Herbs in Texas?

I frequent the Herbs forum and although I have only met a few Texans over there, I am sure many of us grow herbs.

Please share ideas on what it takes to grow your herbs in Texas.

I grow a lot of herbs. Some I use and some I just grow for the pure pleasure. Although they normally are not showy plants, I love the herbal fragrances.

I grow most of mine in pots which allows me to contain them. Some like the mints can spread beyond all reason if not contained. Keeping pots of herbs also lets me control the soil, moisture and provide winter protection as needed in my zone.

In 8a, I find rosemary does well in ground having planted both upright and trailing rosemary. Last year, I also trusted a large pot of oregano to the outdoors and it had no problem with the freezes we saw here.

Some herbs I grow for use are bay (laurus nobilis), basils, ginger, mints and oregano to name a few. I grow catnip (Nepeta cataria) for the felines that live at my house. Although only two love it. One wants it fresh, the other wants his dry. It can reseed and volunteer freely so nipping the blooms is recommended....

Pod, do grow your bay in a pot, or protect it in any way?

I kill far more herbs than I grow.I think it's a drainage issue. I'm thinking next year i should just sink pots of herbs in the ground, instead of direct planting.

My biggest gripe is cilantro. I know God doesn't make mistakes, I just haven't figured out his reasoning for cilantro not being in season with tomatoes.lol

Cocoa, I have Bay tree in the ground that has lived for many years without a problem, and it is about 25 feet tall, but I see you are in zone 7 so it might not work for you, it should work in a pot.
Josephine.

I grow several herbs, but never do any cooking with them. I just like their texture, color, bloom, or aroma. I had a huge Rosemary and the DH kept complaining that it was too large and blocking the view of a temporary pond that we erected. It was in an elevated area. I tried everything to take cuttings to root and couldn't get it going. I finally gave up and tried to transplant it,.....let's just say I gave it a decent burial.
I have tried several small pots of Rosemary since then but just didn't get along with the rain. I think I will buy one of those Christmas Rosemary's this year and try again, because it was so nice to smell it in the garden.

Cocoa_Lulu ~ my bay is in a pot. I agree with Frostweed, it would do well in ground here but I can better control the moisture in a pot. If we have hard freezes, I do bring it in as the roots are less insulated in a pot. The plant does seem very hardy. It does require good drainage and filtered afternoon sunlight. I If you want to try one in ground, I would suggest planting it near a building for protection. That will help stretch your zone.
Incidently there are other bay trees that grow much better in the south but this is the true bay...

I have no experience with cilantro ~ have you tried growing it in a pot or maybe a raised bed if drainage is a problem? LOL on the tomato timing...

Frostweed ~ magnificent Bay ~ do you utilize the leaves in cooking or as a bug repellant?

Sheila_FW ~ a friends' rosemary has grown to "monster" size too. I planted mine against the house mainly to provide less moisture. They really don't like wet feet IME.

I asked about rooting this as a friend wanted some. I found him a plant and never did root any. I had asked for pointers on how to root and this answer came from McCool

Hello Podster, yes it is a beautiful tree, I normally just use it for cooking, just go get some when I need it, but if i have to trim it, I dry the leaves and save them, they smell so good. I have had good luck rooting Rosemary from the tender tips like you said.
Josephine.

Cool! You used the cinnamon. I think that is a wonderful tip and wonder if it will work with other things...

I agree I love the fragrance of the bay. My tree is still little. When I add leaves for cooking after I remove them, I wash them off and dry them. I will spread them throughout the pantry shelves as a bug deterrent. Also use fresh dried leaves adding one to the jars of pasta, rice and flours. pod

I have 4 small bay plants in my bed just outside the front door. I did not know they would become a tree. Could post a picture or describe more fully how large a tree? Have good luck growing cilantro in a huge pot even letting some of it go to seed. You are right, it is out of sync with the tomato. Have small bowl pot that I keep chives going for baked potato.


Never mind....it is basil I have. Can't get the bay to take off. Rosemary is an on and off for me , too. It is supposed to be the easiest.

I'm glad you mentioned planting sweet bay in the ground. I've heard of people doing that in so Tx, but I was afraid to try it here. I have one that I've had for about 8 years in a pot. It would be nice if I didn't have to lug it in and out of the gh.:) I have a protected spot on the east side of the house, but I would have to keep it trimmed at 4 feet because it would be under a window.

I also have had good luck with rosemary, although I had to dig it up because it got too big. It's still in a pot and I hope to put it in the ground in the spring.

I have some Thai basil that really surprised me. I planted some next to my tomatoe plants one year, probably spring of 06. Well those things reseeded and the original plants also survived last winter. So now there are 4 of them in the garden. The black-eyed peas we planted last fall for a cover crop froze, but the basil survived!

I grow mint in pots, but it always struggles and I'm not sure why. It always looks better in winter than any other time of the year.

My garden sage is one of the tuffest plants I've ever seen. I never remember to water it and it just keeps truckin'. The same with chives.

I think the trick to growing herbs is put them in the ground and ignore them.

I am glad I read about the Thai basil. I always pull it out, but I will mulch it this winter. My mint in a pot thrives with neglect. I keep it in the shade,not far from the faucet.

My mints (in pot) do great in spring and early summer. I feel they don't like the heat and die down but when temps cool, they bounce back. I have had some in ground in a contained bed and it did the same thing. I attributed it to the intense heat ~ maybe I am wrong... ?

This year the struggle has been with French Tarragon. It does not like heat/humidity. Dumb me ~ I wanted to try it. I have agonized with it all summer. It hasn't grown, it hasn't died. Anyone?

I water my mints once a week when I water the hostas, Maybe that's not enough?

I don't know much about french tarragon. I never tried it because I read it didn't do well in Tx. I do Mexican mint marigold though and it does great. It's supposed to be a substitute for tarragon though I've never used it for seasoning. It takes sun all day and asks for nothing. It will freeze and come back.

What would be a good lavender for my part of Texas? I want to plant some next to my gate.
I have never grown it before. I would like something that is a perennial. TIA

Drsaul ~ I've not any experience with lavender as it doesn't do well in the warmer humid zones. Hope someone here has some experience with a suitable one.

I don't know why but I always thought Mexican mint marigold was Rue but I have been reading and getting educated otherwise... I may have to look into it if the french tarragon succumbs.

I'm glad I wandered in tonight!
I've been thinking of getting some herbs to grow and use in cooking her at home.
We have raised beds at work with a variety.
I know some have been there awhile and have come back the next year from what the boss tells me
I know we have basil, rosemary and thyme for sure and he doesn't cover them or anything fo rthe winter he has told me.

So I'm gonna be coming back to check out ho w things are going with everyones herbs. *S*

Mexican mint marigold is an excellent substitute for tarragon, DO use it in cooking. Most Mediterranean herbs do well in the Hill Country, rocky soil and lots of sun!

Humidity is hard on lavender (and French taragon). If you try it plant on a mound, provide great drainage and leave a lot of room around them for air circulation.

In the northern parts of the state try 'Arp' rosemary which is more cold tolerant.

This year I'm trying some garlic which is supposed to be well adapted to Texas. I'll let you know what happens next spring.

Garlic ~ I grow. Sept ~ Oct is the time to be planting it in this area. I leave the bed in ground year around and with the fall rains, it will start growing.

The blooms are ornamental in flower beds too. In fact I think most herbs mix well in beds too.

A garlic bloom from May...

The lavendar I grow is Provence. I watered it when I planted it, but not since then and that was almost 10 years ago. It does need to be trimmed every year I found out. If you don't it gets so heavy that it lays down on the ground and the leaves near the ground die. Mine started looking really ratty, but after I trimmed it, the leaves started coming back at ground level. It's much better now.

Elephant garlic does really well for me with very little attention. Lots of compost and sun, some water. I haven't tried any other garlic. Mother of thyme is a ground cover around my New Dawn rose and looks great. It does let the grass in though.

Drsaul ~ Provence may be a lavender to check out for your area? Maybe even for me to check out... Hadn't thought about it before.

Thank you all for the Bay info, I'm going to try one. I love the smell and wouldn't mind dragging it in for winter.

Silver, does the thai basil have a good flavor?

Drsaul, I've had good luck with the darker leafed spanish lavenders. They are not as fragrant as french or english and still require sandy, well drained alkaline soil. A lot of mine died with the excess rain we had this year, but a few are bouncing back.

Banana, i wonder if there is some kind of Folklore about growing mints next to faucets? That's where i grow mine and remember all of my elders having it planted in the same place.

Cocoa, thai basil is my favorite. It's spicy, but not hot. And very pretty besides. Really good in spaghetti.

On the bay ~ you can enjoy the leaves by keeping it pruned into a manageble sized plant to bring in... Good luck with it.

Thanks for the tip on the lavender. I'll have to check it out. I want a nice aroma as you enter the garden.

I made the supposed mistake of planting my chocolate mint in the ground, although where it is spreading I don't mind it. However, after detangling a mess of wild morning glory that got into the bed this summer, I noticed that the chocolate mint is almost died back! I am disappointed because I really like it and last time I took a good look at it, it was quite vigorous. Does it have a chance of coming back or should I start taking some starts of it?

However, the apple mint in the same bed is growing like gangbusters but still not spreading much. I have mother of thyme doing ok and rosemary doing well despite the rains this summer. I am glad for this thread because I want to put more herbs in my beds. I love the smells!

:) Kim

BTW, where do you get a true bay? I have thought about trying one in a pot and bringing it in for the winter. I have a lot to bring in as it is, whats one more?..lol

Also, does anyone have pic of their herb garden? If so, I like to see them.

Can you plant different mints in the same bed? I thought they would cross and all taste/smell the same.

Kim, I think probably your best bet would be to get starts of the mint and kill the morning glory. I'm thinking of using RoundUp on mine. It climbs everything in site. I'm just hoping Roundup will kill it. It's my biggest thug right now.

Drsaul, I bought my sweet bay at theAntique Rose Emporium in Brenham. I don't know if there is a difference between sweet bay and true bay. Maybe it's the same? Sometimes you pay $10 for a spindly little thing, but be patient and you'll find a multi-trunk plant for the same price.

My herbs are scattered all over my yard, but I'll see what pictures I have.

Oh...So it's a sweet bay. I'm glad you told me, I would have looked for the wrong thing. LOL

I also have a few herbs planted in my other beds. I just want to get some idea of how a herb garden is planed out. I think I'm going to start a bed just for herbs that I can cook with.

A kitchen herb bed ~ recommended to plant it beside the door so you can step out and take a snip of the herb you want at the moment. No specific herb garden here but most are in pots. A lot of what I have needs winter protection. I can answer that what's one more question ~ lol!

Yes, the mixed mints in a bed can cross. But I would not worry about the chocolate mint not coming back. I'll bet it will revive. Like I said earlier, mine dies down and makes a comeback ~ maybe dies back from heat and humidity. I've a friend that has in growing out of control. He mows it down and it comes back. Lovely smell while mowing.

If you buy a bay, look for the Laurus nobilis. Which is the bay used in cooking. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/814/

This is my lavender. I planted it in April of this year and it has survived the summer here with no problems. It's 'munstead'.

Here's my common sage, in the bottom left corner.

Lavender ~ Y'all are tempting me way too much!

Drsaul ~ this is a what's one more. It needs winter protection being a tropical herb.
A new one I found this summer. Allspice ~ Pimenta dioica
The leaves don't look like much but the fragrance is intense when pinched. It will never grow very large at this rate ~ lol Good thing when I try to make room for it.

what is the pretty against the wall?

OMG!! If this keeps up, I'll never be able to find my way through the house! LOL

Oh well, I'll just have to get rid of some more junk to make room for all my babies! ;-P

I think the same thing ~ that will work for me! Need to plan a garage sale.

drsaul, here's a view of my herb garden out back, still a work in progress. It's a 20-foot circle, and you can see how it's divided: