Herb Gardens: A Must Have!

Whether your garden is 10 acres in the country, or you have to make do with a window box in the city centre, herbs ought to be at the top of your plant wish list. Not only are they useful in the kitchen, but they are among the most decorative plants in the garden, and often the most fragrant!

A herb garden should be designed with as much thought as any other part of your garden. The foliage and flowers of herbs are beautiful and varied, and will provide lots of interest and colour right through the year. Even their seed heads are attractive to look at and fabulous in the frost.

If you have th space plant a separate herb garden, arrange the herbs in regular shaped beds, edged in the box with brick paths between. As the herbs grow, they will spill over the box, so that as you pass by you'll experience the fabulous aromas.

Herbs are also extremely easy to grow. There are annual varities, like coriander that need to be grown each year from seed. But the vast majority are perennials, which will come up year after year, without much interference from you, and supply you with years of culinary pleasure.

If you are short of time, or just can't wait to start your collection, pick up pots of herbs from the supermarket to plant out straightaway in sunny spots.

In hot weather, herbs will be particularly thirsty, so give them a good watering in the late afternoon as well as first thing in the morning.

Herb Growing Tips
If you start from seed on the windowsill, rotate the tray each morning, so they all get a fair share of light.

Water the compost and not the seedlings every morning to stop them rotting. Thin out the seedlings using tweezers if the tray gets overcrowded. Pot up in compost and don't press or firm it too much as you want air to reach the roots. Choose a shallow pot or the plant will concentrate on growing deep roots rather than a healthy plant.

Lettuce Leaf Basil
Annual
This Italian basil with its crinkly leaves is just the ticket for salads and making pesto sauce. Its easily grown from seed. Water in the mornings; it's not keen on a soaking throughout the day.

Garlic Chives
Perennial
Evergreen, not difficult to grow and looks stunning in pots. This chive has mild garlic onion flavoured leaves while the flowers taste of sweet garlic. Both are good in salads and make attractrive garnishes. These are easily grown from seed, but be sure to plant out in a sunny spot, in well drained soil.

Buckler Leaf Sorrel
Hardy perennial
The compact leavesof the sorrel have a sharp lemon flavour. This herb is a great addition to salad or use the older leaves to make a sauce for chicken or fish. This herb loves the great outdoors, so plant out as soon as it's established. It will lose its vigour and flavour on the windowsill. Grown easily from seed.

Broad Leaved Sage
Perennial
This evergeen and aromatic herb with grey-green leaves displays purple flowers in summer. It prefers a sunny spot. It has an affinity with meat, especially pork and poultry, but is just as divine with a tomato salad. You might get better results from this herb if you grow from cuttings

Gardening, Presents & The Credit Crunch

We all know about the credit crunch and effects it has on the economy and of course this affects our spending habits.

With Christmas just around the corner there are many families out there struggling to find good/cheap gifts to give to family and friends.

I like to give presents because I enjoy the pleasure I get from giving to a friend or family member, because of the current economic climate I have been finding ways to give presents that won't break the bank.

I came up with an idea of herbs in a terracotta pot for my friends who like to cook or do gardening, rather than giving something I just bought because it looked nice I decided I could get away with giving these presents because there was also some love and labour that went into it Smiley



I have taken images of the pot I made for a friend today.

I included lemon thyme, thyme, mint and rosemary, in a separate pot I potted some parsley seeds which will grow slowly over the Christmas period.

What do you think a good present or not?

Take our poll and vote about this christmas gardening gift

Even better why don't you come and join our forum and discuss your Christmas credit crunch present ideas!

Our collection of plants/flowers

We thought we would start with some common ground and list some of the plants that we have documented as growing in our gardens so far - no doubt many of you reading this will have or are about to grow some of the plants/flowers that we are nurturing.

So far we have documented the following to be growing in our gardens:
Fruits/Veg:
Apple
Lemon
Orange
Pomegranate
Grapefruit
Fig
Avocado
Garlic
Asparragus
Olives
Plum
Pear
Raspberry
Strawberry

Herbs:
Thyme
Lemon Thyme
Parsley
Coriander
Marjoram
Oregano
Mint
Dill
Basil
Rosemary
Chives
Lavender

Plants/Flowers:
Camelia
Mimosa
Palm
Sunflowers
Furs
Lantana Camara
Cortaderia Selloana (Pampas Grass)
Daisies (Purple/Yellow/White)
Jasmine
Cestrum Nocturnum (Dama de Noche)
Roses
Daffodils
Callistemon Viminalis (The Bottle Brush)
Brugmansia Arbrorea (Angel's Trumpets)
Bouganvillea
Aloe Arborescens (Red Hot Poker Aloe)
Strelitzia Reginae (Bird of Paradise)
Zantedeschria Aethiopica (Calla Lilly)
Felicia Amelliodes (Swan River Daisy)
Hyacinths
Tulips
Plumbago Capensis (Cape Leadwort)
Euphorbia Pulcherrinia (Poinsettia)
Jacaranda Mimosifolia
Hebe Caledonia
Geraniums
Cyclamen
Callistemon Citrinus 'Splendens'

As we keep documenting more plants we will update our garden of goodies :)

Anyone else growing the above plants/herbs/flowers/fruits/veg and have any special tips for growing, let us know?