Spice & Medicinal Plants

image: Spice & Medicinal Plants

Lemon Grass

This herb makes a delicious herbal tea, is often used in cooking, as an effective pest repellent and an almost impenetrable weed barrier. Tie the outer leaves in a loop and cook with food to impart flavour. Remove prior to serving.

Drumstick or Horseradish Tree

This tree has delicate foliage and attractive pale yellow flowers. It produces long green pods that taste similar to asparagus. The roots are used as a substitute for horseradish and the edible leaves make a highly nutritious vegetable.

Aloe Vera

The healing powers of this plant have been known throughout the civilised world for centuries. While considered by many to be a member of the cactus family it is actually a member of the lily family along with onions and asparagus.

Cardamon Ginger

Ginger like plant growing in clumps, makes an excellent low screen adding a tropical feel to any garden. The seeds don't resemble true cardamon, the leaves can be used in desserts, to add flavour when steaming rice or used to wrap fish.

Turmeric

In the ginger family, this leafy tropical looking plant produces a spectacular flower in the summer. The Root can be harvested when the foliage dies back in the winter. Used to add a brilliant yellow colour and earthy flavour to Indian dishes.

Curry Tree

Fresh leaves from this tree are an indispensable ingredient in Indian cooking. The leaves are pretty much unknown in the West because they lose most of their flavor when dried. They have a distinct, spicy curry-like flavor and odor.

Bay Tree

This handsome pyramid shaped tree makes a superb tub specimen, hedging plant or topiary sculpture due to its positive response to pruning. The leaves of the bay are used as the popular culinary seasoning used in all types of cooking.

Tea Plant

Makes an attractive hedge with the added bonus of providing your own tea if you wish to dry the new leaf tips. The fragrant white flowers are an added bonus to this compact glossy leaved bush.