Italian Oregano

Basil- Ocimum Basilicum Basil plant is an herb and comes in different varieties.  It belongs to the family of mint (Lamiaceae). As you can see in the picture, I have tried planting most of the types of basil but my most favorite is the sweet basil which I always use in cooking especially in making…

Galangal – Alpinia galanga – is a rhizome in the family of ginger. We call it “langkawas” in the Philippines from the Indonesian or Malay word “lengkuas”. It is used mainly for Asian or Thai cooking but it has some medicinal properties too. It is considered an stimulant by homeopathic practitioners. It is also a…

Lavender is my favorite amongst the herbs that I grow. I love the smell of the flowers. It reminds me of my childhood days where everything is perfumed with lavender like soaps and lotions and perfumes. I always spray my handkerchief with the perfume and smells it every time and it always make me feel…

Lemon Verbena is my favorite herb in the garden. I like to use it for flavoring my tea. Ever since I recovered from cancer, I have to make sure to drink green tea for its antioxidant properties but I don’t particularly like the taste of it, so I have this idea of putting an herb…

Pandan leaves is widely used in the Philippines as a food flavoring especially with rice cakes. I would consider it as a tropical herb just like lemongrass. The plant has long, green bladelike leaves just like the amaryllis, hence the botanical name pandanus amaryllifolius, with aerial roots and grows up to at least 3 ft….

A gardener friend of mine gave me this plant but I don’t know the name. He’s Vietnamese so I figure I have to look it up as a Vietnamese plant. But since I have tasted it, it reminded me of the sorrel plant I used to have in my garden. It tasted the same, sour…