Herb Garden Designs

Herb Garden Designs

For thousands of years people have been keeping gardens. These gardens contain everything from vegetables to fruits and flowers. They also contained herbs. Some of the more common ones that have been “domesticated” so to speak include parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, basil and many others. The design of the garden depends largely upon the grower and whether or not he or she wants an ornamental garden, or one that is practical.

The garden designs of the past are the inspiration of the garden today as we know it. The gardens grown during the Renaissance period of Europe and those of medieval times are probably the most popular designs. These designs are simply flat beds designed as a rectangular shape.

Practice Makes Perfect

In a relatively short period of time, a casual herb gardener can become an expert on the herbs that they grow, because with time, they come to know every detail involved in growing these wonderful herbs. For instance, they come to realize that when they planted the parsley in one corner of the garden, it did not perform so well as it did in the other corner. They come to realize then, that the first corner they planted in happens to get more sunlight than the second corner.

Next time then, they know to put the parsley back in its original location.

Herbal Categories

Herbs are generally differentiated as:

1.  Cooking (culinary) herbs – These herbs are very likely by far the most popular and include rosemary, basil, etc. This group of herbs will include plants that are of both annual and perennial attributes.
2.  Therapeutic (medicinal) herbs – These are primarily used as teas. The fact is, while many herbs have medicinal qualities, they are very difficult to extract.

3.  Ornamental Herbs (aromatherapy, etc) – This group of herbs are those that add beauty or fragrance to an otherwise drab garden.

Traditional, or Not so Traditional

For many, the traditional herb garden is out of the question for one reason or another. For instance, there may not be the opportunity to have a garden at all if we live in an apartment. Fortunately, there is the opportunity of growing an herb garden indoors. This is generally facilitated by making use of flower pots, or even coffee cans. Many others choose to plant their herb gardens in windowsill boxes.

One recommendation is to have a look at your local garden center for some ideas. There are even kits that contain pots that are stackable. One goes on top of the other in a staggered manner allowing you to literally expand your garden vertically.

These methods are especially useful for those who are not easily able to get in and out of the house. It gives them the opportunity to create a wonderful, bountiful herb garden without any other issue cropping up or getting in the way.

Getting Started in Herb Gardening

Probably the easiest way to “get your thumb wet” is to purchase an herb garden kit. The prices on these kits are very reasonable and they can save you a lot of time in the end. Most kits will come packaged according to the group of herbs contained within. For instance you can buy an “Italian herb kit” or you can find those for herbal teas and so forth.

A little research goes a long way, so put some time into it and look around and make comparisons. Make sure that the varieties that you choose to grow will do well in your particular region. Follow the basic instructions that are given in the kits and before you know it you’ll be plucking fresh herbs for cooking every day.