What's In Your Herb Bed?

[PyreneesPlot]

My herb garden has been entirely ignored since last August due to poor health. Because the mint had a wild time and was joined by brambles and bindweed which just smothered everything I'm starting again from scratch.

This is for the perennials only as I tend to grow annual herbs in among the vegetables - so what what do you have and would you like?

The space is 2.5m X 8m, south facing along the wall of the house so there is some rain shadow. There is an established olive at one end and a new Japanese quince at the other. Soil is clay with added stones/gravel. Temperature range is normally -5 to 35 but we've had -17 to 45.

So far I have 4 rosemary and 3 broad leaved sage, cuttings from the originals, along the back.

The list has so far:
Thyme (various)
Sage ditto
Tarragon
Garlic chives
Chives
Oregano
Marjoram
Angelica?
Bronze fennel, although that does better seeded into the weed matting beneath some gravel...

And then I ran out of ideas!!

[Small pumpkin]

The only things I have different to you is a hot & spicy oregano and hopefully next year cumin ( I'm assuming it's a perennial. Don't know much about it. I really must do some research )

[Bren In Pots]

I've got herb fennel its perennial the only downfall is that it grows to 5ft.

[elleme]

Not in one bed, but as follows:
Broadleaved thyme
Greek oregano
Golden oregano
Bay tree, kept clipped
Sage
Lemon balm
Lemon verbena
Chocolate mint
Spearmint
Pineapple mint
Lettuce leaved Basil (I grow it indoors)
Chives
Garlic chives
Myrtle
Vietnamese coriander

[Bex]

Chocolate mint
Strawberry mint
BBQ sage (smokey)
Tree spinach
Lemon verbena
Lime basil
Black currant sage
Thyme
Basil
Mint
Sage

Not in a bed as such, in flower buckets and on the kitchen windowsill


Sent from my iPhone using Grow Your Own Forum

[veggiechicken]

In a bed -
Apple mint
Moroccan Mint,
Basil Mint
?Eau de Cologne mint
Variegated oregano
Thyme
Myrtle
English Mace
Pineapple Sage

Elsewhere :-
Purple sage
Blackcurrant sage
Lemon balm
Variegated lemon balm
Various thymes
Bay
Balm of Gilead (Cedronella Canariensis)
Other mints
Marjoram
Golden oregano
Chives
Garlic chives

Must be more, but can't remember them

[PyreneesPlot]

Lovely lists, thanks peeps. Hoping to finish clearing the bramble, mint and bindweed tomorrow and going off piste and putting some hollyhocks in at the back.
I'll be visiting my Mum next month so shall take cuttings of various treasures!

[More basil]

Can I also suggest a small lemon tree grown not just for the fruit but for the fragrant leafs (for sorbets, tea, fragrant rice etc) and the sheer joy of the heady flowers at the most unexpected times of year. It may of course have to live in a container so you can rescue it from frost. Ditto lemon verbena for the same reasons

[elleme]

I have managed to keep my lemon verbena going for a few years outside. I risked it as it wasn't doing so well in a container and then it took off more. That said, I'm in London and it's fairly close to a west-facing house wall. Good point about the lemon tree having dual use.

[ancee]

Lemon Basil
Cinnamon Basil (AMAZING STUFF!)
But these have to be indoors as it's too cold here - you probably won't have that problem though!

[PyreneesPlot]

So I have my plant list for perennials - next question plant now (well, mid October) or wait until the spring? If it were shrubs or trees I'd do it now, but with things like tarragon which will vanish I guess it is best to wait. If I wait the bed will get the phacelia treatment for the winter.
Finished clearing today and have a bucket full of bindweed roots!
Thanks again. Umm, lemon tree - now that it something I'd not thought of before.

[Mark Lottie]

I went a bit potty with the herb bed last year and grew

purple sage, common sage, fennel herb, bay, curled and flat parsley, thyme, orange thyme, lemon thyme, horehound, winter savory, hyssop, lemon verbena, dill, smallage (wild celery / the plant that gives you celery seeds), lemon balm, apple mint, mint, chives, garlic chives, pineapple sage, blackcurrant sage, oregano, pot marjoram, sweet marjoram, red veined sorrel, dill, rosemary

this year I am adding summer savory (as it helps tomatoes apparently), chervil, french sorrel, coriander, lemon coriander


Only massive failure was dill as it doesnt like being near fennel. That's the excuse I'm going with and I'm sticking to it. Garlic Chives werent very vigorous and I wont bother with again as I dont see the point; chives only taste slightly different and the crow garlic (allium vineale) I am growing has the garlicy onion green shoot thing covered.

Red veined sorrel was slow as hell to grow and so sharp tasting that I am not too bothered.

Horehound apparently is a good companion for potatoes but it grows slow as hell. Not used for culinary purposes but for stuff like cough medicine

Best new thing I grew was Winter savory. It's a perfect herb for the english cook; a great combo of sage/thyme/rosemary and it's a perennial

[Mikey]

Did you add rosemary to your list PP, I use sage, thyme, oregano, mint and rosemary a lot in the kitchen. I also like some lavender in my biscuits and scones but its more of a bi-annual for me as I end up pulling it out when it gets leggy.

I have a couple of standard bays as they give a bit of height, I'd like to grow a curry tree but, don't have the climate. I've grown a lot of the others mentioned but, find these days I stick to what I'll use rather than growing lots of exotics.

[Mark Lottie]

That reminds me, I've also grown a curry plant that looks like grey rosemary but it's purely ornamental as I read in one place (maybe the label?) that it might be a bit dangerous to use in food?

Anyone used one for cooking?

smells like, err.. curry

[Mikey]

Its an odd name really, seeing as curry literally means gravy or sauce. So its a gravy plant!!! Not sure about you but, I'm not that keen on being able to cut my gravy.