i don't have an herb garden but would love to see how others have theirs set up...so if you have pics i'd love to see them!!! thanks... virginia
show off your herb garden!!!
I'm with you! I only have a small rosemary plant that isn't doing too hot :( I 'did' have Lavender but it suddenly died & the spearmint pretty much just disappeared.
Maybe herbs aren't for me?? lol
I'd love to see what others have going on.
I grow a few different herbs but most are potted so I don't have photos to show other than maybe the cluster of pots in the greenhouse....
I have two rosemary (an upright and a trailing) that I do leave in ground in this zone. They tend to bloom in winter amazingly. The chives also stay in ground. The mints and lemon balm will die back from frost but will come back in springtime.
I planted a lot of herbs in the space between the house and the sidewalk but it struggled last year due to severe and extended drought. So no wow photos from that. Sorry....
it's good to know about the mint dying down ... I figured I had killed it or something lol Maybe it will pop back up.
2racingboys - don't worry about mint - it's almost impossible to kill!
My herb garden looks dead at the moment. Once the weather warms up I'll see what's left. I have parsley just beginning to sprout in the house.
About 4 years ago I reorganized my wide row veggie garden into a herbal labyrinth. Here's an early shot of it, as the plants are just getting established.
Another angle, probably a year later, about mid-summer. I've added 'yard art' to each section representing its primary function (concrete grasshopper to the left in the insect repellent section, wild metal woman in the female complaint corner, etc.) The purple bench looks out at the relaxation section (valerian, poppies).
Here's my favorite accessory -- my old Singer that I learned to sew on, settling in nicely with comfrey (knitbone), eupatorium (boneset) and arnica.
Here's another view that shows the pathways a bit better. I mow the paths with a push mower and plan to round them more and keep them as narrow as one swipe with the mower. The culinary section is front and center, I usually have a metal chicken figure here - must not have put the yard art out yet in this photo. That's common rhubarb in the upper left that I let go to flower.
omgosh that is amazing! I can only imagine the fragrance! Beautiful space & beautiful stuff! I can only dream of lotsa space like that. We have maybe .25 acre. No, probably less lol
That's incredible, you're a true artist, Bonehead. You inspired me to start digging my lawn right through the snow lol
LOL Carpathiangirl!
Bonehead ~ that is truly beautiful! I love the labryinth design. How inspiring. In the photo with the sewing machine, please tell me what the plant with the reddish leaves on the left is? In fact, I would love to wander the labryinth and rub the leaves and smell or taste as needed. Tis lovely!
Lusting after your rich soil and adequate moisture...
Podster, that lovely plant is Eupatorium rugosum, chocolate boneset. One of my favorites. It starts out with vivid red stems, then fills in with chocolate leaves, and finishes up with sprays of white blossoms in the fall as its leaves turn. Gets about 3' tall for me, stands on its own without staking, looks good at the foot of the taller Joe Pye or next to echinachea (they complement each other). Here's a photo of the flowers with the faded leaves in the background. One of those nice multi-season plants.
bonehead - I could easily run out of superlatives to describe just how beautiful I think your garden is.
Thank you all - it has been a fun project, and I continue to learn as I go. Most of the medicinal herbs I was unfamiliar with and have had to move them around as I discover their growth habits. Next stage is to get better at harvesting and using them, instead of just enjoying the visual / aromatic.
...Although I have to say relaxing on the bench with a glass of wine on a warm summer evening and just gazing around is mighty pleasurable...
Very nice color and pretty blooms... is the Eupatorium rugosum used in a manner similar to Eupatorium perfoliatum?
Both are new to me so I was researching it and see it is indigenous to much of North American.
From a couple years ago. One of our garden areas.
Pic of another section of the gardens
More...
And another
Now that warms the soul! Do you have your gardens separated by types of herbs or just their sunlight/soil preferences?
Gorgeous! Very restful looking, and I love the use of added color from birdhouses, etc. Do those trees in the hills all turn color in the fall? I'll bet that makes for a spectacular background. Where abouts is Middleburgh? We have friends in Dundee we keep meaning to visit, but have not yet done so. Perhaps this fall... Deb
Betty - what beautiful photos. Your herb garden looks so restful.
If we can ever get rid of the bamboo on out lot, I'll have a place for an herb garden, too!
The herbs are not separated by types. They are separated by sunlight/water requirements. The trees do look spectacular in autumn. I'll look for a photo of that! Middleburgh is west and south of Albany, NY. In the very northern fringes of the Catskill Mountains. We moved here 9 years ago and really love it here.
Here are the hills in autumn.
As I thought...spectacular! I really must make a trip to New England one of these years when the leaves turn.
Autumns make the winters worthwhile.
betty and bonehead both your gardens are spectacular!!! thanks so much for showing...which herbs do y'all find you use most in the kitchen? virginia
Virginia, my culinary section includes basil, cilantro, parsley, various thymes, rosemary (which I struggle with, it does not reliably overwinter for me), sage, chives, marjorum, stevia (mainly for my granddaughter to snack on), tarragon, dill, and sorrel. The sorrel is a lovely garden snack, such a fresh crisp taste, and also good in salads. The others I use fresh and am getting a bit better at drying and/or freezing for year-round use.
I know that many of my other herbs can also be used in cooking, and I am trying to utilize my winter months to educate myself on how to use and preserve them. I have a section for aromatics, medicinal, insect repellants, female problems, magical, cosmetic, and the back row is for all the tall/aggressive thugs (angelica, elecampane, foxglove, goldenrod, lovage, comfrey). I have decided to banish Joe Pye from the herbs (he is currently in the back row) and let him spread out behind my berry border (blue and rasp) - he needs more room to sprawl.
Ever evolving.
Oh, I forgot about oregano which grows as a weed and I have to keep under strict control. It's actually in a neighboring flower bed rather than in the herb garden proper. I've also devoted the east side of our barn/garage to various mints - they don't mind being covered with gravel every so often (driveway maintenance) and soften the edge of the building.
I use a lot of the same culinary herbs as bonehead. Love French tarragon, thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley, dill, fennel, lovage, chives, oregano, lemon balm, lemon thyme, basil, etc. We grow 300 or so herbs (okay, I consider dandelion an herb!).
bonehead & herbalbetty...you guys are such an inspiration. I just love love love what you have both done. Beautiful.
Wow! I am so impressed and just blown away by your gardens. You all must be either in your 20's and 30's or have a pack of gardeners to help you! I got tired just looking at the huge area to keep up! Amazing job and thanks so much for sharing.
My 20s and 30s are just a far away blur...rapidly approaching 60 and semi-retired (that helps). Moving slowly but steadily is the key, I try to spend a bit of time every day in the yard & don't stress about weedy areas. I'll get to them eventually.
A pack of gardeners, wouldn't that be nice? I'm in my late 40s and have rheumatoid arthritis and a helpful husband. Most of our beds are raised, which allows me to sit on my garden cart instead of squat or be on my knees. bonehead, I love your herbal labyrinth.
bonehead
Please tell me what in the world kind of tarragon you have. I have failed trying various type of tarragon in my zone 9.
Sylvia
Nana, I have purchased common French tarragon starts from my local nursery on more than one occasion, Artemisia dracunculus. No particular cultivar listed. Sometimes it overwinters and sometimes I have to replace it. I have it in both the culinary section and the astrological section, and have so far been lucky enough that one of them survives the winter. We'll see this year -- we're just coming off a bunch of late snow and a cold snap. May have to replace both. I do get good growth the first year, enough to harvest for immediate use and some drying or freezing.
I'm also playing around with Mexican tarragon, which is actually in the marigold family (Tagetes lucida). It's an annual and I've saved some seed. Has good anise flavor and grew well but I just had one plant so didn't harvest anything last year.
I'm growing Mexican Mint Marigold and it is a great substitute for tarragon, which I can't grow for nothin'... :) Even with our lower than normal temps, it is coming back from the ground. Grows several feel tall and makes little yellow flowers. I recommend it!
I mean "feet tall"!! I just laughed at someone else sending a funny typo and said "there's a preview button but people don't seem to use it". God heard me!
Wow, several feet tall... mine was at most 3 feet, like a tall single marigold but with a definite anise scent to foliage and flowers rather than the normal musky-ish marigold.