HERB GARDENS

Photo: There are more than 40 types of thyme,including the variegated Thymus aurea.

All that you need to make a herb garden is a small bed near the back door or even some old pots to put in the plants and seeds. Herbs are some of the easiest plants to grow and you will find most of the varieties as small plants at the garden centres. There will also be a lot of them that can be grown easily from seed. Plant them in the driest, sunniest spot you can as most of the varieties come from the Mediterranean. Check the overall size of the plants and give them room to grow. If possible when planning the spot, put the tall plants such as fennel in the centre of the display

Varieties
The selection of different varieties of herbs is enough to make your head spin! For instance, there are more than 40 varieties of thyme. You don't need all varieties of one herb, but with a minimum of effort, you can end up with a fragrant, beautiful part of your garden, with colours ranging from cream to glossy green, to silver, and all shades of pink to deep purple.

Herbs in a Hanging basket
Put invasive plants such as mint in a hanging basket or pot, - that way they won’t take over the garden. Other herbs look great in these too.

Separate pots
A selection of different sized pots, planted with herbs looks lovely grouped together. As an example-Lavender in the largest pot, marjoram or oregano in the second pot, mint in the third, and trailing thyme in the smallest.

Horticultural.