How to Create a Tea Garden

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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! If you love to garden, this is a fun project anyone can do!

Eden Passante planting herbs on her side porch.

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!

You can also make mini tea garden pots to give as favors at a tea party.

How to Make a Tea Garden

Overhead photo of potted herbs.

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.

Soil pouring into a pot of herbs

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.

Eden Passante clipping roses in her garden

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!

Watering mint and herbs

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 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) are 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!

Watering lavender with a Gilmore hose.

Herbs for a Tea Garden

Here are some tea garden herb suggestions:

  • Bergamot
  • Hibiscus
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Pineapple Sage
  • Lemon Balm
  • Chamomile
  • Grapefruit Mint
  • Calendula Marigold
  • Hyssop
  • Spanish Lavender
  • Jasmine
  • Rose
Herbs for a Tea Garden

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.

Eden Passante watering plants and herbs.

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.

Clipping marigold flowers.

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!

Clipping roses with a Fiskars clipper

For harvesting, I use small clippers for pruning and snipping the herbs. They are ideal for trimming, shaping, and other quick snips on small plants and reduce jamming and buildup. 

Clipping lavender with a Fiskakers clipper.

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!

Three concrete pots potted with herbs and flowers.

More Garden Ideas You’ll Love!

Indoor Herb Garden

Edible Potted Floral Garden

DIY Cement Planters

DIY Shower Bundles

Complete Guide to Hellebore

Indoor Plant Guide

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!

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3 thoughts on “How to Create a Tea Garden”

  1. For the roses what kind do you recommend? Do you used just the petles ? Or something like a tea rose and use the whole bud?

    Reply

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