Horehound has an unusual ‘woolly’ appearance from the soft downy leaves, it provides winter interest to your garden as it stays in leaf for all but coldest spells and is quick to regrow from the stems left standing. Grow in your garden for the small white flowers from its second year (May to September) – these are nectar rich and especially attractive to Honeybees, Solitary bees and Short-tongued Bumblebees plus other pollinators. A pot of Horehound near your tomatoes will help them crop more heavily and for longer.
SPRING: sow in small pots, cover with perlite. When large enough to handle harden off and plant out 20-25cm apart, happiest in a dry & poor soil – grow some in large pots that you can move around and keep well drained especially in the winter.
SUMMER: flowering from 2nd year onwards, a pot of this herb near tomatoes will help them crop more heavily and for longer.
Slow growing to a clump 30-50cm
Please Note: Horehound as occasional food or as a medicinal herbal remedy is not to be taken during pregnancy or while nursing. Leaves and flowers can be added into a salad, stir-fry, soup or stew but only occasionally not on a regular basis. For Horehound tea pour boiling water over a teaspoon of the dried leaves, let it steep for five minutes and add raw honey for sweetening. It has a somewhat sharp flavour reputed to be good for a cold.
WHY GROW HOREHOUND?
- Pests, such as aphids are deterred by Horehound. Deer and rabbits don’t eat it.
- Indigenous to Britain, found as a wild plant from central Scotland to the south coast
- Horehound flowers are highly attractive to bees and other beneficial insects throughout the summer
- If grown in large drifts and hedges in the UK it could offer serious benefits to honeybees and other bees
- Horehound monofloral honey rarely crystallises
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