in antioxidants and vitamins A and C, and it has been Lucet for its calming properties and to ease depression.

Peppermint and Spearmint

Mint plants (Mentha spicata, Mentha Sativa, and other varieties) love moist, rich soils, to keep them from filling up the rest of your garden. Mints come in many flavors, including chocolate mint, ginger mint and strawberry mint. Peppermint has been used to treat stomach aches, and mint teas are known for their relaxing properties.

You can dry mint leaves and flowers, or simply use them fresh for an invigorating tea. Find a sunny spot and try several mint varieties. Calendula: Also called Pot Marigold, Calendula (Calendula officinalis) plants are easy to tuck into your flower bed here and there for a splash of sunny color. Plant the funny-looking seeds outdoors two weeks before the last frost in a sunny spot, or start them indoors six to eight weeks before the last spring frost for your area.

Their bright orange to yellow blossoms will lift your spirits when you catch sight of them, and their flower petals can be made into tea fresh or dried for later use. The sticky calendula flowers have a long history of use in healing wounds because of their anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Calendula

Calendula tea has been used to help heal peptic ulcers and to soothe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Calendula can bring on menstrual flow, so pregnant women should ask their healthcare provider before drinking calendula tea. Collect the bold flower petals to Lise fresh or dried for tea.

Strawberry

Both the berries and the leaves of the strawberry (Fragaria vesca and other varieties) make a delectable tea. Purchase plants in the spring and plant them in a weed-free, sunny bed. Make sure not to bury the crown of the plant the part where the leaves originate. Water your transplants well, and when they are established, you can pluck the leaves and ripe berries to steep into flavorful teas.

Chop several strawberry leaves and steep them in a mug of boiling water. Add several crushed berries if you like. Strawberry leaves and berries contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and anti-cancer compounds that have been shown to reduce inflammation.

Purple Coneflower

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) makes a beautiful addition to any garden. A sun-loving perennial, coneflower can be grown from seeds, but the plant takes three years to grow large enough for you to harvest the roots for tea. Echinacea tea has been used to boost the immune system and to aid digestion.

Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds love the bold, purple blooms, and you will too! Purple Coneflower plants like fertile soil, so dig in some compost to your garden before transplanting your coneflowers. During the summer months, you can collect coneflower leaves and flowers to dry for tea.