Parsley plants
Parsley is one of the best known of all herbs, its finely chopped, emerald green leaves are a staple garnish for almost every dish. It not only adds a nice visual finishing touch but also improves the flavour with its pleasant, rich tang combing well with other ingredients. It’s also very healthy – full of iron, antioxidants and vitamins C and K. Parsley is an easy to grow, bushy, biennial herb, well suited to growing in the herb garden or containers. The leaves are highly fragrant and distinctively toothed, looking almost more likely a flower head than a leaf, aside from the colour. It produces flat umbels of creamy-white flowers in summer, developing into small seed heads which also taste marvellous and can be included in a range of recipes. Parsley prefers a sunny or partially shaded spot in moist yet well drained soil. It does best in a fairly good, nutritious loamy soil. Parsley benefits from an occasional feed with general seaweed fertiliser to boost leafy growth. Leaves can be harvested as and when you need them or, if you’re growing several plants, by cutting all the foliage of a particular plant at the base – you’ll probably be able to do this 3-4 times per plant before it needs to be replaced. There are two main types – the traditional English curly leaf parsley and flat leaf parsley. Flat leaf parsley has a milder taste with more finely textured foliage whereas curly leafed parsley has a stronger flavour and is slightly thicker, meaning it is typically chopped up.