Fancy a cuppa? No, I’m not inviting you to partake in that Great British pastime (and cure all) of drinking tea, this is the title of the Terry Gilmour’s (aka @the_cockney_gardener) show garden at BBC Gardener’s world Autumn fair. This garden has caused something of a stir; scooping a well-deserved Silver Merit award from the judges plus the coveted ‘People’s Choice Award’ to boot.
The planting is a fusion (or should that be an infusion?) of edible ornamentals, the perfect space to imbibe tea for two, and I am informed by Terry that every plant in the space can be taken as tea. This frankly surprises me. Many of the plants are familiar tea making plants, such as camomile and lemon balm, while others (more to be be revealed about these later) I would never have dreamed could make a brew.
I’m not a traditional ‘tea’ drinker myself, as I don’t tolerate caffeine at all. Over the past thirty years I’ve started to fancy myself as a bit of a connoisseur of the high street and boutique tea establishment’s herbal tea assortments. But this garden offers tea drinking on a whole new, florally infusive level that I’m keen to explore, and Terry, who demonstrates an extensive knowledge of the plants and their properties, is eager to indulge my curiosity.
The garden’s borders, as I said, are packed with an assortment of flowering plants, all of which are suitable for drinking as a tea. There’s the usual suspects, including peppermint and echinacea, familiar staples in my kitchen cupboard of herbal tea sachets, but I’m genuinely surprised by others and even sceptical when I spy dahlias. I mean, really? Dahlia tea? I’m excited by this revelation and at the same time, I’m maddened that in 24 years of dahlia growing I didn’t know this was possible.
Recently, a renound TV chef and author remarked to me in conversation that I have become ‘very well known in gardening circles for my dahlias’. In fact, just two show gardens down form Terry’s garden, is David Hurrion’s showcase garden, for which I have grown the show dahlias, and last year, just metres away, I built my own Gold winning showcase dahlia garden at this same Autumn Fair. When it comes to dahlia growing (and eating), I think I know my stuff and I am truly speechless to discover that dahlias are a drinkable commodity. Terry explains that there is more to the dahlia tea than for the other flowers too (I knew dahlias would have a quirk!). Unlike the other flowers, dahlias release their petal colour into the water as they brew and hearing this delights and fills me with an excitement to try this for myself at the earliest opportunity.
After dahlias, my second biggest connection to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the past 3 years have been the Chrysanthemums floral exhibits, and I’m thrilled to see that these amazing flowers have also made it into Terry’s curated tea collection. Is it the leaves or the flowers that make the tea? I wonder. Terry informs me that it’s the flowers.
In addition to the fresh flowers, Terry takes his passion a step further, with his apothecary of dried leaves and flower heads, some full, others chopped or ground. These wait eagerly in glass jars for the opportunity to release their oils, flavours and properties into one of the many china teapots or tea cups that nestle in anticipation among the plants. I ask Terry why he loves making his own tea so much and he explains that it’s the cheapness buying the plants, and grinding them yourself, as some of the branded teas can be very expensive. He tells me he finds the process very rewarding.
As well as saving money, and tasting good, Terry explains the health benefits of drinking herbal garden teas. In his collection there are teas for anxiety such as lemon balm; echinacea for colds and flu; and for sleep enrichment there is chamomile. Dahlias, I am informed are great for boosting immunity and the fact that these incredible flowers help to keep you feeling good comes as no surprise. Chrysanthemums I am told have a similar taste and similar properties to Chamomile but with an extra ‘boost’.
Terry is really passionate about encouraging people to grow their own plants for tea making. His show garden is 3 square meters, and he insists this space holds a comprehensive tea collection. This is something everyone could do no matter how small their growing space and most of these plants would do well growing in pots too so a patio or a balcony could easily be dedicated to a tea growing project such as this.
The plants can be used fresh, but Terry prefers to dry everything as it preserves so much better and can be stored it for a year round supply.
The most amazing plant of all, is the Stevia. Terry breaks off a leaf and invites me to chew it. The moment it touches my lips, the sweetness is incredible. This plant is 50-300 times sweeter than sugar and for anyone who likes their tea sweetened, this is the addition for you. Dried and powdered, this can be added to the dahlia tea, which I’m told isn’t quite as palatable without it. This is another flavour I resolve to try at my leisure.
Terry’s garden reminds me of the medieval physic gardens, steeped in history and medicinal use, and not only is it flavourful on the tastbuds, it’s equally delicious on the eyes too. He leads me down the path to the seat at the end of the garden, takes down a glass jar from the shelf and asks ‘fancy a cuppa?’ Oh go on then. Surrounded by so much beauty, flavour and health benefits, how can I possibly refuse?