Tea Gardens

Spring is officially here and with it comes warmer weather, welcome sunshine, and an opportunity to spend more time outdoors in our gardens. I love to sit in my garden with a nice cup of tea, and best of all tea made from freshly picked herbs and flowers. My tea obsession led me to a new type of edible landscape I call a “tea garden.”

This tea garden is one of my favorites. A tea garden or if you are so inclined, a “cocktail garden,” is a version of an edible or sensory garden through which you can stroll, picking flowers, leaves, and even berries and bark, all of which can be used to make herbal teas, tinctures, simple syrups, herbal salts and sugars, bitters, vinegars, and cocktails.

Recently I had a client whose baby liked to go out into the garden and chew on plants, rocks, dirt, and just about anything within reach. She and her partner also loved to create “craft cocktails” and were excellent cooks. This inspired a garden that was not only non-toxic but fully edible. And I’m not talking just fruit trees.

Lemon balm, lemon verbena, marjoram, oregano, thyme, mint, and even strawberries were planted atop a wall that surrounded a flagstone patio, so to cascade down making for easy access. Above the patio a meandering pathway leads through a fruit orchard with mulberry, peach, apricot, kaffir lime, pomegranate, persimmon, and every variety of citrus imaginable. Passion fruit vine grows on the fence and of course there’s a vegetable garden with raised beds for the “usual stuff” like tomatoes, kale and whatever else fancy and the seasons dictate.

The result is a garden that’s safe for babies, animals, and adults alike and is an inspiration for a myriad of delicious culinary experiments. Lemon balm, lemon verbena, and mint tea with a bit of rose, lavender, and hibiscus flower, can be served hot or iced for a refreshing change of taste, or can become simple syrup for drinks, desserts, and more.

Thus, the tea garden offers much more than tea. Lavender, rosemary, and sage; rose, mint and even nutmeg-scented geraniums along with juniper berries, pine, cedar and other edible, aromatic plants can be used not only for making teas and syrups but also to create uniquely fragranced salts and sugars. They can be used in marinades, salad dressings, and dry rubs. As you can see, once you get going the possibilities are endless.

Recipe for botanical simple syrup: Measure out 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup of the herb, flower, peel, or whole fruit of your choice. Bring to a simmer and allow to steep for about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and store in the refrigerator.

Of course, if you are going to be consuming anything from your garden you should not use pesticides or chemicals of any kind.

Lisa Cullen, landscape designer and organic gardener, owns Montecito Landscape with her husband, Chris. She can be reached at 805.969.3984 or www.montecitolandscape.com

By Lisa Cullen