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Hyssop flavour back in favour

Hyssop. Picture: Thinkstock

I have noticed that some of the more unusual herbs are making a comeback - either because of renewed interest in making tea or as an attractant for beneficial insects and bees to increase pollination of fruit trees.

Hyssop is a lovely addition in the garden. It is drought tolerant, has a strong scent and pretty dark blue flowers. It is used for tea, in cooking and as a tonic for digestive pain.

Organic gardeners have used a spray made from the flowering stems as an insect repellent and as preventative against fungal diseases for many years. In the 13th century the spray was used against head lice and fleas, and the tea as an antiseptic for bronchitis. Beekeepers say it makes beautifully flavoured honey.

If you use the flowers and leaves in cooking, it has a sage-mint flavour and is great in soups and beef. The flowers can be used in salads; they are sweet and look fabulous against the green lettuce leaves.

Hyssop likes to be grown in full sun and has the same fertilising requirements as all the other Mediterranean herbs. Improve sandy soil with compost and manure, use a wetting agent and a slow-release fertiliser.

It is a small shrub, growing to a height of around 50cm, with woody branches.

Prune the plant back hard in autumn. If you live in cold climates it may die down in winter but will re-emerge in spring.