If you grow more herbs than you need fresh, why not preserve some? Depending on the species, drying and jarring, freezing or saving seeds for grinding are options. Or, in a few cases, simply keep using leaves during the winter.

Rosemary, bay and sage will provide some evergreen leaves unless it’s a particularly harsh winter. Guard against this by growing the likes of rosemary in a pot to give it some shelter when the temperature really does plummets. And take cuttings for extra insurance, I certainly lost a well-established bush a couple of years ago. Bay and sage should survive most Scottish winters in cosier parts of the garden and you could always use protective pot covers.

When preserving herbs in summer, collect them during a dry spell of weather to avoid wet leaves; do so in early morning before the sun evaporates the plant’s volatile oils as they provide the plant’s essential flavours.

Some herbs can be stored (Image: Getty)

Other evergreens, like thyme, are pretty tasteless during a wet winter so dry some now. This also applies to mint. Cut leafy thyme sprigs and loosely lay them on a tray. Keep in a dry, cool place away from the sun. Tie bunches of mint stems loosely together after removing any damaged leaves and hang up in a similar place to thyme.

Once leaves are completely dry and crumbly, rub through your hands to remove stalks and store in small jars.

The juicy leaves of dill, parsley and coriander are much easier. Simply collect fresh, undamaged leafy stems and place in labelled and dated freezer bags. Frozen herbs are best used in cooking, simply crumble leaves into hot liquid towards the end of the cooking time.

You can also save and use dill and coriander seeds. Let some stems grow on to produce seed heads. Let the seed mature for as long as possible, cutting stems before the seeds drop. Though you may anyway find a few self-sown freebie plants next year.

In Scotland, there isn’t usually enough warm sunshine for seed to completely dry outdoors, so bring your haul into a cool, dry place. Place the stems head down in a paper, not plastic, bag and let the seed dry out completely if you plan to store it. Test whether seeds are dry enough by grinding a small amount. If fine and crumbly, the batch is ready to store, if not, leave a bit longer in the bag.

Basil is the toughest challenge. If a leaf is bruised or cut, it discolours almost immediately in the presence of oxygen. Pesto is the classic  solution because the oil in the recipe coats the cut surfaces and prevents discolouring. The pesto can then be frozen. Alternatively, a basil/olive oil mix can be frozen in ice cubes.

Dianthus ‘Baileys Celebration’ Dianthus ‘Baileys Celebration’ (Image: unknown)

Plant of the week

Dianthus ‘Baileys Celebration’ is a highly scented, long flowering dianthus. The flowers are fully double and each frilled  petal is striped pale and darker pink creating a stunning display.

Like all dianthus it is easiest to grow successfully in a large pot as it needs well drained soil, full sun to bring out the scent and protection from our all too frequent winter wet.