Pick this
After a summer supping fresh mint tea, it’s disappointing to revert to dusty, dull (and expensive) herbal tea bags come autumn. Instead, harvest sprigs of mint (as well as lemon balm and lemon verbena) now, before they flower, and you’ll have tasty brews until the plants burst back into life next spring. If you don’t own a dehydrator, hang bunches upside down, sheathed in a paper bag, in a cool, airy place until bone dry, then strip the leaves and store in jars.
Burn this
The meat on your barbecue may be organic or free-range, but where does your charcoal come from? Most charcoal sold in the UK is imported, much of it from unsustainable sources. Switch to a British hardwood charcoal producer for cleaner, easier-to-light barbecue fuel that helps support a generations-old craft. Try bioregionalhomegrown.co.uk.
Plant this
In its native US, the nectar-packed flowers of the button bush are a magnet for hummingbirds; in the UK, it is a brilliant plant for our own pollinators. Our birds don’t miss out completely, either, because they’ll enjoy the seed-packed fruits that follow the flowers. Cephalanthus ‘Magical Moonlight’ is a compact form that’s perfect for a sunny spot in the average British garden. Height and spread: 1.5m x 90cm. Buy one three-litre potted plant for £22.99, or two for £35.98 (prices include free UK mainland p&p). To order, call 0330 333 6856, quoting ref GU358, or go to our Readers’ Offers page. Dispatched in September.
