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Zingiber Mioga
Family: Zingiberaceae
Commonly known as Japanese Ginger, Myoga or Mioga.
A beautiful member of the ginger family, with lovely tropical foliage and stunning small flowers that form at the base in late summer / early autumn. The part you harvest is the young flower shoot before it opens. This pink/yellow lovely early flower can be eaten raw, pickled or sautéed to provide a gingery and zesty flavor to any dish.
Order is for 1-2 dormant rhizomes (depending on size) with good, defined growth nodes ready to send up a few strong shoots in spring (see sample image below). We will either send one large or 2-3 smaller ones.
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This myoga has been grown at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
Myoga is a woodland plant native to Japan, China and South Korea. It is related to yellow ginger. The name means "the one who walks like a serpent" pointing to its spreading shallow root system. It produces thumb-sized edible flower buds that are pinkish-bronze colour. Its lush green leaves look great in any garden.
Culinary uses: The flower buds come up from the soil in summer/autumn (depending on your climate) and as soon as they reach the soil surface, they can be harvested. In Japan, the flower bud of Myoga is often used as a garnish for Miso soup, with roasted aubergine, or in Sunomono (a vinegar-based cucumber salad). In Korea, the flower buds are skewered with meat and pan fried. Please note that the rhizomes (roots) of this plant are not edible.
You will receive 1-2 dormant root fragment with good, defined growth nodes ready to send up a few strong shoots in spring (see image below and the planting video further below).
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS
Can be grown anywhere in New Zealand. We recommend growing it in a poytunnel or glasshouse if you live in the South Island. Once the plant has established there you can transplant some of it outside during it's winter dormancy and test out new sites on your property, while keeping some in the tunnelhouse as a back up.
It thrives in partial shade, rich, free-draining soil and good even moisture especially over the summer period. In colder climates it can be grown in full sun. The foliage dies back in winter, which provides lovely mulch for the dormant roots. It will emerge in spring as the soil warms up.
In warmer climates it is evergreen and thrives in shady spots that replicate its natural woodland habitat. It can also be grown in pots.
It makes a lovely addition to a food forest.
Watch our video below and learn how to plant Myoga.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Valerian is most commonly used for sleep disorders, especially the inability to sleep (insomnia).*
Order is for 1 plant. It will be a healthy crown cutting with a growing tip. Simply plant into your garden over winter and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
This plant have been grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, Banks Peninsula. Free from synthetic fertiliser, pesticides and herbicides.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Mentha suaveolens
Family:Lamiaceae
Common names: apple mint, woolly mint, fuzzy mint
Apple mint is a delicious compliment to many dishes and is great as a hot herbal tea or iced tea. It’s easy to grow and simple to care for. There’s no question – this species of Mentha definitely deserves a spot in your herb garden.
Grown organically at KoruKai Herb Farm, New Zealand. Free of pesticides, herbicides and other agrochemicals.
The seedling is shipped bare rooted with courier. Plant it in the garden or in a pot and water well over the first few days. Growing conditions are below.
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Earth Chestnut (Bunium bulbocastanum)
Common names: Earth chestnut, pignut, great pignut and earthnut
The edible parts of the earth chestnut are its tubers, leaves and seeds. The tubers are small, nutty, and taste like chestnuts and can be eaten raw or cooked like potatoes.The leaves are edible and have a parsley-like flavor, while the seeds are also edible and can be used as a cumin substitute.
You will receive a seedling with roots and young shoots (see image further below). Simply plant into your garden as soon as you receive it and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Allium ampeloprasumvar. porrum
We love those leeks as they are easy to grow, need little care and attention and are very giving. They come into full production over winter and produce well into spring when our winter leek crop is finished for the year.
Easy care multiplying leeks. They grow as thick as your thumb (see image). You will get a starter clump with 3-4 small leeks.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa
Family: Asteraceae
Aromatic and flavoursome herb, narrow green foliage with tiny yellow flowers in summer. Use fresh or dried. Delicious in hollandaise, bearnaise and tartar sauces.
Height in summer: 30-40cm
You will receive a dormant plant in its first year with visible shoots with no or very little leaves (plant is dormant in winter, see example photo below). It will emerge in spring and grow into a lush plant. Prune to create a bushy appearance.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Allium schoenoprasum
Easy care multiplying spring onions/giant chives.
With this starter clump you will have spring onions/giant chives to pick from September until May. No more successive sowing, no more pricking out. Simply plant and cut off as much as you need for 9 months of the year.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Hedychium coronarium
Family: Zingiberaceae
Commonly known as White Ginger, Butterfly Ginger, Himalayan Ginger. In New Zealand it is often sold as Galangal (especially on Trademe) as they are very hard to tell apart. But galangal is a different plant in the ginger family.
Emitting the scent of Gardenias, the flowers resemble a butterfly in flight. Rhizomes develop into large ginger roots that are good in cooking. It tastes like mild yellow ginger. Plant prefers moist or boggy soils and full sun.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
This is a beautiful peppermint with a very "pepperminty" flavour. It is the one we grow commercially and not available in many shops. When we wander through the garden section of hardware stores the pots say "peppermint" on the label, but is more like a garden mint and not the true peppermint that we grow. We ship it nationwide in their winter dormancy.
Frost tolerant.
They come bare rooted with some growing tips in place.
Small: enough for a 20cm wide planter/pot Large: enough to fill 1 m2 of garden bed.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Stachys affinis
The tubers have a distinct shape and look a bit like a grub. When eaten raw they are crisp and sweet like a water chestnut. When fried they are more starchy, soft and sweet, resembling a slightly nutty potato or kumara. In France they are known as crosnes and are typically served braised in herbs and butter, which is our preferred way to eat them. They are a great brain food.
Order is for a starter bag of about 5 tubers.
Growing instructions can be found below. Frost tolerant as they go dormant over winter.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Family:Lamiaceae
Common names: Lemon Balm, Balm gentle
Lemon Balm is an easy-to-grow, highly medicinal and very yummy member of the mint family. It grows well in a range of different soil conditions and is very generous. We do 3-4 cuts of lemon balm every season.
Growing instructions, medicinal uses and herbal preparations are below.
This is a popular, waterwise garden plant, especially when planted en masse as a ground cover, or in rock gardens. It is often cultivated for its medicinal properties.
Available again in July 2026. Sign up below to go onto the waiting list.
Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
Lovage has long been cultivated in Europe, the leaves being used as a herb and soup ingredient, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice, especially in southern European cuisine.
Dormant crown with growing bud/s. Simply plant into your garden as soon as you receive it and watch it emerge in spring. Growing tips are below.
