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damnrabbits

herb pairing

damnrabbits
14 years ago

So I'm breaking ground soon on a new, fairly large herb garden. It will be circular, with four pie shaped plots, and crossing walkways.(Like cross hairs on a scope) just looking for any experience with herbs that love/hate each other, or herbs that might look great together. Hoping to do at least half perennials, and will defiantly be doing culinary and medicinal herbs. Any thoughts appreciated! I have grown herbs for awhile but container only besides very few with veg garden...

Comments (4)

  • Daisyduckworth
    14 years ago

    Um, I hope you mean 'definitely', not 'defiantly'!! Yes, I too suffer from 'brain not in tune with fingers' syndrome at times!

    Below is a link to sites about companion planting. You'll get many ideas from there.

    Some here disagree with my definition of herbs, but I believe that fruit and vegetables are herbs, too. Well, they all have their culinary and medicinal uses, don't they? So your planned garden can have multiple purpose, and be pretty in its own right.

    Best-known companions include: basil and tomatoes (or capsicums); roses and garlic chives or lupins; borage and strawberries; nasturtiums with Brassicas (cabbage family); yarrow with fruit trees; French marigolds. Thyme is a good all-round companion, and so is chamomile. Both are known as Physician Plants.

    Keep mint and parsley well away from each other (of course, you're not mad enough to plant mint in the garden anyway, are you?).

    Don't plant dill near Angelica, Fennel, Coriander, Tomatoes, Carrots, Caraway.

    Fennel is reputed to be a bad companion for just about everything.

    Here is a link that might be useful: companion planting

  • fatamorgana2121
    14 years ago

    I agree with Daisy. I too often suggest plants that are usually regulated to the flower or vegetable beds because they too are herbs in their own rights!

    I like to suggest roses as a nice herbal garden focal plant. Roses have their culinary, fragrance, and medicinal uses documented through the centuries. And we all know that roses love garlic companion planted with them - garlic should be in your garden too!

    Peppers are a beautiful plant with colorful fruits that are edible as well as having medicinal properties. Check out the heirloom seed places (like Baker Creek) for a wide variety of colors, shapes, and tastes of peppers.

    Blooming herbs are great to brighten and bring interest to your garden. Calendula is a favorite suggestion of mine. Easy to grow. Echinacea is gorgeous. Bee balm is another. Marigolds...I like the "gem" varieties as well as the big french types. Blooming plants help bring pollinators if any of your other herbs are planted for their fruits.

    FataMorgana

  • tomtuxman
    14 years ago

    Check out Chelsea Physic Garden in London UK for pairings ideas. It is an ancient apothocary garden. Visited in 2005 and it is a treat for all the senses.

  • defrost49
    14 years ago

    I like teaming up lemon-scented herbs like variegated lemon thyme around the base of a lemon verbena. Are the Capriland theme garden booklets still available? I, too, love lemon gem marigolds because in addition to their lovely scent, the ferny foliage and yellow flowers look great in the herb garden as do calendulas and nasturtiums.

    I love a bed with some nice gray accents such as lambs ears but I don't think one wedge devoted to gray herbs would look good in your circle. I also like lady's mantle as an accent plant. One time I saw a photo of an herb bed edged with parsley. I thought that was a great idea. I had good luck for a few years with a border of lemon balm that I grew from seed but it started seeding all over the place.

    I have a difficult time with annuals that produce seed heads. I think they are better in the vegetable garden since they don't last the full season before developing seed heads and going yellow. i.e. dill, coriander.

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