Bergamot

In the good old days, before Dobbies popularized exotic herbs, I bought a big illustrated-by-drawing herb book and started a herb collection in my dad's garden. I had a real obsessive hippy prediliction for this & I sent (by actual mail with an actual enclosed cheque) for several packets of seeds.

My favourite addition was borage, a great big plant with really attractive blue flowers which you could eat. I planted a row straight in to the garden and that resulted in the seeds spreading everywhere and coming up year after year. My dad definitely didn't share the same appreciation for this plant as me over the next 10 years or so when it grew unwanted where ever it could.

Bergamot is the source of bergamot oil which is used in Earl Grey Tea. I got plants a couple of years ago. They are American in origin and from this herb hunter's perspective, they were a very exciting find indeed. Unexpectedly, they seem to have a biennial habit so I'm urgently trying to take cuttings and roots to keep my supply going.

Reflecting now, it's strange that my hippy herb obsessiveness didn't extend to some of the more good fun hallucinogenic varieties. Hmmm...