Basil and Cilantro are annuals. Parsley is a biennial(the plant can get large, but will flower and die the second year). Of the the 3 perennials(T, O & C)you want, Chives would be the thug, IMO, with Oregano and Thyme growing slower(in my area anyway). I grow my Chives in large cinder blocks. It grows rampant in everyone's yards here. Maybe you could isolate it in the center(to anchor the bed)and have the Oregano and Thyme on two corners and keep the other two corners for your annuals/biennials?

Chives are no thug here. But the oregano gives lemon balm a run for which is more aggressive in my gardens. Different growing conditions do make for different experiences.

I agree in keeping your biennials and annuals to the edges/corners where you can easily replace each season.

FataMorgana

Thanks for the information all, I really appreciate it. Any ideas / suggestions on how I would arrange the 6 herb plants in my raised bed? I can't seem to come up with a configuration keeping perennials in the center and biennial / annuals on the outside?

Thanks.....

I'd suggest keeping thyme further away from oregano than you think. Oregano takes off more quickly & in the 2nd year may tromp over the slower growing thyme. Both spread by creeping stems later in the season. If you give them room to spread you will ensure you have young parts of plants producing for you. Thyme can die out in the center.

Chives here don't seem to mind being crowded a bit with other plants, but the others need more room to grow well. I have divided large chives clumps down to 7 or so stems when I wanted more plants.

You didn't state how many plants of each you plan to plant or the size pots.

Just arrange them how you like them. A 4x4 box is easy enough to reach in from all sides to access for harvesting or replacing. You don't have to follow any rules and it's okay if the taller plants aren't all in the center. If you have one of each plant for 6 plants you could arrange them like dots on a pair of dice then set them off center a bit more. Or arrange them like 5 dots on the dice and put the thyme closer to the edge somewhere. Keep them in their pots while you move them around on top of the soil.

Parsley can self sow by the way, so you wouldn't need to replant. Just give it room & resist the urge to cut it back after flowering. Give it time to set seed.

Seems like thyme & cilantro need a quick draining soil and are more drought tolerant than the others you mentioned. I like to plant basil & chives with more compost-rich soil. That may help with placement.

This year while the perennial herbs are establishing you will have a lot of bare ground showing. Cover the soil with some mulch or you can fill with edible annual flowers or salad greens if you'd like. Pansies, calendula, marigolds, and nasturtium. If you like the line up in a row type of garden you might like to edge them with white blooming sweet allysum.

I like having flowers in along with culinary herbs and vegetables. I can tell the difference and plant tags help instruct family members.

Corrine

I think it depends on how your bed is situated in relation to the sun and the varieties of herbs you use. You don't want the taller plants to shade out the low-growing ones. So if you choose regular Sweet Basil, it can get tall and I would put that "in the back" on a corner opposite the Parsley, with Cilantro in between. If you put Chives in the center, plant your Thyme and Oregano on "the front" corners. It will take some time for the perennials to fill in so you'll still have spaces to plant other things. The Cilantro will bolt in hot weather, so you can use those spaces to plant more of that to keep it going all season, or let the one "in back" mature for Coriander seed and keep replanting others for fresh leaf use. Just some suggestions.

Just to answer a few of the questions that came up over the last few responses....I am only planting 1 plant of each for a total of 6 plants in my 4x4 raised garden box. I was just curious if anyone had any ideas how to arrange the brick pavers within the box (to contain each plant to their own little area) since I will be planting six plants? I guess I could always just do two rows of three and call it a day?

Also, not sure about what "varieties" I will be planting...other than "Italian Parsley vs Curled Parsley" and basic Thyme. And my planter box is facing north from what I recall so it gets a decent amount of sunlight this time of year....and then some shade in the afternoon.

Thanks,
Michael

Maybe arrange the bricks in quarter circles at the corners?

If you are interested in the geometry of traditional herb gardens, you may be thinking ahead as to how your present project would fit in. Many place as much value on the relaxating and meditative qualities offered by a symmetrically arranged herb garden as they do on the plants themselves.

If this is one of your interests, you might consider what to do with the space around your raised bed, as well as what is to be arranged inside of it. Would a little path around the outside of the raised bed be esthetically pleasing to you? Pots of other herbs could be placed at the outer four corners of the path, and a small bench could parallel the outer edge of the path closest to shade. This is an especially pleasant possiility for those who enjoy watching the bees and other herb garden visitors.

If the decorative aspect appeals to you, you might consider placing an additional herb in the center, possibly a somewhat decorative one that could also prove useful. The tender perennial, pineapple sage, would be a pleasant choice.

Another possibility would be to use some of your pavers to create an even higher elevation in the middle, in which a small decorative feature such as a sundial could be placed. Thyme, which likes sharp drainage and is generally easily shaded out by other herbs, could then be planted there to accompany the decorative feature. The perennial garden sage also appreciates such sharp drainage, and, like thyme, would be more likely to return in following years if it has it.

You could still place pavers in a "plus" or "X" arrangement inside the raised bed to help guide the growth of your chosen herbs. Either arrangement would yield eight triangular growth areas of almost two square feet each, even with space stolen for a central feature. I would alternate your stronger, perennial plants with your weaker, annual or biennial ones, which would allow your established perennials to expand in future if desired. Cilantro's growth cycle is fairly rapid, and ends when it seeds, as it almost certainly will by "bolting" in hot weather.

A birdbath could be placed within view, but preferably not too near the actual bed. Some tansy could be planted near that, to afford the birds an insect repellent to use in their nest linings.

If you have the additional space, such a core planting could easily be expanded in future years, if that is your goal.

Eibren, excellent design suggestions!

I especially like the suggestions to create a higher elevation in the middle for the thyme and alternate perennial & annual herbs.

Practical suggestions from an experienced gardener. Way to go!

Thank you, Corrine. I had already earmarked your cultural suggestions for further study. Anyone that has really tried to grow herbs knows that each one has its own cultural preferences, which vary from area to area due to soil quality and weather.

Due to the amount of shade I have, as well as our heavy clay, I have found that many herbs do just as well or better for me in pots. Even a raised bed will do thyme little good if it has an oregano growing over it.

As far as "growing all over" goes, have you had any experiences with Coltsfoot? I had one plant of that run all over my tiny herb garden one year. Now, Yellow Archangel has taken over the same area, now too shady for most herbs. Sometimes I wish I could start over, knowing what I now know.