We tend to bundle herbs together as needing the same care. The most common herbs we use in cooking require vastly different growing conditions. While coriander is an annual and thrives in the cooler months, rosemary is at home in a full sun, dry position and thrives throughout the warmer months. A few hours spent planting the heat loving herbs will produce benefits all year round, not just at this time of the year.

Top heat loving herbs

Rosemary There are at least 6 different varieties of rosemary and each one has their subtle flavour differences. Strong hardy growers are perfect for low hedges, while the rambling varieties are ideally suited to large landscape areas or cascading over low walls. Rosemary and lamb is the traditional flavour matching, but as it loves the heat and grows so well at this time of the year serve as a condiment, mixed with lemon rind and salt on fish or thick slices of juicy ripe tomatoes served at room temperature.

Sage The humble sage is underrated as a garden plant. Once prized for its medicinal values, nowadays it’s common to find it flavouring, sourdough bread, pork sausages and the hero ingredient in marinated goats cheese. It tolerates less than ideal growing conditions, growing naturally in the Mediterranean and produces a brilliant flower show in spring. Grows in most areas of Australia and benefits from a prune after flowering to encourage bush growth, exactly what is needed when growing for the plate.

Thyme Common thyme is a creeping ground cover perfect for underplanting in large pots and containers. When growing it’s a balance between quantity and quality. Grow them soft with lots of fertiliser and water and the result is a mass of harvestable foliage. Almost starve them with minimal water and fertiliser, just enough to keep them alive and flavour is intense.

When planting herbs water them in with Seasol or Seasol GOLD to assist with plant establishment and health growth. Apply PowerFeed every 2 to 4 weeks to keep your herbs happy and healthy.