Herbs for the hot and dry garden

An aromatic selection of herbs that will thrive in the Perth summer, inspired by a little herb garden in Cowaramup.

I’ve spent the past week down in the south west of WA and am now feeling washed out from salt and sun in the best of ways. The light this time of the year is so intense and inescapable, the colours blindingly saturated. 

The place where I’m staying has a very sweet herbal garden out the front with some classic staples like rosemary and lavender, but there are also several herbs that are less familiar to me like lamb’s ear and lemon thyme. 

In touching, smelling and tasting my way around the garden, I’ve felt inspired by how potent and sensory herbs are. You don’t need a lot in your cooking for it to make pivotal changes to the flavour of the dish.

With summer heat starting to roll in, and rain becoming less and less frequent, I wanted to write about some herbs that thrive in hot and dry climates. You can use these herbs in your cooking and also to support your health and wellbeing. 

Here’s to the hardy and resilient herbs that cling onto sandy soils and rocky coastlines, making their home in the full glory of the sun.

Lamb’s Ear / Stachys Byzantina

Lamb’s ear is named for its soft and fuzzy texture. It’s one of the most tactile plants for growing in a hot and dry garden, and it’s hard to stop running the leaves through your fingers. The leaves are a silvery-green colour and in late spring to early summer, the plant sends up tall spikes with purpley-pink flowers that bees love. 

Though it has a tender texture, lamb’s ear is a tough plant, thriving where others might wither. They’re native to regions around Turkey, Iran and Armenia, but now grow all over the world. They’re perfect for hot, sunny spots in the garden and can cope with poor soil and sandy conditions. 

Lamb’s ear is edible. Throw the young leaves into a salad or cook them up in your stir fries. I read that deep-frying the leaves in batter is a traditional Portuguese / Brazilian dish, sometimes called lambari or peixinho-da-horta (little fish from the garden).

The leaves of lamb’s ear are highly absorbent and have antibacterial properties. They’ve long been used as bandages to treat wounds and cuts. You can also crush the leaves and place them on bee stings and insect bites to reduce swelling and ease pain. Since they’re so absorbent, the leaves can be used as biodegradable toilet paper or menstrual pads. 

Many studies have shown lamb’s ear to be anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Water infused with lamb’s ear can be used to treat styes, and the tea made from lamb’s ear leaves can help with mouth ulcers, sore throats and infections.

Lavender / Lavandula

Lavender plants are native to the Mediterranean regions, so they’re partial to hot and dry summers and relatively dry winters. They grow well on rocky slopes and sandy soils, and can cope with salty coastal conditions. 

There are many different species within the genus of Lavandula. The flower shapes and colours vary between each species, but all have a wonderfully calming smell and well documented medicinal properties. 

Lavender has a long history in herbal medicine as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia and mood swings. Try popping a pouch of dried lavender flowers under your pillow to improve sleep. Or make lavender essential oil by steeping dry flowers in a carrier oil. Use the oil in a diffuser or your bath– or simply place a drop in the palm of your hands and breathe deeply when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

In addition to treating anxiety and insomnia, lavender has quite a list of other potential health benefits. It has antimicrobial and antifungal properties and may help with headaches, hair loss, acne, burns, menstrual pain and skin conditions. 

Lavender is also entirely edible and if you like the flavour it makes for a great herbal tea or addition to desserts. If you’re planning to cook with lavender, Lavandula angustifolia or English lavender is one of the better options, offering a sweeter taste compared to the more oily species.

Sage / Salvia

Common Sage or Salvia officinalis is what most of us picture when we think of sage, but there are actually hundreds of sage species around the world. The sage plant growing in the little herb garden here is tall and full of bright red blossoms. I think it is Salvia microphylla 'Margaret Arnold'.

Salvia microphylla is native to Mexico and southern North America. It’s another hardy plant, coping with drought conditions and thriving in all soil types from clay to sand. It likes full sun and makes a good verge or border plant, attracting bees and birds to the garden. The leaves and flowers are edible, and have a flavour reminiscent of blackcurrant. They can be used in teas and cooking just like you would with common sage. 

Salvia microphylla has been used in traditional medicine to treat memory loss and rheumatism. The Salvia genus at large is an important medicinal herb, though the common sage is the most researched species. High in antioxidants, common sage can help protect against chronic diseases. It’s also effective in treating menopause symptoms and may protect oral health, improve brain function and improve mood.

Rosemary / Salvia Rosmarinus

Another Mediterranean native, rosemary is at home on scraggly coastal cliffs and can cope with sandy soils and hot, dry summers. It has a distinct, warming smell and long, slender leaves. The plant produces little lip-like flowers in hues of blue to purple over spring and summer, but it might also have a flush of flowers at other times of the year. Plant rosemary in your veggie garden and it’ll help keep pests away. 

Rosemary has legendary status and its use is pretty well documented as far back as the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. In Ancient Greece, rosemary was considered a gift from Aphrodite, and in Ancient Rome it was associated with deities who protect the family home. Sprigs of rosemary were commonly used at funerals and weddings, and it’s still considered a symbol of death, love and remembrance today.

I love the taste of rosemary with roast potatoes, and it’ll often go in my stews and soups too. Rosemary makes a fragrant tea that’s high in antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory compounds. According to my copy of Culpepper’s herbal, rosemary has been used to treat headaches, insomnia, depression and dry scalp. Recent scientific studies have found rosemary to have positive effects on pain, anxiety, mood, learning, memory and sleep. 

Lemon Thyme / Thymus citriodorus

Lemon thyme is a citrus flavoured alternative to the common garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Like common thyme, it grows well in full sun, can cope with sandy soils and is drought tolerant. It’s a pretty and fragrant ground cover, good for growing in raised garden beds and pots, or to cover up sandy patches in your garden. 

Use lemon thyme fresh in salads or add it to cooked dishes such as roasts and stews. The citrus flavour pairs well with seafood and root vegetables, and in a pinch it can be used as a lemon replacement. It also makes for a fragrant herbal tea, either by itself or in combination with mint.

Plants in the Thymus genus have a long history in traditional medicine to treat respiratory diseases, toothache, urinary tract infections and indigestion. More specifically, lemon thyme is known to have strong antiseptic, deodorant and disinfectant properties. The essential oil has been used to treat asthma and other respiratory conditions as well as acne and oily skin. 

Bain / Coastal Pigface / Carpobrotus virescens

Bain is the Noongar name for coastal pigface, a crawling succulent that grows in sandy soils, often thriving along the coastline. Like many plants native to WA, Bain is drought tolerant and resilient. It can cope with salty conditions and doesn’t need much more than a sandy patch of garden to grow. 

Bain puts out showy pink or purple flowers in spring and summer. Fertilised flowers give way to juicy red fruits that can be eaten raw or dried. The leaves are also edible, but should be cooked first. They’re salty and work well in stir fries, pickles and jams.

The reason why I’m suggesting Bain might be a good addition to a hot and dry herbal garden is that it has a number of medicinal properties. The juice inside the leaves has a soothing and cooling effect when rubbed on burns, itches and bites. Use it much like you would use aloe vera. I also read that pigface can be used as a gargle for sore throats and mouth infections.

If you’re planning on growing pigface in your garden, choose a species that’s native to your area. There are many different types of pigface or Carpobrotus across Australia and South Africa which may cause ecological problems when grown outside their native habitat. For example, Carpobrotus edulis is a pigface native to South Africa and considered a weed here in Boorloo / Perth. 

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In getting up close with the herbs in this garden, I’ve realised it’s not just the smells and tastes that are a joy. It’s also the showiness of the flowers and the way they attract pollinators into the garden. I like the possibilities that many of these herbs offer medicinally as well. I will perhaps write a guide to herbal remedies for headaches soon. 

Peace and warmth,

Melody

All photographs by me, 2023.