Designing A Herb Garden

Haven't we all dreamed of having our own herb garden?

Did you know that most  of our knowledge of early herb garden designs came from monks, who cultivated the plants for medicine, food & church festivals? The monks took the designs of Roman atrium gardens & blended them into the monastic cloister - a square or rectangular enclosure cut into quarters by paths, with a fountain or water tank in the centre. The gardens were usually set within a courtyard, surrounded by brick walls, fences or hedges. Well, there you go.

Planning a Garden

The first thing to consider, when planning your herb garden, is location. If you do not have a choice, make the most of what you have by planting herbs suited to the environment. Later, I will include a list of herbs that thrive in shade or dry ground. herbs that tolerate part shade will usually thrive in full sun, but can tolerate part shade during the day. Herbs that thrive in dry soils will survive our wet summers, as long as they have good drainage & don't stand in soggy soil. The only herb that will tolerate wet feet is mint, which is almost indestructable. 

Garden Design

If you are new to gardening, it will be tempting to grow everything at once. I am addicted to all the herb plant displays at nurseries. Most nurseries will carry the "usuals" - basil, oregano, a few mints, thyme, chives, parsley to name a few. Every now & again, I find some rarer  varieties - tri-coloured or pineapple sage, lemon oregano, chervil, aniseed. I snap them up without thought to where I will put them.  The sights & smells of these herbs are too tempting.

Things to remember are that herbs will take a few seasons to establish a nice shape, with regular pruning. Also, luckily for me, herbs can be moved quite easily. Instead of planning a vast garden with paths & statues, which could take years, cost a small fortune & take decades to fill, start with a small layout & alternate perennial herbs with annual & biannual herbs, so there is room for growth but still with a good variety of plants.

The Border Garden

The easiest design of all, but not boring at all. This design is used at Westminster Abbey in London. Tall plants are placed at the back, short in front, & middle sized inbetween. This is a good garden to play around with colour combinations eg: tall plants -grey sage with silver artemisia,, alternating with bright green or yellow tansy or yarrow, fennel & highlight with bergamot. Medium size eg: lavender, calendula, basil, lemon balm. Along the front eg: parsley, chives, chervil, violets, thyme or nasturtiums.

The Formal Herb Garden

The easiest formal herb garden would be a square, bisected diagonally by 2 paths. This gives you 4 triangles & provides easy access. Put a tall herb at the centre of each triangle, an annual at the centres corners && small perennials at the outside corners. Thyme, lavender, lemon balm, bergamot or mint in a sunken pot are good centre choices. Don't choose tall or rapidly spreading herbs for these types of beds, unless the beds are quite large. If you start with a smallish square, you can always build identical gardens to add on.

The Kitchen Garden

A herb garden is fun, but it is more practical & ornamental to grow herbs amongst the vegies & flowers. The classic cottage garden combine culinary herbs with flowers & vegies. It puts all the ingredients for dinner close at hand & gives the gardener the advantage of companion planting. This style relies on the natural insecticidal & soil enriching qualities of herbs to help vegies perform better. Garlic or chives grown among carrots will repel the carrot fly. Chamomile is known as the plant doctor, since it will revive when chamomile is planted nearby. Plants are usually laid out in simple rows but herbs & vegies can just as easily be mixed in a full-sized garden.

When planning any design, always take height into consideration, since taller plants will shade smaller plants. Sometimes larger plants will multiply quickly and choke out the smaller , less vigorous herb.

A Tea Garden

Oooh, just found this idea, what a great one. A tea garden could be planted with mint, bergamot, catnip, chamomile, sage, lemon grass............ You could put a bench or patio table & chairs. Maybe an arbor of climbing roses, or a fountain.

Some Herbs By Height

Tall herbs: artemisia, bay, dill, fennel, lovage, sage, tansy

Medium height: lavender, lemon balm, pineapple mint, tarragon, parsley, basil

Ground Cover: chamomile, lemon thyme, oregano, violets 

Herbs that Spread Quickly: artemisia, bergamot, feverfew, spearmint (first prize), tansy

Herbs By Colour
Blue: borage, lavender, violets
Bright Green: dill, fennel, golden sage, lovage
Orange: Nasturtiums, calendula
Pink: chive, clove, pot marjoram, rose, saffron, yarrow
Purple: bronze fennel, opal basil, perilla, purple sage
Red: bergamot, pineapple sage
Silver-grey: artemisia, costmary, horehound, lambs ear, sage
White: garlic chive, woodruff
Yellow: chamomile, costmary, tansy, yarrow

Soil Types and Herbs 

It is important to know your soil type, for any type of gardening. Most herbs will survive in most soils, but for healthy plants, with abundant foliage & flowers, it is best to grow them in soil that closely resembles that of their habitat.

Sandy Soils: Borage, Chamomile, Coriander, Evening Primrose, Fennel, Lavender, Oregano, Tarragon, Thyme

Clay Soils: Bergamot, Comfrey, Mint, Wormwood

Moist Loam: Angelica, Bergamot, Sorrel, Ladys mantle, Lemon Balm, Mint, Parsley, Valerian

Wet Soil: Angelica, Bergamot, Marshmallow, Valerian, Watercress

Loam: Basil, Bay, Caraway, Chervil, Catnip, Chives, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Lovage, Parsley, Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Thyme.
Herbs for Shade: peppermint,, spearmint, violets, woodruff
Herbs for Partial Shade: anise, chervil, chives, costmary, lovage, mint, nasturtiums, parsley,  saffron, salad burnet, sorrel, spearmint, tarragon, violets

Creating An Effect
When you have picked where you will start your herb garden, decided on the design, with maybe a central feature in mind, it is time to decide what to plant.  Maybe a diamond bed, for example, sub-divided into 4 triangles & a square. You could plant each individual bed with neat clumps of herbs following the geometric outlines, or with rows of eg: compact lettuces. ornamental cabbages or other vegies, each outlined with a different herbs ie: thyme edging one bed, chives or oregano another.
OR, you could plant each section with 1 type of herb. Mint is a good one for this - try apple mint, eau de cologne mint with its purplish flowers, curly mint, variegated mint, & maybe pennyroyal in the square, as it is a ground cover, around the statue or bird bath you place as the central figure.
OR, you could have a straight bed against a wall - place taller herbs at the back, graduate to ground cover types in the front. Look at the effect you want - colour groupings or contrasts. Remember to try to keep like minded herbs grouped together for ease of care & watering - (see suggestions above)

6 classic herb garden designs

 I am a huge fan of companion planting. Below is a VERY comprehensive chart for companion planting. I'd suggest printing it, laminating & keeping on the wall of the garden shed. The version is at the Sustainable gardening website - 

http://www.sgaonline.org.au/?p=6986

Plant	Good Neighbours	How it works	Bad Neighbours
Apple	Nasturtium, Chives	Nasturtium climbs tree and is said to repel codling moth	Potatoes
Apricot	Basil, Tansy, Asparagus	Basil and tansy are said to repel damaging insects
Asparagus	Apricot, Basil, Chives, Comfrey, Lovage, Marjoram, Parsley, Tomatoes	Basil and Parsley are said to improve flavour. Onions and garlic release substances reducing growth.	Garlic, Onions
Balm (Lemon)	Tomatoes	Attracts bees, said to enhance flavour and growth
Basil	Tomatoes	Basil said to repel flies and mosquitoes
Beans (climbing)	Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Corn, Lettuce, Lovage, Majoram, Parsley		Beetroot, Chives, Garlic, Gladiolus, Onions, Sunflower
Beetroot	Beans (bush), Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kohl Rabi, Lettuce, Lovage, Marjoram, Onion, Peas, Potato, Spinach, Silverbeet	Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Beans (Climbing), Tomato
Borage	Squash, Strawberries, Tomato	Said to deter tomato worm and improve tomato flavour and yield. Said to increase strawberry yield.
Brassicas (Incl: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower)	Beans, Beetroot, Carrots, Chamomile, Coriander, Cucumber, Dill, Lettuce, Lovage, Marjoram, Marigold (French), Mint, Nasturtium, Pea, Potato, Rosemary, Sage, Tansy, Thyme,TomatoZinnias	Dill attracts a Cabbage White Butterfly controlling wasp. Nasturtium disguises and repels aphids. Sage repels the Cabbage White Butterfly. Zinnias attract ladybirds, which we love! Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Garlic, Rue, Strawberry
Capsicum, Chilli	Carrots, Onions, Tomato
Carrots	Beans, Chives, Coriander, Cucumber, Leeks, Lettuce, Lovage, Marjoram, Onion, Pea, Radish, Rosemary, Sage, Tomato	Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Dill, Celery
Celery	Cabbage, Chives, Dill, Dwarf Beans, Leek, Lovage, Majoram, Onion, Pea, Sage, Spinach, Tomato	Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Carrots, Parsnip, Potato
Chamomile	Cabbage, Onion	Deters flies and mosquitoes. Strengthens neighbouring plants
Chives	Apples, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Peas	Prevents Apple Scab. Said to deter aphids	Beans
Cucumber	Basil, Bens, Borage, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Corn, Dill Kohl Rabi, Lettuce, Lovage, Marjoram, Nasturtium, Parsnip, Pea, Radish, Sunflower, Tansy	Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Potato, Sage, Strongly Aromatic Herbs
Dill	Brassicas (Incl: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower)	Dill attracts a Cabbage White Butterfly controlling wasp
Eggplant	Beans, Spinach
Garlic	Apricot, Cherry, Mulberry, Parsnip, Peach, Pear, Raspberry, Rosemary, Rose	Deters aphids, especially from roses and raspberry. Repels Cabbage White Butterfly	Beans, Cabbage, Peas, Strawberry
Kohl Rabi	Beetroot, Onion		Beans, Tomato
Leek	Carrot, Celery, Lovage, Majoram, Onion, Parsnip, Strawberry		Beans, Peas, Parsley
Lettuce	Achillea, Beans, Beetroot, Cabbage, Carrot, Chervil, Coreopsis, Cucumber, Lovage, Marjoram, Marigold (French), Onion, Parsnip, Pea, Radish, Strawberry, Zinnia	Achillea, Coreopsis & Zinnia attract pollinators and offer shade for lettuce	Parsley
Marigolds (French)	Numerous vegetables, including tomato	Kills root knot nematodes and eel worm
Melon	Radish, Sweet Corn
Mint	Cabbage, Tomato	Deters pests such as Cabbage White Butterfly, ants and fleas
Nasturtium	Cabbages, Fruit Trees, Radishes, Zucchini	Flowers repel aphids and codling moth. Cabbage white butterfly is attracted to this plant, and will seek it out over cabbages
Onion	Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Chamomile, Leeks, Lettuce, Lovage, Marjoram, Parsley, Parsnip, Silverbeet, Strawberry, Summer Savory, Tomato	Smell of onion said to deter numerous pestsOnions release substances reducing growth of Bad Neighbours	Asparagus, Beans, Gladioli, Peas
Parsley	Asparagus, Sweet Corn, Tomato	Said to improve flavour of asparagus and tomato
Peas	Beans, Beetroot, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Lettuce, Lovage, Marjoram, Parsnip, Potato, Radish, Sage, Squash, Sweet Corn	Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth. Sweet Corn has traditionally been used as “living stakes” for peas	Chives, Garlic, Onion, Shallots
Potato	Beans, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Corn, Eggplant, Horseradish, Lovage, Marjoram, Marigold (French), Nasturtium, Parsnip, Peas, Sweet Alyssum, Sweet Corn, Watermelon	Sweet Alyssum and Marigolds attract beneficials and suppress weedsPotatoes release substances reducing growth of Bad Neighbours. Horseradish should be planted at the corners of the patch	Apple, Celery, Cherry, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Raspberry, Rosemary, Squash, Sunflower, Tomato
Pumpkin	Beans, Cabbage, Eggplant, Peas, Radish, Sweet Corn	Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Potato
Radish	Beans, Carrot, Chervil, Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Cucumber, Lettuce, Lovage, Marjoram, Nasturtium, Parsnip, Pea, Spinach, Sweet Corn	Radish is said to attract leaf miners from Spinach	Hyssop
Raspberry			Blackberries, Potato, Tomato
Rosemary	Beans, Cabbage, Carrot, Sage	Said to deter Cabbage white butterfly. Attracts beneficials
Sage	Brassicas (Incl: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower), Carrot, Rosemary	Sage repels the Cabbage White Butterfly	Cucumber
Silverbeet	Beetroot, Cherry, Lavender, Lovage, Marjoram, Onion		Basil, Wormwood
Spinach	Celery, Eggplant, Strawberries
Squash	Borage, Lovage, Marjoram, Nasturtium, Peas, Sunflower, Sweet Corn, Tansy		Potato
Strawberry	Beans, Borage, Chives, Leek, Lettuce, Marigold (French), Onion, Pyrethrum, Sage, Spinach		Brassicas (Incl: Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower), Brussel Sprouts, Garlic
Sunflower	Apricots, Cucumbers, Squash		Beans, Potato
Sweet Corn	Beans, Cucumbers, Lovage, Marjoram, Melon, Parsnip, Peas, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Squash, Zucchini	Sweet Corn has traditionally been used as “living stakes” for peas. Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Cabbage
Tomato	Asparagus, Basil, Celery, Borage, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Celery, Chives, Dill, Gooseberry, Grape, Hyssop, Lovage, Mariglod (French), Marjoram, Mint, Nasturtium, Onion, Parsley, Parsnip, Turnip	Marigolds said to repel white fly and root knot nematode. Bad Neighbours roots release substances reducing growth	Apricots, Beetroot,  Fennel, Kohl Rabi, Potato, Rosemary, Sweet Corn
Turnip	Cucumbers, Lettuce, Nasturtium, Peas, Tomato
Watermelon	Potato
Yarrow	Most aromatic herbs	When planted along pathways, is said to enhance essential oil production and herb flavour.
Zucchini	Lovage, Marjoram, Nasturtium, Sweet Corn

and…

a couple of general plants that make great companions for other reasons

• Basil helps repel flies and mosquitoes.
• Borage in the strawberry patch will increase the yield.
• Catnip repels fleas, ants and rodents.
• Caraway helps breakdown heavy soils.
• Chamomile deters flies and mosquitoes and gives strength to any plant growing nearby.
• Chives grown beneath apple trees will help to prevent apple scab; beneath roses will keep away aphids and blackspot.
• Elderberry a general insecticide, the leaves encourage compost fermentation, the flowers and berries make lovely wine!
• Fennel (not F. vulgare or F.officionale) repels flies, fleas and ants.
• French Marigold root secretions kill nematodes in the soil. Will repel white fly amongst tomatoes.
• Garlic helps keep aphids away from roses.
• Hyssop attracts cabbage white moth keeping brassicas free from infestation.
• Mint repels cabbage white moth. Dried and placed with clothes will repel clothes moth.
• Nasturtium secrete a mustard oil, which many insects find attractive and will seek out, particularly the cabbage white moth. Alternatively, the flowers repel aphids and the cucumber beetle. The climbing variety grown up apple trees will repel codling moth.
• Pyrethrum will repel bugs if grown around the vegetable garden.
• Rosemary repels carrot fly.
• Rue (Rutus, not Peganum) keeps cats and dogs off garden beds if planted round the borders.
• Sage protects cabbages from cabbage white moth.
• Tansy (Tanacetum, not Senecio) repels moths, flies and ants. Plant beneath peach trees to repel harmful flying insects. Tansy leaves assist compost fermentation.
• Wormwood (Artemesia, not Ambrosia) although it can inhibit the growth of plants near it, wormwood does repel moths, flies and fleas and keeps animals off the garden.

I hope this has helped you to get  started. A working herb garden is a delight, no matter how big, or whether it's formal, cottage, in pots, or old boots. My biggest problem initially, was losing labels on my herbs. I have tried paddlepop sticks, old cd's, plant labels. I now have a good idea what everything is, thank goodness. If anyone has a great herb labelling scheme, I am willing to listen.

Happy Grubbing & designing & pondering

Tam