GATHER HERBS

In this hot weather, the aromatic herbs are producing plenty of the oils they are renowned for, thyme and lavender being the most popular, and picking and drying them now will maximise the effect you want – evocative fragrance that remind us of high summer, no matter when those lovely smells are experienced.

As with seed-collecting, volatile oil-producing herbs should be harvested when the leaves are free of dew, rain or condensation. That means picking when the sun is high.

Pick into a basket of some sort, to ensure that no dampness is trapped under leaves and against any impervious container walls. It looks better too, traipsing about the garden, basket in hand. You might also consider a straw hat and floral-print dress or something more masculine if you are blokey.

Snip off the collectable twigs and tips of the herbs you want with a pair of sharp scissors and bind together little posies of herbs if you are planning to hang them up to dry or to decorate your kitchen.

Some aromatic herbs, like balm of Gilead and wormwood, are too strong smelling to have drying in a room that’s regularly used, such as the kitchen or lounge, so hang or strew those pungent herbs on the veranda or somewhere less-frequently visited, remembering to keep them out of the direct sunlight because bright light and heat will strip your herbs of their colour and scent.