Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme

Advice on Growing Herbs

If I was to ask you to remember one essential thing when growing herbs, it is that most of them like an open and very well drained position. The aromatic shrubby types like Rosemary, Sage and Thyme originate from Mediterranean regions where they grow on dry warm stony hillsides, often baked in the long summer , and they are the sort of conditions you should aim for in the garden. Within reason, the warmer and dryer the soil, the longer -lived will be these types.

The leafier perennial types like mint and parsley prefer deeper, moister soils, and will even grow in the shade.

If you want to have a relatively labour-saving herb garden the secret is to decide how and where to grow the herbs so that they are handy to use and not too big a job to look after. The following shrub types can be used as edgings, or low hedges in dry borders around a sunny terrace, or can even be used in a raised bed. But don't go for a herb garden unless you are sold on the idea. The maintenance of a large herb garden can be quite a headache.

For reliable shrubby and bushy types you can try Sage, green, golden, or deep purple; Rosemary , Thyme, Lavender and the Curry plant. All of these are drought tolerant and easily renewed from cuttings, and if you clip them hard after flowering or in the spring, they will last for years.

The herbaceous types of herbs include various types of mints, lemon balm, the umbellifers like fennel, angelica and dill and the various sorrels, tansy etc. Some of these are tall and vigorous, and mint can be invasive. They will all grow in quite shady places in odd comers and perhaps even in a wild garden. So perhaps this is a clue as to where to plant them. They can also be used in mixed borders and cut back in spring. It is very important to keep perennial weeds out of the clumps. Fennel, chives and parsley are best renewed from seed every few years, but fennel will usually seed itself freely all over the garden if allowed. I love the bronze leafed form, it is very decorative and looks great when planted with other ornamental plants. With herbs you will find a wonderful range of colourful foliage to choose from, silver leaved herbs such as southernwood or santolina, the purple hues of sages, the purple basil, the golden glow of marjoram and thyme. Then there is colour from flowers - bright reds, blues and yellows of borage and marigold. Many herbs have attractive variegated foliage too.

The leaves of creeping and bushy varieties such as thyme provide a variety of textures and patterns, especially when covered with dew or frost. There are many varieties of Lavender, with flowers that range from pale blue to deep purple, white to deep pink.

The pretty members of the hyssop family develop flowers from midsummer onwards, attracting bees and butterflies to your garden. Rock hyssop has rich blue upright flowers. Other varieties have pink blue purple or white flowers. The larger hyssops tend to bend with the weight of the large flowers and look beautiful on raised beds and banks.

Angelica will need damp soil to grow tender stalks for crystallising. The leaves and their stalks are at their best in the first year . Coriander will also thrive in sunny damp locations. Because the plant bolts into flower, cut the leaves while young and take out the plant when the 'carroty' leaves develop.

One of the most popular plants for a herb garden has to be Lavender. In fact Lavender is one of the best-selling shrubs in garden centres today. Bees buzzing around the erect purple stems of a spiky Lavender bush are the very image of an ideal country garden. In fact Lavendula augustifolia grows wild all along the Mediterranean, where the soil is dry and stony and the climate sunny but exposed. This is an excellent plant for the bed or border where it makes a long-lived shrubby bush about 39" high. The evergreen foliage is long and narrow, grey green and glistening with aromatic oils. The densely flowered spikes that appear in summer are purple, although there are lighter and even white forms as I have already mentioned.

With its woody stems and compact habit, Lavender can be grown effectively as an attractive and fragrant hedge. Choose one of the smaller varieties such as the semi dwarf type Lavendula Augustifolia 'Hidcote', which grows to about 24". For a miniature hedge to border a knot design herb garden, or even a small border, you may consider Lavendula nana Alba, a white flowering dwarf form that grows to 6" in a warm and sheltered position. Enjoy your herbs.

Lavenders for free

Lavender plants can be propagated by rooting strong shoots of new growth about 6" long. Put cuttings in a mix of equal parts sharp sand and moss peat and cover pot with a clear plastic bag. After several weeks the cuttings will root and can be transplanted to 3" flowerpots using a good quality potting compost. When established, you can transfer plants to a well-drained sunny spot in the garden