Growing Guide · Beginner Healing Herb Garden
Picture it: a cup of lemon balm tea you picked five minutes ago, bees working the catnip, and the honey-almond scent of meadowsweet drifting across the garden on a July evening.
That's what six small plants can become. The Beginner Healing Herb Garden is our easiest way to start growing traditional healing herbs, and every order comes with a free printable growing guide.
Shop the Beginner Healing Herb GardenMeet the herbsQuick answer
The Beginner Healing Herb Garden is a collection of six hardy, easy-to-grow herb plants for UK gardens: lemon balm, American skullcap, feverfew, meadowsweet, marshmallow and catnip, with valerian, vervain or ground ivy swapped in depending on the season. Grown organically in Sussex, the plants arrive ready to plant in a sunny bed or in pots, come back every year, and include a free 10-page printable guide with a planting plan, pot advice, a pruning calendar and the folklore of every herb.
Why it's the perfect first herb garden
We chose every plant in this collection because it's forgiving, fully hardy and genuinely useful. You don't need experience, a big garden or special kit. Plant them in spring or early autumn, water them for the first few weeks, and they return every year, bigger and more generous each time.
- Something to pick in the first summer. Lemon balm, catnip and feverfew grow quickly, so you'll be making fresh tea within weeks.
- A garden that grows with you. Meadowsweet, skullcap and marshmallow are slower to start and come into their own from year two.
- Bed or patio. Most of the herbs are happy in pots, so a sunny balcony works too.
- Alive with bees. Catnip, valerian and meadowsweet are pollinator favourites.
Meet your herbs
You'll receive six plants. Most boxes contain the six core herbs. When a plant isn't at its best, we swap in valerian, vervain or ground ivy, so here are all nine.
Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalis
The herb you'll pick most. Brush past it and the whole bed smells of lemon sherbet. Your go-to for fresh tea.
60–90cm · sun or part shade · ★ perfect in a pot
Full lemon balm guide →
Catnip
Nepeta cataria
Soft grey-green leaves and spikes of tiny white flowers that bees adore all summer. Your cat will adore it too.
40–90cm · full sun · ★ perfect in a pot
Feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
A cloud of little button daisies from June to September. Cheerful at the front of a border and lovely in a jam-jar posy.
40–60cm · full sun · ★ perfect in a pot
American Skullcap
Scutellaria lateriflora
Slender stems of small blue hooded flowers. Quietly pretty, rarely sold in the UK, and treasured by herbalists.
60–90cm · part shade, moist soil · ★ good in a pot
Full skullcap guide →
Meadowsweet
Filipendula ulmaria
Frothy cream flower heads in high summer with a honey-and-almond scent. Brings the feel of a wild riverbank to your garden.
90–120cm · sun or part shade, damp soil · large pot only
Meadowsweet monograph →
Marshmallow
Althaea officinalis
The tall one. Velvety grey leaves and pale pink hollyhock-like flowers. The original marshmallow sweets were made from its root.
1.2–1.8m · full sun, moist soil · plenty of room or a big container
Valerian
Valeriana officinalis
Tall stems topped with sweetly scented pink clusters that hum with bees. A classic of the evening tea garden.
1.2–1.5m · sun or part shade · large pot only
Full valerian guide →
Vervain
Verbena officinalis
Wiry stems with tiny lilac flowers. Known in ancient times as the "holy herb" and still loved for its history.
30–80cm · full sun · ★ good in a pot
Full vervain guide →
Ground Ivy
Glechoma hederacea
A low, creeping native herb with violet-blue spring flowers. Fills shady gaps and trails beautifully over a pot edge.
10–20cm · shade tolerant · ★ perfect in a pot or basket
Good to know: marshmallow grows up to 1.8m tall and about 1m wide by its third summer, with deep roots, and valerian reaches 1.5m or more. Give them a spot at the back with room to grow, or a large container to keep them contained. Your bonus guide shows exactly where each herb goes.
The stories behind your herbs
These plants have been grown by doorsteps for centuries, and each one comes with a story. A taste of what's in your guide:
🍋 Lemon balm, the bee herb
Its Latin name, Melissa, is Greek for honeybee. Beekeepers once rubbed their hives with it to keep a swarm at home.
🍯 Meadowsweet, queen of the meadow
Elizabeth I loved it strewn on her floors for its honey scent, and in the 1830s chemists found salicylic acid in its buds, the starting point for aspirin.
🌸 Marshmallow, the first sweet
Ancient Egyptians mixed its root sap with honey, and French confectioners whipped it into the very first marshmallows.
A morning in your herb garden
It's a June morning and the kettle's on. You step outside with a mug and a pair of scissors, and the dew is still on the grass.
Halfway down the path you brush the lemon balm, and the air fills with the smell of lemon sherbet. You snip a few sprigs from the top, where the leaves are youngest and brightest. A bee is already working the catnip beside it.
At the back of the bed the valerian is shoulder high, its pale pink flower heads swaying, and the scent is sweet and soft. You take a few of its leaves for the pot too, a gentle evening blend in the making.
Back inside, you bruise the leaves between your fingers, drop them into the mug and pour over the water. Five minutes later you're sitting on the step with a cup of tea you grew yourself, from plants that were a small box on your doorstep in spring.
That's what this little garden is for: a few minutes of calm, a reason to step outside, and a cup that tastes of your own summer.
Bonus with every order: your printable growing guide
Keep it in the potting shed and refer back all year. Inside:
- A profile of all nine herbs
- The folklore behind each plant
- A ready-made planting plan
- Slow starters, tall growers and a height chart
- Which herbs love pots, and pot sizes
- When to prune so nothing takes over
- A month-by-month herb calendar
- Traditional uses and three simple recipes
- Safety notes and pages for your garden notes
What can you use the herbs for?
Fresh lemon balm and catnip tea, meadowsweet iced tea and cordials, posies of feverfew, catnip toys for the cat and dried herbs for winter blends. Each herb also has a long history of traditional use: lemon balm and catnip are traditionally used to help you unwind, feverfew for headaches, marshmallow to soothe sore throats, and valerian root for sleep. For new ideas, keep an eye on our Herbal Recipes page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which herbs are in the Beginner Healing Herb Garden?
Six hardy herb plants: usually lemon balm, American skullcap, feverfew, meadowsweet, marshmallow and catnip. Depending on the season, valerian, vervain or ground ivy may be sent instead of one of these.
Is the Beginner Healing Herb Garden good for beginners?
Yes. Every herb was chosen because it's hardy, forgiving and easy to grow in the UK, and every order includes a free printable growing guide with a planting plan and pruning calendar.
Can I grow the herbs in pots?
Yes. Lemon balm, catnip, feverfew, skullcap, vervain and ground ivy all do well in 25–30cm pots. Meadowsweet and valerian need a 40cm+ pot, and marshmallow needs a large container at least 45cm wide and deep.
How much space do I need?
A bed about 1.8m long and 1.2m deep holds the whole collection, or a group of six pots on a patio. Leave extra room at the back for marshmallow and valerian, which grow tall.
When should I plant my herb garden?
April to early June, or September to early October. Spring planting gives you your first harvest the same summer.
Will the herbs come back every year?
Yes. All nine are hardy perennials in the UK. They die back in winter and return in spring. Feverfew is short-lived but seeds itself, so it keeps coming back.
Grow your garden further
Once your first herbs are settled, it's easy to add a new corner each year:
Start your healing herb garden this season
Six hardy herb plants, grown organically in Sussex, delivered ready to plant, with your free 10-page growing guide included.
Shop the Beginner Healing Herb GardenMore growing guides
The information in this guide describes traditional herbal uses for general interest only and is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before using any plant or herb for health purposes, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medication.