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matthew18_gw

herb garden photos wanted

matthew18
11 years ago

I intend to plant an herb garden this year. I would love to see some photos of your herb gardens. I need some ideas for layout. Please share. Right now I plan to plant thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, cilantro, dill and perhaps sage or mint. What am I missing?

This post was edited by matthew18 on Thu, Jan 17, 13 at 18:56

Comments (6)

  • flora_uk
    11 years ago

    I don't have a herb garden as such so I can't show you pictures. But when you are planning you need to remember that some of the items in your list will be permanent residents e.g. thyme, sage, oregano (all evergreen) and mint(dies to the ground in winter). Some will be annuals: basil, cilantro, dill. Some will be biennial: parsley and some, although perennial shrubs (rosemary, bay), may need to be brought under cover in your winters. So, as well as planning in space you also need to plan in time.

  • fatamorgana2121
    11 years ago

    I see you are in zone 5. Check hardiness of some items like rosemary.

    I would suggest looking at the needs of the plants - sun, moisture, drainage, etc. Plants that have very different needs shouldn't be intermixed. For example, cilantro, mint, parsley, and dill all like at least an average moisture level and would prefer at least average soil richness. While sage, thyme, and lavender prefer lean (ie not rich) soils with excellent drainage. These two groups wouldn't fare well if interplanted. Something would suffer from too much water, not enough, etc.

    I also would suggest planting annuals and biennials where they are easy to replant. Intermixed in and around perennials makes it harder to replant each year. An edge, an end, or whatever provides for easier replanting.

    FataMorgana

  • gjcore
    11 years ago

    This is how it looked when I first started putting it together. Makes it easy for harvesting.

    This is how it looks now in the middle of winter

    Below is a picture I took with my phone in the summer

  • barbe_wa
    11 years ago

    Mine is laid out in a large X. It's approximately 30x25 feet and divided into 4 parts by a 2 foot-wide pathway and a 4-foot open square in the center. I have the four parts divided into annual and biennial culinary herbs, perennial culinary herbs, medicinal herbs and the section closest to my potting shed in scented plants (lavenders, scented geraniums, agastache, mints, valerian, etc.). My bay tree in a large pot sits in the center of the middle square. This arrangement works very well for me. I hope you can visualize the garden layout since I couldn't find a photo that shows it, and this isn't a good time of year to see it - it's covered in snow and ice!

  • fatamorgana2121
    11 years ago

    Ah yes - label. We ID (here and elsewhere on GW) oodles of plants that have lost their tags and people have forgotten what they planted. Label well. It also helps people in Northern zones (like ourselves) know where the plants are come spring.

    FataMorgana

  • barbe_wa
    11 years ago

    A friend sells painted rocks, and she makes my herb garden labels for me. I don't have any with the plant names in the house - they're all covered with snow and ice - but here is an example of the way they look. They last 3 to 4 years out in the weather, much longer if I bring them in for the winter. The wasp rock is for a nest of ground-dwelling wasps that I don't want to eradicate because they are good insectivores, but they really don't appreciate being stepped on.