Grow some of these delicious plants for a perfect blend of herbal tea!
Doesn’t a hot cup of tea sound comforting on chilly days? In fact, herbal teas are even lovely iced when you want something refreshing rather than plain water on a hot summer’s day. Better yet, how about making a strong herbal iced tea as a mixer for cocktails when friends come over?
Still, even though there are lots of tea brands available on the market, how great would it be to brew a mug of tea you blended yourself from your very own outdoor tea garden? By growing your own herbal tea garden, you’ll be making your landscape beautiful, helping out the pollinators, and having custom-blended drinks at your fingertips… without having to worry about pesticides or additives.
And even with only a handful of some delicious plants used in herbal teas, you can create some incredible blends. You can even gift or sell your custom herbal tea blends, perfect for homesteaders looking for some extra cash. The bottom line is that herbal tea is incredibly popular. So start planning an herbal tea garden today!
Peppermint
Peppermint’s cool, invigorating scent offers a refreshing kick to any blend of tea. This hardy plant blossoms in partial shade and moist, rich soil. It even works for container gardening, allowing easy control of its rapid growth. You can use fresh peppermint leaves to brew a soothing cup if you have digestion issues.
And combining this herbal tea with another blend like chamomile can enhance its calming effects. But be aware that regular trimming will keep the delicious plant healthy and prevent it from overtaking other garden areas. You can enjoy this low-maintenance herb with a versatile flavor in both hot and iced teas.
Sage
With its tangy undertones, sage will offer you a distinctive addition to your herbal teas. It prospers in sunny locations with well-drained soil and can even tolerate drought. This delicious plant blends well with ginger and lemon, creating a warming, aromatic tea perfect for chilly days.
Its medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory benefits, make it a priceless plant for wellness teas. On top of that, sage’s evergreen presence in your outdoor space offers year-round utility and beauty.
Jasmine
Jasmine is famous for its exotic and sweet fragrance. You can usually find it blended with green tea. This delicious plant likes to climb and thrives in warm, sunny climates and needs well-draining soil. The small, white flowers tend to bloom in the evening, casting their incredibly intoxicating scent.
You should know that regular pruning promotes healthy growth and plenty of blossoms. And this herbal tea is not only fragrant but also offers calming properties. To truly enjoy its full potential, mix it with green or black tea leaves. Its exquisite aroma will add a touch of elegance to your tea garden.
Echinacea
Echinacea, well-known for its immune-boosting properties, is a dynamic addition to any outdoor tea garden. This delicious plant requires full sun and well-drained soil to thrive. And the added bonus is that the remarkable coneflowers attract pollinators like butterflies and bees.
Harvest the petals for a mild, floral tea, and your immune system will thank you. Echinacea pairs well with lemon balm or mint, enriching both flavor and health benefits. Its presence in your garden is as beneficial as it is lovely, contributing to a biodiverse ecosystem while providing the perfect ingredients for wellness teas.
Chamomile
Known for its soothing capabilities, chamomile is a staple in many households. Its beautiful daisy-like appearance adds a touch of whimsy to any outdoor space. This delicious plant likes to be in sunny spots and planted in well-drained soil. It’s recommended to harvest chamomile flowers when they’re fully grown to get the best flavor.
And dried flowers can easily be stored, ensuring you have a constant supply for your evening brews. Pro Tip: Pair chamomile with lemon balm or mint for a refreshing twist. Also, you should know that regular pruning encourages more blooms, making your garden both decorative and functional.
Bee Balm
Another perennial, this beautiful flower is a member of the mint family, and its petals happen to have a robust flavor and scent, mixing citrus and mint. But you should use it sparingly in your tea blends because a little goes a long way with this one! The petals look beautiful in outdoor areas, blended with other flowers and herbs.
As the name suggests, this delicious plant is a favorite with bees. So it’s an added bonus to have it in your garden as pollinators.
If you find it growing in the wild, save a couple of flower heads for seeds to plant in your garden. The soaring flowers are a stunning addition to any landscape. Just make sure to only use the petals of the flower head in your tea.
Spearmint
Spearmint stands out with its mild, sweet mint flavor, which is excellent for refreshing teas. Its ease of growth and lovely aroma make it a favorite among gardeners. It likes moist soil and partial shade, making it adaptable to many garden environments.
This delicious plant grows vigorously, so you might want to consider containing it to prevent it from spreading too much. You can use fresh leaves for a soothing tea that’s both digestively beneficial and refreshing. I highly recommend pairing this herbal tea with ginger or lemon for a satisfying fusion of flavors.
Thyme
We get it, folks! You might not have expected this one. But thyme can introduce an earthy aroma to herbal teas, complementing many blends beautifully. This low-maintenance perennial prefers well-drained, sunny areas and can even thrive in sandy and rocky soils.
Be sure to harvest your thyme just before it flowers to get the best flavor, using scissors to snip the sprigs. Thyme tea is well-known for its soothing properties, especially for respiratory distress.
When paired with lemon and honey, this delicious plant becomes a comforting brew. It’s a rather versatile herb that’s also used in cooking, making it a dual-purpose addition to any tea garden.
Calendula
Calendula, renowned for its vivid blooms, brings a delicate sweetness to herbal teas. This annual flourishes in sunny spots that have well-drained soil. The edible petals enhance the tea’s look and offer soothing properties, frequently used in skincare remedies.
Calendula tea is calming and gentle, making it a perfect choice for unwinding in the evening. You can also combine it with lemon balm or chamomile for a floral combination that supports relaxation and skin health. This delicious plant’s cheerful flowers are also a magnet for beneficial insects, promoting garden health.
Cornflower
Cornflower has also been called Bachelor’s Button. And even though it has many medicinal benefits, it makes for a somewhat sharp drink on its own. It’s best to blend this delicious plant with other flowers and herbs.
Despite its bitter taste, though, it’s still one of many gardeners’ favorite herbal blends simply because it’s so beautiful.
It adds a nice touch of color to tea cups. This herbal tea is another example of a perennial that’s grown as an annual in colder climates. Be sure to use its lovely blue petals dried in your tea.
Rosemary
A powerful herb, rosemary brings a pine-like aroma to herbal tea blends, offering a unique twist to your nightly cup of relaxation. It prospers in sunny, well-drained environments and is fairly drought-tolerant. You can harvest this delicious plant by snipping a few sprigs from the top, which also encourages bushier growth.
Its distinctive flavor pairs well with honey and lemon in teas. As many people already know, rosemary can also add lots of flavor to savory dishes, making it a versatile addition to your outdoor space. Its evergreen nature ensures a year-round supply, providing aromatic and culinary benefits.
Red Clover
If you’re lucky, you might already have red clover growing wild on your property. But you might not have known that red clover buds make a delicious sweet tea all on their own but blend well with everything else, too.
This is another excellent pollinator-friendly addition to your herbal tea garden, and there’s so much you can do with the flowers outside of tea.
If you don’t have it already, consider adding a patch of this pretty pink perennial. Just be sure to harvest the buds of this delicious plant while they’re still pink and use them fresh or dried.
Fun Fact: Did you know herbal teas aren’t actually tea? Unless your tea cup contains tea leaves from the “Camellia Sinensis” plant, a drink made of only flowers and herbs is known as a tisane. Sipping a tisane sounds fancier, doesn’t it?
Stevia
Stevia is the natural sweetener of the plant world, offering a sugar-free way to enhance your drinks. It flourishes in well-drained soil and full sun areas, making it perfect for garden beds or pots. You can harvest the leaves as needed to sweeten teas without packing on the calories.
This plant pairs well with most herbal and black teas, providing a sweet contrast to bitter or tart flavors. Its low-calorie nature makes it a popular option for health-conscious gardeners. This delicious plant is an outstanding addition for those looking to lower their sugar intake while still getting to enjoy flavorful teas.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm will bring a citrusy zing to your tea prep time, brightening the flavor profile with its lemony fragrance. It grows nicely in full sun to partial shade and favors well-drained soil. The leaves can be harvested a few times throughout the growing season, guaranteeing a steady supply.
Blending lemon balm with black or green tea can create a delightful fusion for your taste buds. This delicious plant enhances the garden’s aroma and also attracts bees, contributing to pollination. And as many others on our list, it’s an extraordinary addition to both culinary and herbal teas.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass can bring a fresh, citrusy essence to teas, ideal for refreshing morning brews. It favors sunny locations and well-drained soil, growing tall with the tiniest amount of care. You can harvest the stalks of lemongrass by cutting them close to their base, using them fresh or dried for tea.
This delicious plant blends beautifully with ginger or mint, producing a revitalizing cup. Besides its culinary uses, lemongrass also has calming properties that are frequently used in aromatherapy.
Its tall, graceful look also makes it an attractive ornamental plant, adding both flavor and beauty to outdoor gardens. As an added bonus? Mosquitos HATE this plant!
Hibiscus
Hibiscus adds a tart flavor and a vibrant splash of color to your herbal tea garden. This tropical plant flourishes in warmer climates with lots of sunlight and well-drained soil. Its large, showy blooms are visually appealing and loaded with vitamin C.
Hibiscus tea is renowned for its many health benefits and refreshing taste, including supporting your heart health. You can harvest a few flowers of this delicious plant in the morning when they’re most vibrant. Then enjoy your hibiscus iced for a cool summer refreshment, or blend it with mint for a rejuvenating twist.
Lavender
We all know the calming benefits of lavender at this point, right? It infuses a floral elegance into teas, providing a soothing aroma. To grow it in your garden, you should know that it thrives in sunny locations with well-draining soil. The best time to harvest is when the flower buds open on the spikes for optimal fragrance.
Lavender pairs beautifully with lemon and honey in teas, offering a subtle yet distinctive flavor. This delicious plant also attracts beneficial pollinators like bees, enhancing your outdoor area’s biodiversity.
Its evergreen foliage provides year-round appeal, and its dried up flowers can be used in potpourri or sachets, extending its use beyond the humble teacup.
Lemon Verbena
Lemon verbena offers an extreme lemon fragrance, perfect for uplifting tea blends. It prospers in full sun and well-draining soil, making it ideal for garden borders. You can harvest leaves regularly to encourage new growth and preserve their bushy form.
Its citrusy notes pair perfectly with herbal or black teas, creating refreshing drinks. Lemon verbena is also prized for its digestive benefits and is frequently used in calming digestive issues. The aromatic leaves of this delicious plant can be used fresh or dried, ensuring a consistent supply throughout the entire year.
Roses
You might not have thought about it, but roses are a perfect addition to a tea garden. We all know how beautiful they look when in bloom, and they also smell incredible. As a perennial, returning year after year, their petals and unopened buds make an excellent addition to your herbal tea blend. The flavor is floral and lightly sweet.
And, of course, when the flowering season is over, you can harvest rosehips after the first frost for rosehip tea or add rosehips to another of your tea blends. Rosehips are loaded with vitamin C, lending a bright citrus flavor to teas.
Fair warning, though: When choosing the right kind of rose variety to grow for tea, you’ll want to avoid the newer hybrids and go for heirloom varieties. If you have wild roses on your property, they’re an excellent choice for tea. For your tea, dry this delicious plant’s petals and closed buds, and use the rosehips dried and fresh.
Just make sure to avoid pricking yourself on this beautiful flower’s thorns. I recommend using a pair of Weeding Working Gloves in the garden.
Many of the delicious plants on our list have multiple uses beyond tea
Many of the plants on our list are also used in cooking. And most have medicinal benefits as well. Plenty of these herbs make great additions to homemade soap, too. But when it’s all said and done, an herbal tea garden provides many valuable plants that are easily incorporated into a natural lifestyle.
Most even make a beautiful addition to your landscaping. So, if your space allows it and you want to confine your tea garden to one area, you’ll have a lovely playground to stroll. Don’t worry if it doesn’t, though! The good news is that you can plant these flowers and herbs all over your property, fill in a skimpy-looking area, or add some a pop of color to an otherwise bland container.
You might even have a few of these growing on your land already without knowing it. Another thing we should consider is that as the global population of pollinators continues to dwindle, it’s more consequential than ever to provide them with food sources.
The perfect opportunity to help lies right in your backyard, and you both get to reap the benefits. And since almost all the plants on our list are perennials, this means less work for you because you won’t have to replant your garden every year.. a little maintenance goes a long way!
Have you spotted any of these delicious plants in your garden? Please feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments below.
But don’t leave yet! If you found this article helpful, we highly recommend also reading: 8 Delicious Water-Growing Herbs for Your Kitchen
