DID you know that if you chew on lemon balm it can ease toothache?
Or that fennel is one of the most tough, dry-tolerant herbs, which, once established, needs no attention.
- Growing easy herbs for beauty, fragrance and flavour, by Penny Woodward. Hyland House Publishing, rrp $27.95
Or that the unusual but useful herb, balm of gilead, is ideal in pot pourri and attracts butterflies to a garden.
Growing easy herbs is full of such priceless gems.
While the 150-page book includes facts such as these, it is primarily a book designed for anyone who has never tried to grow herbs before, or has tried and failed.
Gardening writer and photographer Penny Woodward, who has written seven books about plants, says the aim of the book is to show planting herbs is easy, quick, beautiful and fun.
"It is not a comprehensive book, but it is supposed to entice the novice into herb gardening and into using them in the home," she writes.
Illustrated with pretty drawings of the herbs by Fran Gilbert, the book is an A to V guide, starting at alpine strawberry and ending with violets.
Each herb is accompanied by basic instructions on how to sow, grow, pick and use the plant.
The book also includes chapters on garden designs, growing new herbs and positioning for optimum growth.
Woodward scatters recycling tips throughout - there is even a picture of an old toaster used as a pot plant.
It is a charming book, equally enjoyable to peruse or as a practical guide.
