|
This article is dedicated to planning a successful herb
garden. If you have planted herb gardens in previous years
this will help to revamp and refresh one already have.
Go to your Garden Center and see what herbs are available and
suitable for your area. This is important if you are planning
an outside herb garden. If you are planning an inside herb
garden, since you control the atmosphere, you can choose
whatever you like.
My suggestion here would be to select a theme for your herb
garden. You can plant them for cooking herbs, cosmetic herbs,
medicinal herbs or fragrance herbs use. Be realistic about
your plants. Check your whole property to find the right spot.
Look for sun or shade, type of soil, and how well the spot
drains. These are all very import for picking the best place
for your herb garden.
|
 |
| |
Sage |
Once you have accomplished the above, pick your sunniest spot
because herbs need a lot of sun (a good four top six hours
daily). Be sure that the herb garden site is level and
sheltered from wind. If your soil is a bit heavy ad lots of
compost when preparing your site which will make the soil
looser and help with drainage and texture.
Try to keep the herb garden close to the house to facilitate
in picking the harvest and checking for troubles. If you can’t
find a suitable sunny spot plant them in a garden container
that you can move around to follow the sun. (This movement is
a bit time consuming but it pay off in the end).
Look at the rest of your gardens. Are they formal or informal?
You will want your herb garden to complement your house and
garden. Look in books or magazine to get some inspiration. If
you are creating a formal herb garden you will need to plant
in straight lines and geometric shapes framing them with low
hedges and paths. A fountain, bench or topiary shrubs are
almost always used as the main focal point. Arrange the layout
around a central axis. Then plant one kind of herb in each
block, go for bold color and texture. Be warned a formal
garden is labor intensive and will be expensive.
In an informal herb garden you can plant more flowing, curved
beds and walkways. Add flowers and shrubs for a really
exciting look. This type of herb garden requires less initial
work and will be easier and cheaper to maintain.
 |
Now it’s time to decide on
which herbs to plant. The easy way is to make a list of
the ones that follow your theme. Make up your wish list in
three columns. Column one is the absolutely must have
plants, Column two will be the ones that would be nice to
have and Column three is oh well, not necessary. If you’re
just starting out do between 5-10 herbs, (depending on
your space).
This makes the herb gardening more manageable. |
| Marjoram |
|
Know which herb plants or annual or perennial, and make a note
of them so you won’t forget. A small spiral notebook is a good
place to make comments on the care of each of your herbs.
Situate each plant according to height for maximum enjoyment
of your herb garden.
Lastly keep them well fed and give them lots of love and you
will a beautiful herb garden that is multi-purpose. You get to
plant the herb garden, watch it flourish, and then you get to
harvest it for whatever your purpose was: Culinary, Medicinal,
Fragrance or Cosmetic.
Happy Planting!
Visit Mary Hanna’s websites at:
Herb
Gardening,
Gardening Landscaping Tips and
Container Gardening
|
|
