Being able to grow your own herbs, whether culinary, medicinal or both is one of the best things about gardening. All three herbs listed not only make great herbal teas, but they are perfect for attracting pollinators to your garden and have culinary uses. Not to mention they all grow easily and are great beginner herbs to grow with children. They all come from the mint family, Lamiaceae. You may have heard before that mint spreads far and wide, this is why I suggest sowing seeds or planting transplants of these vigorous growing herbs in containers, especially when you have limited garden space. 

• Tulsi/Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum, Lamiaceae) Holy basil also known as Tulsi is a beautiful herb that can be used for both culinary and medicinal purposes which make it a great addition to your garden. 
• Peppermint (Mentha x piperita, Lamiaceae) Who doesn’t love mint tea? Peppermint tea is soothing and refreshing. It works well in the heat of the summer or in the depths of a cold winter. You can add the leaves to a mix of water and fruit for a refreshing summertime drink or dry the leaves and use them as a loose leaf tea.
• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum, Lamiaceae) Anise hyssop has a unique flavor which may be perfect for a summer tea and running through the sprinkler kind of day. The leaves are most used for tea, but it has beautiful flowers that can also be used in salads. (If starting from seed, you will need to stratify the seeds for optimal germination.)

There are so many more herbs you can grow in containers, I plan to share more with you here on the blog. Growing food, flowers and herbs is such a special practice that can bring more benefits than you can see or imagine. Learning to use these amazing plants in ways that can help boost our wellness on all levels is a gift everyone should have the ability to learn and do. If you plan to grow the three herbs mentioned above, please let me know in the comments!