Community Blog

We connected with Amelia, a community herbalist of Darling Dandy Botanicals, to share some of her favorite herbs to grow in the garden to keep us cool, calm, and refreshed all summer long.

These easy-to-grow herbs are versatile and great to infuse in teas, syrups, floral waters, lemonades, cocktails (or mocktails), and more. A quick gardening note: you may want to plant your mint and lemon balm in containers, as both can spread wild and prolific in gardens. Remember, these herbs are usually available in our main greenhouse. Enjoy crafting these recipes on those hot summer days:

3/4 cup cane sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

5 tablespoons chamomile flowers or 6 chamomile tea bags

3/4 cup lemon juice

Lemon slice, for garnish

Combine sugar, lemon zest, and 2 cups of water in a saucepan

Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar

Remove from heat and add chamomile flowers

Let cool

Strain chamomile mixture into a 2-quart pitcher

Stir in lemon juice and 3 cups water

Serve over ice with lemon slices OR store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days

INGREDIENTS
1 cup fresh lemon balm
8 ounces boiling water

Cut the watermelon into cubes

Remove the rind and any seeds

Blend all ingredients together

Enjoy