How to create a tea garden using plants and flowers that not only add color and texture but also ones you can use to make beautiful, organic tea!
I drink tea and benefit from its nutrients all year long. I love a nice warm cup in the winter and iced in the summer.
When thinking about our landscape design and what to plant in the ground, in pots, and around the yard, I wanted plants and flowers that not only add color and texture but also ones we can use!
It makes the most sense to me to have potted plants that we can benefit from as well. I decided to plant herbs and flowers that would create a beautiful tea garden.
Throughout the property, I chose herbs and plants that are perfect for making tea, but also thrive in our area in Southern California.
For the herbs that need shade and water, I kept them in pots and for anything that thrives in the ground, we planted in the soil, like the jasmine, lavender, rosemary and roses.
How to Choose your Herbs
I chose my tea garden herbs carefully and wanted to plant things that you can’t buy in the grocery store. So instead of sage, I chose pineapple sage, which sounded like the perfect flavor for a summer tea.
It smells incredible! I also planted lemon balm and grapefruit mint! The grapefruit mint literally smells like grapefruit and it’s so refreshing.
Furthermore, I added lemon verbena, marigold, hyssop, chamomile and bergamot to our tea garden. I also use these in recipes and cocktail garnishes too. You can see our edible flower pots here!
Tips for Planting a Tea Garden
One thing that’s really important when buying your plants is to make sure you’re using organic soil and non-gmo plants. You want to be able to use them and create a tea without harsh chemicals. Luckily there are plenty of options for organic soil and plant food.
If you don’t have a lot of rain where you live, put all of your herbs (even potted) on a drip system. This will help them thrive and grow without having to think about watering them every day.
A lot of herbs can be planted in the same pot as well. I keep my mint separate since it always thrives and grows like crazy!
Herbs for a Tea Garden
- Bergamot
- Hibiscus
- Lemon Verbena
- Pineapple Sage
- Lemon Balm
- Chamomile
- Grapefruit Mint
- Calendula Marigold
- Hyssop
- Spanish Lavender
- Jasmine
- Rose
We made a Sugar and Charm tea garden chart showing some of the herbs you can buy that are perfect for creating a charming tea garden.
Tools Maintaining you Tea Herb Garden
For maintaining my plants and landscape, I updated all of my tools with Gilmour and Fiskars products. The Gilmour hoses, nozzles and sprinklers work seamlessly together to create a watering system that is perfect for your every need. Furthermore, the multi-use Fiskars tools are great to maintain a healthy plant foundation and encourage growth.
Supplies
When it comes to maintenance I want products that work well and make the planting process easier. One of my favorite products is the Gilmour Thumb Control Nozzle with Swivel Connect fitted with the Flexogen® Super Duty Hose!
The nozzle even has eight different spray patterns (I love the mist!) and because of the swivel feature, the nozzle can pivot without twisting the hose- It’s amazing and curves without kinking!
The nozzle also fits snugly on the hose, so they work great together, without leaking… I’m addicted and use both almost every day now!
For harvesting, I use 2 products. First is the Fiskars Non-stick Softgrip® Micro-Tip® Pruning Snip for the herbs, as they are ideal for trimming, shaping and other quick snips on small plants and the non-stick coating helps reduce jamming and buildup.
For the larger plants and my rose bushes, I use Fiskars PowerGear2™ Pruner. They’re heavier and have a rolling handle, so they power through stems and branches!
An added plus, the modified gears optimize cutting power in the middle of the cut where the branch is the thickest and I need the most power, which is so helpful when pruning our 12 rose bushes!
More Garden Ideas You’ll Love!
We hope you’re inspired to make your own tea garden this spring! Please let us know what you think in the comments below and share your photos with us on social @sugarandcharm!
Do you have a source for edible NonGMO flower seeds/ plants.