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your herb garden as close as you can to the kitchen door
or at least next to a paved area for easy access. Choose
a site with sun for at least half a day. If your garden
is small you can blend your herbs into your flower
borders or as edging. |
| Whatever the size
& shape of your garden growing herbs is a worthy pastime, especially
if you take full advantage of them and use them in the kitchen. |
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| Herbs can
be grown successfully in containers provided they have adequate drainage.
Containers make it easy to group plants accordingly to how vigorously they
grow and the type of care that they need. Because they are portable herbs
in containers can be moved into a convenient position outside the kitchen
door when they are ready to use.
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| Most herbs will thrive in containers that
are at least 15cm deep. However fennel, which has a long root that needs
deep soil, and bay trees, which are big when mature, are best in large
containers such as a half barrel.
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| Window
boxes can be used for growing upright and prostrate herbs. For ease of
maintenance grow the herbs in adequate pots. Fill the window box with
gravel burying the pots up to the rim. This will make watering easier.
Terracotta pots are an attractive popular choice but need frequent
watering in dry spells. |
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| Click
Here
for our Pots & Containers page. |
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Herbs are easy to look
after and to gather if they are grown in a raised bed. If you want to grow
herbs and your garden has a heavy clay soil then raised beds are an ideal
solution to give you well drained fertile soil. It is also a good way of
growing herbs of the Mediterranean climate such as thyme, oregano, sage
& rosemary.
Building your raised bed
Click
Here to buy Raised Bed Kits
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or
build your own........................ |
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Build your raised bed
from materials that match your garden so that you do not spoil your
overall effect. e.g. Bricks, Rocks, Wood & Bamboo. |
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Wooden raised beds
are easier to install than brick and can make an attractive feature.
Railway sleepers are often recommended for this purpose but they are
expensive, very difficult to manoeuvre, hard to cut and they ooze
creosote. Instead go to your builders merchants, D.I.Y. shop for pressure
treated timber. If you paint your wood use a water based stain that will
not harm the plants. |
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Build up the raised bed
to a comfortable size approx 45cm.
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If you construct the bed
so that its north facing side is higher than the south facing side the
surface of the herb bed will slope towards the sun and absorb more warmth
during the day. |
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When you have finished
planting your raised bed mulch the surface with gravel to help water
retention & weeding. |
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The
traditional formal knot garden, edged with
box,
rosemary,
lavender
or
thyme
looks fantastic. But a knot garden is time consuming to plant and is
more difficult than other planting schemes to maintain.
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| The edging needs
trimming at least once a year and competes with the herbs for light,
nutrients & water. Once mature a knot garden is a great addition to
any garden.
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| Click
Here to buy Box plants |
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| If you
have a border in full sun & is well drained, cut down on weeding by
filling the gaps between plants with herbs. Shrubby herbs that are needed
in small amounts such as rosemary can be grown as single specimens. Those
herbs that are needed in larger quantities can be grown in groups such as
chives & parsley. Low growing coloured sages and mat spreading thymes
also make good plants for edging. Mint
is quite invasive so its worth plunging them in their pots to prevent an
epidemic. |
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| Many
herbs can be raised from cuttings, division,
layering or seed although small plants are
available very cheaply. |
| If you
want to grow your own, here's how - |
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| Seed
- Many herbs such as parsley or basil
are easily raised from seed. Sow 3 seeds in a 7.5cm pot full of
multipurpose compost. Sow in spring & place on a light
windowsill. Buy
Herb Seeds |
| Division
- Clump forming herbs such as chives,
lemon balm and thyme, can be lifted & divided in spring. For mint,
simply pot up rooted runners off the main plant. |
| Cuttings
- Take cuttings of bushy perennial herbs such as rosemary, sage &
thyme from late spring to early autumn. Cut off a 7cm shoot, strip off
leaves from the lower half of each cutting and push 3 cuttings around the
edge of a pot of compost. Water in, Cover with polythene and put on a
windowsill. See our 'Cuttings
Guide'. |
| Layering
- A few shrubby herbs such as thyme, rosemary & sage can be propagated
without any equipment. In summer lay a shoot down onto soil that has been
improved with compost, holding it down with a stone. In autumn it will
have rooted naturally and can now be separated from the parent plant. |
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Dill |
| Annual,
60cm's (24") - Plant in a sunny, well drained spot. Dill
dislikes being moved so sow the seeds in April where you want
the plants to stay then thin them to 12in. apart. |
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Thyme |
| Perennial,
30cm's (12") - Hardy
evergreen for dry sunny spots in the garden. Replace plant every
three years. For cooking use 'Thymus Vulgaris'.
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Parsley |
| Annual
(UK), 30cm's (12") - Likes
partial shade. Prone to slug damage, use course grit at the base of
the plant. Broad leaf types are of better flavour and somewhat
easier to grow. |
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Chamomile |
| Daisy-like
flowers with yellow centres and feathery foliage
which has an apple smell when crushed. Apple
fragrance. Makes a delicious soothing tea, skin
wash and shampoo. Chamomile will grow in any soil,
ideally in full sun. |
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Rosemary |
| Evergreen
shrub, 15cm to 1.2m (6" to 4') - Needs
full sun with well drained soil. The upright form is good for tight
spaces. |
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Lavender |
| Evergreen
Shrub, 1.5m (5') - Dense
spikes of fragrant, lavender-blue summer flowers and steely, blue-grey
foliage. This compact English lavender makes a fabulous, flowering
informal hedge. Needs full sun & well drained soil. |
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Fennel |
| Fennel
is delicious, with a sweet and delicate aniseed
flavour. Use in salads and with fish to counteract
oiliness. Reputed use for many ailments,
particularly regularising painful and abnormal
menstrual periods. It has long been recommended to
combat obesity and aid slimming, as an eyewash for
sore eyes and as a gentle laxative. |
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Coriander |
| 50cm
- (20") - Delicious
herb which is well worth growing. Keep in a pot or plant in a border
and enjoy fresh herb all summer. Do not let the plant go to seed or
it becomes very straggly. Great for curries. |
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Oregano |
| 80cm's
(31") - Attractive
aromatic golden yellow foliage are suitable as ground cover.
Excellent choice for any herb garden. |
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Sage |
| Perennial,
60cm's (24") - Give
full sun & well drained soil. Green variety is harder than the
coloured ones and has more flowers. Extremely vigorous, replace
plant every four years. |
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Borage |
| A
beautiful upright herb with rough leaves covered
with silvery hairs and most attractive celestial
blue flowers beloved by bees. Borage is an annual
growing to 45-90cm (18-36in) which self seeds
happily. Cooking: Add Borage to summer drinks and
wines because of its, cucumber flavour. |
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Summer Savory |
| A hardy
annual with lilac tubular flowers which bloom from
July to September, Summer Savory grows to 30-45cm
(12-18in) in height. With slender bronze green
leaves, Summer Savory lends an aromatic peppery
tang to soups and seafoods. |
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Mint |
| The
ideal accompaniment to roast lamb -for an unusual
but delicious sauce mix with honey and lemon
juice. Add to boiled new potatoes, peas, make mint
jelly or garnish summer drinks. |
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Tarragon |
| 1m
(40") - A
tender herb which likes a well-drained sunny site. The long leaves
have analmost liquorish-like flavour. Good for making vinegar,
deliciouschopped in butter or fresh in salad. |
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Chives |
| 60cm's
(24") - Split
and divide large clumps in autumn or spring. Needs full sun with
fertile, well drained soil. |
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Lovage |
| Lovage
from Duchy Originals is a hardy perennial bushy
herb. Height to 2 metres. Leaves and stems taste
similar to celery, traditionally used to season
soups and stews. |
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Basil |
| Annual,
60cm's (24") - Grow
in pots on a sunny windowsill or patio. Tender
herb which is delicious in salads, sandwiches in pasta or on pizza.
It doesn't like too much water. |
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Sorrel |
| Sorrel
leaves are used extensively in French cuisine, in
fish, soups and sauces, also picked young will add
a tart flavour to a mixed leaf salad. Sorrel
leaves are best harvested regularly whilst small
as bitterness increases with larger, older leaves. |
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Lemon Balm |
A bushy
herb, Lemon Balm resembles mint in appearance,
with a strong lemon scent when rubbed. The leaves
make a calming balm tea. Height to 50cm (20in) but
can be trimmed.
Can be invasive. Best grown in a pot/container. |
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Sweet
Marjoram |
| Mild and
sweet it is delicious in stuffings, soups, stews,
omelettes, cheese dishes, fish sauces and salads.
Sprinkle over pork, mutton, liver and veal before
roasting and add to melted butter to garnish
vegetables. |
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Chervil |
| Annual,
60cm's (24") - Short
life span but self seeds freely. Best grown in full sun. |
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Sweet
Bay |
| Evergreen
shrub, 1.5m (5') - Likes
sun & shelter from cold winds. When small grow in pots and move
them indoors in winter. |
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