Herb Garden Designs
Herb garden designs are not offered as a degree program in any college or university I know of. Fortunately, that isn’t needed. You can learn everything you need to know on this website and other good ones out there. You will succeed after you learn some simple principles.
Several considerations are important in the design of your garden, such as; light, water, root space, dominant herbs and soil type. Getting each one right (not necessarily perfect) can mean the difference between a good herb garden design or a great one.
Consider also your growing region. Don’t plan a design featuring plants that, simply, will not grow where you live. My zone is 6 and it is a waste of time and effort to plant herbs meant for Zone 8. Usually, your local garden center will only carry seeds that will thrive in your zone, so check with them and see what kinds of seeds they sell.
Prior planning prevents poor performance in your garden too. Should you be an online shopper, like me, and don’t always check the zone for ordering seeds, fear not. Save those seeds that won’t grow in your area and plan an indoor container garden.
Be completely aware of how much sunlight each herb type requires when designing your herb garden. Sensitive plants will turn brown is subjected to too much sunlight. Plan your garden with landscape shrubs and buildings in mind to reduce direct sunlight for those tender plants.
Don’t forget that your plant needs some sunlight. Avoid landscaping or structures that blocks in sun from reaching the garden. By all means, know your herb and use that knowledge to select the garden location with the best possible amount of sunlight.
Knowing your plants growing tendency is important. Some herbs, like mint or chives, spread and can quickly take over your garden, going places you don’t want and never intended.
In addition to these “spreaders,” perennials (which mean the plant returns each year without replanting or reseeding) will also spread. A clever idea a friend showed me is to plant your perennials in a large container and then bury the container in your garden. No one will be the wiser and the perennial roots cannot spread.
Another important item to note is how many plants to put in a given amount of space. We all want as many different kinds of herbs in our garden; however, overcrowding your plants can lead to disaster.
Overplanting creates dense foliage that limits the air flow as well as sunlight getting to your plants. In time this can lead to diseases like mildew, rot, and rust spreading on your herbs. Give your plants the recommended spacing to reduce the chances of disease.
These enemies of the garden are kept at bay with proper air movement. Windy conditions aren’t ideal but have gentle air moving through the foliage is. To facilitate this plant shorter plants up front and taller ones in the back; think class reunion photograph.
I live in an area that has strong winds. Should you have a similar situation then plan to use existing buildings and bushes to block or reduce the wind.
Happy Herb Gardening!
