One of the plants brightening up my balcony is ginger mint, a superb golden-leaved herb which looks marvellous planted in the black Woolly Pocket. I ordered it, along with a load of winter bedding plants from the lovely people at Bedding and Basket. I have to say I was very impressed with Bedding and Basket, especially as they are quite new to the mail order scene. My plants arrived neatly wrapped and very well protected, in an exciting big box, on the day I’d asked (there’s nothing worse than picking up plants from the parcel depot to discover they are all dead).
But back to the ginger mint. This plant looks striking, smells strikingly minty and gingery (hardly a surprise), and makes a marvellous tea. In my family, ginger tea is the source of all peace, harmony and bedtime dreams, and we drink it every night before trundling off to bed. Adding a splash of mintiness is lovely, as it helps the digestion and makes your mouth feel all tingly.
Mint thrives on my balcony because it doesn’t get the full sun all day long, and stays relatively moist in the Woolly Pocket. Growing it in a confined space also means it doesn’t take over your entire garden (as much as I love ginger mint, I’d rather my entire balcony wasn’t covered in it), although this mint is not as rampant as its common cousin, which will swamp a flower bed given half the chance.
10% off at Victoriana Nurseries
Anyone visiting Victoriana from F&F will automatically get a discount on their order. Click the link above.
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