Common mint, otherwise known as spearmint, is a fantastically hardy herb that is easy to grow in the garden.

Flowering light purple blossoms from August to September, the herb is a perennial, and so can be relied upon to grace your kitchen garden year upon year.

Its vigorous nature means it can sometimes be invasive, so to avoid it taking over, grow it in a bottomless bucket set in the soil. With its refreshing and pleasant spearmint flavour, the herb is often used to flavour salads and sauces, such as mint sauce. Its leaves can also be dried or used fresh to create herbal tea, and are often used in domestic herbal remedies.

How to grow...

• Chives are low maintenance. Simply plant them in the ground or in any pot, and place them in a sunny spot where they can soak up four to five hours of sunlight a day.