Tea dates into ancient human history and is speculated to be around before coffee.

Not only does tea taste good, but it can also bring many medicinal benefits to help with an assortment of ailments.

And there are plenty of flowers and herbs to grow right at home in your own garden that are easy and practical.

Here I go into 9 plants and herbs to grow to make a well-rounded, and practical tea garden in your own home.

Let’s dive in…

Disclaimer here

Flowers & Herbs to Grow in a Tea Garden

This is not an exhaustive list but a great launching point.

All these are easy to obtain seeds or plant starts for and are generally safe for many people.

These are also all beautiful; so your garden beds will look wonderful as they are useful.

9 flowers and herbs to grow in a tea garden:

Mint
Lemon Balm
Thyme
Bee Balm
Calendula
Chamomile
Lavender
Echinacea
Catnip

Mint

Mint should always be planted in a limited space as they will invade.

Many grow them in pots or beds with deep walls buried in the ground.

Mint loves a sunny spot, and the flowers attract pollinators.

Cut and harvest from the bottom of the stem at any time throughout the growing season.

Hang drying bundles to preserve and store in glass jar.

Lemon balm

Lemon balm spreads slightly slower than mint, so it is easier to grow right in the ground.

Very easy to start from seed, perennial and if you allow it to go to seed at the end of the season it will continue to reseed.

If you are limited on space, a nice big pot should do.

Lemon balm needs sun and can be harvested at any time through the growing season by cutting at the bottom of the stem.

Hang dry, and store in glass jar.

Thyme

Perennial, best to start from a plant start from a local nursery.

There are a few thyme varieties out there, such as lemon thyme, that are worth looking into.

Thyme blooms attract pollinators, and the plant sits low making this a great choice for small gardeners. Thyme can tolerate a hot, sunny spot in your garden and can be harvested at any time throughout the growing season by cutting at the bottom.

Hang dry, and store in glass jar.

Bee balm

Perennial that will turn into a large plant with striking blooms.

Best to start from a plant start form a local nursery and can tolerate part shade.

They spread very slowly and are easy to split and move around the garden.

Harvest by cutting blooms right after they open or pull petals off individually.

Careful, because they live up to the name and attract beneficial insects including bees.

Dry on rack, store in glass jar.

Calendula

Annual, that will easily reseed if allowed to go to seed each year.

Calendula loves the sun but can tolerate some shade and be shoved next to other plants.

Calendula helps with aphids by acting as a trap to them, so naturally they are prone to aphids.

Do not treat them though because they are acting as a good companion plant!

Calendula is sticky so best to harvest clean blooms right after they open but popping the flower head off.

Dry on a rack, and store in glass jar.

Chamomile

Annual, easy to start with seeds and will reseed easily if allowed too.

These have dainty little flowers that are often confused with feverfew. So be careful on what you are purchasing because they act differently in the body.

Harvest by either cutting the stem or by picking off fresh flower heads individually.

Dry, and store in a glass jar.

Lavender

Perennial, best to start from plant start from local nursery.

Loves a sunny, hot spot with slightly sandy or poor soil.

Attracts loads of pollinators and can be dried for decorative uses too.

Harvest stems when they first bloom, care not to cut into the brown woody parts of the stem.

Hang dry and store in glass jar.

Echinacea

Perennial, best to start from a plant start, although can be started from seed easy enough.

Echinacea comes in many colors and varieties so one could easily tailor the look of their garden.

White, red, purple being the most popular colors and attracting loads of pollinators.