Herbs give so much more to a garden

Herbs are often viewed as part of the supporting cast in some gardens, a useful addition to a meal, as in fennel with fish, rosemary with lamb. But they have so much more than that to offer.

- BY TOM PATTINSON

Any herb garden worth its salt must surely have parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, even if just to hum Scarborough Fair while collecting leaves for the kitchen.

Moss curled parsley is my choice ahead of the flat-leaved type for taste, attraction and longevity.

When parsley is sown directly into a drill outdoors in spring, germination can take up to six weeks, but this time can be at least halved by emptying the packet contents into an egg cup of recently boiled water and letting it soak overnight.