Herald - Issue 425

23rd June 2022 • The HERALD • Page 51 v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v ✿ DOWN THE GARDEN PATH ✿ RYAN FENCING Quality Fencing & Gates 07769 706516 • 023 8084 1203 www.ryan-fencing.co.uk • Find us on Facebook 07879 552227 www.crowngardensandlandscapes.co.uk info@crowngardensandlandscapes.co.uk A family run business with over 20 years experience. Our teams of professional, friendly and reliable Gardeners and Landscapers are passionate about gardening and landscaping to very high standards of presentation and quality workmanship. Garden Maintenance Leaf Clearance Summer Tidy Up Hedges Borders Weeds Pressure Washing Landscaping Design Patios Artificial Lawns Decking Fencing Garden Repairs Your specialist Landscape and Garden Maintenance service, based in Hythe. Here to support the design, creation and maintenance of your perfect and personal outdoor space. A Taste of Summer – Cocktail Ingredients You Can Grow In Your Garden by Crown Gardens and Landscapes them and use them as fruity ice cubes if you get an abundance of them. Hopefully you’re feeling full of inspiration and ready to get started with growing your own cocktail ingredients garden. But if you still need a little help, then we’re here to show you how. You can email us: info@crowngardensandlandscapes.co.uk or call: 07879 552227. ere’s nothing quite like summer to bring out the cocktail connoisseur in all of us. Summer sun and lazy a ernoons don’t feel complete until you’ve got a cocktail in your hand to enjoy. But have you ever considered growing your own cocktail ingredients? Having fruits, herbs and plants on-hand in your garden or on your balcony can bring a unique twist to your cocktails and give you some inspiration for what to grow. ere are plenty of ingredients from your garden that you can use for cocktails if you have them or want to get started. We’ve selected some of the easiest and space-saving ones to give you a head-start, but plants like Elder ower (not the stalks, these are poisonous), Basil and Rosemary are also great fragrant ingredients or alternatively you could try your hand at growing edible owers to make your cocktails look pretty. Dust o that cocktail shaker and get ready to grow some great ingredients, whatever your outdoor space looks like. Lavender Lavender is one of the easiest plants to grow in your garden. Hardy, drought resistant and great for attracting bees. If you don’t have lavender in your garden already, it’s easy to buy at any garden centre and will survive in pots or in the ground – so if you have a balcony or a garden, you’ll be able to grow it. Lavender can be very bitter, so it’s best to create a simple lavender syrup with sugar and water to bring a wonderful fragrant tone to your cocktails. ere are lavender plants speci cally for use in cooking, with a sweeter taste, so it can be helpful to do a bit of research rst and get one that suits cocktails. Mint Mint is another fantastic cocktail ingredient and is very easy to grow. We tend to grow our mint in pots, as it can get out of control really easily and before you know it your whole garden is overtaken with it. Perfect in Mojitos, Mint Julep and Old Cuban cocktails – mint is so versatile that you’ll be able to nd plenty of ways to use it in cocktails. Mint, like Lavender, is hardy and really easy to maintain. You can grow it on balconies or in gardens, or even inside on a well-lit windowsill. ere are plenty of varieties to choose from and muddling the leaves (crushing them up) releases the full avour making your cocktails beautifully fragrant. Cucumber Growing cucumbers does require a warm, sheltered spot in your garden or a greenhouse. You can buy miniature greenhouses really easily, so don’t let it put you o if you don’t already have one. Cucumber is a little higher on the maintenance list than cocktail ingredients like mint and lavender, but it’s a great addition to your summer Pimms, gin and tonics and cocktails so it’s well worth your investment. Cool, refreshing and versatile, you can even freeze slices of cucumber to act as ice cubes to keep your drinks cool. eir natural water content makes them ideal for this and means that if you get a bumper crop of cucumbers and don’t know what to do with them, popping them in the freezer stops them going to waste. Strawberries Despite what you might think, strawberries are relatively easy to grow. And even if you’re limited on outside space, you can grow strawberries in hanging baskets too so having room doesn’t have to be a barrier to growing these summer staples. Strawberries can be used whole or blended down into a puree for cocktails, so you can make as much or as little e ort as you like with them. Pop one in your glass of prosecco or use the puree to create a summery classic strawberry daiquiri – add some ice cubes for a frozen daiquiri if the sun is scorching. On average, strawberry plants last about three to four years so if you treat them well you’ll have plenty of strawberries to keep you going. Just like cucumber, you can freeze