The Herb Garden

Some herbs are so ornamental that they are often grown in the flower garden. Others are so untidy they are best planted in an area far removed from the prying eyes of visitors. However, combining one with another in a herb garden creates such an effect of old-world charm that all plants appear to belong and are equally interesting.

Many herbs have a reputation for growing well in very poor soils, but the average garden vegetable soil with good drainage suits all species best. Nearly all require full sun and most will withstand very dry soil conditions.

The herb garden should be located as near the kitchen as possible to make it more convenient for the housewife who is prompted to dash out and pick a few leaves while cooking is in progress. A position sheltered from the wind is advantageous because the herb garden also serves as a garden of fragrance and its delightful scent is best kept confined.

There are many ways to give a herb garden a pleasing design. For an ordinary garden, rectangular beds 4 feet wide with paths in between are most serviceable. However, desirable herbs may instead be included with other schemes. For example, the small beds at each corner of the sunny patio may be easily arranged to accommodate your favorite herbs. In one corner, mint, in another chives, and then parsley and finally caraway, fennel or dill. If you start such a scheme you will most likely find more herbs than corners and will be obliged to open more soil pockets to receive different types. The old-fashioned and still the most fascinating way of displaying herbs is in the form of a knot garden, so called because of its resemblance to a rope knot. This is made by weaving an intricate pattern of clipped herbs in the form of a continuous small clipped hedge of various patterns and shades, designated to twine and intertwine over and under itself into a pre-arranged design. Such herbs as lavender, thyme, mint, rue and wormwood, and such hedges as boxwood and germander are ideal for the purpose.

Another interesting formal design may be made by laying an old wagon wheel flat on the ground to form a central feature of the garden. Select a sunny spot and use well prepared sandy soil. Use thyme as an edging around the wheel and place a few plants in between the spokes. Other herbs to use in the wheel would be chives, sage, parsley, mint, tarragon, sweet basil, and chervil. If more spaces are available use sweet marjoram and winter savory.

For the purposes of accommodation and cultivation, herbs are divided into various groups. There are annual, biennial and perennial types of culinary herbs, aromatic herbs and those of medicinal value. Most home gardeners will be more interested in those used for culinary purposes. Annual culinary herbs are basil, borage, chevril, summer savory, sweet marjoram, anise and dill. These may be sown directly outside in May in the space reserved for herbs and later thinned out to 4 to 6 inches apart, according to their vigor.

Three good biennial herbs are parsley, caraway, and clary. The seeds of parsley are best sown in early spring and the plants kept over the winter either inside the house or in protected cold frames. Caraway is best obtained from seeds sown in early autumn so as to get a crop of seeds the following year, and clary is best grown from seeds sown in July and transplanted in the fall for use the following summer.

Good perennial culinary herbs are chives, horseradish, mint, sage, tarragon, fennel (often grown as an annual) and thyme. Seed should be sown in mid­May and transplanted to permanent quarters during the summer. Horseradish will not transplant well and is best sown where it is to grow. Tarragon, thyme and mint are best grown from divisions or cuttings.

The herb garden will need ordinary daily attention such as weeding and cultivating and whatever pinching back and shearing as each plant demands.

When picking the herbs for drying, choose fully opened flowers and leaves; dry them in trays in a warm airy shed or room. When they are thoroughly dry, store them in airtight glass jars.

In early fall before killing frosts occur, transplant small divisions of chives, parsley, chevril, mint and balm into pots. Keep them in a sunny window indoors and they will provide a useful source of herbs during the winter.

Mint is best brought indoors after the ground freezes since it needs a cold treatment for good growth during the winter.

Chives may be planted in odd corners in any part of the garden

Please contact the OHS or the author if you wish to republish these articles. © Ottawa Horticultural Society

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