Hi all,

I am about to set-out a specific new herb area to my garden. Could anyone please advise which herbs may be useful to the home; for cleaning, disinfecting, preventing disease etc., which were sustainable in hot/dry climates.

Thanks in advance,
John

Hi John

Can you be more specific? When you say hot/dry climates do you mean to cope with the climate changes in the UK or do you live in another country? Only asking as if you do, you may be able to grow things that can't be grown in the UK. Once I hear back from you I'll see what I can come up with and I'm sure others will

Debs

Hi John

I would think about mediterranean herbs and those growing in Californian/Arizonia dry environments. As this is your first herb garden, I would start with simple herbs - sage (salvia officinalis, rosemary, lavender, wormwood, aloe vera, white sage (salvia apiana), thyme. All these plants can be made into cleaning products and disinfectants both for the house and yourself.

If you're thinking about disease prevention - I'm presuming you mean immune stimulating? You might want to try some echinacea in pots where you can put in the water retaining pellets and also concentrate your watering as it may need more water than the others.

Hope that helps

Sarah

Hi Debs/Sarah,

Thanks for the lghtening response. I live in Cyprus and have some herbs already (sage, rosemary and lavender included. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

John

Hi John

I've actually been working on a document for adding to the site on herbal uses in the home, although it isn't complete yet unfortunately. Here's a list of some herbs with the sort of 'household cleaning properties' your after, I hope, and all of them will grow well where you're based, assuming you don't have a problem keeping the mint and chamomile watered?

Disinfectant Properties:  Basil, chamomile, clary sage, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, rose geranium, thyme.

Fungicidal Properties:  Chamomile, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, savory, tea tree, thyme.

Anti-Bacterial Properties:  Bay, eucalyptus, lavender, oregano, patchouli, rosemary, savory, tea tree, thyme.

Antiseptic Properties:  All bactericide herbs above plus basil, clary sage, lemon balm, peppermint, rose geranium, sage, spearmint.

Insect Repellant Properties:  Basil, bay, chamomile, coriander, tansy, thyme, rosemary, peppermint, lavender.

Household Herb Uses

Basil will repel flies and mosquito’s - grow some in a pot on a kitchen windowsill.

Ants dislike strong smelling herbs such as tansy, lemon thyme, rosemary, sage and catnip - bruise fresh cut sprays of these herbs and hang them in food cupboards to deter ants.

Use a handful of lemon balm leaves as a quick aromatic polish for wooden furniture, and on kitchen worktops for their antiseptic properties.

Hope the above helps?

Debs

Hi Debs,

Thanks, your response was exactly what I needed.

Good luck with the book.

John